TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL: Summary of 5/25 WWE Raw - Lakers vs. Nuggets, Extreme Rules PPV...what PPV?, HIGH/LOW Points May 25, 2009 - 11:01:05 PM
-- If you watched the show, send your Raw Reax and 0-10 score to pwtorch@gmail.com.
-- High Point: The Miz interrupting the opening segment. Thank goodness for The Miz putting an end to Vince McMahon's non-sense in the opening segment. Although his promo was a "local promo" aimed at generating heel heat, he continues to be in control of his character and carry himself like a main event star. Although the post-show Dark Match of Cena vs. The Miz did not air on TV, from Mike Roe's report, it sounds like Miz had a strong performance in the ring that would be worthy of a TV or PPV match.
-- Low Point: Vacuous 20 minutes after Flair-Orton segment. After the Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton segment to start the second hour, WWE filled about 20 minutes of TV with virtually nothing of redeeming quality. The Brian Kendrick continues to be wasted away in a ridiculous tag team feud involving the freak show of Goldust & Hornswoggle, while the Santino(a) storyline continues to live by the Matt Hardy motto of "This Program Won't Die!" ... Other segments receiving votes: Vince McMahon's sophomoric, childish, embarrassing "penis joke" promo on the Fake Stan Kroenke. Summed up 25 years of McMahon's humor in one five-minute segment.
-- Context: WWE was in between the Judgment Day PPV in May and the Extreme Rules PPV in June, leaving an "off-week" of TV to promote the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets feud after WWE spent a week bashing the Nuggets organization for bumping WWE Raw from the Pepsi Center in favor of Game Four of the Lakers-Nuggets series. Focus was on the basketball feud without much actual hype for the Extreme Rules PPV other than announcing a Vickie vs. Santina match.
-- WWE announced a third match for the Raw brand on the Extreme Rules PPV next Sunday. Vickie Guerrero will face Santino(a) Marella in a Hog Pin match. Already announced is WWE champion Randy Orton vs. Batista in a steel cage match and Big Show vs. John Cena in a submissions match.
-- U.S. champion MVP vs. Kofi Kingston is booked for next week's Raw with MVP's U.S. Title on the line.
-- MATCH RESULTS: Vince McMahon punched out Fake Stan Kroenke. ... (1) Kelly Kelly beat Maryse via DQ, Maryse retained the Divas Title. ... (2) Kofi Kingston beat MVP and Matt Hardy in a #1 contender match for the U.S. Title. ... (3) Santino Marella & Mickie James beat Chavo Guerrero & Beth Phoenix. ... (4) Goldust & Hornswoggle beat The Brian Kendrick & Festus. ... (5) "Lakers" John Cena & Batista & U.S. champion MVP & Mr. Kennedy & Jerry Lawler beat "Nuggets" WWE champion Randy Orton & Ted DiBiase, Jr. & Cody Rhodes & The Miz & Big Show.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?