Skip to main content

The SmarK RAW Rant–10.29.12

The SmarK RAW Rant – 10.29.12

Man, hurricanes on the east coast, earthquakes on the west coast…makes me glad to be stuck in the most boring province in Canada where nothing ever happens.  Much like this show as of late.

Live from Charlotte, North Carolina

Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jim Ross

CM Punk and belt-handler are out to start, and the announcers are aghast at the highway robbery that transpired last night. A wrestling referee who is BIASED? This is a wholly unprecedented turn of events! Punk claims that he had nothing to do with it and he was as surprised as anyone else. They’ve all tried to erase from the history books, but he’s in-erasable, like a crossword done in pen! OK, I added the last part. Mick Foley interrupts this going-nowhere promo, and he’s mad because Punk FAILED to live up to the tradition of the Cell match. He won the damn match! But Punk is all about tradition, so he challenges Mick to a Survivor Series elimination match. Where the fuck did this come from?

Ryback v. JTG

Ryback with a couple of slams and a Thesz Press of all things, and the lariat and Shellshocked finish at 1:56. And then we get a RYBACK PROMO, as he’s still hungry for Punk.

Randy Orton v. Wade Barrett

Two years ago this was the main event of Survivor Series, and now they’re both just hanging around the midcard again. That’s why I miss the territory days – it used to be that guys would go to the main event, get burned out there, and then go somewhere else to keep making money. They brawl to the floor right away and Orton has his way with him, and it’s back in for the Garvin Stomp. Wade slugs back, but gets dumped again and we take a break. We’re back in suddenly no longer in HD for some reason. That’s pretty weird. Wonder if that was just The Score or if USA also switched to 4x3? Barrett works on the arm and gets two. The Score confirms that the hurricane is messing up the HD feed, which is good because it’s driving me crazy. Orton comes back with the powerslam and draping DDT, but Barrett counters the RKO with the Bossman slam for two. Another RKO finishes at 10:00. The 50/50 booking continues, but this was fine. **1/2

Meanwhile, AJ and Vickie discuss the allegations and AJ is basically forced to beg for her job.

Daniel Bryan & Kane v. The Primetime Players4

This would be non-title, I presume. The champs take turns on Darren Young in the corner, but Bryan refuses to tag Kane back in. This costs him when Titus comes in and takes over, and Young goes to a chinlock. Bryan comes back and brings Kane in for a sideslam that gets two. Kane with the flying clothesline on Young and the chokeslam, but Bryan tags himself in for the No!Lock at 4:24. Just a match. *1/2

We recap the Brad Maddox storyline from two months ago, AFTER the match where remembering it in advance would have actually made the finish sensible.

John Cena joins us to confront Vickie about the proof of his affair. He claims he was joking about the date, and was just comforting AJ last week, and the dinner was just a business dinner. However, Vickie also has video of Cena and AJ flirting in the hallway and then going into an elevator together. The crowd chants “You are busted” after that one. Cena digs the hole deeper before Dolph Ziggler interrupts. Cena actually gets serious for once and shoves Ziggler off before storming away. Surprisingly effective, actually.

Kofi Kingston v. Antonio Cesaro

And HD is back! Yay! Cesaro attacks, but walks into a forearm and the corner kick. Kofi goes up and Cesaro slams him off. Double stomp and Cesaro goes to the top wristlock, but Kofi dropkicks him to the floor and springs off the stairs with a forearm. Kofi gets into an altercation with color commentator Miz, and it’s a DQ at 2:40. The heels do the beatdown, but R-Truth makes the save. This was nothing. *

Meanwhile, Vickie continues antagonizing AJ, who still claims that nothing happened.

3MB has an AWESOME vignette, including Jinder Mahal ripping off The Simpsons to great effect with “Yeah, I’m known as the fun one”. Also: “We’re not Lenscrafters! We can’t churn out smash hits in one hour or less!” Who knew friggin’ Jinder Mahal could be hilarious? If they keep giving them this kind of promo, they’ll get over as a cult babyface pretty quickly.

3MB v. Zack Ryder & Santino

Ryder quickly gets the Broski Boot on Mahal, but he bails and necksnaps Zack to take over. Over to Slater for a quick beatdown in the corner and a flying forearm for two. Mahal with a high knee for two. Slater works a chinlock, but misses a charge and it’s hot tag Santino. It’s BONZO GONZO and Santino preps the cobra, but as usual he gets distracted and Slater finishes with the neckbreaker at 3:45. *1/2

AJ Lee v. Beth Phoenix

AJ tries to unleash the crazy, but Beth lays her out and tosses her. Back in, she gets two. AJ comes back with a small package for the pin at 2:00. Oh man, the cradle, it’s Beth’s kryptonite! Vickie comes out to restart the match, however, and Beth quickly beats her with the Glam Slam. This 50/50 booking is getting out of control.

Sheamus comes out to concede that Big Show was the better man at the PPV. But he didn’t come here to always win! Could have fooled me. Anyway, the war continues, he loves to fight, loves to smile, blah blah blah. This brings out Big Show, who wants to knock the smile off Sheamus’ face because Sheamus knows that he can never beat Show. Sheamus gives him the White Noise in response. Two guys engaging in hatred over the World title is a good thing, even if the feud bores me to tears.

Meanwhile, Beth thanks Vickie for her assistance, but Vickie fires her. And so ends the Beth Phoenix farewell tour.

The Rhodes Scholars v. Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara

Rey’s got the Grim Fandango look going tonight in honor of Halloween. The masked men frustrate the heels to start and double-team Cody, but Rey takes a beating for a bit before Sin Cara tags in and runs wild on them. A pair of dives follow and we take a break. I’m surprised we didn’t get yet another self-aggrandizing promo or recap of Punk-Foley during the break, because they’ve been doing both all night. Back with Cara getting the heat, but he gets a sunset flip on Cody for two. Hot tag Rey and he lands on his feet after getting tossed by Cody, but Sandow hits him with a cheapshot from behind. And now the heels get the heat on Rey, with Sandow dropping the ELBOW OF DISDAIN for two. Choking in the corner, but Rey cradles Sandow for two. Cody stomps him down for two as this is clearly just filling time. Finally Rey manages a double DDT and makes the tag to Sin Cara, who gets an enzuigiri on Sandow for two. The heels switch off and bail, but Cara hits Cody with a corkscrew dive. Back in, he goes up and misses a senton on Sandow, allowing him to finish with the Terminus at 15:30. Went too long, but the Rhodes Scholars continue to look strong. **1/2 With the tag division actually deep for once, they should go old-school and do a 10-team Survivor Series match this year. Luchadors/Kidd & Gabrel/Kane & Bryan/Santino & Ryder/Usos v. Primetime Players/Rhodes Scholars/3MB/Camacho & Hunico/The Ascension?

John Cena gives a big cheque to cancer survivors after another 10 minutes of videos about how great WWE is for doing it. Just before an election, too! How about that. But then what’s another $1,000,000 donation when you’ve already burned $100 million on both campaigns to date? Like was this REALLY something they couldn’t have just stuck on the website instead of burning 15 minutes on the show with it?

Alberto Del Rio v. Justin Gabriel

ADR kills him quickly and gets a NASTY looking snap of the arm on the ropes. I don’t know how they worked that one, because Gabriel’s elbow went in a bad direction. ADR works on the arm while the words CHAEL SONNEN are spoken on WWE TV for the first time ever. That hurricane might be a signal for the end of times. ADR works a very long armbar and stomps Gabriel down for two. Gabriel gets a brief comeback, but Del Rio finishes with the inevitable armbreaker at 5:18. WAY too long for the extended squash it was. Much like everything else tonight. ½*

For those keeping track, that makes Del Rio v. Gabriel your main event of the evening.

CM Punk joins us at the 3-hour mark and we’ve still got a 20 minute interview segment to go here. Paul Heyman announces Team Punk: CM Punk, The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow & Alberto Del Rio. Mick Foley presents Team Foley: Kofi Kingston, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton & Ryback. Wow, this is quite the conflagration of midcarders. And then they do the big go-home brawl right here as Punk leaves. Geez, building up the reveal of the team members for a couple of weeks is the easiest hook there is and they just threw it out there in the same show as they announced the match!

The Pulse

This was yet another show where I had to keep stopping the show and going to do other stuff because I was bored out of my mind the whole way. I even watched last week’s episode of Dexter after the first hour before slogging back into it again. Also, basically no followup on EVIL REFEREE Brad Maddox, but a whole lot of AJ and Vickie. This doesn’t fill me with anticipation for Survivor Series.

Comments

  1. Leaf falls from dead tree
    I sigh as time marches on
    Beth jobs to roll up

    ReplyDelete
  2. Feels like this show offers nothing at all!


    Nothing at all!


    NOTHING AT ALL!


    Ahhhh! Stupid, shitty RAW!

    ReplyDelete
  3. "But Punk is all about tradition, so he challenges Mick to a Survivor
    Series elimination match. Where the fuck did this come from?"

    Punk and Foley had a promo a few weeks ago and then cheap-shotted him...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Signs you're not worth anything in the long run:


    You're on a team representing a guy who's not even wrestling, over something incredibly stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just reading it sounds boring... that's not a slight on your review, just a sobering sign of the times.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So Foley's so mad about it that he does nothing and then randomly returns to confront him weeks later? Is this TNA now?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Adding to the weather crisis, we've got hurricanes AND Blizzards!!! The rain from the hurricane is being converted to snow and several states in the middle portion of the East Coast are expected to see insane amounts of snow hit them as part of the Frankenstorm...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Foley had Ryback do his dirty work. Needless to say, when Ryback failed, Mick had to show up for round two....

    ReplyDelete
  9. That said, they really should have paired up Punk with Foley not Heyman, since evil Mick Foley would have done a better job making this bullshit heel turn work as far as Mick seeing the parallels between himself and Punk and Rock and Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I only saw the final segment, which was BRUTAL to watch. I haven't watched much in the last couple of years, so maybe everyone else is used to it, but WOW. Virtually no crowd reaction (save for a "Goldberg" chant), they rush the two teams out there with no dramatic announcements, Foley waddles down to the ring as his music cuts off (probably a good thing he's not in the match), and Cole just rambles on and on and doesn't give any dramatic commentary to try and save the moment. It may have been because it was already into the overrun when Punk came out and they were rushed, but compare the "reveal" of the teams tonight to Linda announcing Foley in the WM 2000 main event, or Austin being announced as being in Rock's corner at Backlash that same year. The roof came off the place, and JR and King sold it wonderfully on commentary. Now it's half assed rushed promos with a tepid crowd. No wonder they are pulling 2.5's. At least even in the dead era of 95, it SEEMED like a big deal. Instead, it's like, "Um, okay, see ya next week, WWEUNIVERSE".

    ReplyDelete
  11. ...why would they NOT follow up the referee angle? Or did they not have any plans outside of "that's the finish, problemo solved!"

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Goldberg" chants are the new "We want Ryder" chants from 2011 ...but they can't bury Goldberg, so the chants will continue.

    ReplyDelete
  13. WWE < San Francisco Giants

    ReplyDelete
  14. "Like was this REALLY something they couldn’t have just stuck on the website instead of burning 15 minutes on the show with it?"

    Of course they can't put this on the internet Scott. To paraphrase Bart Simpson, "they have to reach people whose opinions actually matter!" At least as far as mainstream media goes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I prefer the teams be known as Team Team Hell No and Team Team Rhodes Scholars.

    ReplyDelete
  16. And it even had the required seasonal reference! Kudos, TRCS!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Foley said he's mad because Punk embarrassed himself at Hell In A Cell, after giving him a chance to not become just "a statistic". So NOW he feels compelled to come back. Of course, that doesn't make the premise behind this match any less fucking lame.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ryback and Cena had his back for a few weeks. It's not being portrayed that way, but I'm sure when this feud gets moving along a bit more, we'll see that Foley realizes he's older and probably can't match up to Punk. So he had some guys who had his back help him, until Foley gets pissed off enough to do something about it himself.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You just answered your own question there.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Obviously Punk should have manned up and fallen through the ceiling on that Shell Shocked.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yeah, I'm sure there's tons of thought and backstory being put into this feud. You can just feel the nuanced writing coming off of it thus far.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Team Teams of Five Five Strive Strive to Survive-ive!

    ReplyDelete
  23. wow what a jobber team for Punk, they should probably work an injury angle to at least get Barrett in there or something

    ReplyDelete
  24. It really would have made more sense to keep the tag teams out of the Punk/Foley match and put all of them together in a big tag team SUrvivor Series match. That way Kane/Bryan get to carry the buildup and the match, rather than being a throw-in on Foley/Ryback's team, and it would open up some spots on both teams. Wade Barrett would fit nicely on Punk's team, and since Punk once stole the leadership of Nexus away from Barrett, they could tease the fact that all of Punk's teammates have had heated issues with him in the past, so they might just abandon him at Surivor Series, like he abandoned them last night.


    Had they only announced 4 members of each team, they could have left one spot available for a later addition or the dreaded mystery partner. Then at least we could speculate that someone like Brock, Rock, HHH, Undertaker, Austin, etc. might show up at the ppv. Of course it would end up being Jerry Lawler or Sgt. Slaughter, but it would still be fun to speculate. Or maybe Yurple. Yurple=many buys.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This was the first Raw I attempted to watch since May, and my 2 month old DVR began to crap out while I was tuned to USA. Probably a good thing

    ReplyDelete
  26. Another trainwreck show in a series of them; at least if the ratings continue to fall, the show will return to TV-14 SO COME ON 2.1!

    ReplyDelete
  27. TV-14 or TV-PG has zero to do with how good this show is or isn't.

    ReplyDelete
  28. The worst part is that if they WANTED to advance shit and abort the bullshit heel turn Punk has, turn Cena heel, is to say that Cena bribed Maddox to cost Ryback the match because Cena wants Punk to lose the belt to him and him alone and that he pitched Ryback, knowing full well that he was going to screw over Ryback even as he was hyping him up.



    Which in turn would let them tie into the AJ thing, as Cena only fucked AJ to get his hands on her cell phone so as to get Maddox's number and set up the bribe.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm allowed to interpret things on my own, I don't have to have the WWE machine do it for me. You can do the same, it's fun!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Shame they couldn't get Austin to captain the team. Would have been the best way to pay off the war or words between him and Punk.

    ReplyDelete
  31. You know it's a bad show when the highlight is the 3MB interview... but then again it was entertaining as hell and I'm totally on the bandwagon! Rest of the show was some serious hot garbage.

    I say it every week now, but I refuse to watch this show live while 3 hours. I just tolerate it on FFWD, how people stick through it weekly is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This. RAW was TV-14 in 2006-2007 and it was just as horseshit as what we have right now.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Also, with 2 guys like Punk and Foley, do you really need a ton of back story? I don't think so. I think all you need is a spark, and this feud has a small one. Which is all it really needs.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Who the hell disliked this comment... must be jealous they didn't think of it first!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Aye, I know that Scott isn't much of a literary guy, but I very much believe in Death of the Author. The show means what I want it to mean.

    ReplyDelete
  36. ADR, the Rhodes Scholars and the Miz are jobbers?


    Say whaaaat?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Call me crazy, but that is actually a freaking awesome idea. I'll always remember this as the first time I was fully Baked.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Which referee is Brad Maddox again? I haven't cared about refs since they took away their names and fired the guys I DID know. Only one I recognize is the awkward looking token black ref.

    ReplyDelete
  39. It actually does; the company refuses to admit that the format change they've been on since 2008 has been a giant failure, as evidenced by TV ratings, arena attendance and PPV buyrates all falling off a cliff especially in the last two years.

    Really, they need a wholesale change in everything. Change the way the shows are written (as in get rid of the 16 or so writers twiddling their thumbs while their ideas get ignored anyway, just have a 4-man booking crew consisting of Hunter, Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes and Michael Hayes), change the sets, change the rating of course so they'll have more freedom (and don't mention how they won't sell any dolls or merchandise if they change the rating because there are several TV-14 and TV-MA shows that are merchandising machines and the fact of the matter is that merchandise sales during the Attitude Era were roughly triple what they are today, so that claim doesn't hold up), give the talent more freedom over their characters since they clearly have better ideas than WWE at the moment, get rid of everything that has been overdone to death in the past 15 years (opening 20 minute promo, authority figures and the automatic rematch clause to name a few), get rid of the fucking recaps (after all, that's what AM RAW is for and even if you don't watch that show, 99.9% of the population have DVRs and YouTube so catching something we missed isn't exactly impossible) and more importantly, put some fun back into the shows (almost everyone on the shows is way too overly serious, it's like everybody is trying to imitate Lance Storm instead of imitating The Rock, Ric Flair or The Cat). Really, we need a return to the way wrestling was presented before Nitro was created. That hasn't been done in so long that it would be completely 100% fresh again. It shouldn't be too hard to return to that, hell they've been doing the same formula since 1997. And besides, that formula has succeeded for several decades compared to the soap opera formula which had four years of success followed by 10-plus years of failure.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Everything you just wrote has zero to do with TV-14.

    ReplyDelete
  41. WWE has also set numerous Wrestlemania buyrate records post-AE and have improved their buyrates over last year despite the TV product.


    And seriously, changing the rating either way will do jack shit, so go play the Attitude Era Mode in WWE 13 with your pants off if your dick is that hard about it.

    ReplyDelete
  42. GImmick infringement, but this guy gets it (as in, cultstatus).

    ReplyDelete
  43. What it has to do with TV-14 is this: They have boxed themselves into a corner ever since the TV-PG revamp began. They're quite limited creatively because in part of the rating and in part because Vince is scared of change even though he's going to have to change of else he'll face the ultimate change, namely the NFL putting his company out of business. I'm not saying they should resort to sleazy content just because of a rating, what I'm saying is they should be able to give the talent more freedom, they should at least bring some realism back and they should at least be more diverse when it comes to ideas rather than resorting to the same old cliches.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Again, all this has nothing to do with TV-14. Literally everything you've suggested could be accomplished with a TV-PG rating.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Special Guest Referee Kelly Kelly


    Entrance music performed by Duran Duran

    ReplyDelete
  46. Should be interesting to see the ratings this week. MNF was incredibly lopsided, so I doubt they are going to score a huge rating for the game. Sounds like a few TV shows were not broadcast due to the hurricanes as well.

    ReplyDelete
  47. I knew who every member of Foley's team was going to be as soon as they announced Miz. This is how predictable things have gotten.

    ReplyDelete
  48. So...why wasn't Ryback suspended and/or fired for mauling a WWE official?

    ReplyDelete
  49. What's up with scott and long (and good) matches, is the length of raw so plodding that it's making anything more than 10 minutes hurt his head. Someone said it best last night when they said...If anything in the WWE is good right now (and it's a short short list) it's the fact that we have a REAL tag division now, and clearly they are building the Rhodes Scholars/hell no feud beyond survivor series, that's one way to build a good tag team. I can't wait for the inevitable Rey/Cara vs Hell no match ups.

    ReplyDelete
  50. why does the show have an overrun?!?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  51. that would make better sense if building to a punk/austin program.

    ReplyDelete
  52. FUCK YOU for beating me this week in FFoD :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. Fuj loves this.

    ReplyDelete
  54. ...because they're telling stories.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I looked at it weird
    Then said to myself, "Haiku?"
    Laughed myself to tears.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Watching RAW lately is like sitting through a Family Guy marathon of Meg episodes, with Vinnie Mac going "There's the clicker. No one would blame you."

    ReplyDelete
  57. Well, there's more important questions to ask, like why doesn't Hollywood Fuj have a Rock Concert and play us song to soothe his soul? Or give us a boring 20 minute Nitro promo with Bischoff smiling in the background? (Depending on which Hollywood-type you're going for)

    ReplyDelete
  58. I did the same thing.
    We are on the same wavelength.
    But mine's not as good.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Because he's a face and anything he does is therefore justified. He is also friends with all the other faces, because people who are liked by the crowd, must always like each other.

    ReplyDelete
  60. I'm just shocked HHH allowed Foley on TV, given all the backstage stories that have circulated lately.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Well my point is that since there is only like a 1% chance of a Punk/Austin match happening, Punk and Austin captaining teams against each other wouldn't be a bad alternative.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Really, this again? This "story" is getting close to Savage/Stephanie levels of absurdity.

    ReplyDelete
  63. It's kind of funny that AJ being with Daniel Bryan gave her tons of heat. Then she got overexposed and her heat is mild. And now that she's with Cena, she's going to get even a worse reception/negative heat.

    It's such a shame. She was wrestling's hottest character just months ago and could have been a hook for new young female fans (like Miss Elizabeth was back in the day...little girls loved wrestling and they loved Liz). But instead, she's looking kinda trampy after being with DB, Kane, Punk and Cena in a span of...four months?

    I know this blog is a place to vent your hate about the product but actually, I'm more disappointed. Just a year ago, I was actually excited to where wrestling was going. But now I see wrestlers who's careers I've followed just seem to flounder.

    Dolph Ziggler is such a talented guy but he's jobbing left and right when he should be having featured matches. CM Punk is a fun heel with Paul Heyman but its coming off blah as the booking doesn't excite anyone. Daniel Bryan is enjoyable with Kane but based on crowd reaction and workrate, he should be higher on the card than he is (and there doesn't seem to be any sign that he will be in the future). There's some bright spots like Cesaro and 3MB is hilarious but that's about it.

    I dunno. I'm not even angry anymore about the direction of WWE. It's actually worse as I'm starting not to care. And I've been a fan for like 25 years.

    ReplyDelete
  64. i got it. im digging that

    ReplyDelete
  65. You know, I never even saw Beth job to an actual finisher till recently when she had a series of matches with Layla. But if you're a diva opponent, why bother? Just roll that ass up!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Sounds like Waylon Smithers at the Springfield Speedway.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I'd rather watch stupid, sexy Flanders.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Why does everything you come up with have to do with hired guns and/or bribery?

    ReplyDelete
  69. As a fellow black man, I call him Kanye Ref-St.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Sponsored by Little Caesar's: Pizza Pizza

    ReplyDelete
  71. This whole Brad Maddox story line would have had more impact if they didn't spend the past 2 years going out of their way to have us not acknowledge the referees ever. I really don't understand them sometimes. Why did it matter if they said the referee's name during a match? What did banning that accomplish? Why do they come up with a story that contradicts everything they've been doing for years?

    ReplyDelete
  72. So.... AJ gets fired for allegedly having an affair with Cena. No real proof, but okay.


    Then they gave the job to Vicki Guerrero, and her first week in she's abused AJ and directly impacted the result of a match. Shouldn't she be fired for that?


    Or are those some of those details wrestling fans are too stupid to remember.


    I was able to watch this show in about an hour last night cause I fast-forwarded through all the junk.

    ReplyDelete
  73. It's OK because AJ was the GM, but Vicki's a Managing Supervisor. Managing Supervisors get more leeway.

    ReplyDelete
  74. BOOM! LOGIC BITCH!

    ReplyDelete
  75. I think it's very telling that they took the one thing that is starting to get really exciting (the tag team championship scene) and stuck it in there with Punk and Ryback. That'll show Bryan and those guys who the real stars are. How dare they bust their ass and get themselves more over than the guys Vince wants at the top? Now you get to be in a match with Miz and ADR. That's a good way to make sure no one cares about them. But, hey, at least Mick Foley gets to be team captain. Thank god they didn't make it a wrestler. Why would you want a wrestler as the center of attention for the main event of one of your top 4 PPVs?

    ReplyDelete
  76. Am I missing something or is WWE now ripping off TNA's Clair Lynch story but in a consensual PG version?

    ReplyDelete
  77. Just to confirm this awesome storyline again: Foley is mad at Punk for not taking the Cell match against Cena because that would cement his legacy or something. Cena is offered the match against Punk and turns it down, giving his spot to Ryback instead. Punk beats Ryback to retain the title. Foley returns, still mad at Punk but apparently not caring that Cena threw away the opportunity that Foley got beat up to give him. Am I interpreting that right?

    ReplyDelete
  78. Random prediction: Orton goes heel on Ryback. Wants to again be the premier predator or some such.

    ReplyDelete
  79. What's with the old-timers coming back to scold Punk for cheating as if they were never heels before? One of Foley's most famous matches included Vince McMahon as the guys ref who kept changing the rules as the match went on in order to favor Foley.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Like was this REALLY something they couldn’t have just stuck on the website instead of burning 15 minutes on the show with it?


    It didn't happen unless they get to brag about it happening.

    ReplyDelete
  81. That's a pretty cool idea.

    ReplyDelete
  82. And the whole "legacy" thing of Hell in a Cell kind of falls flat when there have been a MILLION Cell matches and an entire PPV based around it. "Failed to live up" to it? Please, they do a whole PPV called "Hell in a Cell" that falls flat every time.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Geez, building up the reveal of the team members for a couple of weeks is the easiest hook there is and they just threw it out there in the same show as they announced the match

    As I mentioned in the live thread, announcing the teams this far in advance now lets them do all of the whacky, wonky, yoooooooooooiiiiiiiiiii mixing and matches with all the participants.

    ReplyDelete
  84. We all must admit

    We read line two as "Haku"

    He's the Monster Meng

    ReplyDelete
  85. Scott, lots of people lamented the (as of yet) absence of Brock on Team Heyman. What think you?

    ReplyDelete
  86. Anyone else remember how Rock's tribal tattoo totally encapsulated the Attitude Era?


    Neither do I, but apparently WWE/makes of the video game do.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Because the best way to promote your PPV is to show the same participants fighting each other over and over for three weeks. It really makes it feel special when they finally face each other again for the umpteenth time in the Survivor Series match.

    ReplyDelete
  88. They should have tied the AJ/Cena storyline in with their Susan G. Komen support. Cena could have claimed he was just checking AJ for lumps.

    ReplyDelete
  89. I didn't say it was a good thing to do, just that this what it allows WWE to do.

    ReplyDelete
  90. I do however remember Rock vs. Hart, which I believe JR asked if we could imagine happening last night.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Or King of the Hill episodes that are focused on Peggy.

    ReplyDelete
  92. I hate you Haiku
    You are to hard to do
    Splash

    ReplyDelete
  93. But that was Rocky Maivia vs Bret Hart, not The Rock vs Bret Hart

    ReplyDelete
  94. I think they've flushed AJ even worse than they did Punk. Punk was a huge blown opportunity, be he's still watchable. I freakin' HATE AJ now. Don't even want her on my TV. Doesn't help that her gimmick changes like the wind. She went from crazy to every GM ever.


    Hell, can you imagine if they'd kept the ex-girlfriend thing going with Team Hell No?

    ReplyDelete
  95. I'm on board with most of this, though letting Dusty anywhere near the booking committee is insane. I wouldn't be surprised if they were already panning on doing some serious housecleaning, and just waiting for the election to be over to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  96. In the past 3 weeks, they've given away Barrett-Orton and Barrett-Sheamus (TWICE!). 8 months from now, they will do a PPV with a headline match of Barrett-Sheamus for the WHC, and be shocked when the buyrate tanks.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Dream WM scenario: A live 3MB concert with them singing "Baby On Board" by the Be Sharps.

    ReplyDelete
  98. The promotion that relies more on angles and writing with shorter matches is 3 hours, and the promotion that has longer matches has a 2-hour show.



    I'm extremely happy with the new emphasis on tag teams, and hopefully this leads to longer matches. 3 hours is very doable once the audience is ready to accept 15-20 minute matches.

    ReplyDelete
  99. If anything, the referees should be mentioned to give them an air of authority. 'Senior official' titles also need to come back. Everyone knows Earl Hebner, Nick Patrick, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Yet the GM is EVIL~! and has no problem with it.

    ReplyDelete
  101. There's still time for a swerve partner change...if they're gonna do it, they'll probably do it on the go-home show.

    ReplyDelete
  102. A Haku Haiku
    is a true thing of beauty.
    Yay Tongan Death Grip.

    ReplyDelete
  103. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6iNrV-ZDyw

    ReplyDelete
  104. It's a time-honored tradition

    ReplyDelete
  105. Right now the Assistant Supervising Night Manager of Raw is not full heel. She's just holding a grudge against AJ. But she's also not helping Punk get out of trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Agreed. Now all we have is Brad Maddox, Charles Robinson, Black Guy Who Can't Count to 10 Properly (remember the Jericho Beat The Clock mishap?), Random Ref #1, and Random Ref #2.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Yeah, liking that makes you pretty damn crazy

    ReplyDelete
  108. another monday, another shitty Raw

    ReplyDelete
  109. Exactly. Nobody cared about Smilin' Babyface Rocky vs. Bret. The Rock vs. the Hitman? I'd buy it.

    ReplyDelete
  110. The pin-up strong look did Beth no favors, though. Bright red lipstick, really?

    ReplyDelete
  111. I see you driving
    'round town with the girl I love
    And I'm like, "haiku"

    ReplyDelete
  112. I've been saying this for a while. It doesn't have the "holy shit Wrestlemania" feel, but it's still not a throwaway show, and they could do all the buildup with the teams fighting to keep Austin and Punk away from each other, so the only thing Austin really needs to worry about is the big climax with him and Punk being the sole survivors on their teams.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Well, CBS aired repeats of HIMYM, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, and the other comedy, but I think NBC aired new stuff. There was a new Revolution episode (NBC) and Dancing With The Stars on ABC was new. CW also aired repeats of 90210 and Gossip Girl.

    ReplyDelete
  114. By then Vince will have finally heard "Call Me Maybe" so they'll probably sing that.

    ReplyDelete
  115. I'm pretty sure your first sentence is wwe creatives actual philosophy.

    ReplyDelete
  116. "Medium Sexy" Caliber WinfieldOctober 30, 2012 at 2:18 PM

    If CBS sent out sterilization rays through the TV during any time they air one of their prime-time "comedies" then I'd say in about 20 years we'd be living in a utopia.

    ReplyDelete
  117. What a mess. So, WWE is doing a PG version of the Claire Lynch storyline, isn't following up the finish to their PPV main event, rushed the reveal of the team members for their next PPV main event and is actually ripping off gimmicks from 2000 WCW? Evan, Shane and Shannon called and they want their gimmick back.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Let's go surfin' now
    Everybody's learnin' how
    Beach Boys love haiku.

    ReplyDelete
  119. I personally think the story line isn't bad, you make it seems like it's not subjective. Are you too stupid to see that Foley is pissed at Punk for winning due to a crooked ref that Foley thinks Punk paid off? I'm sure if Punk would've gone to HIAC, fought with Ryback, and beat him clean, there wouldn't be an issue.

    Feud is: Foley is mad at Punk for being a little bitch of a champion. I don't know how you can't interpret *that*.Why have people ever bought a book from you again?

    ReplyDelete
  120. I understand where you're coming from in terms of how the current rating could be giving themselves less freedom, and could make a comparison to, say, something like how "The Sopranos" would look if IT were a G-rated show.


    HOWEVER, there's more than the rating that is the problem - basic things like logic, forethought, and quality are lacking in the product, not to mention the company's (aka, Vince's) refusal to allow ANYTHING to get over on its own.


    I mean, if there was blood, cursing, and allusions to marijuana, would that change Vince's feelings about allowing anybody to go over Cena strongly? Would that change whether or not Vince put any thought into the midcard? Into tag-teams? Planned things out more than a day before the show? Would he stop jobbing his IC- and US-champs on a consistent basis?


    There are a million more problems than just the rating.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the lack of acknowledgement thoroughly HELPED the angle. If they had been talking about Maddox by name in the weeks leading up to the show and/or had acknowledged him during the match, I would have just been waiting to see what he did.


    I actually thought it was nice to not be beaten over the head with the ol' "sledgehammer of plot" for once. It was a rare glimpse of good writing, where the twist seemed to come out of nowhere, but then made perfect sense in retrospect.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Beth is so much hotter just in t-shirt and jeans than when she's all glammed up.


    She and Nattie are definitely the two hottest divas of the last few years. Kaitlyn's up there, too, aside from the ridiculous hair. Love girls with thick thighs and asses.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Yeah, I'm definitely hoping and expecting a "Survivor Series, 1993"-style swapping.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Vince: "God damn it, they can't write the worst storyline of the year. We must be the best at everything! Including being worst!"

    ReplyDelete
  125. Really not feeling the "Survivor Series" teams - I was hoping for more cream-of-the-crop style teams, not one side consisting of upper-card jobbers. Also disappointed that Kane, Bryan, Cody, and Sandow are in there, I was hoping for one of those big multi-team matches.

    Cena, Ryback, Sheamus, Orton, Foley (vs.)
    Punk, Brock, Show, Barrett, ADR

    Kofi, Gabriel, Ryder, Santino, Kidd (vs.)
    Miz, Cesaro, Ziggler, Tensai, Otunga

    Kane-Bryan, Rey-Cara, Jey-Jimmy, Primo-Epico, Truth, Tatsu (vs.)
    Cody-Damien, O'Neil-Young, Slater-McIntyre-Mahal, Hunico-Camacho, Jtg

    ReplyDelete
  126. 2.9, yo. The turnaround has begun.

    ReplyDelete
  127. I think the Attitude era was technically over before Rock even got that tattoo!

    ReplyDelete
  128. I think this Ryback experiment is working. The needles gonna move huge when the ref explains himself next week.

    ReplyDelete
  129. I don't even understand your complaining here. Are you mad that Bryan and Kane are in a high profile tag match? Are you mad that Mick Foley is managing a team?


    I see nothing to be mad at and yet, here we are.

    ReplyDelete
  130. The czar will turn the ban hammer onto you now, but you're not entirely wrong here.

    ReplyDelete
  131. The bigger issue with this is that making this a survivor series match has come about for no other reason than, "it's that time of year again." And so what if Punk's team beats Foley's team? Why the fuck should I care about that when he should be defending the belt at the pay per view anyways?
    It's not like there's any stakes to this match that make me care about it's outcome one way or another.

    ReplyDelete
  132. I'm certainly not trying to get myself banned, I just don't like trying to discuss something and have someone just shoot down my interpretation with nothing to back up why, after I've already backed my interpretation up.

    I apologize for insulting you, Scott. But if you have reasons why you personally think I'm wrong for thinking what I think, at least explain why you think it's wrong, instead of being all snarky and sarcastic to me. That doesn't accomplish anything.

    ReplyDelete
  133. Except the WWE stopped being imaginative or booked with intelligence a long time ago. Remember when everyone walked out on HHH last year, because they had no confidence in him? Remember how fucking stupid that was? The WWE didn't care, WHY? Because their all about "spectacle" regardless of whether it makes sense or not. They're more interested in fooling them into buying their spectacle.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I'm not a fan of them making it a Survivor Series match, either, but I don't see it as a huge issue as much as just kind of a disappointment. The teams aren't terrible, but I would've rather have had them put all of their main event eggs in one basket for it, since I love those kind of matches. Have it 4 on 4: Cena, Brock, Del Rio, Ziggler vs. Cena, Orton, HHH, Ryback.

    This way you could also have Kofi defend the IC belt against Miz again, or some other heel. Then you could have a rematch of Hell No vs. Rhodes Scholars, and the WHC match between Big Show and Sheamus. Throw in a Cesaro defense against R. Truth, a Diva's match and it's set: You still get the title matches, but also 1 huge Survivor Series main event.

    ReplyDelete
  135. I couldn't have been the only one laughing at Cena wearing his shirt and jean shorts out to dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  136. It's the World Heavyweight Championship, in WWE's eyes nothing of value is lost.

    ReplyDelete
  137. But why was AJ hot though? Was it because of her work ethic or the fact she was stuck with Punk and DB?


    But to trampy point, I was thinking more of low self-esteem it gives off really.

    ReplyDelete
  138. They're telling stories man.

    ReplyDelete
  139. and a Cena heel turn.

    ReplyDelete
  140. I'm not mad. I just think that as good as the tag division has been, they should get a chance to shine in a tag title match on one of the biggest PPVs of the year, not stuck playing 4th fiddle to the Punk, Ryback, Foley story. Why not use Rey/Cara and PTP? Teams are still even, and you can hide the limitations of the guys on those teams in a 10 man match. Let Hell No and Rhodes Scholars tear down the house again. Maybe 2 outta 3 falls even.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment