Thread: WWE RAW/Smackdown/NXT/Superstars Discussion Thread 2010

RAW Review - 7/5/10

Didn't watch Smackdown again. I was out and about with someone cool. Let's get on with the RAW review shall we?

Nexus/John Cena/Computer GM segment - So we start with Nexus in the ring and they're saying that what they're doing is part of a bigger plan. That is good enough for me! What is that plan exactly? Is it to take over RAW? Is it to destory John Cena for good?

Oh and before I forget... it's bad enough already that the GM's "e-mail" sound is annoying, but now the lights flash 2-3 times as well? Ugh.

I'll admit, I thought it was pretty cool to see Cena come out as soon as the GM said the RAW Roster and Nexus they can touch each other again. (Get your mind out of the gutter people.) I was definitely surprised when we saw Sheamus, Edge, The Usos, Ted DiBiase, Chris Jericho, and The Miz attacking John Cena, John Morrison, Randy Orton, Evan Bourne, R-Truth, and The Hart Dynasty.

The excuse Sheamus gave makes sense. You don't want more enemies. Plus, they're just going after Cena really.

So for the "main event", we're suppose to see Cena and Barrett shake hands. And before anyone get any ideas that the GM is Austin, it ain't happening. I have a feeling the Vince McMahon is going to tease the audience using all the catchphrases.

Last night was "And that's the bottom line, because the GM said so." and "If you want to see ____ match, give me a hell yeah".

I would not be surprised that if next week, the GM will say something like... "If you smell what the GM is cooking."

Ted DiBiase w/Maryse vs John Morrison - Not really a long match. Maryse on commentary was interesting. I liked how she said she wasn't a gold digger but that they were in love and it was a coincidence that he's rich.

Morrison gets distracted by Maryse wearing his fur coat/robe. Thumb to the eye, and Dream Street. Good to see Ted picking up a quick win.

Vladimir Kozlov & Santino Marella vs William Regal & The Great Khali w/Ranjin Singh - Poor William Regal. I'm surprised he got in some offense though. Santino is funny as usual but I don't see a point to this tag team. However... Great Khali, Santino, Kozlov... throw in Hornswoggle and Goldust and you'll have the new Oddities.

Sheamus & Arn Anderson backstage segment - Sheamus talks about only looking out for himself because he's the WWE Champ. Arn Anderson warns Sheamus that Nexus might be too powerful to stop. Interesting...

The Miz (US Champion) vs R-Truth - The Miz comes out again and sings his own version to R-Truth's music. I love it! The Miz has evolved in front of our eyes. Great Charisma and personality along with improved wrestling skills compared to when he was new.

So the match didn't happen because R-Truth was stupid enough to look away when The Miz was about to say that he's awesome. What's funny is that because of R-Truth's "shoulder injury" he's now out of the RAW MITB match. I wonder who the replacement will be.

Cutting Edge segment w/Chris Jericho & Evan Bourne - One huge complaint I need to mention. Edge, you DID NOT win the MITB match twice. You cashed it in twice, but you only won the MITB match once. I guess he doesn't remember that he beat Mr. Kennedy on RAW to take his MITB Contract. The reason that happened was because after Mr. Kennedy won the MITB match at Wrestlemania XXIII, they found out that he was going to be out for 5-7 months. So they had Edge beat Mr. Kennedy on RAW to take the briefcase so that the contract wouldn't be forgotten.

Anyway.. Chris Jericho comes out before Evan Bourne and I love how Jericho and Edge can trade jabs at each other. They are so good on the mic. It's also good that they left Evan Bourne out of this because he has zero mic skills. All they had him do was come out and attacked both Jericho and Edge. Then it turned into a Tag Match...

Chris Jericho & Edge vs Evan Bourne & Randy Orton - Pretty fun match that led to Jericho putting Evan Bourne over yet again. Good sequence of finishers though. Edge spears Jericho, leaves the ring. Evan hits the Air Bourne on Jericho. Then Evan celebrates and Orton RKOs him.

WWE Divas Championship Match - Alicia Fox (Divas Champion) vs Eve - Terrible title match... and it was the last match on RAW too. Eve using her rematch clause and all Alicia Fox has to do is fake an injury before winning with the Scissors Kick.

John Cena & Wade Barrett Segment - Barrett tells Cena its nothing personal and Cena doesn't believe him (and rightfully so). They looked like they were going to shake hands but then Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment. Nexus comes out to help Wade Barrett and then Cena has a lot of "friends" help him. John Morrison, Mark Henry, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, The Great Khali, and Goldust.

Poor Darren Young or "Black Cena" getting locked in the STF after everyone ran away. Angry Cena looks like he's about to take a dump... anyone agree? :x

The Computer GM says that because of Cena's actions.. he has to face Nexus in a 7 on 1 Handicap match next week. Cena throwing the steel steps at Darren Young was cool. The announce table flip was not, because he missed.

Overall, not a bad episode of RAW. Some matches were horrible.. but it wasn't too boring to sit through.

Originally Posted by TooCool

Didn't watch Smackdown again. I was out and about with someone cool.

Originally Posted by TooCool

Oh and before I forget... it's bad enough already that the GM's "e-mail" sound is annoying, but now the lights flash 2-3 times as well? Ugh.

The thought crossed my mind that Undertaker is the new GM...

Originally Posted by TooCool

So for the "main event", we're suppose to see Cena and Barrett shake hands. And before anyone get any ideas that the GM is Austin, it ain't happening. I have a feeling the Vince McMahon is going to tease the audience using all the catchphrases.

Last night was "And that's the bottom line, because the GM said so." and "If you want to see ____ match, give me a hell yeah".

I would not be surprised that if next week, the GM will say something like... "If you smell what the GM is cooking."

The moment they said the "because the GM said so" line confirmed for me that it isn't Austin...

Originally Posted by TooCool

Cutting Edge segment w/Chris Jericho & Evan Bourne

Edge is still getting too many cheers. They need him to do something to really turn heel. He tries calling the crowd sheep, but they just cheer.

Originally Posted by TooCool

Chris Jericho & Edge vs Evan Bourne & Randy Orton

It seems like Orton is getting thinner and thinner each week, anyone else notice that? He looks downright scrawny next to the overinflated Nexus guys.

I guess he's taking the Three Strikes and You're Out Wellness thing to heart.

Originally Posted by TooCool

Cena has a lot of "friends" help him. John Morrison, Mark Henry, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, The Great Khali, and Goldust.

I lol'd when I saw Goldust

Originally Posted by TooCool

Angry Cena looks like he's about to take a dump... anyone agree?

I was expecting him to turn green.

I also noticed he cut his arm. I hope he doesn't get fired.

Originally Posted by TooCool

Cena throwing the steel steps at Darren Young was cool.

I was hoping he'd throw them at the damn mystery GM podium...

Originally Posted by TooCool

Overall, not a bad episode of RAW. Some matches were horrible.. but it wasn't too boring to sit through.

I was entertained. I only fast-forwarded through two matches this time (Santino/Kozlov/Khali crap and the Divas match)

Much better camera work last night. Do like this Nexus Angle. Cena was terrible at the close last night. Couldn't sell viewers on him decimating the nexus members. His mic skills have detiorated.

Man, after watching Raw this morning, I went to make a post before going to the doctor. No one had posted since June 28th. Now there's all this!

Overall, I really enjoyed Raw. It was much better than Smackdown this past Friday- which, by the way Mel, you can now watch in HD on YouTube via WWE's official channel.

I really liked the opening segment. I was very happy to see Wade Barrett back (Drew McIntyre has been "re-ported" as well). It's amazing how well this Nexus thing is working. It has a big time feel to it like no group angle has had in a while. It has even made me care about Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, and Michael Tarver! I never thought that would happen.

The GM's e-mail sound/light flash deal is annoying, but I guess that's the whole point. I just wonder if they'll really go through with it being Michael Cole. I really haven't read rumors that say one way or another, but it seems so obvious. I've never liked the guy, but I think he fits this role perfectly. And hey, it might get him out of the booth and make room for JR to come back! One can dream.

I hope this storyline helps the crowd (well, the males who have hit puberty) get more behind John Cena. While I hate when he holds the belt for long periods of time, and some of his promos and attempted insults can come off as very cheesy, I have always been a fan of his. The guy has a lot more skill in the ring than people give him credit for, and he can go 150 miles an hour all night long. Few people in the business work harder than John Cena.

You know, they managed to squeeze almost the entire male Raw roster (minus injured folks) onto the show. The only ones missing were the tag team of the super awesome Zack Ryder and "Please God, why can't you fire this jabroni?" Primo.

Alicia Fox still sucks at wrestling but is ridiculously hot. I don't know where they're going with the Khali/Singh deal. I liked what transpired last week, but I don't see how this week's show advanced that storyline whatsoever. And what is the point of wasting TV time on Khali, anyway?

The Edge/Jericho vs. Orton/Bourne match was the obvious match of the night, and as well as being an entertaining match, it advanced the Edge/Orton and Jericho/Bourne storylines while playing on the history between Edge and Jericho and Orton's lone wolf/viper thing. Well played.

Speaking of Edge and Jericho, I found it funny that Jericho talked about Edge "copying" him after Jericho came to WWE... even though Edge had already been there for 2 years. And what's up with R-Truth (no pun intended)? I hope that if he's legitimately injured, it's not too bad.

Man, I can never make a short "show thoughts" post, can I? Heh. 2 hours till NXT!

Originally Posted by Watti

Best Tag Team EVER!! lol

Originally Posted by Watti

I also noticed he cut his arm. I hope he doesn't get fired.

I can imagine WWE headquarters screaming, "OH NO! He's bleeding!! We're screwed!"

Originally Posted by Watti

I was hoping he'd throw them at the damn mystery GM podium...

Hehe, Cross Traffic mentioned that too. But since they took the time to build it, nothing is going to happen to it for awhile. =\

So first it's the stupid beep noise. Then flashing of the lights. What's next? The ring will shake?

Originally Posted by mitchrock

Much better camera work last night. Do like this Nexus Angle. Cena was terrible at the close last night. Couldn't sell viewers on him decimating the nexus members. His mic skills have detiorated.

It's funny you mention the camera angles mitchrock. I never paid much attention to it but when I watched NXT last night, the camera work seemed much different compared to RAW and Smackdown.

Originally Posted by Matt Young

Overall, I really enjoyed Raw. It was much better than Smackdown this past Friday- which, by the way Mel, you can now watch in HD on YouTube via WWE's official channel.

After many years of taking down other peoples WWE videos, they finally gave in and got a Youtube account of their own? Sweet!

Originally Posted by Matt Young

I really liked the opening segment. I was very happy to see Wade Barrett back (Drew McIntyre has been "re-ported" as well). It's amazing how well this Nexus thing is working. It has a big time feel to it like no group angle has had in a while. It has even made me care about Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, and Michael Tarver! I never thought that would happen.

I totally agree. To be honest, without Nexus... none of the guys other than Wade Barrett will make it in the business alone. They probably still won't make it alone if they split up now. Which is why I hope they keep the Nexus invasion angle going for a few more months. Oh yeah, Skip Sheffield was pretty darn good on the mic this past Monday.

Originally Posted by Matt Young

I hope this storyline helps the crowd (well, the males who have hit puberty) get more behind John Cena. While I hate when he holds the belt for long periods of time, and some of his promos and attempted insults can come off as very cheesy, I have always been a fan of his. The guy has a lot more skill in the ring than people give him credit for, and he can go 150 miles an hour all night long. Few people in the business work harder than John Cena.

I'm one of the biggest Cena haters around, but I respect him greatly. He is definitely the best company man for the WWE. He gives it 110% everytime despite his lack of moves. My only gripe is that he doesn't sell it in the ring.

It's a little silly to see his deep hatred for Nexus yet he's not "injured" in any way.

Originally Posted by Matt Young

You know, they managed to squeeze almost the entire male Raw roster (minus injured folks) onto the show. The only ones missing were the tag team of the super awesome Zack Ryder and "Please God, why can't you fire this jabroni?" Primo.

Woo woo woo! You know it! They really need to give Zack Ryder a chance. But yeah, the only reason he didn't make it out there is because he isn't a face. Nor is he a big enough heel to join Sheamus and company. Primo.. oh boy. While he is useless with Carlito, he somehow became invisible without him.

Originally Posted by Matt Young

Alicia Fox still sucks at wrestling but is ridiculously hot.

I like the way she walks. It has attitude and flare written all over it.

Originally Posted by Matt Young

I don't know where they're going with the Khali/Singh deal. I liked what transpired last week, but I don't see how this week's show advanced that storyline whatsoever. And what is the point of wasting TV time on Khali, anyway?

The writers probably forgot about it.. they don't seem to work on the script for Monday until Saturday/Sunday. I don't know why they waste time with Khali either, but maybe he really is *huge* in India. Maybe that's why they feel like they have to put him on TV every week.

Originally Posted by Matt Young

Speaking of Edge and Jericho, I found it funny that Jericho talked about Edge "copying" him after Jericho came to WWE... even though Edge had already been there for 2 years. And what's up with R-Truth (no pun intended)? I hope that if he's legitimately injured, it's not too bad.

Haha. Good point. But remember, Vince never expects us to remember anything that happened more than 6 months ago.

Also, I watched NXT last night because I had nothing to do... Review of it coming up when I get some free time at work.

NXT Season 2 Review - 7/6/10

So I watched NXT last night. Had some free time, decided to check out the new "rookies". Not really impressed with the show. Still too many "promos" after commercial breaks that makes the show move really slow.

One thing I noticed immediately is how different Michael Cole acts on NXT compared to RAW. Which really makes me wonder... has he been training for this heel role?

Talk the talk challenge - Kind of stupid to be honest. The subject some of the wrestlers had were really dumb. Showtime Percy Watson really didn't deserve to win this challenge but the crowd liked him for reasons unknown.

Kaval has a really deep voice! I was surprised by that. You know who I really like on the mic? Alex Riley. The Miz has taught him well. They seem to gel really well like peanut butter and jelly.

Michael McGillicutty w/Kofi Kingston vs Percy Watson w/MVP - This match was extremely short. If you blinked, you probably would have missed it. I don't even remember how the match ended. McGillicutty might have used some crossbody splash or whatever and Percy didn't kick out.

The Miz w/Alex Riley vs Kaval w/LayCool - This match was really fun to watch. The Miz did a good job in making Kaval look good. Kaval is REALLY small. I really didn't expect that after hearing good things about him. Kaval has a sick looking double footstomp.

The Miz won this match, which is understandable since he's the US Champ. Is it just me or does the Skull Crushing Finale finisher look a tad weak? It just doesn't look like it can "knock you out" for the 3 count.

Husky Harris & Dashing Cody Rhodes vs Lucky Cannon & Mark Henry - Didn't watch this match. It was already 8 PM so I tuned into Wipeout.

Can't wait for Smackdown this week. I read the spoilers already (don't worry, I won't spoil it) and it sounds like a really good show.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8huB62DOZs]YouTube - The Rock funny interview about Stephanie[/ame]

"You looking at the people's strudel?"

Cole was shown as such a dumbass back then.

Originally Posted by TooCool

The Miz won this match, which is understandable since he's the US Champ. Is it just me or does the Skull Crushing Finale finisher look a tad weak? It just doesn't look like it can "knock you out" for the 3 count.

To be fair, the WWE limits a lot of things.

a) Piledrivers (Owen)
b) choke holds (for most superstars, due to Benoit and the PG rating)
c) high flying moves (for most superstars, due to Brock. If you don't "usually" do them, they don't want you doing them)
d) knife edge chops (recent edict, McMahon doesn't people emulating Ric Flair since he's at TNA)
e) Only "top guys" can do powerbombs (both due to looking more powerful and because of D-Lo Brown accidentally crippling Droz)

So most of your finishers are moves a) Superstars can take multiple times a week and b) for the most part ones that require guys to not put their bodies in each other hands too perilously

For example, the RKO the guy taking it jumps and lands prone, but Randy's not really doing much with the neck and head, the arm's in the vicinity (same with the stunner, Stone Cold did the move, but the guy taking it did most of the work, jumping up landing and bouncing)

Skull crushing finale is mostly the guy taking it falling forward.

TNA Impact was pretty damn entertaining, albeit strangely booked. I just finished watching it a short time ago.

Styles vs. Kazarian was good while it lasted. It was a good, fast paced match with lots of counters, and AJ came off more as a face. The finish sucked, but it made sense considering it helped set up the match for the PPV.

Angelina Love vs. Daffney was basically a squash. It's a shame that they aren't doing more with Daffney. She deserves better. I'm not saying that since she lost this week, but she just deserves better in general. And, while Angelina is an attractive woman, that shot of her in the locker room was kind of gross. She appears to be borderline anorexic. Not sure what the deal is with the career stip. I guess they're using it to build up Madison, but there was no reason for Angelina to put her career on the line. The way things were worded made it seem like a new BP member might interfere in the match.

You know, Brother Ray is so much of a dick that he's actually gotten me to care about Jesse Neal. I'm not sure where they're going with the match on Sunday, though. There would be no sense whatsoever in breaking up Team 3D, but having Devon simply turn on Jesse Neal would mean that the whole storyline was a huge waste of time.

Joe vs. RVD was a really good 10 minute match, but I'm not sure why they gave away their first meeting on free TV. And, of course, Joe has no match on the PPV. Not that there's any room left on the card, but he should have been a priority. It seems like one week they're booking him well, and the next, they don't know what to do with him.

Notice a trend of me being entertained by the wrestling but befuddled by the booking? I guess that's how it's always been with TNA. In keeping with TNA tradition, they had another gimmick match with very little reason behind it. The point was apparently to make known Douglas Williams' fear of heights. Okay then. So, they built the X Division title match by having Williams lose to one of the biggest jobbers in TNA, and Kendrick didn't even appear. Makes sense.

Speaking of the Bucks/Generation Me, why do they even bother with TNA? I guess, theoretically, they get more TV exposure than they would with ROH, but they're barely ever on TV so that's a moot point. Plus they are probably making a lot less money than they were on the indies, assuming they are paid per appearance, which is likely. They deserve better.

The 6 man was pretty nifty. Didn't do much for the Morgan/Hernandez storyline, but it did help build the Guns/BM feud. The Guns were #1 contenders for a long time but didn't wrestle on TV for about 2 months up until a few weeks ago. They lost last night, so I hope that means they'll take the belts on Sunday. Sadly, while I'd love to see them as champs, TNA has waited so long to give them the belts that it won't mean nearly as much as it would have a couple years ago.

Flair was even crazier than usual last night. That exchange was probably the weakest of the Flair/Lethal feud, which has been full of awesome promos. My guess is that Flair gets his first win in 2 years via interference from somebody involved in the "Fortune" angle (though I'm not convinced that stable will ever materialize).

The main event... I don't know. They've been starting their main events lately with 10 minutes or less left in the show, which is stupid. This one went 3 whole minutes. Yippee. It showed that Jeff could apparently trust Anderson, but that's about it.

So yes, it was an entertaining show, but it was kind of all over the place. The PPV looks good on paper, but you know how that goes.