![]() Randy Orton executes an RKO on Mark Henry. Another strong promo from Mark Henry. These promos declaring himself as the "badass" of the company are perfectly done. The match with Great Khali was obviously garbage, but Henry once again looked impressive in slamming the Punjabi Playboy and entering him as the latest inductee in the Hall of Pain. Fun match from Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne, but it was over too quickly. Bourne was able to perform in his hometown, so that was the main focus here. Hopefully we see Air Boom defend the WWE Tag Team Championships against the team of Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler this Sunday. Pointless match between Sin Cara and Heath Slater, but at least it didn't go longer and have to be re-taped similar to the last time these two met. The crowd isn't really into the Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara program, as the match contested between them this Sunday at Hell in a Cell is rather risky. The new outfit for Hunico is pretty cool nonetheless. Having Divas Champion Kelly Kelly win at first was fine, but now it's getting predictable and illogical. Natalya is much better than Kelly, yet Kelly pins her within two minutes in a fluke fashion. If Beth Phoenix doesn't win the Divas Championship this Sunday, I'm rioting.
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![]() Triple H with the complainers of the WWE. Decent segment to open the show. Triple H's comedy was light, I'm glad some potential great heels were able to get some spotlight. It set the stage for the rest of the night, and the week as well. Usually I moan at the mention of a lawsuit in pro wrestling, but the cowardly heels teaming up should be interesting. Quick, but harmless impromptu battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship. Originally, I was disappointed most of the credible guys were being eliminated so quickly, but it was successful in furthering the rivalry between Christian and Sheamus. It's about time Christian got some momentum in this rivalry, and it further exposes the Raw crowd to this on-going feud. The finish with Beth Phoenix pinning Divas Champion Kelly Kelly is what I wanted to see last week, but nonetheless, I'm extremely glad the Glamazon is getting one last chance at the title. Given that it's her third time contending for the belt, it's about time she finally walked away with the strap around her waist and to rejuvenate the dying Divas division. Yet another strong showing from World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. Smart move not to have the Great Khali wrestle, as the World's Strongest Slam performed on him by Henry was quite impressive. Surprisingly short match from WWE Champion John Cena and Christian, as I was expecting something much more lengthy given their past history. However, ending it in a disqualification allowed the feud to be refreshed another day as well get Hell in a Cell opponents CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio involved. ![]() Mark Henry decimates the SmackDown lumberjacks. Decent segment to open up the show, but it doesn't seem that John Laurinitis standing in the middle of the ring when viewers turn on SmakcDown is something that will keep them hooked. Christian is a broken record at this point, and it's merely the way because of the way he's heel character has been been booked. World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry was cheered, but I'm not sure that's what they were looking for. On a side note, it's funny to note that nearly half of the Superstars standing at ring-side throughout this entire segment were either Raw Superstars, NXT rookies, or commentators. Nice squash from Sheamus over Heath Slater. It was good to see Slater get a bit of offense in before being destroyed in the end, but getting Sheamus over as a badass face was the main goal here and succeeded. Quality match from Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett. Gabriel was able to pull out some exciting set of maneuvers, but the bout as a whole was too short to transfer this into an actual program. Given their history, a rivalry could benefit both foreign Superstars tremendously. Although I was pleased to see Barrett go over here, both former Nexus members need wins badly, otherwise the crowd won't care in the end who wins or loses. Typical Divas tag team squash. It seems to be a pattern in having the Divas of Doom lose on Raw, only to go to SmackDown and dominate everyone there. NXT Season Three winner Kaitlyn is absolutely terrible, so I'm glad she had limited time in the ring, but this match could have gone longer if AJ was given more time. With this being the third time these two have met in the last month, Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes has become immensely redundant, so the match was nothing special. However, Orton's beat-down on the Intercontinental Champion following the contest was brutally vicious, and once again has me questioning as to why the Viper is looked at as the top face of the blue brand. Even though the product is PG, I would liked to see more shots of the legitimate pools of blood from the down pouring face of Cody Rhodes, since many fans were disappointed it didn't make television. Very intriguing segment featuring CM Punk, Triple H and John Laurinitis to kick off the broadcast. At this point, it seems as if no Triple H heel turn is in the works and will instead remain face along with Punk. As much as I don't like Laurinitis as an on-screen character, he played his part well. The Game ending the promo by saying someone will be fired started to show on a suspenseful note and kept viewers hooked.
Fun eight-man tag team match showcasing Superstars from both brands. The main focus in this contest was over the rivalry between Sheamus and Christian, but the rest were able to provide some great in-ring action in the first taste of action for the night. Originally, I was expecting another fast-paced rematch with Alberto Del Rio and John Morrison, but instead we got a sixty second squash. Now, I'm not complaining, as it gives Del Rio a bit more of an edge going into his WWE Championship rematch at Hell in a Cell with the quick victory. But seeing how useless Morrison has become these days, one has to wonder if this another one of his occasional slumps or a legitimate sign he is walking away from the company. Usually, the guest hosts of Raw provide campy comedy and just make an appearance to promote their respective movie. However, Hugh Jackson made for a great attraction on the show, as he did surprisingly well with managing his lines with Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. This goes to show that the guest host concept is better used from time-to-time with stars that are somewhat knowledgeable about the product. I'm glad the Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara match didn't happen tonight, as it's a great contest that could be saved for a later date. The confrontation between the two Sin Caras was better this week, as the crowd seemed to differentiate the face from the heel. Their mini brawl was a nice preview of their mesh of styles, and could get Raw viewers psyched for a potential match that don't usually tune into SmackDown. |
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