WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

Monday Night Raw Review - May 19, 2008

2/10/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga Ended in a Double Count-Out

This was a vast improvement over their minute-long match from the week prior, showing why they worked so well together during their original series of matches from 2007. The matchup wasn't given a ton of time, but it was a ton of fun while it lasted. Moreover, both men were protected with the non-finish, setting the stage for their Falls Count Anywhere match at One Night Stand.

Mr. McMahon Confronted Raw General Manager William Regal

McMahon quickly turning his back on Regal after endorsing him a few weeks earlier was slightly strange, but I understand they had to rush the angle as a result of Regal getting suspended due to violating the WWE Wellness Policy. With that in mind, they did a great job of building to Regal vs. Mr. Kennedy on this show and making it feel must-see with the Loser Gets Fired stipulation.

Beth Phoenix def. Maria

Following their interaction in the tag team match one week earlier, this was a solid follow-up with Phoenix making short work of Maria. It further established her as a dominant force ahead of her "I Quit" match with Melina. Speaking of whom, she was effective on commentary in discussing her issues with Phoenix before brawling up the ramp, officially turning face in the process.

Batista def. Chris Jericho (Winner Faces Shawn Michaels at One Night Stand)

Although this was a pay-per-view quality match, it made for a terrific television match with the winner going on to settle their score with Michaels at One Night Stand. Batista and Jericho had lost to HBK at Backlash and Judgement Day, respectively, and they didn't necessarily like each other, either. I was glad they were granted the time they deserved and they maximized that opportunity as the crowd was solidly behind both babyfaces.

Santino Marella Mocked Roddy Piper

Marella was hilarious as a heel, so while anyone else would have died a death in this same segment, Marella thrived and his impersonation of Piper was wonderful. The live crowd seemed to get a kick out it, too, so at least they weren't sitting on their hands the entire time. The whole Cousin Sal storyline was harmless and I'm sure it scored the company some mainstream attention with the involvement of Jimmy Kimmel.

Mr. Kennedy def. William Regal (Loser Gets Fired No Disqualification Match)

For a match put together on the fly, I enjoyed this immensely. Granted, it could have been better if it was on pay-per-view and they had more time to work with, but I thought they made the most of what they were allotted here. The last minute addition of the No Disqualification stipulation by Regal (because he was still in power at that point) was brilliant, and Kennedy's win might have been genuinely surprising for those who didn't know the real reason why this happened so prematurely. Regal wouldn't return for another two more months, and I'm still sad his Raw GM run was cut short.

Randy Orton and JBL def. WWE Champion Triple H and John Cena

We had seen so many different variations of this match in the months prior that it needed something special in order for it to stand out, so the guarantee that the winners would choose the One Night Stand stipulations was an effective hook. It was a well-wrestled match and the heels winning helped put extra heat on them. Although Orton vs. HHH had been done to death, it didn't make much sense to move in a new direction with One Night Stand less than two weeks away.

Overall Show

The strong streak of entertaining editions of Raw in the spring of Raw continued with this installment. As noted, WWE had a small window of only two weeks to build to One Night Stand, so it helped that Raw already had a few preexisting feuds they could just carry over into the event. There was plenty of solid wrestling on this night in addition to Regal's newsworthy departure, so it receives a thumbs up from me.
SEE ALSO: "Monday Night Raw Review - May 12, 2008"
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact