I don't know about you, but watching last night's RAW was one of the most excruciatingly painful experiences I've ever lived through...and I've witnessed Katy Vick angle and Mae Young giving birth to a hand.

I don't know whether it was because the matches weren't all that intriguing, or if it was because there didn't seem to be a strong focus on any of the storylines last night, but for whatever reason, the Manchester, NH crowd just wasn't into the show, and that lack of enthusiasm was easily read over the live broadcast by viewers like me.  I've seen Japanese wrestling matches with more reaction from the crowd than what I saw last night.

And in what possibly was the most odd thing of the entire night, Randy Orton was cheered!  ORTON HATES EVERYONE, and people found that appealing!  What a strange world we live in, eh?

As we all know, the Road to Wrestlemania officially begins with the Royal Rumble, and it hurts me to say that if last night's RAW was an indication of the type of buildup the January ppv is getting, well...the Rumble is going to be more of a Heated Quarrel.

Other thoughts:

Mike Knox looks like a mix between Big John Studd and Bruiser Brody.  My buddy says Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

No offense to the man, but is it just me or does Matt Hardy seem...hmm...as the French say, "Out of shape," ?  And didn't it seem like Manu lost stamina during the match?

A Goldust and Santino Marella feud...really?

More thoughts later...

Manu loses, ends up on Smackdown! and joins team with Umaga.

What's up with this selfishly-dead crowd in New Hampshire?  I mean, the crowd really didn't get lively until 1 hr 16 mins into the show!  Then they fall flat during the Manu/Matt Hardy match.  Not only that, Manu's running out of gas, and it's very noticeable, along with Matt Hardy's beer belly.  Why is this match so fricking long?!?!?!

Now to the Fatal Four Way...

It's 8:54 pm where I am, and I'm watching RAW.

Is it just me, or is this NH crowd COMPLETELY DEAD?!?!?!?

These folks are seriously ruining my RAW buzz for the week.

Earlier, I read a post on a blog that suggested that Christian should ideally be the mystery person that attacked Jeff Hardy, which would eventually lead to a Hardys vs. E&C match at Wrestlemania (25) for the WWE and ECW titles.

That is possibly the silliest thing I've heard today.

Never, ever will I agree or cosign with a singles title being defended in a tag team match.   Now, in all fairness, I could be very incorrect; perhaps the cat who suggested this match up intended it to be two singles bouts, with Jeff Hardy facing Edge for the WWE Title, and Matt Hardy vs. Christian for the ECW title.  This is novel, but I really can't imagine myself salivating over the outcome of a Matt Hardy/Christian fight for the ECW Heavyweight title.  To be honest, that bout would probably be boss, but on paper it sounds a lot like communism to me.  Where's Joe McCarthy when you need him?  Oh yeah, dead.

In any case, putting the Hardys and E&C together again would = ratings out the wahoo, especially if you take into consideration the growth and maturity of all four stars since they were last seen in the ring together.  However, there are some pros and cons to all of this.

Christian's stock and credibility among fans as a main event superstar has risen since his nurturing and development in TNA, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing for TNA.  Christian held the NWA-TNA Heavyweight title on two different occasions, and the ratings didn't go anywhere.  As a matter of fact, the steam that surrounded his arrival to TNA cooled off for a bit, and as things with the Main Event Mafia started to heat up, Christian resurfaced and found his stride...fortunately for him, TNA doesn't like to pay it's stars well, and we all know that golden brick roads eventually lead back to Titan Towers in Connecticut.  (*side note - the sad thing is, money isn't the determining factor...TNA's pay for their stars just blows ass, and if you're worth a damn and the fans tell you that, then why the heck are you paying me like I'm Barry Horrowitz?)  My major issue with Christian's return to the WWE is that the suits won't have a good enough place for him to become the break-out star we all know he's capable of being.  When you think about the Edge from ten years ago, you would have never imagined that by 2008, he would have been a multi-time heavyweight champ.  The same goes for Christian; he has the potential to be one of the most hated champs in WWE history, but if he's not given the ball and the space to run with it, then he's back to the same situation he left the WWE for.

Matt Hardy could definitely benefit from an invigorating rivalry, but it would damage his single's status if he's demoted back to a tag team with his brother, Jeff.  Matt Hardy is a talented, hard-working superstar that deserves to maintain his run as a singles champ, but we all know that when there are two brothers/sisters involved in anything, there's always one that's way more popular than the other.  In the Hardy's case, Jeff will get the kudos way more often than Matt will, and however much of a shame that is, it's the truth.  Don't believe me?  Look at the facts: Jeff Hardy is one strike away from being fired, has left and worked for a rival company, but he's now the WWE Heavyweight Champ.  Matt Hardy has worked with the WWE for years without complaint, was fired b/c they feared he would've killed Edge in real life for that mess with Lita, then brought back to capitalize off of his personal life (in a worked shoot, more than likely), lost that whole feud with Edge, and finally becomes the ECW Heavyweight Champ.  Why kick the man in the balls when he's already dragging around Kozlovian dead weight?  And besides, Jeff would steal the show by jumping off the Alamo Dome on top of Edge.

The good thing about pairing the two teams together would be the possibility of seeing a Ladder match between them.  But, if you really wanted to make money, you'd bring in the Dudleys and let all of them go at it in a TLC match.  I've heard rumblings that the Dudleys were headed back to Connecticut, but given their recent storyline activity with the MEM, I doubt that's going to happen soon.

To me, the best bet now is to tease and deliver a feud between Matt and Jeff Hardy, with Edge waiting in the wings for the two brothers to tear each other apart.  It wouldn't be crazy to expect Edge to compete in the MITB match, only to remain the ultimate opportunist and cash in after the Hardys destroy each other in what would be a match for the ages.  As far as Christian is concerned, while I do admit that it would make great television for him to make a somewhat triumphant return to the WWE, to involve him with Edge and either one of the Hardy's so soon would be booty.  If anything, I'd throw him into the title hunt picture with Edge, Jeff, and Matt, and afterwards use him for a series of matches with a newly crowned US Champ in Gregory Helms.

RAW has been somewhat boring to me for the past few weeks.  However, with Orton cleaning Batista's sinuses with that field goal kick of his, I do believe my interest in the WWE's flagship show has  been reignited.

You seen, I'm not a fan of Cena's or Batista's.  However, I'm not one of those people that constantly moan and **** just because either one keeps winning a match.  Frankly, I feel the same way if they win or lose...indifferent.  But during tonight's main event, I was compelled to beg Orton and Rhodes to systematically pick apart at either man until they couldn't respond to the three count.  When neither of that happened, I was slightly bummed out, but my spirits were quickly lifted when Orton tossed that big ass Manu into Batista's back, then followed it up with an RKO out of nowhere.  Then, with chaos abound, I got my payoff when Orton split the uprights with Batista's head.  Browns win.

Long story short, I feel as if my love for RAW has returned, and I can't wait to watch next week's show.  Just sucks that Batista probably has to watch it from his private room at St. Vincent's.