And the world saw the incredible piece on last week's "Monday Night Raw" when CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to capture his first A-list world title by pinning Edge.
Yes, the past two weeks have been incredible ones for WWE fans. Everything that could go right...did. We saw a great pay-per-view with two classic main events, one of which was the match of John Cena's career. And the other may have been the match of Batista's career.
The next night WWE gave us the best Raw in years, and possibly the best moment (CM Punk) since Evolution turned on Randy Orton a few years ago.
But the entire show was solid, better than any free television program WWE has produced this decade, which means this was the greatest "Monday Night Raw" since WWF became WWE more than five years ago.
Not only was the CM Punk moment well played--it helped that Batista didn't say a word and entered the arena as Edge was leaving, not interrupting him on the mic like oh so many others have--the entire show was a step or two above what we normally get.
Just look at all the little things that added up to success: Mickie James's shove on Jillian, John Bradshaw Layfield's personal security and a segment that continued into the backstage area like Attitude-era Raw, the Kane/Jamie Noble segment that seemed like business as usual until it carried over into the arena, and the surprise teaming of Cena and Cryme Tyme. The last being one of those "oh yes, why didn't anyone think of that before moments."
I would, however, be remiss if I didn't mention that Cena really shouldn't be in the title picture after having just lost his WWE Championship match to Triple H, just the night before. But that's how the business goes sometimes. You could cover it up by saying this is not the WWE Championship but the WHC (wonky title history and all) but it seems a bit convoluted to me.
Anyhow, the bar has been raised. I expect the same incredible quality and for WWE to continue it's rise through the Great American Bash on Long Island and into SummerSlam in Indianapolis. But first, I am waiting for Raw with some real anticipation for the first time in years.
Kudos, indeed.
There's more to get to: a review of Night of Champions, a preview of the Great American Bash, a more in depth look at the CM Punk flagship title reign....it's coming
...and just like that, Triple H is a member of the SmackDown roster. That is, of course, barring any shenanigans like in 2004 when The Game was traded back to Raw for the Dudleyz and Booker T.
This year's draft might have been the most paradigm shifting one since the brand extension began. Raw received a number of performers whose personas had become synonymous with SmackDown over the years. The blue show got a few guys who will have a second chance at main event glory after their careers got a little stuck on Monday nights.
And you can't discount the star power Jim Ross brings to Fridays along with the guy who is probably WWE's top go-to performer since "Stone Cold" Steve Austin or the Rock. Some swerves, huh? Conventional wisdom told us John Cena would be the guy heading to SmackDown. It's no secret his core demographic is one of the target groups for the blue show. As for Ross, those same little voices told us the natural change would be to switch Mick Foley and Tazz.
Not so this time. I always say pro wrestling is at its most effective when it surprises, and Monday's Raw was an example of WWE at its most effective. Kudos for that, and kudos for reassembling a roster that will avoid the rehash syndrome that's been dogging the company at least since this year's Judgment Day.
Let's look at each draft pick:
Rey Mysterio goes from SmackDown to Raw
I anticipated this. Mysterio has never been a major player on the Raw brand and will definitely shake up the main event picture on Monday nights. It's a way to get a new marquee name on the flagship brand and will likely generate at the very least a faster-paced style on the show. Raw has never really highlighted the lucha-libra part of pro wrestling. That's sure to change soon.
Jeff Hardy goes from Raw to SmackDown
In a way, Hardy fills the hole the left in the SmackDown roster with Rey's departure, and vice-versa. More importantly, the move reinvigorates Jeff. I mean, what a difference half a year makes. Last fall, Jeff was in the middle of the biggest push of his career. Rumor has it; he was booked to win Money in the Bank at WrestleMania XXIV, and would have cashed it in that night to win the WWE Championship.
A 60-day suspension for substance abuse later, and Jeff is back to square one, in a deja vu program with Umaga. On Raw, him getting the strap suddenly seemed an iffy prospect. Would WWE want to risk having their top performer be fired if he were to fall off the wagon again?
On Friday nights, a title run carries less risk, and perhaps, with Jeff's incredible popularity among younger fans, more reward.
Of course Umaga went over to SmackDown with him...
CM Punk goes from ECW to Raw
It looks like a natural move. Punk is the MITB winner after all and needs to get into a main event program sooner or later. He's one of the three performers who are the future of the company, but I still think he needs some more time at the mid-card before making the jump to the big show. It has nothing to do with his talent. He had the chops to play with guys like Triple H or even Shawn Michaels a year ago. It has everything with getting the audience to accept him.
Punk currently appeals to only a small section of the audience. While that will change as he's used more and more wisely, his career would be better served on SmackDown shooting for that title for a while. On Raw, there's just too much potential for the Straight Edge Superstar's star to burn out.
The move also leaves a huge hole in the ECW roster.
Matt Hardy goes from SmackDown to ECW
I thought a big name like Edge or Chris Jericho would be the big guy going to Tuesday nights. No, it was Matt Hardy who, no offense to Matt, is hardly a main eventer. He probably sits right about where Punk does in the pecking order, but still doesn't fill the void. Matt's been around for a decade and has never crossed he mid-card threshold.
I'm not sure what he brings to the table, except the United States Championship. And that raises another question. Will ECW, the show that's one hour long, have two championships? It doesn't seem to fit with contemporary WWE.
Of course, the ECW Championship is now on Raw, so maybe ECW's belt will be the U.S. strap. Who knows? The fact is, while the other two brands were helped by Monday's program, ECW was not helped at all.
Michael Cole and Jim Ross switch places from SmackDown to Raw
Wow, this is huge! Ross has been the voice of wrestling for years, filling the shoes of such giants as Gorilla Monsoon and Gordon Sollie. Chances, your favorite WWE moment over the past decade and a half has good old JR on the soundtrack. Monday night is not going to be the same without him.
It gives instant credibility to SmackDown. However, I do question the wisdom of breaking up the announce team that has had the best chemistry in pro wrestling history. Still, sometimes change is good, and I'm willing to give this one the old college try.
I guarantee you, if the move doesn't work out, JR will be back in the Raw announce chair.
I also wonder if his reaction was legitimate. I've heard that talent doesn't know the results of the draft until we do. Jim Ross looked visibly upset by the news. Speculate as you will what was going through the Oklahoma Sooner's head.
Dave Batista goes from SmackDown to Raw
If you've read this blog, you know how I feel about Batista. Are we now setting up for a Batista v. John Cena main event at WrestleMania XXV? Oh what a plodding mess that would be. Sure, it does rattle the Raw main event picture a little. Maybe he'll turn heel and become a mean vicious animal. That would be neat.
More likely, he'll just continue to whine for the rest of the year about how Shawn Michaels hurt his feelings. Awwww
Umaga goes from Raw to SmackDown
This will freshen up Umaga a bit. He's stalled some from his incredible debut. I've heard that Vince McMahon hinted that the Samoan Bulldozer will go as far as possible on Friday nights. Does that mean a World Heavyweight Championship reign is in the cards? I'd pay to see that. Kane goes from ECW to Raw
Ok, so Kane's on Raw. What else can you say? I like the guy, but he goes stale about as quickly as homemade bread. The most interesting thing is wondering what happens to the ECW Championship. Does this mean Big Show will certainly go over at Night of Champions? Or, will Kane still make a championship appearance or two on Tuesday nights since ECW is rumored to be moving from the SmackDown shooting schedule to the Raw one in August.
We'll see.
Ken Kennedy goes from Raw to SmackDown
It seems every time Mr. Kennedy gets some momentum going, something bursts the bubble. One injury stopped his WHC program. Another robbed him of MITB. Then it looked like he was going to get some main event moxy with William Regal, and Regal is suspended leaving Kennedy in a nowhere mid-card program.
A SmackDown run will be the best thing for him. Look at how he eyed Edge as the announcement was made. Will there be some revenge in order for Edge taking away his title shot? Will a stop in MVP's VIP lounge be in order?
Kennedy’s is going to have the opportunity to cook some more before he jumps to the main event, and that may work to his advantage in the long run. After all, Shawn Michaels and the Rock spent a looooong at the mid-card and look how huge they both became.
Triple H goes from Raw to SmackDown
It's the crown jewel of the draft. Who would have thought that a guy with immense power backstage AND the company's workhorse main event performer, would head to Friday nights. It will certainly make SmackDown more interesting and drive many fans to watch the show who don't tune in regularly. I am curious to see how this pans out.
However, Raw was hard to watch when the Game tore his quad last year. I hope history doesn't repeat itself.
Other thoughs:
No divas were drafted at all...It seems Raw is lacking in heels now, will Chris Jericho finally become the top heel and give Cena some trouble...you'd think Jeff is the Hardy who'd fit in better on ECW...a great show was ruined by a ridiculous ending, why is Vince McMahon so dead set on storyline where he is killed or maimed...nice battle royal, usually the scrubs participate in these matches but we got top guys...and ouch talk about bonking heads...and Melina's ankle, just as her face turn was gaining traction...it would have been neat to see Edge moved to ECW...
Undertaker couldn't beat Edge for a fourth time, Randy Orton's match was stopped early because of a gnarly injury, and women's wrestling in WWE took another giant leap forward even if the San Diego crowd didn't agree.
One Night Stand 2008, for all the hay I made out questioning the pay-per-view’s very existence, was not bad at all. In fact, it was the most solid ppv of this young season (a season being defined as from Backlash to WrestleMania.)
Score a few points for wrestling purists who claim that gimmick matches actually take way from the sport's presentation rather than augment it. A few of the gimmicks were unnecessary, and perhaps even goofy in their execution.
The crowd also was dead for this show, and I'm not sure why. Usually west coast crowds are much less animated than southern or east coast ones, but this one seemed to look at the show as an afterthought. I couldn't disagree more with the fans in attendance. With everything working against this show--only two weeks of build, a confusing tie to ECW's past, Orton's collarbone break, and a silly "no blood" decree--One Night Stand actually beat all the odds and delivered.
Here's how I break it down match by match:
Falls Count Anywhere: Jeff Hardy v. Umaga
***
Yes, we've seen these two against each other umpteen times before, but here's a situation where you have to throw willing suspension of disbelief out the window and understand that Hardy still has some proving to do to WWE before he lands himself another main event run.
This match was good, but it could have been better. It was a welcome change of pace to see the performers not only using the arena, but the mezzanine, the stairway, and the parking lot. A lousy camera angle took away from Jeff's final high spot, but I admit I'm no expert and couldn't see another way that could have been shot (not without giving away what must have broken Jeff's fall.)
Still, I would have liked to see Jeff use more of the arena (those cranes were screaming for someone to jump off of them), but not a bad effort all things considered.
And how about that referee? Usually in falls count anywhere, refs count by barely touching the floor. This guy was slapping concrete and asphalt with wanton abandon. Nice work!
Five Man Singapore Cane Match to determine ECW's #1 contender: Big Show v. Tommy Dreamer v. Chavo Guerrero v. John Morrison v. CM Punk
****
This was the match of the night, made better in that it had the potential to be either a big mess or a lame contest with barely a tap by a cane. It was neither. Each performer got great spots in and was able to further the story. It's a hard mix to concoct, and all five plus some run ins by Miz and Bam Neely, executed it beautifully.
Big Show saved the show, albeit accidentally by legitimately splitting open his eye and donning a crimson mask that made him look all the more menacing. You can't sneeze at bringing in a bin full of canes either. This match was closest in spirit to the hardcore ethic WWE is trying to evoke with the show.
It also must be official that CM Punk is being, inexplicably, buried. Anytime a Dreamer Boston Crab takes you out of a match, your future is not looking too bright. I wouldn't be surprised if he either wastes Money in the Bank gunning for the ECW Championship or winds up losing the match where he cashes in the case. It's a sad state of affairs for the Straight Edge Superstar indeed.
First Blood Match: John Cena v. John Bradshaw Layfield
**
One of the night's low points. What can you say about a match between two guys whose in-ring skills leave little to be desired and don't have a hot feud. I guess you can say, "boring."
Add to that a whip that was never used (a cardinal rule of any type of improvisational performance is never pull out a weapon you're not going to use), and "first blood" that wasn't blood at all. It's pretty cheap to end the match with a capsule, and an insult to every wrestler who's actually bled inside the ring to entertain fans.
I only give this match two stars because I gave their Judgment Day encounter one and a half. This match was slightly more entertaining.
"I Quit" Match: Melina Perez v. Beth Phoenix
***1/2
The crowd wasn't into this match as evidenced by the "We want Chyna" chants. I say, too bad. You got something better. Diva wrestling is usually acrobatic high spots. Beth and Melina showed us that women can grapple just as well, better even, than the men.
Yes, it was slow, but that didn't detract from the entertainment value. This match was a wrestling purist's dream. We are entering the golden age of women's wrestling, and WWE is smart to be highlighting it right now. And it was all the better that the match as entertaining without the Women's Championship on the line. Great job all around for everyone involved.
That final submission move was brutal. I'll say it; Awesome Kong has got nothing on Beth Phoenix.
Stretcher Match: Dave Batista v. Shawn Michaels
**
Another low point, and surprisingly so. This program has made little sense from the beginning. Why is Batista so angry? Oh that’s right, Michaels faked an injury. Well, boo hoo, Batista. Not only are his in-ring skills severely lacking, but his character has become insufferable. First, it was his coming "this close" to the World Heavyweight Championship a zillion times. Now he's emo Peter Parker from Spider-Man 3 over HBK. I fully expect him to cry on camera soon. It's become unbearable.
And what on earth was Chris Jericho doing here? He runs in to give HBK a pep talk?! That's ridiculous. Nothing more needs to be said.
Normally, HBK will elevate his opponent even if he's working with a lesser competitor. Heck, an easy case can be made for Michaels being the best in the business right now. It didn't happen tonight. Sorry, Shawn, you can't win them all.
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton v. Triple H
***
I give this match three stars because it was overshadowed by the nasty fall and gnarly injury Orton took towards its end. You could see the agony on the Legend Killer's face, and his shoulder blade jutting out in a place it isn't supposed to.
It's too bad. Orton and HHH have five-star match potential in them, but it was not fated to be tonight. With Orton sustaining a reported collarbone break, it probably won't happen for some time either. Hopefully, they'll lock up again when Orton is feeling better.
In the meantime, check out their first Last Man Standing match from last year's No Mercy or their portion of the Four-Way Elimination match from Backlash to really see what these titans in the business can do.
TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
***1/2
So, Edge is a five-time world champ, and Undertaker's been banished from WWE. I sense that this storyline is not over. There's no way WWE is going to get rid of one of their most popular and tenured performers during a B-show pay-per-view with little fanfare.
What happens next? Vicki Guerrero is fired and the Deadman is reinstated? Edge finally reveals his true colors to Vicki and she brings 'Taker back for revenge? "Taker gets drafted to Raw? (Probably not, even Mick Foley himself said that's not an option) 'Taker quits wrestling and hosts Deal or No Deal next season?
What’s for sure is that this surprisingly flat storyline will drag on some more, with an Edge v. Undertaker V somewhere down the line. If you look over Fan Nation's forums and blogs, I'm not alone when I say, "enough!"
Oh yes, there was a match too, and not a bad one at that. It was a little slow for a TLC match, but still had all the spots you come to expect from the stipulation. It was nowhere near as great as Edge's finest moments on a ladder, nor was it even a good as Undertaker's ladder match with Jeff Hardy a few years ago, but it had its moments.
Big props go to the Phenom for taking that fall onto the tables. However, maybe he should have thought in advance and realized the ladder was nowhere near the title when he set it up. Ah well, who's willing to bet we see the "funeral" of the Undertaker on SmackDown this Friday?
And the continuing saga drags on until at least The Great American Bash.
"Monday Night Raw" tonight is from Bakersfield, Calif. Enjoy the aftermath.
Above you're looking at an Exploding Death Match from Japan. There won't be anything like that on the card when One Night Stand hits San Diego tomorrow.
While I'm a sucker for pretty much every gimmick match (except silly blindfold or scaffold matches) the death match's absence, and a host of other things missing, begs the question why this pay-per-view is still trucking four years after its inception.
Indeed, there is likely to be some great matches on
tomorrow's card. Randy Orton and Triple H always have the capacity to
bring us a five-star performance (their cage match at Judgment Day not
withstanding). Edge excels at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs and
Undertaker ain't too bad himself with a stepladder. Jeff Hardy will
likely use every inch of the San Diego Sports Arena in his falls count
anywhere match. Women's wrestling is on the rise, and Melina Perez and
Beth Phoenix will put on a great show. Shawn Michaels always elevates
his opponents no matter who they are. Lastly, we're guaranteed blood
with John Cena and John Bradshaw Layfield's First Blood match.
However, there are a number of reasons why One Night Stand should have petered out as soon as Edge speared Cena and Rob Van Dam won himself his first WWE Championship.
The event was originally sanctioned as a reunion of sorts for ECW alumni, especially people who didn't, for whatever reason, make the jump to WCW or WWE when Paul Heyman closed his doors in 2001. It was coupled with a few shows called Hardcore Homecoming also in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York and the old ECW (now New Allehambra) arena in Philadelphia.
When we had an encore in 2006, yes, it was a platform to put Van Dam over, but it still had the feel of the original ECW brand even though it was wholesale booked and produced by WWE. Both pay-per-views were great, classics even, for different reasons.
Then came One Night Stand 2007. Gone was the intimate atmosphere of the Hammerstein and we were back to the same old arena venue, this time the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida. You know, that famous arena which hosts Barracudas Southern Professional League hockey and the local university's men's basketball team.
OK, bigger arena means more tickets can be sold; therefore, more wrestling fans can enjoy the show. But wait a minute. There's no mention of ECW for the show.
All right, ECW at that point was a brand on its own under the WWE umbrella. Sure, the new brand bore little resemblance to the Viking Hall days, but it was finding its way as the red and blue shows' minor league so to speak, a place where young performers could get some television time with the advantage of attracting fans by using ECW's known quantity appeal.
Besides, ECW breathed its last gasp probably at 2005's Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign (Which if you haven't seen, go grab yourself a DVD) with a classic sendoff--performers breaking kayfabe, a dog collar match between Shane Douglas and "Pit bull" Gary Wolf, a hardcore tornado tag between The Dudleyz and Terry Funk & Sabu---it's awesome.
Nevertheless, it was time for the ECW brand, for better or for worse, to move on.
So, we got a main event that was the Great Khali versus John Cena in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Championship.
Did I miss something here? Neither performer is known for their in-ring prowess or their ability to go "extreme."
To make matters worse, we had more than half a dozen "brutal" gimmick matches and not one drop of blood. Perhaps that's hyperbole, I believe there was some when a performer legitimately busted his lip, but still. I'm not asking for an Abdullah the Butcher style massacre, but if you're going to invoke that area of the sport, at least have someone blade their forehead.
And correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn’t a one-night stand imply that the event will happen one time. The initiator will most likely nary call or even mention the episode again. We're up to four now, and I fully expect a fifth in 2009 (for which I'm keeping my fingers crossed for piranha match). Do you get my drift?
Still, the show is booked far better than last year's fiasco. But with fourteen ppv's on the WWE schedule (some squeezed just two weeks apart) this might be one that should fade into DVD memory. There are plenty of other big shows that can carry the gimmick match gimmick.
Twenty years from now, fans will undoubtedly be looking to pad their DVD (or BluRay as it might be) collection with One Night Stand's 2005 and 06. The ones after will probably stay on the shelves next to Alien Resurrection and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Well, that last one does have Corey Feldman in it...
I'll post some more in depth thoughts on the upcoming show tomorrow before bell time.
I'm changing the format of this blog. So, if you're a regular reader, I hope you enjoy the change. If not, I hope you enjoy the new look.
If you don't like it, I got two words for you...
Heh heh.
Point 1
Big Show will inject some real life into ECW on SciFi.
While the program improved dramatically in the latter half of 2007, it's floundered since WrestleMania XXIV. Yes, it was a good idea to put the belt on Kane and shake up the formula some, but he doesn't have a solid rivalry or program. Bringing the new improved Big Show into the mix gives a chance for Kane to finally have someone to feud with.
Big Show has the advantage of being an incredible performer for his size and can generate love from fans even as he acts like a heel (or is he a face, who knows?) He could eventually be the face of company and bringing him in to generate interest for the lowest-rated brand is a smart move.
Other ECW notes: I'm glad Shelton Benjamin went over tonight. Of course, the program is but a showcase to elevate Kofi Kingston. Still, I’m glad Shelton won't be completely buried. I mean, look at that standing drop kick turned into a schoolboy. Who else could execute that?...I think Adamle's flubs are scripted now, but they're actually turning out to be entertaining. My fav: Adamle: I saw you in many Singapore Cane matches and they are brutal. Tazz: I've never been in a cane match, but that's OK.
Point 2
"Monday Night Raw" was excellent this week.
Coming off an episode that was a significant step down in quality a week prior, Raw this week seemed to pull everything together. It had great backstage work, good matches (finally), and a storyline that gave us an immediate self-contained payoff.
I was sad to see Regal go. I like his work as general manager. In a few weeks he went from just another mid-card face to someone could generate intense heat from audiences. I was hoping to see how the storyline would progress into the summer and beyond. Alas, I'll never know. It seems some real-life incidents interfered and the King of the WWE is now on the outs. It was well executed, but now what happens with Ken Kennedy?
It looked like Mr. Kennedy was going to feud with Regal. Now that he's, Kennedy is up in the air. My vote goes to pairing Kennedy with Randy Orton once his program with Triple H concludes. If Kennedy is going to be the main eventer I know he can be, he needs a pay-per-view match that will really highlight both his in-ring and mic skills. Orton fits the bill and will catapult Kennedy right into the title mix.
Point 3
Judgment Day Wasn't
I covered this at length in my previous blog, so I won't belabor the point here. This was not everything it was cracked up to be. We got a main event in a steel cage that had no blood at all! And it was a boring match to boot.
Orton and Triple H have given us classics in the past and this piece was far below what they are capable of.
Still, there were some bright spots. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels put on a four-star performance. The undercard was solid with a good ECW tag team match, although it was nothing we couldn't see free on a Tuesday night. And the women's match may spark the beginning of a new golden age of female wrestling. We shall see.
Oh yes, and that Cena/JBL match. Oh my!
Best Match: Chris Jericho v."The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michael (Judgment Day)
Best Promo: Santino Marella crashing Piper's Pit (Raw Monday)
