Well, it's that time again!
Raw was a pretty decent show last night. It started off with Batista demanding a rematch and JBL interrupting. It was an interesting promo, and it became way better as soon as they muted JBL. Good stuff.
Cade vs London... I kept expecting HBK to come out, then have London turn and join Cade and Jericho. I don't know why, but I think London would be a good third member of their group. It'd be a surprise to many, and I think it'd be a good way to use London. Otherwise I see him fading off silently.
Jericho's promos get better every week. I think the program between Jericho and HBK is one of the deepest stories we've seen for a long time.
When did Kelly Kelly learn to wrestle? Holy cow, she was WAY better than I expected her to be. Beth Phoenix is good in the ring. She's a step above most divas, except for maybe Mickie James.
The story with Hacksaw and the King against the tag champs could be interesting. They need to make sure to draw it out, though. Don't give us a match next week. Let some story build. The match won't be all that great, so the story needs to be solid.
The rematch from last week's main event was good again. Rhodes and Dibiase look like a brilliant tag team, and once again they dominated most of the match as they cut the ring in half. Cena hitting the double FU was nothing short of amazing.
I like the Kingston/Burchill feud, but like I said before, I want to hear the words saying that Burchill is specifically after the title.
D-Lo Brown on Raw. Weird! He looked good though. Somehow I'm not expecting him to really get put into much of a story, though. We'll see.
Punk vs. Batista was good, but again no clean ending.
I was VERY surprised that they're teasing Cena vs. Batista. I'm guessing that'll end up on Summerslam? I kinda figured they'd save that one for Wrestlemania.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday's Thoughts - July 15, 2008
Raw was a solid show last night. Not as good in my opinion as last week, but still good.
The Jericho/Michaels feud is full of emotion. I thought the HBK/Batista feud was good, but I think this one is going way beyond that. Very impressive performances from all involved.
I think I'm more confused about the direction of Kane than I was after last week, and I think that's a good thing. They should keep me guessing... not feed me everything at once. Props to the writing team for that one.
I think I really like Katie Lea. I like her character and I like her in the ring. That being said, I was disappointed Kingston fought Burchill last night. Last week I was pumped that they were going to build something centered around the IC title... I felt like they gave away the match WAY too soon. That should've built into next month's PPV before they even got in the ring together.
Kingston is great in the ring, though.
I liked Santino backstage (although Striker was just there to fill screen space, I guess). His comment about finding Punk at the Pepsi machine was kinda clever. He fought Beth Phoenix, though? I'm not sure what I think about that. Isn't Phoenix a heel? Not last night! And she's good, and I know Santino is Raw's comedy bit, but holy cow that will kill ANY chance at being considered a threat for a while.
Kelly Kelly is nothing more than eye candy. She was on the screen twice and did absolutely nothing.
I love the new tag champs. They are great. Perfect heels. Cocky and easy to hate. They almost made Hacksaw cry... how can you NOT love that. I think I'd like to see them pair up with JBL more, too, as I think JBL would become an instantly more interesting character if these two followed him around... basically as the anti-CTC.
Speaking of CTC... Cena gave a good emotional promo, and I think these three guys grouped together is great. I already love it.
I thought Kane vs. Punk was booked well... Kane looked like a monster, Punk held his own and figured out a way to win against odds that were too big for him. Very good, as it helped both men, in my opinion. I'm curious as to what's in the bag, but I'm going to guess that it's the mask. I'm going to guess that it's the "old Kane" that is "dead".
Jericho brutalized London, then tried to "save" him from becoming the next HBK. London would probably make a good addition to the Y2J/Cade group, I think.
Noble... boring.
Snitsky... boring.
Noble vs. Snitsky... bathroom break.
And finally, the main event...
Good match. It really did a good job at showcasing the tag champs as being a great tag team. They worked well together, and even though they were probably over powered by CTC, they cut the ring in half, and the way Rhodes would slap on a hold before a tag made them seem like they had extremely solid strategy. When Cena came in for the hot tag at the end, he unleashed a series of 7 or 8 different moves in a 45-60 second period, and they all looked solid. I don't understand why people say he can't wrestle.... the only thing I can think of is that people think it makes them look smart or cool if they buck against whoever the kids like.
Anyway... I liked the match until the ending with the JBL and the car crash. How lame is that?!? Cena is probably going to pop on TV next week, and it'll be explain how he's miraculously not only alive, but able to move and function. I hated that part.
Other than the ending, I thought Raw was a solid show. Hopefully they keep up the character development and the story telling in coming weeks.
The Jericho/Michaels feud is full of emotion. I thought the HBK/Batista feud was good, but I think this one is going way beyond that. Very impressive performances from all involved.
I think I'm more confused about the direction of Kane than I was after last week, and I think that's a good thing. They should keep me guessing... not feed me everything at once. Props to the writing team for that one.
I think I really like Katie Lea. I like her character and I like her in the ring. That being said, I was disappointed Kingston fought Burchill last night. Last week I was pumped that they were going to build something centered around the IC title... I felt like they gave away the match WAY too soon. That should've built into next month's PPV before they even got in the ring together.
Kingston is great in the ring, though.
I liked Santino backstage (although Striker was just there to fill screen space, I guess). His comment about finding Punk at the Pepsi machine was kinda clever. He fought Beth Phoenix, though? I'm not sure what I think about that. Isn't Phoenix a heel? Not last night! And she's good, and I know Santino is Raw's comedy bit, but holy cow that will kill ANY chance at being considered a threat for a while.
Kelly Kelly is nothing more than eye candy. She was on the screen twice and did absolutely nothing.
I love the new tag champs. They are great. Perfect heels. Cocky and easy to hate. They almost made Hacksaw cry... how can you NOT love that. I think I'd like to see them pair up with JBL more, too, as I think JBL would become an instantly more interesting character if these two followed him around... basically as the anti-CTC.
Speaking of CTC... Cena gave a good emotional promo, and I think these three guys grouped together is great. I already love it.
I thought Kane vs. Punk was booked well... Kane looked like a monster, Punk held his own and figured out a way to win against odds that were too big for him. Very good, as it helped both men, in my opinion. I'm curious as to what's in the bag, but I'm going to guess that it's the mask. I'm going to guess that it's the "old Kane" that is "dead".
Jericho brutalized London, then tried to "save" him from becoming the next HBK. London would probably make a good addition to the Y2J/Cade group, I think.
Noble... boring.
Snitsky... boring.
Noble vs. Snitsky... bathroom break.
And finally, the main event...
Good match. It really did a good job at showcasing the tag champs as being a great tag team. They worked well together, and even though they were probably over powered by CTC, they cut the ring in half, and the way Rhodes would slap on a hold before a tag made them seem like they had extremely solid strategy. When Cena came in for the hot tag at the end, he unleashed a series of 7 or 8 different moves in a 45-60 second period, and they all looked solid. I don't understand why people say he can't wrestle.... the only thing I can think of is that people think it makes them look smart or cool if they buck against whoever the kids like.
Anyway... I liked the match until the ending with the JBL and the car crash. How lame is that?!? Cena is probably going to pop on TV next week, and it'll be explain how he's miraculously not only alive, but able to move and function. I hated that part.
Other than the ending, I thought Raw was a solid show. Hopefully they keep up the character development and the story telling in coming weeks.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Pre-Raw Thoughts
Well, it's Monday!
I have to say I'm looking forward to Raw more than I have for quite a while. I think in the last couple weeks they've done a good job at shaking things up enough to draw me in.
I'm really curious about 2 things going in....
1). Who was Kane talking about? I really hope it's NOT McMahon, though.... unless Taker and Kane are coming back together to start some monster heel faction (a version of the Ministry, perhaps?)
2). Is Burchill really after the IC Title? Is it possible that we could have a feud over the title rather than it just changing hands meaninglessly?
I guess we'll have to see on both items.
I have to say I'm looking forward to Raw more than I have for quite a while. I think in the last couple weeks they've done a good job at shaking things up enough to draw me in.
I'm really curious about 2 things going in....
1). Who was Kane talking about? I really hope it's NOT McMahon, though.... unless Taker and Kane are coming back together to start some monster heel faction (a version of the Ministry, perhaps?)
2). Is Burchill really after the IC Title? Is it possible that we could have a feud over the title rather than it just changing hands meaninglessly?
I guess we'll have to see on both items.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tuesday's Thoughts for July 8, 2008
Raw was an interesting show last night. I am really enjoying how the creative team is trying to "reset" a lot of things and give us a whole slate of fresh story lines. It's been a long time since I've felt that Raw had a "new" feel to it, and I have to say these last couple of weeks have really achieved that.
Bringing Vickie on to get some heat was a good idea. I've never heard the crowd boo so loud. They hate Vickie, and I'm pretty sure they hate her in the way you want the crowd to hate a heel. Great great job on her part. It was also a good idea having her speak out against the new world champion CM Punk, because it gave him instant face credit with the fans.
Speaking of CM Punk... I think he did great in his promos last night, and even though I wouldn't have thought he was ready for the main title, I think he's proving people wrong. I think fans will enjoy the "underdog" champ for a while, but they'll also enjoy him not being afraid to stand up to anyone.
The promo from the 3 contenders and Kane was pretty good. Very intense and very well done by Cena, Batista, and JBL.
Did anyone think Mysterio looked a couple steps slow in his Raw debut? I had my wife (who had never seen Rey in a match) sit down and watch it with me, telling her that she'd be pretty amazed by him... then he didn't do much.
One thing I love about Raw the last couple weeks is that it feels like we are on the verge of having some new factions and stables emerge. Cena has been hanging out with Cryme Tyme, and he kept painting "CTC" on the limo last night during their little rampage, and of course Lance Cade has been following around Jericho, too. I'd like to see another group or two pop up. The last few "factions" we had in the WWE were less than exciting. The nWo was supposed to be great, until 1 month later they pulled Hogan out of it, and a few weeks after that Hall was re-fired. Evolution was the only thing going at the time... with both of those groups, it was a gang of guys against a bunch of individuals. Then more recently we had the Spirit Squad which was worthless, and then DX and Rated RKO, which were both tag-teams trying to be passed off as factions. To get the excitement that comes with factions, you really need to have several going at once. Think back to the days when there was DX, The corporation, the ministry, the brood, the Hart Foundation, the Nation of Domination... there were always several groups going on at once. Even the old school Horsemen got to fight the "Dudes With Attitudes" for a while! :-)
Ugh... Snitsky's back.
Oh well, they had to have Punk fight someone, and all the other big guys were in the main event.
I really like the Jericho/Michaels story line. Very interesting. Very good work by both of them. Their discussion on Raw was great. Very heated and emotional. This one could drag out for a while, and that'll make for good TV.
Kingston as intercontinental champion... good idea. Burchill attacking him from behind... good idea. I just hope the feud between the two is because Burchill wants the IC title. The IC Champion over the past several years hasn't really had a feud over the belt, and they fight way too many non-title matches. That championship means nothing, and a great way to give it some meaning again would be to have some people actually want to hold it.
Was the dude who ran in front of Batista really a fan that got back there? It seemed staged, but Batista seemed genuinely surprised.
Batista wins the four way, so it's him and Punk at the Bash. I thought that was a decent move. It became obvious at the end of Raw why Kane was in the match, as they were using it to start a new story line with him... I love it... yet another STORY going on during Raw that doesn't involve the main title. Raw needs that. Anyway, Kane kept asking "Is he alive or dead?". Interesting... who is he talking about. Vince? Undertaker? The Fake Kane? Paul Bearer?
I'm actually interested to find out!
Bringing Vickie on to get some heat was a good idea. I've never heard the crowd boo so loud. They hate Vickie, and I'm pretty sure they hate her in the way you want the crowd to hate a heel. Great great job on her part. It was also a good idea having her speak out against the new world champion CM Punk, because it gave him instant face credit with the fans.
Speaking of CM Punk... I think he did great in his promos last night, and even though I wouldn't have thought he was ready for the main title, I think he's proving people wrong. I think fans will enjoy the "underdog" champ for a while, but they'll also enjoy him not being afraid to stand up to anyone.
The promo from the 3 contenders and Kane was pretty good. Very intense and very well done by Cena, Batista, and JBL.
Did anyone think Mysterio looked a couple steps slow in his Raw debut? I had my wife (who had never seen Rey in a match) sit down and watch it with me, telling her that she'd be pretty amazed by him... then he didn't do much.
One thing I love about Raw the last couple weeks is that it feels like we are on the verge of having some new factions and stables emerge. Cena has been hanging out with Cryme Tyme, and he kept painting "CTC" on the limo last night during their little rampage, and of course Lance Cade has been following around Jericho, too. I'd like to see another group or two pop up. The last few "factions" we had in the WWE were less than exciting. The nWo was supposed to be great, until 1 month later they pulled Hogan out of it, and a few weeks after that Hall was re-fired. Evolution was the only thing going at the time... with both of those groups, it was a gang of guys against a bunch of individuals. Then more recently we had the Spirit Squad which was worthless, and then DX and Rated RKO, which were both tag-teams trying to be passed off as factions. To get the excitement that comes with factions, you really need to have several going at once. Think back to the days when there was DX, The corporation, the ministry, the brood, the Hart Foundation, the Nation of Domination... there were always several groups going on at once. Even the old school Horsemen got to fight the "Dudes With Attitudes" for a while! :-)
Ugh... Snitsky's back.
Oh well, they had to have Punk fight someone, and all the other big guys were in the main event.
I really like the Jericho/Michaels story line. Very interesting. Very good work by both of them. Their discussion on Raw was great. Very heated and emotional. This one could drag out for a while, and that'll make for good TV.
Kingston as intercontinental champion... good idea. Burchill attacking him from behind... good idea. I just hope the feud between the two is because Burchill wants the IC title. The IC Champion over the past several years hasn't really had a feud over the belt, and they fight way too many non-title matches. That championship means nothing, and a great way to give it some meaning again would be to have some people actually want to hold it.
Was the dude who ran in front of Batista really a fan that got back there? It seemed staged, but Batista seemed genuinely surprised.
Batista wins the four way, so it's him and Punk at the Bash. I thought that was a decent move. It became obvious at the end of Raw why Kane was in the match, as they were using it to start a new story line with him... I love it... yet another STORY going on during Raw that doesn't involve the main title. Raw needs that. Anyway, Kane kept asking "Is he alive or dead?". Interesting... who is he talking about. Vince? Undertaker? The Fake Kane? Paul Bearer?
I'm actually interested to find out!
Introduction
Hey!
My name is Jason. My friends always tell me that when I write them an email, I could go on for days, so I'm just trying to use a few new blogs as an outlet to my writing (check my profile for my other ones!)
A friend and I used to have a Tuesday morning tradition stemming from way back in the WCW Nitro days that we called Tuesday's Thoughts. Basically we would just trade emails reviewing the Monday night wrestling shows and our thoughts about them. I thought that would make an interesting blog for a few people (I hope), so I'm going to start doing that here.
So what that means is this blog should be updated for sure every Tuesday morning (I typically only miss one or two Raws a year) for sure. I will most likely, however, post once or twice in the middle of the week, too, as I read about other wrestling news, or if I want to give comments on Smackdown, ECW, or PPVs (none of which I watch very often).
So, I hope you enjoy this blog, and please feel free to comment OFTEN!
My name is Jason. My friends always tell me that when I write them an email, I could go on for days, so I'm just trying to use a few new blogs as an outlet to my writing (check my profile for my other ones!)
A friend and I used to have a Tuesday morning tradition stemming from way back in the WCW Nitro days that we called Tuesday's Thoughts. Basically we would just trade emails reviewing the Monday night wrestling shows and our thoughts about them. I thought that would make an interesting blog for a few people (I hope), so I'm going to start doing that here.
So what that means is this blog should be updated for sure every Tuesday morning (I typically only miss one or two Raws a year) for sure. I will most likely, however, post once or twice in the middle of the week, too, as I read about other wrestling news, or if I want to give comments on Smackdown, ECW, or PPVs (none of which I watch very often).
So, I hope you enjoy this blog, and please feel free to comment OFTEN!
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