Oh god, it's still RAW. I asked for MEDIUM RARE!

[Guest treble]

I'm looking forward to Christy's moonsault.

[Loss]

I would have argued that Christian was the best choice to go over at the PPV, but they've put him on a gigantic losing streak lately, and they don't look to be giving him a meaningful win anytime soon. There's no reason he couldn't have pinned Kane tonight and avoided contact with him until the event. At least try to create some type of story there.

 

Kudos to WWE not caving into what might as well be special interest groups and keeping Edge strong with a win over Jericho. Jericho winning at this point does nothing, because fans have grown so accustomed to seeing him move sideways, whereas a loss here after last week's high-profile loss might have really curtailed Edge's momentum for a while. So the right choice was made.

 

I would agree that for what it was, HHH/Rosey was well done. Rosey actually took some nice bumps, worked in a moonsault, as Rudo mentioned, and sold HHH's attack like it was about to kill him. HHH going over big men en route to WM is the EXACT way HHH should be booked going into the big show. If anything, he's still being handled well, but Batista is shaky.

[Guest TheShawshankRudotion]

This match went 10 minutes too long.

[Guest TheShawshankRudotion]

The Sledgehammer spot was great.

 

HHH vs. Benoit? Not so much.

[sek69]

Wow, Orton challenging the Undertaker is really killing his heat. They really should have had Eric make the match just to be a dick, or have Taker make the challenge as the cranky old timer looking to shut up the young whippersnapper. Having Orton make the challenge just makes him look like a cocky asshole when he's *supposed* to be a face.

 

They're either going to have to turn Orton before WM or they're just setting the stage for him to get embarrassed as fuck when the crowd turns on him for challenging Taker.

 

 

I have to say, I liked RAW this week. Interesting how WWE seemed to be making a statement by having Edge win a match and having Lita make an appearance before she's completely healed. No wonder Meltz said not to expect Matt backstage tonight. Having said that, for a story that's only been making the rounds for less than a week that was a pretty sizable "You Screwed Lita" (*clap**clap*clapclapclap*) chant. Maybe that was a statement to the WWE just how much of the crowd follows things online.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

Okay, honestly, is anyone ACTUALLY surprised that the crowd favours Taker over Orton?

 

Benoit/Benjamin was good, though I really don't wanna see Kane in that match.

[Guest KingPK]

I went into flipping mode when Cheap Seats came on (which of course meant that I missed most of Benoit-Benjamin), but I agree that RAW had things going tonight. They at least kept the total time wasters (Simon Dean, Hassan when he wrestles, Masters) completely off TV or just gave them a short bit.

 

- The ladder match sounds interesting, though the inclusion of Kane (obviously meant for Matt Hardy, but things change) probably means Kane does jack shit in the match except take a few bumps into the ladder and chokeslam people.

 

- Lita training someone to wrestle is supposed to WORRY Trish? *Scoff* That inverted ToF from Christy actually wasn't bad though. Better than Lita's most of the time.

 

- I dunno about the main event though. Batista selling the knee like death, completely forgetting about it, then selling it again when HHH attacked didn't sit well with me. Though Batista snatching away the sledgehammer, saying "I don't need this" and breaking it was great.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

I think the fact that Hassan got tv time while Masters got none might be a tell of something. If they didn't want Masters to wrestle, they could have had him to something backstage, like corner Eric and demand to be in the six-way ladder match, or anything like that.

[Guest Some Guy]

I thought the first minute or two of Shawn's promo was the best he's done in years right up until he started forgetting his lines. Angle's promo, as was already said, while not being the best written was delivered very well. They need to really get over Angle's bitterness about Shawn "stealing his spotlight" in 96. ALthough basing a feud on something that happened 9 years ago kind of makes both guys seem old. But Shawn is almost 40 and Angle is probably in his late 30s by now. Either way I'm really looking forward to that match. If it weren't for Red Sox/Yanks that night I wouldcondiered watching the show for that match alone. But, I'm a huge mark for both guys.

 

Adding Kane to the ladder match was probably a bad idea but so was the ladder match in the first place. I question the sense of putting two guys in that type of match who have had neck surgery and the fact that they booked it shows that they have no idea what to do with all 6 guys now that Edge is done with HBK. I think they should have made the match for the IC title and a shot at the World Title. Having your secondary champion in a match with the belt not on the line is stupid.

 

Speaking of which....

 

Benoit/Shelton was pretty damn good. They should have had Benoit win the strap so that Shelton could win it back at WM, get a big pop and a big win, which he desparately needs if they were insistant on soing that match and having Shelton lose. They also need to make that belt mean something. Rather than having Bischoff order the guys into the match, they should have has Jericho go out and say that he made a challenge and he wants to know who is man enough to accept it. Shelton comes out andsays that not only is he man enough to accept the match but he'll put his title on the line. Then have the rest of the guys come out after and enter the match because they want the IC title. Then after 5 guys are in the match Bisch could come out and say add the title shot stipulation, which would bring out Kane. Either way Shelton needs to win this match, but I'd bet that they'll go with either Kane or Edge and just feed the winner to Batista.

 

Speaking if Batista, I officially dislike the guy now. I used to be indifferent and just not think that he could carry the ball. Now I don't like him and I'm convinved that he'll fail and it will be his own fault. They've booked him pretty strongly and his pops seem to be waning, HHH is actually selling that he is afraid of the guy, that alone should get him way over, as HHH never shows fear.

 

Batista can't wrestle, can't cut a good promo, he's boring as hell in the ring, and he can't even do his own fucking finisher right any more. How hard is it to fall on your ass? I've yet to see him do an original move of any kind or do anything to expand his moveset beyond a few lame power slams, a spinebuster (which everybody does now), and a powerbomb. He's not even a good power wrestler.

 

HHH will get cheered at WM and Batista's win will be met with indifference within two weeks after WM.

 

Orton's promo was OK and I like that he is going heelish. The turn should be completed at WM. They had to know that he would be booed when he challenged Taker, so they gave him Bisch to RKO. That's fine. He should be a tweener and then heel out on Taker at WM. If they really want him ove he should beat Taker and then injure him after the match. Give Taker a 2 month vacation and keep Orton on Raw so Taker can't get his win back.

 

Something that pisses me off is WWE's insistance on giving the dumbest names possible to stipulations "Money in the Bank" ladder match and "Pick Your Poison Monday" are goofy as hell. They've made it habit of trying to get over the lamest shit in the last few years. "Ruthless Aggression" anyone?

[Guest Steffie]

Or it starts them off on a feud.  A beautiful, beautiful, feud.

Personally, I can't believe Shelton Benjamin will sit back and accept this loss to Benoit in the next few weeks. That's not Benjamin's character. He will need to get into a program with Chris Benoit. I'd love to see some matches from them.

[Coffey]

The whole time that Benjamin was in the Crossface, I just kept thinking "well, if Triple H tapped to this move at Wrestlemania XX...Shelton HAS to tap."

 

It was then that I realised how established that move is. I think HHH made the move seem even deadlier...since he never loses.

[sek69]

Has Benoit ever done what he did last night before, roll his opponent around while in the crossface so his free hand was away from the ropes? If not, he should do it more often.

[Guest Some Guy]

I think he did it at WM 20 against HHH, if you're talking about the same thing I think you are. I'm blanking on the spot in the Raw match right now.

[Guest Dazed]

Has Benoit ever done what he did last night before, roll his opponent around while in the crossface so his free hand was away from the ropes? If not, he should do it more often.

He did it in one of the Angle matches, I *think* at the '03 Rumble. I remember being really impressed that he applied the move to the "wrong" (or "other") arm, to keep him away from the ropes.

 

Also, him pushing the rope away from Angle, instead of moving Angle from the rope, in the same match, needs more love.

[Marty]

I fell asleep before and during the main event, but I caught the replay early in the morning before going to work today.

 

Is it just me, or should the Raw title match at WM be booked to be roughly a 3-minute squash in favour of Batista? This reminds me soooo much of the build-up to Starrcade 97, but knowing WWE, they'll make the same booking mistake.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

Is it just me, or should the Raw title match at WM be booked to be roughly a 3-minute squash in favour of Batista? This reminds me soooo much of the build-up to Starrcade 97, but knowing WWE, they'll make the same booking mistake.

That's what it should be. Not necessarily a 3 minute squash, though that would be good, but it needs to be 10-12 minutes and see Batista dominate the match with little selling, so that it focuses on his strengths and he doesn't do the things he either can't do well or the fans don't want to see him do. Basically, it needs to be the reverse of Hunter v Steiner I. It just comes down to whether Hunter is willing to do what's best, or if he is set on having a long match because that's what World title matches are 'meant' to be, regardless of it is for the best.

[Al]

My question is this. If Batista wins the title, where do we go after Wrestlemania?

[Guest TheShawshankRudotion]

Kane is in the ladder match for a reason. And I don't think it is to deliver a good match.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

I don't think Kane will win the Ladder match. I think Benoit may win, and they'll tie that in with him winning at WM last year, and they'll use him to get a good/great match out of Batista at the next PPV. I don't think Kane is a viable PPV main eventer just yet, as I think they still need some time for the stench of the Snitsky feud to fade.

 

The point of the ladder match I think, apart from trying to be a showstealing match, is to set up opponents for Batista, so you?ll see more than just the winner get a title shot.

 

Of the six, Benoit, Edge and Kane will likely get PPV title matches if possible, while Jericho will at least get a Raw title shot. I don?t think they see Christian or Benjamin as World Title contenders, so they?ll probably be lucky to get non-title matches.

[Al]

I don't understand the hatred towards Kane in the ladder match. As far as big men go, you could do much, much worse. He's a credible wrestler, he doesn't blow many spots, and the fans respond to him.

[Guest TheShawshankRudotion]

The WWE is a mark for a Kane vs. Batista showdown. I figure Kane will win, but then get distracted by something -maybe Christian gets angry because he was so close to the title and Kane chokeslamed him off the top of the ladder to take the title shot- where they set up Kane vs. Christian at Backlash, and Batista vs. HHH again, or maybe Randy Orton (it would be fuckin cool if they had Flair and HHH run in on the Taker match and accept Orton back into the group. Story-wise, it would be awesome, considering Flair and HHH both lost to Taker at WM. However, they won't do it cause they haven't nearly built up Takers match enough to warrant a loss). Then you get Kane vs. Batista for Bad Blood, maybe taking a page from Taker/Lesnar and putting it in a cell.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

I think the reason that people don't want Kane in the ladder match is because it's pretty much a given that Kane won't actually take any big bumps, and will just make everyone else bump for him so he looks like a million bucks.

 

At least, that's why I don't want him in there.

[Guest Some Guy]

My beef with Kane really doesn't have anything to do with Glen Jacobs. It has to so with the way he's been used for the last 3 years, which has been pretty much exactly the same. Bisch/Austin comes out, yells at someone and tells that they're match is with KANE! The guy who was yelled at acts scared and then gets squashed. They did it this week. It's boring, repetitive and uncreative. If they can't come up with anything else for him to do then they should repackage him and send him to SD!.

[Guest Steffie]

Speaking if Batista, I officially dislike the guy now. I used to be indifferent and just not think that he could carry the ball. Now I don't like him and I'm convinved that he'll fail and it will be his own fault. They've booked him pretty strongly and his pops seem to be waning, HHH is actually selling that he is afraid of the guy, that alone should get him way over, as HHH never shows fear.

 

Batista can't wrestle, can't cut a good promo, he's boring as hell in the ring, and he can't even do his own fucking finisher right any more. How hard is it to fall on your ass? I've yet to see him do an original move of any kind or do anything to expand his moveset beyond a few lame power slams, a spinebuster (which everybody does now), and a powerbomb. He's not even a good power wrestler.

Do you guys think that Batista can still be a break out star (seemingly) even at his current age of 36 or is he too old to be considered something new in the business? In my opinion I think he's just past his prime. Many would tend to disagree but he just doesn't impress me. He may have the look of a star, but in all reality his gimmick and in-ring skills are weak, and for those reasons I believe that someone else should be in his position.

[sek69]

I think the IWC is just turning on Batista just like they turn on everyone that they previously demand get pushed.