There's been a lot of buzz in the Internet Wrestling Community (a designation that is about as annoying as "WWE Universe") about Impact Wrestling, TNA, SNM, STD, whatever. A lot of people making a case for why it's the best weekly wrestling show right now and that's fine.
But it got me thinking, "Is Raw really a good wrestling show?"
I don't know how regularly you watch it or why but I watch Raw every single week. Unfortunately I work nights so I can't watch it live but I would if I could. Instead I DVR it and watch it as soon as I can. Sometimes I don't get to it until Thursday but I don't go a week without watching.
Why? Because it's WWE. It's what I was raised on. It's what made me fall in love with wrestling in the first place. You don't just abandon something that you have that kind of history with.
Plus, WWE is still the "major leagues" of professional wrestling. If something really big is going to happen it's going to happen in WWE. The Rock and Brock Lesnar weren't going anywhere else and their involvement, regardless of how it played out or how it may play out, was compelling.
But Raw, which hasn't been my favorite show for awhile now, always seems to be the "go to" show for people like me. Diehard wrestling fans who were also brought up on WWE/WWF and just assume that nothing important is happening on Smackdown and it's not worth watching. I've actually enjoyed Smackdown a lot more than I have Raw for the past several weeks but that's another topic for another time.
What we're looking at now is the question of whether or not a basic episode of Raw can honestly be called a good wrestling show. So let's dissect yesterday's installment, shall we?
OPENING VIDEO PACKAGE REPLAYING WHAT BIG SHOW DID TO CENA LAST WEEK
- I like the way they've built Big Show up to this point. It's similar to how they put Mark Henry over strong and that was very compelling.
Last Word: PLUS
JOHN CENA, DANIEL BRYAN, CM PUNK, CHRIS JERICHO, KANE, BIG SHOW IN RING SEGMENT TO PROMOTE MONEY IN THE BANK.
-I actually like John Cena's invovlement in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. That concept got really boring and this was one of the few things that hadn't been done yet and at least for me, has breathed new life into the concept.
-Daniel Bryan, again, owned everyone else on the mic. He's a genuine old-school heel who is actually cutting wrestling promos as opposed to Cena and Punk who go out and just talk. There's a difference.
Last Word: I give this segment a PLUS. Daniel Bryan did a good job furthering his character and Big Show ended up looking strong. And CM Punk finally spoke up for himself as WWE Champion. Everybody's been laying claim to his title and he's said nothing. It was nice to see him finally put his foot down, even confronting the Almighty Cena.
PRIME TIME PLAYERS, DAVID OTUNGA & CODY RHODES vs. KOFI KINGSTON, R-TRUTH, CHRISTIAN & SANTINO
-First of all, who gives a fuck about any of these people? And it's always the same ones matched up all the time.
-The Prime Time Players are still realatively new and fresh but they showed how green they were in this terrible match.
-How many times is David Otunga going to job to the Cobra?
-I'm glad that there was some continuity with Brodus Clay and Otunga feuding but those matches are going to be awful anyway so unfortunately, there's no real payoff.
Last Word: MINUS
TEDDY LONG BACKSTAGE WITH ALBERTO DEL RIO
-I actually thought Teddy did a great job during his angle with John Laurenitis. Unfortuantely, that angle is over and he's gone back to the boring, outdated wanna-be pimp GM.
-Teddy thinking that Del Rio doesn't deserve a title shot after he beat the U.S. Champion and the Intercontinental Champion cleanly in the same week means he either doesn't watch the shows or he's an idiot. Saying it pops the "Universe" though because Del Rio's a "bad guy" so whatever.
Last Word: MINUS
ALBERTO DEL RIO NON-MATCH WITH SIN CARA
-I LOVE area-specific match-ups like this. Unfortunately, they didn't let them actually wrestle.
-Del Rio actually beating Sin Cara in a match would've been a better build for him.
Last Word: MINUS
AJ EATS FLOWERS
-The first appearance of AJ. It was in the perfect spot. She didn't open the show. She had more interaction with Daniel Bryan which is good for him. She kept up the crazy girl gimmick. Fine.
Last Word: PLUS
PAUL HEYMAN LOOKS LIKE SHIT VIA SATELLITE TOO
-How funny was his face when that asshole started messing with his tie??
-I love Paul Heyman but I'm starting to hate this angle because it appears to be building towards a HHH win at SummerSlam. I could be wrong and I hope I am. After all, I think nearly everyone expected John Cena to win at Mania so I could still end up being surprised.
-It would be great if this angle was allowed to play out and Heyman won his "lawsuit" against the WWE and became the "owner" and actually "ran" WWE for a little while.
Last Word: Although I've been enjoying the angle and Heyman's performances, I'm giving this segment a MINUS because they teased an answer all week and Heyman basically didn't say anything new.
DOLPH IS TO THE BROGUE KICK WHAT OTUNGA IS TO THE COBRA
-What the fuck does Dolph Ziggler have to be so confident about? How many times can you get beat and still come out yelling, "This is MY time!"
-That old Braveheart Sheamus once again kicks his much smaller opponent when he's not looking. What a champion we can all be proud of!
-Speaking of which, the World Heavyweight Championship belt is really starting to look a lot more prestigious than the WWE Championship belt. The "big gold" had been around so long and the way it had been booked it became sort of an afterthought but now with ADR and Ziggler chasing it and Sheamus being booked to look so strong that's flipped. Punk and his title have become secondary to the whole "crazy chick" angle and it's now HIS belt that's become an afterthought.
Last Word: MINUS
HEY PUNK, "WOT HOPPENED?"
-We get our third installment of AJ, this time backstage with the champ who is quickly becoming the Ricky Ricardo of Raw and AJ is Lucy, stealing every segment their in together and completely pushing him into the background.
Last Word: MINUS
DOINK GOES "DOINK" AND DDP KILLS ANDY GRIFFITH
-I honestly don't think anyone in that crowd knew who the clown was. For that matter, I don't know who the clown was! It could've been ANYBODY! He didn't do anything that was particular to the Doink character other than being dressed like him. I'd much rather preferred to see DDP wrestle.
-Speaking of the real "People's Champ" (sorry Rock, but until YOU leave through the crowd, DDP is ALWAYS going to hold that title in MY book!), I'd much rather have preferred had he come out to the "Self Hi-Five" Nirvana rip-off he used in WCW. It would've been better for Andy Griffith that's for sure. I had no idea the former Sheriff of Mayberry was a wrestling fan but hearing DDP rip off Earest T. Bass in his entrance theme was apparently too much for the eighty-six year-old Matlock to take.
Last Word: MINUS
KANE SAYS OTHERWISE, THEN GOES OUT AND DOES IT
-Wrestling Booking Rule #89: Jobbing out a credible opponent in five minutes doesn't make the winner of the match who you are trying to build look strong. It makes the loser of the match look weak. In other words, Kane vs Big Show equals EPIC FAIL.
Last Word: MINUS
AJ TAKES A NAP ON EVE'S BREAST
-This is where we cross the line into "AJ Overload" territory. Her segment with Bryan, her match, and her segment with Punk did enough to advance the character for one show. I get it. She's unstable. How about make the Kane-Big Show match a little longer instead?
-Also, she was practically eating Eve's boob! Not that there's anyting wrong with that, but if you're trying to get AJ over as the company's top hottie, putting her next to Eve is like putting your sister's cute friend next to the smoking hot teacher and telling you to pick one. It's really no contest.
Last Word: MINUS
YOSHI TATSU: "A SCHOOLBOY! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?!"
-Yeah, apparently that's Tensai's weakness. Of course it would take bland-as-balls Tyson Kidd to discover this. Of all the young talent that could be getting pushed! The fans clearly did not care either, despite his best efforts to get them to grope him by standing on the ring barrier. He doesn't even have the cool haircut going for him anymore.
Last Word: MINUS
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THOSE CHANTS! WHAT? OH, BROTHER!
-Punk telling Cena to follow his lead was cool but that didn't really play out in the match. I rip on Ring of Honor for lacking psychology in their matches but the truth is, most WWE matches are devoid of it as well. This match could've really done a lot to build toward the pay-per-veiw and a probable confrontation between Cena and Punk but instead, we get Cena going all Ultimate Warrior circa SummerSlam '91, and chasing the evil Chris Jericho all the way back to the dressing room.
-And just when you thought you might make it to the end of the show without her, here comes............AJ! And once again, she completely overshadows the men.
-Just as an aside, why the fuck does SHE get to revive the "Yes!" chant? Vince shits on Bryan for not having the "look" of a WWE Superstar but he's shit on the divas for years! And yet this girl gets five segments...FIVE SEGMENTS?! Trust me, I'm all about AJ. I think she's adorable and her character's great but...five segments??
Last Word: MINUS
So if you've already lost track (I know I have) here's the final score:
PLUSES: 3, MINUSES: 11
So is Raw a GOOD wrestling show? In a word, No, it's not.
Why do I waste time watching it? Honestly? I don't know. I like knowing what's going on first-hand, as oppposed to just reading spoilers and listening to what everyone else is saying, I guess. I still watch the Chargers play football and the Suns play basketball even though they disappoint me regularly.
Don't worry, this blog is not going to become some review site because I know there's already an assload of those but I really wanted to break down an episode of Raw just so I can draw a definite conclusion. It's easy to get caught up in the product as a whole and say it's bad without realizing why. So maybe you got a little perspective out of the deal. I know I did and so, I guess it was worth it.
The last word on this subject is, if you find yourself watching Raw and feel the sudden urge to punch your TV, don't be alarmed. There's nothing wrong with you. You're just watching a bad wrestling show.
I'm out peeps! Until next time......discuss!
[Look for our beloved author as a contributor on his favorite wrestling show The Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast and on SPINEBUSTER.com. Follow him on Twitter @DAntonioLopez]
