WWE RAW 31/01 Discussion thread

[Ron Simmons]

So what did everyone think of the show? I enjoyed it, but I was pretty disappointed to not see Diesel or Booker T. Maybe they'll show up at Smackdown.

 

I'm hoping Lawler actually does end up with a Wrestlemania match after that promo, and I'll look forward to the next round of Jerry Lawler vs. Miz at Elimination Chamber. I wonder if they're lining up a removal of Lawler from the announce table though, with him being replaced by...say, Booker?

 

As for the mysterious vignette, I wonder if it's anything to do with Triple H and some tie in with his next WWE film? If it isn't I'm pretty curious, unless it's a creative way to have Undertaker come back. Which would be a huge letdown to be honest.

 

And anyone know what the HELL happened to Jackson Andrews? Why was he taken off TV so quickly?

[Daaaaaad!]

Surely the mysterious vignette has to be Sting? It looked a lot like his coat...

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Hmmm ... the rain and the tretch coat was interestingly similiar to the WCW Starrcade 1997 vignette where Sting's fucking about on a roof in the piss rain. I'm interested now.

[SSJLogan]

Im not liking R-Truth being in the chamber match, i know he'll just be cannon fodder for the bigger guys but why not have Daniel Bryan in there? Its not like he has a US Title fued going on at the moment with all this bella/gail crap going on. Hopefully we'll get Bryan vs Regal...salivating now thinking about how good that would be!

[The Invisible Boy]

Really enjoyed Raw last night. The opening with Alberto Del Rio was pretty cool, I enjoyed the way Miz tried to look as though he would want the honour of facing Del Rio at Wrestlemania only to try to make him face Edge with accusations that Edge had been saying all sorts of bad things about him. Del Rio realising what was going on made it better, I know it's obvious and he should realise but a lot of times I've seen something like that happen the other person is fully taken in and it makes them look daft, having Del Rio realise at least means WWE don't want him to look daft and shows that we should take him very seriously. It looks as if they may go for an arm injury for Edge following the guitar shot and armbar on him by Del Rio and that might be the injury factor leading to the Wrestlemania match, with Del Rio working on Edge's arm all the way up to Wrestlemania.

 

I'm glad The New Nexus are now starting a storyline with someone else other than Cena and I think Orton would do quite well in the role of the one guy taking on a group. I really enjoyed when he turned face and went against Evolution, I always remember when he narrowly escaped from them with the help of the cage after a cage match and I thought he was really entertaining in the role of sole man against stable and now with his unhinged tweener/anti-hero like character I think it could be even better. I was a bit surprised McGuillicutty and Harris lost the Tag Titles match, especially Harris losing to the cobra, I thought the cobra was more a joke move and to see a big guy who is supposed to be a dangerous member of a heel stable lose to it, well I think it made him look weak, especially being down for nearly three minutes from it when Orton was building up to the punt.

 

After the DiBiase and Maryse appearance I'm wondering if we will finally see Maryse dump him.

 

Found the Bryan and Kidd match short but okay but really it was more about the Bellas and Gail which isn't something I am really bothered by.

 

The Miz vs. Edge was a decent enough match, Cena turning up in the crowd and distracting Miz looks as though we'll be getting a feud between the two after Miz's elimination of Cena at the Rumble. I am wondering if Cena will turn up at Elimination Chember and cost Miz the Title or he might try to and it goes wrong because I'd have guessed of they have a feud it'd culminated in a Wrestlemania Title match but if Miz isn't Champion then obviously it wouldn't be a Title match and not as big a deal.

 

I thought interesting to see what Vickie is planning for Edge, the whole Edge will defend the Title in a way it's never been defended before could be a brilliant thing or it could be a terrible thing. I was hoping it'd be something shocking and brilliant, didn't have any guesses really other than Vickie sticking a stipulation in or a new gimmick match. Then it was announced Laycool and Ziggler vs. Kelly Kelly and Edge with the Title on the line, should have seen it coming really after Kelly's interference and Vickie's friendship with Laycool but wait I didn't because I was sure the Title has been defended in a three on two match before, at least it was in a tag match. Maybe their never before means it's a match involving divas. A bit of a weak outcome to a build up of a never before but still I suppose it might be an entertaining enough match, we'll see.

 

Everytime Laycool have a match now I expect Kong to appear and the Laycool vs. Natalya and Eve match could have been the moment it happened but all it ended up being was a way to show that Laycool are still a team after their mix up at the Rumble which ended with McCool kicking Layla in the face.

 

The Great Khali and Mark Henry vs. The Usos in a dance off, well was it really anything more than a time filler?

 

The Raw Rumble was a fun watch, I did think from the start Lawler is going to win, I really couldn't see him in the Elimination Chamber and with his previous match and storyline with The Miz I could see him being his opponent at Elimination Chamber and to be honest I am quite looking forward to see it, it is a fairly different match and I wouldn't be too upset if Lawler wins as long as it doesn't make Miz look weak, ie. a Cena interference. I had a slight feeling Cena may have won it but I'm guessing it'll be Cena wins the Elimination Chamber, Miz beats Lawler and then the two go against each other for the Title at Wrestlemania.

 

The Chamber match looks good too but as I mentioned it looks fairly easy to guess Cena will win it, I'm hoping Punk does though but it's looking like Punk will be against Orton at Wrestlemania. One thing I'm not looking forward to is R Truth, why he deserves to be in the Elimination Chamber or even the Raw Rumble is beyond me and he is definetly the odd one out in that line up. They could have had Bryan or even Booker T or Diesel in it instead of him, I know R Truth is a full time member of the roster but did you see the reaction he got last night? Then compare that to the reaction Nash got at the Rumble and obviously Nash in the Elimination Chamber would create a lot more interest and a way bigger buyrate than R Truth, I'm fairly certain anyone who does buy the PPV isn't buying it to see R Truth in the Elimination Chamber.

 

As for the actual Raw Rumble I thought Morrison's come backs were brilliant and he really showed up R Truth when he got back in the ring and R Truth struggled like hell to roll back over the rope which he had just done with ease. Also did it look as though Cena messed up and accidentally dropped R Truth over the rope when he was going for the double Attitude Adjustment? Really enjoyed the Punk and Orton part in the match, seeing Orton go right after Punk and Punk hiding under the ring when he realised the last participant was coming out and it would be Orton.

 

I've heard Booker was actually wanting to take a commentator role so I think Ron maybe right in saying he could turn up at the commentary desk but to replace Lawler, there's always a possibility, but then I don't know if Lawler would become a full time wrestler again, I think he's more suited to commentating and having the odd match. I could see Booker turning up on Smackdown maybe, as a commentator. If Lawler does win the Title at Elimination Chamber I suppose he wouldn't have the time to be at the commentary desk though.

 

Finally, I've puposefully kept this to last as I wasn't expecting it at all and got so excited at it, in the same way I was excited about Jericho's Save Me video packages. 2.21.11, at first I thought it was going to be an advert for Elimination Chamber but then it became obvious it was about a debut or a return and it's the day after Elimination Chamber. Is it Undertaker, possibly Triple H, some new guy who will be replacing the gap for a dark character when Undertaker leaves or...dare I say it...Sting?!

 

I was reading about Sting being near signing with TNA again so I don't want to get too excited but that did look like Sting's coat, it reminded me of his Starrcade videos and people have mentioned that those boots look nothing like the ones Undertaker wears. The date font, with the firey look to it looks similar to something I'd expect Sting to have, so Sting in WWE? I wouldn't have believed it was Sting at all, the only thing making me think it at this moment is due to the Wrestlemania WCW tie in and the biggest person they could bring in for that is Sting and I guess it's me wanting it to be Sting that makes me think it could be. I wouldn't get too carried away though as if it isn't Sting it'll be a huge disappointment so it could very easily be Undertaker's return in a build up for a Wrestlemania match, but one thing Undertaker is a Smackdown guy, who appears on Fridays, not on Monday's. Triple H, possibly but the coat and the darker feel to it makes me think it isn't him as he has never had that sort of dark side to him before, I'd say it's Sting over Triple H really but Undertaker and a new guy I think it could be over Sting. But then as I say Undertaker is a Friday guy, which leaves it between a new guy or Sting? I'm looking forward to see where these video packages go each week.

 

Anyway I see some people saying they didn't enjoy Raw this week but for me I thought it was pretty good, the Orton/Punk/Nexus stuff, the Raw Rumble with the Elimination Chamber/Lawler and Miz match set up and the 2.21.11 video package made it worthwhile enough staying up for it for me.

[ColinBollocks]

I can see Lawler and Cole having some type of match at 'Mania. They really pushed their feud at the Rumble and Raw. Maybe Riley & Cole v Lawler.

[Statto]

Just watched Raw (ah, the joys of being on holiday!) and enjoyed the show. We're very much on the road to Mania now, and all the better for it.

 

If Orton was going to punt one of the Nexus out of existence for a while, couldn't it have been Otunga?

 

Really like what they're doing with the Elimination Chamber this year, using it as a final eliminator for contenders for the title the Rumble winner isn't going after. Makes the title picture heading into Mania seem more important and stable, in a way, as the game isn't completely changed by both titles changing hands in the Chamber matches.

 

With that in mind, I'd rather they didn't do a Smackdown chamber match (stick Edge & partner vs Del Rio & partner in a tag on the PPV, or something), but they probably will, after Edge survives whatever impossible obstacle Vickie puts in front of him on Friday, he'll have to do it again then.

[The Wagon Man]

This month's PPV doesn't appeal to me at present. I like Jerry Lawler, but don't see him as a genuine threat to the WWE Title. Additionally, I don't think he's very good in-ring these days, so I don't expect much from their match. I also don't see him wrestling Cole at WM27, for two reasons: i) I don't think, having made The King wait 18 years for a 'Mania match, that they'd fob him off in a novelty match with a non-wrestler, and ii) They need their commentators for the PPV! If they both got back up and went back to their announce desks after their match it would be ludicrous, and WM is too big of a show to have substitutes taking their place for the rest of the night (unless JR is on hand, of course). The only way around this would be to have the match in the penultimate slot, meaning that they'd have no more matches left to call. Actually, if the bout did take place, it'd be a cool time for the Raw GM to announce himself, interfering on Cole's behalf. Hey, maybe the match isn't such a bad idea after all.

 

The Elimination Chamber competitors are so deathly dull. I feel like I've seen it all before. You know it's become stale when you'd rather Santino Marella got a main event push.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Another good show, WWE in 2011 has been really good so far.

 

It must be said, another fine solo performance from John Morrison. I dare say we'll see more of his parkour antics in the Elimination Chamber as well. I reckon he's on course for a Money in The Bank win at 'Mania if they have the match this year and I reckon it would be a nice way to cap off his recent good work, and also 99% certify him as a World Champion in waiting.

[Jas]

Perhaps Nash was wheeled out to provide some cover on the commentary at WrestleMania or RAW if The King is involved in something at the show or leading up to it.

[Vito]

If Orton was going to punt one of the Nexus out of existence for a while, couldn't it have been Otunga?

I'm glad I wasn't the only one livid at Orton punting Harris, Otunga would have been much more deserving of being taken out by Orton considering how useless he is. It looks as though Cena's business with Nexus is done and Randy Orton has taken his place as Nexus' primary target. I like the idea of Orton becoming more of a psychopath as he lost a lot of steam when they put the belt on him and forced him to act like a babyface, the fans want to see Randy going nuts and punting people, it's just a shame that somebody decided that Harris should be the one to take it.

 

I almost had a heart attack when it looked like Alberto Del Rio would come to Raw to challenge Miz, fortunately common sense prevailed this time and he's going to continue being boring on the show nobody really cares about anyway. Good on Riley for calling Del Rio something to the effect of "a second rate JBL/Tito Santana knockoff", thanks for saying what most of us are thinking. Also, Mariachis... really?

 

The burial of Ted DiBiase and Tyson Kidd continues. Maybe they should team up, the only prerequisite for being tag champs these days is being in a tag team so perhaps they could do that for a bit.

 

Speaking of tag teams, why are the Uso's still employed?

 

The Chaperone looks fucking dreadful. There's a bit of unintentional hilarity in the trailer which nicely sums up every WWE movie perfectly in which one of the bad guys explains his evil plan and the kid goes; "that doesn't even make sense".

 

John Morrison put on another jaw-dropping performance in the Raw Rumble although he really needs to practice Starship Pain some more as he barely touched Cena.

 

Who else laughed when R-Truth botched that "pull yourself back into the ring after going over the top rope" spot with Morrison? Twice. Hopefully someone will realise that R-Truth sucks and will do something to get him out of the Elimination Chamber match.

 

Lawley winning the Raw Rumble was a great moment... a great moment which was telegraphed by Michael Cole constantly berating King throughout the show for having "no chance of winning". It pisses me off when the WWE ruins the outcomes of matches in advance by constantly going on and on about competitors having no chance of winning a match, they did it with the Miz/Orton match at the Rumble, they do it with Edge on SmackDown and they did it again tonight with Lawler. I really enjoyed the false Raw Rumble finish where Sheamus, Cena and Morrison were on the ring apron, I was expecting Lawler to charge in and shove everyone down but luckily they didn't take the predictable way out.

 

The 2.21.11 video didn't give much away but judging by the outfit, the rain and the old west style of building I'd say that it's almost certainly going to be:

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Se7en

 

[close spoiler]

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You heard it here first.

[ShortOrderCook]

Except someone else beat you to it in the other thread.

 

I disagree about how Cole was acting telegraphing the Raw Rumble result. As i personally believed Cena could have won it leaving Lawler to be the last entrant in The Chamber. Either way Cole and Lawlers interaction was exactly as it should have been considering their recent interactions and only served to enhance the result/moment rather than hinder it.

[dopper]

Somebody perfectly summed up my thoughts on Michael Cole in the Royal Rumble topic, referring to him as an annoying distraction. That is obviously not the intention.

 

I've always had a problem with any wrestling TV show having a heel play-by-play announcer, but at least most heel color commentators are funny enough so you can enjoy listening to them putting over the heels and critisizing the babyfaces (Ventura, Heenan, Lawler, Heyman and to a lesser extent Cyrus, Don West, Zbysko, etc).

 

Knowing how good the Rumble-to-WM period usually is I thought starting last night I would start watching Raw again, but Cole is unbearable imo.

 

Also: Cena turning up happy and having a fun time on Raw the night after losing a supposedly important ppv match the night before has been an annoyance for years now.

[air_raid]

I enjoyed the way Miz tried to look as though he would want the honour of facing Del Rio at Wrestlemania only to try to make him face Edge

 

I thought that was a missed trick. He should have been all over Del Rio trying to grease his palm to agree to wrestle him, to play up the fact he's blatantly scared of having to wrestle Cena and would rather face Al instead.

 

If Orton was going to punt one of the Nexus out of existence for a while, couldn't it have been Otunga?

 

Otunga is easier to hate. Harris (McGillicutty too for that matter) is just kind of "there." But then, who's to say he'll be out for a while? Not everyone sells it like Jericho. Besides, Punk needs all four lieutenants available to wrestle Wade, Zeke, DJ Gabriel and Girlman at Mania.

 

Having said that, I just remembered I expect Barratt to fight Undertaker. Never mind. Enjoy your holiday Husker.

 

why not have Daniel Bryan in there? Its not like he has a US Title fued going on at the moment with all this bella/gail crap going on. Hopefully we'll get Bryan vs Regal

 

Nah. Regal has even less "going on at the moment," can't see him being thrown into a title match on PPV, even it would sort of make backwards logical sense.

"Here is a wrestler you'd forgotten about, challenging for a title you would have forgotten about if we didn't announce Bryan as champion after his meaningless two minute match or throwaway tag."

 

What a pointless segment. They could have accomplished the same effect with the Gail/Bellas pull apart if they'd dispensed with the "match" and done it backstage. Oh wait, they diid that at the Rumble. Good job Kidd was already worthless, otherwise he'd now be less than worthless.

 

 

i) I don't think, having made The King wait 18 years for a 'Mania match, that they'd fob him off in a novelty match with a non-wrestler,

 

But at his age and status as "not really active novelty/nostalgia act" thats exactly where he belongs. Or against someone low on the totem pole, like A-Ri. THERE'S your match. Which Riley will win, to build extra heat and make it extra "feel-good" when Miz loses the title to Cena.

 

ii) They need their commentators for the PPV!

 

Don't you think they would wheel out Josh Matthews & Todd Grisham just for that ONE match?

 

The Elimination Chamber competitors are so deathly dull. I feel like I've seen it all before.

 

You have!

 

They missed a trick not having Miz yank Cena off the apron to add to that run. True, that would have telegraphed Cena/Miz even more for Mania, but anyone who says that it wasn't 100% bleeding obvious after the Rumble is a filthy liar or a dribbling spastic.

 

You know it's become stale when you'd rather Santino Marella got a main event push.

 

Let's not go nuts.

 

Must say, really disappointing. At the turn of the year I was planning on getting the Rumble and Mania as must sees, and probably Elimination Chamber to see how Mania comes together. But there seems little point. Cena will win the Chamber, Edge will retain, Miz will retain.

 

At least last year while we could tell very early who was wrestling who at Mania but I at least wanted to watch the chamber because while Cena v Dave and Tripper v Sheamus were bolted on, I had no idea where the belt was going to be, and I really wanted to see how Shawn would cost Undertaker the title.

 

This year? Pass.

[King Pitcos]

Must say, really disappointing. At the turn of the year I was planning on getting the Rumble and Mania as must sees, and probably Elimination Chamber to see how Mania comes together. But there seems little point. Cena will win the Chamber, Edge will retain, Miz will retain.

I wouldn't be so sure. I think it's plausible that Lawler will win the title (and lose it to Punk on Raw) and Orton will win the chamber, just for the sake of not doing the expected thing. But when they do the unpredictable results (like Elimination Chamber 2009), we always moan that it's meaningless and they need more logical booking.