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LOOKING AT THE GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF LAST NIGHT'S RAW

RAW - 21/05/2012
Quick OTL thoughts – It was a long weekend here in Canada so I didn’t get to see the show, but I do have some thoughts on the booking especially as it pertains to Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler. It absolutely infuriates me that WWE is so short sighted where these two are concerned. Perhaps WWE is having them lose because something bigger is coming along for both, but even if that’s the case it’s the wrong way to go about it. I’m pretty sure Miz is officially slotted as a loser and I’m not sure if Cody and Dolph are headed Miz’s way or whether they can be breath life back into them, but it looks bleak from where I sit. Oh and Christian as a babyface without a turn? You have to wonder if Vince McMahon’s aging and tiredness that happens to all humans as we age is having an effect on the product, an effect known as LAZINESS in storytelling and paying attention to details and this isn’t even a minor detail.
What needs to be accomplished on this week’s Raw?
•Speaking of Dolph Ziggler, let’s start with him. Get this guy back on track. I think it might be time to move Dolph away from Vickie and Jack and perhaps go with the bodyguard idea with Mason Ryan that they were trialing on house shows.
•Cena-Laurinaitis-Show. Well WWE for once stayed the course with a storyline even though we all knew it was happening. I can’t say I’m happy about it as this storyline was ruined last week with overexposure on Laurinaitis and Cena going back to what made him so hateable to begin with. WWE really had no choice, but to go through with this after they totally ruined Big Show as a babyface. We’ve been there and done that with Big Show and John Cena so this isn’t exactly a fresh storyline and Laurinaitis don’t help matters. So what needs to be accomplished with this program tonight? Perhaps WWE can surprise me and make this intriguing. I hope John Cena can refrain from going back to his joking ways, but I doubt he can resist. Cena going to comedy in his promos is now on par with Triple H having to bury someone when he does a promo. Funny the two guys who probably have free reign on promos are the ones who should be heavily scripted. I don’t foresee WWE moving away from Cena-Laurinaitis, because Laurinaitis has done the one thing Vince McMahon has been looking for; he has made John Cena be generally unanimously cheered. Of course Cena will likely ruin that himself as time goes on and he continues to act like a goof
•Brock Lesnar’s lawsuit. I hope WWE is able to draw this out till Summerslam, but we still have three pay per views before Summerslam and it wouldn’t shock me to see Vince rush this. I think I’d likely do nothing with this storyline this week and perhaps advertise a Paul Heyman appearance for next week
•Put an emphasis on the pay per view that just happened. Make the events feel important and begin the promotional blitz for No Way Out
•Punk and Bryan. I hope with the way this match ended that this program will continue. It will be interesting to see where the next turn is in this program and how AJ plays a role going forward. These two need promo time tonight to talk about their match and not to tell us about John Cena and John Laurinaitis




Show Breakdown

1. As mentioned I didn’t see the pay per view, but watching the opening video packages and the stills of John Cena once again attempting to do Rock style comedy as he sits at the commentary booth, I can only roll my eyes.

2. Thank god John was able to walk to the ring without winking to the camera and throwing down a goofy smile.

3. John still trying to fit comedy into an intense, over the top, over acted promo.

4. Laurinaitis in the golf cart and more memories of the old Mr. McMahon character. Unfortunately John Laurinaitis is no Vince McMahon and John Cena is definitely not Steve Austin.

5. Well at least Laurinaitis announced  the next John Cena pay per view main event we have to sit through and it’s a match we’ve seen a thousand times over. There’s only one person to blame and that’s Grandpa Vince who continues to become a more frightened human being as time goes on with the product and the lack of pushing new talent is any indication.

6. Big Show’s promo was pretty solid and intense explaining his actions.

7. Titus and D. Young already regulated to the jobber crowd with Hawkins and Reks. Two guys take out four guys. Kill the young guys Vince; it’s the only thing you know how to do.

8. Sheamus ran over Laurinaitis. Doesn’t that count as physical contact? I wonder if this will be brought up again.

9. A graphic hyping Daniel Bryan calling out CM Punk and I like this, it is much needed!

10. I sit here with my hand on my face in depression sitting through Santino comedy. Reason #1 why I will never attend a WWE television taping. I’m not paying to be entertained by a Steph, Vince and that sixteen person writing team. WWE has so many issues right now and yet they are wasting time on that WWE style horrid comedy and this comedy wasn’t even that bad, it’s just overdone.

11. Pretty slick package to promote that Raw is going to three hours; I hope I don’t need to see the part where we talk about Raw being around longer than Gunsmoke, Lassie, etc going forward.

12. I will actually give WWE credit for paying attention to the details of why Big Show was able to interfere in the main event of OTL if he had an iron clad contract since they completely misstepped in their own storyline earlier in the night.

13. I love how WWE rewrites history, “Alberto Del Rio main evented Wrestlemania” – Michael Cole. If the main event is the opening match, I’d suggest he is right!

14. Love it! Finally it looks like we will get the solo match with Jericho and Orton before Jericho exits! Great, vicious promo from Jericho as well.

15. When Jericho lifted Orton up for the 3rd code breaker I was 50/50 on whether WWE would have Orton nail Jericho with the RKO and ruin things. I must have forgotten that Chris Jericho is involved in this storyline and knows how to execute things properly.

16. I like that they followed up a Smackdown angle on Raw. Placing importance on Smackdown again. I guess Punk will forget about Kane nailing him with ten chair shots, but we can suspend disbelief on that, because this makes sense. The perfect revenge!

17. Like Bryan on Smackdown, Punk did a great job on commentary.

18. Another intriguing backstage segment with Punk and Bryan. AJ continues to deliver on everything she is given. She is definitely no third wheel in this storyline and is doing her part.

19. Christian back to a nothing reaction, because he made a face turn without a reason. When Vince is asking why he isn’t over in a couple weeks, I don’t even need to finish that sentence. I shouldn’t say Christian won’t be over in a couple weeks, because I’m sure he can get himself over even without help from that wonderful creative team.

20. Jinder Mahal live on Raw. Talk about ratings killer.

21. BTW as we see Christian working this match, I can see pretty clearly that WWE is totally going to bypass the fact that CM Punk took out Christian.

22. If we have to put up with Jinder Mahal every week on three hour Raw’s that’s not going to be a good thing.

23. I’m surprised in the graphic of Sheamus and John Cena for the main event handicap match that Sheamus appears to get top billing over Cena.

24. WWE shows Layla watching backstage, but no mention that she also made the maxim hot 100 list.

25. The way they are talking about Beth, one wonders if they are going to start the losing streak storyline with Beth. We know how wonderful that is for some of the guys so we might as well start using it for the divas.

26. Well thank god they didn’t have Beth lose to Kelly. Although Layla already beat Beth clean so I’m not sure why that feud continues, but hey Chris Jericho tapped out clean at Wrestlemania and ended up getting a second title shot.

27. Oh look the drama, pissed off John Cena is gone and happy John is back. Talk about bipolar or a guy who has no understanding of the business that he’s on top of.

28. WWE hyped mystery opponents to deliver Dolph, Jack Swagger and Tensai...

29. Tensai seems to look bigger and bigger every week. Now he looks like he doesn’t have a neck.

30. Why does WWE play the “fire Cena” card, we know it will never happen. Instead of doing the guy who hates his jackass boss storyline the way it was done in the attitude era where Vince would get humiliated every other week, the storyline is done where Laurinaitis gets his once every six weeks, but gets hammered by verbiage. What a surprise? Sixteen writers, words hurt!

31. I always like locker room brawls to end a show so that was fine. The match itself did nothing for me. The show closing angle was fine. I still don’t know why we are rehashing Show-Cena. How hard is it to me someone new in the top mix?