Tuesday, February 23, 2010

RAW REVIEW - 02/22/10: LIKE

I was so sure that tonight's show was going to let me down in some sort of reverse-psychology booking. It looked like it could be a great show, and dare I say, I was entertained from start to finish. From what I've read so far, tonight's show got a bit of a mixed reaction, so here's my like/didn't like for the night:

MONDAY NIGHT RAW 02/22
LIKE: HBK MONTAGE | DIDN'T LIKE: MICHAEL COLE

LIKED
- Chris Jericho gloating. Because he is the best in the world at what he does. Gloating.
- The entire Jericho/Edge opening segment. It was super to-the-point, felt chaotic, and got me jacked for their upcoming match at WM26. With these guys most likely appearing on both shows for the next 5 weeks or whatever it is, we could be in for some glorious, glorious stuff.
- John Cena's music cutting Michael Cole off. It gave me the feeling of a wild, crazy show that 97 was all about. It really felt like they weren't expecting him at all. Sadly, what followed wasn't quite as good.
- Jewel slapping Jillian with Hardcore Holly type force. "Why does everybody keep slapping me?!" - Jillian is so fucking hilarious.
- All things Legacy. I've been loving the Cody/Ted "tattle-tale" angle that's been going on for a while now, and tonight it was great. The whole cliffhanger line of "sticking with the plan" before going to commercial was great too.
- Wanna know what else was GREAT (I use the word great a lot)? The six-man tag with Legacy losing to Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston and Yoshi Tatsu. Right when they came out, I'm pretty sure we dubbed them the International JOB Squad. Not because they're jobbers, but because they seemed like they were just randomly thrown together to be fed to Legacy. They totally just looked like they were going to get punked out. Then with Orton's sweet attack on Cody and Ted, they picked up the win. Really fun to watch. Especially Ted's foaming at the mouth. But more importantly, Bourne, Kofi and Yoshi deserved a big win like that, and they looked awesome tonight.
- The highlight of the show for me though was the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker video packagethat aired. Literally gave me chills. If you weren't into that, you need a break from wrestling, because you are dead on the inside. Best video they've done in recent memory. In fact, I'd like someone to point me to a better one. Only because I would really like to see it.
- Taker/HBK promo. While it was slow, and the crowd didn't help it, after that video package I was hooked 4LIFE. Plus - Career vs. Streak at Mania? So help me god Punk, if Shawn Michaels retires at WrestleMania, I guarantee that this grown man will cry his nerdy little eyes out.
- Christian qualifying for the MITB. The match itself was pretty fucking haywire, but entertaining maybe for that reason alone. If Christian can come out of WM26 with that briefcase, and Edge walks out with the WHC... a time bomb will be ticking that I can't wait to see explode.
- The NXT talking heads. That, paired with Daniel Bryan making his first TV appearance (albeit short) kept me interested for tomorrow. I like that old school build of just giving a guy twenty seconds to say something while we wait for the match to start.
- ShoMiz bringing some much needed comic relief to the bull riding segment. The Miz in unstoppable on the mic. His "...really?" right after coming out was gold. I seriously hope we see more of both of these guys on Smackdown! too.
- Batista. He's been nothing short of amazing as a heel. He's such a goddamned DICKHEAD. The whole intentional DQ, followed by a beatdown was awesome, and I think this match will kill at WrestleMania. The first go-round at SummerSlam was good, but now with some serious heat, it should be really good.

DIDN'T LIKE
- The logic of the Cena/Vince segment. Cena comes out and DEMANDS his rematch with Batista. Vince comes out and says no, but if you beat this guy, you'll get your rematch. Cena: "WHO IS IT?! I'LL TAKE ANYONE ON! NEVER GIVE UP!!!" Vince: "Batista." Cena: "No, not Batista!":(
- Maryse vs. Gail Kim. Something totally weird happened near the end. Couldn't tell if Gail knocked herself silly again, or if someone missed a cue, or WHAT, but the match was BIZARRE.
- The incestual (is that a word) Bella Twins' awkward bullride. Was that supposed to be sexy? I hope not. Come on now.
- Ty Murray and Jewel. Okay, they really weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be, and Ty even showed a sliver of charisma during the bullriding segment. Maybe I'm just transferring my hate of the guest hosts to them personally.
- John Cena's D-Von Dudley seizure selling of the steel chair.
- One of the most shocking things about this show was that there was no Sheamus, and no Triple H. Both of which I found really surprising... and confusing. Now don't get me wrong, I am not either of these guys' biggest fan. But Triple H and Shawn have some serious unfinished business, and Sheamus was just WWE Champion two champions ago! (a.k.a. last night)
- Michael Cole. And more specifically his incessant giggling during the bullriding segment. Made my brain leak out my ears.

I thought this was a great show all round. If we get a WrestleMania card of Cena/Tist, Edge/Jericho, Shawn/Taker, Rey/Punk, MITB... I think we're in for a treat. But I've been tricked before.

I really hope Punk shows up next week.

That is all. See you for the Daniel Bryan hour tomorrow night.

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