Raw as it happens (erm, will contain spoilers)

So far, not too bad a show. I'm still awake, which can only be a good thing.

Show opened with Mysterio asking for a match with HBK, with HBK's spot in the 4-way up for grabs. HBK accepts, only for JBL to come out and refuse on Shawn's behalf. A standard Rey promo, nothing spectacular, but at least Shawn gets an early chance to break out his puppy-dog 'I'm so hurt!' look.

Orton backstage with Legacy (I assume that's what they're called these days, although Cody still uses the Priceless theme. I guess WWE finally realised that 2 members of the faction have lisps, and saying 'Priceleth' wasn't going to establish them as kickass heels. Brilliantly, Orton says he wants this band to be bigger than DX, Horsemen and Evolution. He misses off the more obvious NWO... it's almost as if Vince doesn't want mentioned as he didn't come up with the idea. He tells his lisping crew if they lose tonight, they're out of the team. And tonight concludes 'Phase 1'. Whether Phase 2 will kick the story on, and not the probably fuck-up WWE usulally serves up, I wait with baited breath.

Anyhoo, Cody then trots out to face Punk. Bit of a nothing match really, Rhodes wins by countout when Regal distracts Punk long enough to be counted out. Punk then beats down Rhodes, and the earth shattering announcement that the long awaited title change (sorry, match) between Punk and Regal will be next week.

Steph appears for a promo that has 'pre-taped' stamped all over it. Cena demands a match, and gets a 10 mn tag match as his reward as he doesn't want to do co-commentary on the 4 way match later. So, the Heavyweight Champ gets lumped in a tag math, with the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Mike Knox and co.

Melina wins a battle royal to win a shot against Beth Phoenix. Michael Cole spends the match announcing the match will at the Rumble, then by the end of the match, that PPV is no longer mentioned. You can almost hear Vince screaming at him to shut the fuck up.

Sim Snuka wins his match against Super Haas Charlie Snuka. Again, bit of a dull match. Noticeable only for the pop when the crowd thinks it's Snuka, realises it's Haas, then the usual indifference kicks in again. Snuka wins by pinfall.

10 man tag now, with Cena / Kofi / CRyme Tyme and Rey facing Kane / Ziggler / Mike Knox / Miz & Morrison. Standard fare really, Mysterio spends most of the match getting beaten up, Cena tags in (to a respectable pop, I should add) starts throwing punches (and gets booed. Why does WWE keep him using punches? Why not forearms or something?). I have a feeling Dolph and Ziggler will be starting a feud soon... int he end, Mysterio takes the win, Cena having done a number on Knox, tags the little shortarse in for the 1-2-3.

There are a hell of a lot of ads in these live shows, aren't there? This being my first live Raw since Wrestlemania, I don't remember there being this many...

just got back from a swift pee break, for the end of a Orton / Kelly promo. Hope that wasn't anything important.

Manu up next, battling for his place in Legacy. his opponent... Matt Hardy. If Matt gets pinned in this, the ECW title would officially be more worthless than the Divas title. And that's pretty shitty. Lawler is trying to talk the audience into thinking that legacy could one day be bigger then Evolution. Somehow, I can't see it. Evolution had 3 of the best wrestlers, chsarisma by the bucketload, and Batista to make the others look even better. The day Manu rivals Trips / Ric / Orton, hell even Big Dave is the day I stop watching WWE. Rhodes one day, could be huge. orton is fully on his way there. I'm reserving judgement on the other 2. Unless DiBiase comes back soon, of course.
I stand corrected. manu just threw a perfect drop-kick. maybe there is something there after all... for a big man, that was damned impressive. hrady wins after a twist of fate out of nowhere. A decent showing for Manu - but is he out of Legacy? The tension builds... or maybe it would if anyone actually cared about him.

Another ad break, then the fatal 4 way... incidentally, the Vintage Collectio episode on before Raw featured stuff from 1995. worth noting for both Bob 'Sparky Plugg' Holly and Kip 'Billy Gunn' James being about a third of the size they are now. And in a great example of product placement, there's an ad for some exercise equipment being demonstrated by someone more ripped than most of the WWE roster. Wellness Test him, dammit! And is it bad I'm actually quite tempted to get one?

A trailer for whatever film it is kennedy is starring in. Even the trailer looks like a big sticky pile of poo. They can plug it as much as they want, it'll still die on it's arse.

So, main event time. Strangely, I don't have too high expectations for this. My very quick prediction is that JBL wins - I'm going for the usual weak challenger on raw, with Orton going on to snaffle up the main event with Cena at Mania. And I really like orton entrance music, it's really growing on me. i have a feeling HBk will have jericho down to pin, only for JBL to instruct him to move. HBK's pop isn't as loud as usual, bearing in mind he's the only face in a fatal 4-way. The angle with JBL is working, I guess...

A small thought - if Jericho is now a 'sensible wrestker', and not the 'sports entertainer' he made his name as, why's he still using the same entrance music and pyro? Surely something more tailored to the character could be written for him?

Hold on a damned second - this doesn't seem to be a fatal 4-way. Cole and King have just gone over the rules. It's an elimination match...

New prediction - JBL and HBK last 2 left, HBK lies down for JBL to win.

Another fucking ad. Don't they realise how much of a fight it is to stay awake at the moment?

And we're back. Orton and Jericho open the match, it's 3:49 a.m. Can a full elimination match with 3 genuine headliners and JBl be squeezed into 11 minutes? I have a funny feeling it will be. Orton counters a walls of Jericho (he half-arsed Walls, sadly). jericho milks the boos, the first crowd reaction of the match. HBK tags in from Orton, knife-edge chops on Jericho. I now find the 'WOOOOO' chant that follows more annoying than 'What!'.
HBK starts tuning up the band, JBL tags in, jericho hits the Codebreaker. HBK breaks up the pin - to boos... a few seconds later, Sweet Chin Music and it's farewell to the failed Fozzy frontman.

Orton comes in to face HBK... and then an ad break. Wankers. An ad for car tax? What the fuck? And shampoo? Huh? Although for most of the ads, a TNA tour ad come son, with Kurt Angle the main pictured guy. Almost as if TNA think he's their most recognisable star. jeez, I'm tired. This show can't end soon enough now.

3:57 a.m.

Sleeper hold on orton by JBl. Just the move I needed to keep me really interested in what's happening. The crowd has now started chanting 'RKO!'. Is the crowd turning Orton face...? After a few minutes of punches and irish whips, Orton throws the seoncd perfect drop-kick of the evening. suddenly JBL is in position for the punt.. only for the man-boobed millionaire to tag out to HBK. It's now 4:02, the show has over-run. randy stamps the hell out of HBL, then gets in position for the RKO... only for Shawn to counter with a quick shove away.

A quick excahnge between HBK and Orton, where the part of the fcrowd boo HBK and cheer orton. HBk stes himself for Sweet Chin Music... nails it! orton gone... down to JBL and HBK. What's going to happen? HBK starts to launch the superkick, then stops. Crowd cheer for HBK... Shawn breaks out the puppy-eyes... JBL tells him to lie down... Shawn ask him not to make him... down to one knee... back to standing... crowd chants HBK for the first time tonight... shawn lies down... shawn stands up... this is going on longer than Flair's retirement. I just hope I'm truly portraying the tension to everyone reading this...

JBL nails him with a clothesline from hell, and will face Cena at the Rumble. A true scientific classic in the making. It can't be as bad as their Wrestlemania 21 match... can it?

Anyway, that's the show pretty much done. I'm off to bed. Laters!

That was a pretty good read. Just felt to add that that Kelly Kelly/Orton promo was Orton telling Kelly that their one night together really wasn't all that great, and that she should stop calling him.

Guess who comes crawling back to Kane Kane?

Ok is it just me but does anyone else hate this sulky shawn michaels. Why do they do this with Shawn. First they have him in DX running round happy and making Jokes then they do this sad Shawn thing. Also whats with the ' he has no money thing'. Everyone knows hes the richest guy in the business. Please WWE stop this and put Shawn in a better storyline he deserves.

JohnReid1 wrote:

Ok is it just me but does anyone else hate this sulky shawn michaels. Why do they do this with Shawn. First they have him in DX running round happy and making Jokes then they do this sad Shawn thing. Also whats with the ' he has no money thing'. Everyone knows hes the richest guy in the business. Please WWE stop this and put Shawn in a better storyline he deserves.

good job man thanks

i think manu lost so when ted dibiase jr comes back they will team up against legacy

i noticed michael cole said that Dolph Ziggler was unbeaten but what i remember he lost to batista

also what was that tna impact ticket sales all about during raw

raw was ok but jericho getting eliminated very early was bit

It was an alright Raw, I would have preferred Orton to have won the Fatal Four Way and HBK to have won the Royal Rumble.

Tbh, Michaels is getting on my nerves now, he's boring like this and JBL has been the more enoyable to watch person in this storyline.

No brilliant matches.

Manu looked good, he can hit some good high-flying moves. Suprised he lost, I just hope that WWE don't split the stable up so quickly. Sim Snuka is in 'Legacy'? I didn't expect that.

A predictable world title match for the Rumble then. Cena to win.

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Tbh, Michaels is getting on my nerves now, he's boring like this and JBL has been the more enoyable to watch person in this storyline.

Excellent storyline, Michaels is now simply doing what he does best, do his thing in the ring, there is no need for him to talk, he is a hired assasin, how many of those do the talking? JBLis playing this to perfection

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No brilliant matches

That four way was good as was the CM Punk v Cody Rhodes match

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Sim Snuka is in 'Legacy'? I didn't expect that.

I thought they would just use him to kick him out of Legacy and show they mean business but that was too obvious!

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A predictable world title match for the Rumble then. Cena to win.

Course its predictable, how many world title matches has JBL been in that you expect him to actually win? I predict a few shots at Cenas title from JBL and for him to fail each time meaning Michaels will win the Rumble then be instructed to win the title for JBL

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i noticed michael cole said that Dolph Ziggler was unbeaten but what i remember he lost to batista

That's typical WWE trying to gloss over the truth, by the way, was Dolph not also on the losing side last Monday too!

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raw was ok but jericho getting eliminated very early was bit

It was stupid given that he is the superstar of the year however it was one of two possible eliminations, Orton has been getting built up slowly so it was only him or Jericho that could have possibly been eliminated first, Jericho has had his big push for now, its Ortons turn to start getting a bit of momentum

Agreeing on the awesomeness of the Michaels/JBL storyline. I've been yearning for a Michaels' heel-turn for some time now, this could be a good way of doing that.

umm if orton says: you lose, youre out, isnt he out to?

I enjoyed the Fatal Four Way, however the crowd may as well have not been there. I heard 1 faint RKO chant, 1 slightly louder Woo chant when Michaels hit the chops and 1 very faint HBK chant. Compare Monday's crowd to the one in Toronto!

Manu looked good on Monday, his springboard moonsault was very impressive for a man of his size. I wasn't sure if he was going to win or not, I thought Hardy would win because he is the ECW Champion and WWE would want to make one of their world champions seem strong yet I didn't think Manu would be kicked out of Legacy so soon. I still have a feeling Manu will worm his way back in before Orton delivers the Punt of Doom lol. Manu will return with DiBiase and fight Snuka and Rhodes.

Am I the only one who thinks the inclusion of Snuka makes Legacy look like they are taking in anyone with a wrestling family. I mean, Snuka hardly appeared on RAW before he revealed his "real" name and when he did appear, it was just to job. Yet, 2 weeks after he appears with a new gimmick, Legacy just let him in. Also while Rhodes and Manu had credible opponents in Punk and Hardy, Snuka faced Charlie Haas!

hiphop020 wrote:

umm if orton says: you lose, youre out, isnt he out to?

i doubt ppl are supposed to think of that

hypocrite speech from manu nxt week mayb and orton givin him another chance

still i belive im right just a little weird cody or sim(is that his name?) or even michael fucking cole didnt mention it

maybe its fuel for teds return, blablabla your such a hypocrite, why dont you win a match before you lead us.

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Dolph and Ziggler will be starting a feud soon...

His first name and surname with have a fight? lol

oh and nice review.
..and happy new year everyone

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Dolph and Ziggler will be starting a feud soon...


His first name and surname with have a fight? lol

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This has been up for 4 days, and only now has someone spotted that!

In my defence, it was late, I was knackered, blah blah blah...

Should have read Kofi and Dolph Ziggler starting a feud.

I think Kofi and Kane will start a feud. I think Kofi will try and protect Kelly Kelly from Kane (if they are still going with that story which I think they might have dropped for some reason) and Kane gets mad and batters Kofi. The two of them also have a little history, remember in the IC tournament when Kane attacked Kofi after the match.

I'm not sure who Dolph will have a feud with, I think he will continue to have random matches and I can Charlie Hass impersonating him.

Surely it makes more sense for a 'hurt' Kane to go after Randy Orton since he was extremely harsh to KK and Kane thinks she loves him

I think Dolph and Kofi could have a very decent midcard feud

That would make more sense but I think WWE have bigger plans for Orton than a feud with Kane. I think it would only work if they were looking to turn Kane face again. Kane could come out and begin to attack Orton, then Legacy jump Kane from behind and destroy him. Either Kane goes mental and returns to take out Legacy or Kelly Kelly feels sorry for him and agrees to go on a date with Kane which could give us a couple of funny backstage segments.

Also, am I the only one who finds Dolph Ziggler extremely annoying and not in a good way. I know heels are meant to annoy you, but the line "Hi, I'm Dolph Ziggler" being repeated over and over again is really getting on my nerves. It is also too similar to Kennedy's gimmick IMO.

Well Randy Orton needs something to do just now until The Royal Rumble

HBK and JBL are doing there thing, which also includes John Cena

I can see Chris Jericho having some downtime until the Rumble, he has been the focal point of Monday Night RAW since the draft back in June, so while I expect him to stay on tv I don't think they will require him to do much until the Rumble, although I would like to see more of him and CM Punk

Orton has legacy, but not much else in the way of an opponent and he has not had a really big victory for a while, I wouldn't say they need to turn Kane face again, he is a character that no one really can be sure of if he is a face or a heel, he just appears to be a mixed up character, heels or faces are attacked, he attacked the guy he thought was sleeping with Kelly Kelly who is a heel, so finding out the guy who did sleep with her is a heel should not put him off!

There is a severe lack of face talent on RAW compared to how high up the show the heels are, even Manu and Cody get high spots for being in Legacy add that to Jericho, JBL and Orton along with Morrison and The Miz then its a big gap, particularly since one of the two main faces HBK is working for a heel

I think Kane is the only logical choice of opponent for Orton at the moment.

One thing is for sure though, Christian Cage in my opinion is needed badly, maybe not for RAW, but if he goes to SD then it might allow The Undertaker to switch to RAW for a few months, I would love to see a big time programme with Taker and Jericho