Wow, this was the best RAW I've seen in a LONG TIME. From Benoit/Jericho to Edge/Triple H, all the Superstars obviously put on the best show they could to entertain Japan.
Also, any doubts that I had about Triple H making it in the movie business were erased after the Braveheart spoof. That was an Oscar-worthy performance by Hunter and Flair!
EDIT: Spelling corrections.
(edited by The Great Thomas on 7.2.05 2025) FIRST EVER "W of the Day"! (4/12/04)
This was a pretty good show, with something for everyone (even a Raw whores/Simon Dean segment for me to channel-surf through). The only weird bits came when the crowd booed the translator, and their tendency to sit on their hands.
The Batista-gazing-at-the-belt moment to end the show was really good, too. Such foreshadowing.
Good opening contest to start things off, and get the Japanese crowd into it....Man, they're really enjoying squashing Maven, aren't they?....They're really protecting Batista in these short squash matches....Nice pop for the home-country boy Tajiri. They couldn't even get past the front row!....
The Flair/Michaels match was about as good as you could expect from Flair....The Simon/Divas segment was pointless....I don't think it would've been bad to have Tomko pin Orton. Really, Orton wouldn't lose heat because he "has" a concussion(s)....The Trips/Edge match was only okay, but Batista staring at the title at the end was great, and so was Trips catching him.
I love the Japanese crowds. They were dead silent thru the main event because they were WATCHING the match. There isnt some whore flashing the crowd or drunken bar fight taking away the crowd's attention. They were concentrated on the match itself. Its their way of showing respect. They react for the moves and the finishes. Its kinda neat to watch.
The pop tajiri got was nice to see. He had to be so happy. I just wish I knew what he said after the match was over.
The international shows are always so much better. The crowd was an awesome visual all night long. The rhythmic claps to theme songs were great.
I don't know if this has ever been discussed, but I thought it is known as a "kip-up", not "nip-up". I couldn't help but to notice that tonight given the circumstances.
I also noticed that the male/female ratio in the crowd was much closer than you would see in North America. MUCH closer.
I would like to thank Chris and Chris for one hell of an awesome submission match tonight. That was awesome.
Akebono is huge in Japan! I was hoping for him to get in the ring and destroy Simon Dean, though I figure to do so would probably be below the dignity of his station in Japanese culture. Anyone else notice how hot his wife was? (I'm assuming the woman sitting next to him in the red dress was his wife).
I never noticed before, but now that I have noticed, Maven's waxed eyebrows disturb me for some reason.
Was anyone else hoping for a little crowd surfing action for Tajiri?
Exciting match between Edge and Triple H. Makes me wish I hadn't read the spoilers. But Batista stole the show. His facial expressions are excellent. The staring contest at the end, with both him and Triple H holding the belt... pure gold.
The Goal: SLACK The Method: The Casting Out of False Prophets The Weapon: Time Control The Motto: "Fuck Them All if they Can't Take a Joke"
Originally posted by Kane Is UglyThe pop tajiri got was nice to see. He had to be so happy. I just wish I knew what he said after the match was over.
Just read this from WWE.com...
Upon winning the title, Tajiri took a moment to speak to his fans in his native language. When asked what he said, he replied candidly, ““I said, ‘William Regal, you are the best!’”
Originally posted by geemoneyI don't think it would've been bad to have Tomko pin Orton. Really, Orton wouldn't lose heat because he "has" a concussion(s).
I don't know what fits here...do I point out that Tomko doesn't need to be beating anybody, or joke that you need to actually have heat before you can lose it?
I'm all for scaling back Orton's push, it just did not take. But seriously, Tyson Tomko might be the most useless guy under contract right now not named Viscera. If he wants to stand outside the ring and cheat on Christian's behalf, fine by me, but let's be honest...not only is he a terrible worker, nobody takes him seriously. I think they furthered the concussion angle well in that match, as any heat that's going to come of it should be on Christian rather than Tomko anyway.
Originally posted by BigVitoMark But seriously, Tyson Tomko might be the most useless guy under contract right now not named Viscera.
Maybe it's just me but I think Tomko has a unique look something that is lacking right now in the WWE and he is not just another cookie cutter bodybuilder type. He also throws some pretty good punches and his big boot rocks. I won't say that he is a great worker but as far as the enforcer guys go he is easily my favorite then again that could be because he is with Christian.
Originally posted by BigVitoMark But seriously, Tyson Tomko might be the most useless guy under contract right now not named Viscera.
Maybe it's just me but I think Tomko has a unique look something that is lacking right now in the WWE and he is not just another cookie cutter bodybuilder type. He also throws some pretty good punches and his big boot rocks. I won't say that he is a great worker but as far as the enforcer guys go he is easily my favorite then again that could be because he is with Christian.
Is it just me, or are they teasing a bit of dissension between Tomko and Christian? First refusing to "lay down the beat" for Christian at Rumble, and then last night looking a bit annoyed when Christian said that Tomko would be the one facing Orton. Granted, they're not doing it very well, but I wonder if they're trying to recreate HHH/Batista in the midcard?
GREAT crowd. So they weren't up all night cheering and making noise, but they did cheer and clap at all the RIGHT spots.
Chris v Chris was disappointing for me. Perhaps its time Y2J move into an announcer role, he was boring to me in the match. The only thing I like that he did was when Benoit raised his knees during the lionsault and he grabbed them and attempted the submission move. Other than that, pretty blah match.
Tajiri was CRAZY over with the crowd. Good to see him and Regal back together, and winning the straps. Get La Res off my TV please.
Why is it just when you think HHH is getting stale, he pulls a good match out of his ass? The early work vs Edge was good old school chain wrestling.
And, last but not least, why does Christy Hemme walk like she has to piss all the time? (my girlfriend asked)
Originally posted by BigVitoMark But seriously, Tyson Tomko might be the most useless guy under contract right now not named Viscera.
Maybe it's just me but I think Tomko has a unique look something that is lacking right now in the WWE and he is not just another cookie cutter bodybuilder type. He also throws some pretty good punches and his big boot rocks. I won't say that he is a great worker but as far as the enforcer guys go he is easily my favorite then again that could be because he is with Christian.
THE WWE'S HOSS HEIRARCHY: [Ranked by skill, prominance and visibility] -John "Bradshaw" Layfield [Smackdown; 6'6", 290] Average worker. Punches are pretty good, but moveset is spotty. Promos make up for it, though. Can hack it against better workers (Angle & Guerrero immediately come to mind), but solo matches against equals result in iffy matches. -The Big Show [Smackdown; 7', 470] Average worker. He's big and throws a lot of headbutts and slaps across the chests of his opponents. His cardio is bad (but seems better than before his return), but he's booker as a monster so his matches are usually short. Promo skills are good, if right material is given. -Batista [RAW; 6'5", 317] Pretty good worker, still improving. Good offensive moves and occasionally inventive spots. Very good as a tag worker. Jury's still out on whether or not he can work long solo matches. Batista Bomb sit-out powerbomb's an impressive finisher. Spinebuster's a great-looking move. Promo skills have been improving greatly. -The Undertaker [Smackdown; 6'10", 309] Average worker. Lots of punches, often sloppy. Moveset is pretty varied, with submission stuff and slams. Chokeslam, Last Side & Tombstone are good finishers. Undertaker is an example of a worker that by all regular standards is bad, but he's gotten really good over the years at stretching his few strengths. Of course, his status as a special attraction helps hide weaknesses, too. -Kane [RAW; 7', 326] Above average worker. Majority of moves are slams or punches, but his flying clothesline from top rope is pretty cool. Chokeslam is great finisher, especially since he's the only guy on RAW who does it. Promo skills have gotten pretty good during the Pregnancy Angle. -Gene Snitsky [RAW; 6'6", 300] Average worker. Punches are occasionally spotty and majority of moves are slams, punches or combinations of both. Pumphandle Slam (called the Coat Hanger by many) is pretty good finisher. Promo skills are laughably bad, almost to the point of being unintentionally comedic. -Tyson Tomko [RAW; 6'5", 285] Average worker. Hasn't gotten much of a chance to showcase himself, but he's okayish in tag matches. When he's in with better workers (the recent RAW 6-man comes to mind), he comes off as extremely green. Promo skills are okay, but improving. Gets award for best one-word delivery at the Royal Rumble ["Tomko! Give me a beat!" "No."] -Rhyno [RAW; 5'10", 275] Average worker. Good punches, but outside of the Gore there's not much in the tank as far as moves go. Couple that with the crowd's general apathy towards what he's doing, and you have a midcarder. Promo skills rarely get seen, so I can't recall whether or not they're any good. -Rosey [RAW; 6'5", 360] Below-average worker. He's big. He's hard to move. He can fall on you. That's it. Promo skills are pretty decent, though, and spinning sidewalk slam finisher is cool. -Heidenreich [Smackdown; 6'5", 275] Below-average worker. Badly thrown punches, nearly non-existant workrate and iffy conditioning combined with laughably bad promo skills give us one of the worst WWEers in a long while. -Viscera [RAW; 6'6", 450] Below-average worker. He's big. He can't be moved...unless you're Batista, Cena, Benoit or any other big-name guy. -Luther Reigns [Smackdown; 6'5", 285] Below average worker. Lots of punches, but not much else. Tends to be in a lot of tag team matches, which attempts to hide his weaknesses. Promos aren't bad, though. -Jesus [Smackdown; ~6'4", ~280] Jury's still out. Never got a long match while he was healthy (or at least one that I saw). He has a good look though. -Mark Henry [RAW; 6'1", 380] INJURED. Below-average worker. Sloppy punches, cardio seems terrible (as he gets blown up during a 3-minute RAW match) and moveset involves slams and bearhugs and not much else. Promo skills leave a lot to be desired.
DVDs; Blog ~New Our Lady Peace album "Vampires" this March~
Undertaker is the best worker on the list. He had an underrated year in ring from 10/02 to 10/03, with two of his best matches ever against Lesnar and Angle. In between, he got watchable matches out of Big Show and A-Train and carried Cena to one of the best matches of his career. He hasn't been as good since coming back in '04, but before the epic JBL and Heidenreich serieses, he found time to get another really good match out of Cena. He's quite a bit better than all of those guys, at any rate. Second place is Rhyno, although at 5'1 I don't think he can be considered part of that grouping. Snitsky being considered average or anything approaching is dubious, although he's slightly more coordinated than his buddy John.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroUndertaker is the best worker on the list. He had an underrated year in ring from 10/02 to 10/03, with two of his best matches ever against Lesnar and Angle. In between, he got watchable matches out of Big Show and A-Train and carried Cena to one of the best matches of his career. He hasn't been as good since coming back in '04, but before the epic JBL and Heidenreich serieses, he found time to get another really good match out of Cena.
Agreed, but Undertaker DID have a lot of time to develop as a worker as Mean Mark Callus in a crapload of tag matches. He gets a bad rep as a worker largely due to the fact that his gimmick usually leads to him wrestling a LOT of useless wrestlers.
DVDs; Blog ~New Our Lady Peace album "Vampires" this March~
Originally posted by BigVitoMark But seriously, Tyson Tomko might be the most useless guy under contract right now not named Viscera.
Maybe it's just me but I think Tomko has a unique look something that is lacking right now in the WWE and he is not just another cookie cutter bodybuilder type. He also throws some pretty good punches and his big boot rocks. I won't say that he is a great worker but as far as the enforcer guys go he is easily my favorite then again that could be because he is with Christian.
Is it just me, or are they teasing a bit of dissension between Tomko and Christian? First refusing to "lay down the beat" for Christian at Rumble, and then last night looking a bit annoyed when Christian said that Tomko would be the one facing Orton. Granted, they're not doing it very well, but I wonder if they're trying to recreate HHH/Batista in the midcard?
I see it more as Tomko humoring Christian's pretensions, but only to a certain point. The human beatbox request clearly crossed the line. :)
I remember someone mentioning that a good match for WM would be Edge vs Orton for a shot at the title at Backlash. Christian would be a perfect guy to throw in there for #3. Let me explain my logic:
This would allow Edge to work as an uber-heel (which I think he is much better suited for in lieu of a full out heel). It also allows him to build something with Orton and it gives him a chance to degrade Christian, which would help give Edge that uber-heel status he should have. I don't think, especially after watching this RAW, that Edge should be an out and out heel.
It also gives Orton 2 strong workers (at least in my opinion) to feed off of. This means the workrate nuts aren't stuck watching Orton try to clusterfuck his way through 15 minute match.
Furthermore, it gives Christian a push toward the upper mid-card which he definitely deserves. Christian (w/Tomko) can be built up to be an effective threat to a shot at the title and it helps either blow off the Orton feud or allows it to continue. It also opens the door to an Edge/Christian feud which I have been waiting for now for years.
"I know a great deal about the Middle East because I've been raising Arabian horses for over 20 years, I've researched the culture for most of my life."--Patrick Swayze on Iraq
Originally posted by wordlifeI remember someone mentioning that a good match for WM would be Edge vs Orton for a shot at the title at Backlash. Christian would be a perfect guy to throw in there for #3. Let me explain my logic:
This would allow Edge to work as an uber-heel (which I think he is much better suited for in lieu of a full out heel). It also allows him to build something with Orton and it gives him a chance to degrade Christian, which would help give Edge that uber-heel status he should have. I don't think, especially after watching this RAW, that Edge should be an out and out heel.
It also gives Orton 2 strong workers (at least in my opinion) to feed off of. This means the workrate nuts aren't stuck watching Orton try to clusterfuck his way through 15 minute match.
Furthermore, it gives Christian a push toward the upper mid-card which he definitely deserves. Christian (w/Tomko) can be built up to be an effective threat to a shot at the title and it helps either blow off the Orton feud or allows it to continue. It also opens the door to an Edge/Christian feud which I have been waiting for now for years.
I like that idea a lot, actually. It would work out because Orton and Edge actually have some chemistry together, and anything that leads to a Christian push is A-OK in my book. So, of course, it's not gonna happen.
I never, to the best of my knowledge, cut my toenails.
Originally posted by wordlifeI remember someone mentioning that a good match for WM would be Edge vs Orton for a shot at the title at Backlash. Christian would be a perfect guy to throw in there for #3. Let me explain my logic:
This would allow Edge to work as an uber-heel (which I think he is much better suited for in lieu of a full out heel). It also allows him to build something with Orton and it gives him a chance to degrade Christian, which would help give Edge that uber-heel status he should have. I don't think, especially after watching this RAW, that Edge should be an out and out heel.
It also gives Orton 2 strong workers (at least in my opinion) to feed off of. This means the workrate nuts aren't stuck watching Orton try to clusterfuck his way through 15 minute match.
Furthermore, it gives Christian a push toward the upper mid-card which he definitely deserves. Christian (w/Tomko) can be built up to be an effective threat to a shot at the title and it helps either blow off the Orton feud or allows it to continue. It also opens the door to an Edge/Christian feud which I have been waiting for now for years.
Two things:
First, how do you define "uber-" heel? I'd think that it'd mean that the guy is the epitome of a heel, the ultimate disdained bad guy. But you seem to have a special meaning I'm not getting.
Second, there was a pretty long Edge/Christian feud when their tag team broke up.
This show definately needed the return of Al Wilson. Glad the Sox game was on so I didn't have to endure this crapfest (also, thank God for spoilers so I knew I wouldn't miss anything).