AND Flair gets to talk and it's great. What a world. Jericho/JBL was also by far the best mic work anyone has done since the rare times Cena did 'real' wrestling promos.
- Turning Ric Flair loose on the mic like that was just a great thing to see. The man still runs rings around the rest of the roster when it comes to telling a story on the mic. I really wish he'd bust out his "Diamonds are forever" line when talking about never retiring though.
- Then we got JBL/Jericho which was also great. That was the best back and forth segment the WWE has done in ages. I look forward to the feud.
- The wrestling was pre-holiday wrestling so what can you expect. Hopefully people remember Hardy's 'big wins' when they come back next year.
I was initially groaning at the idea of a Jericho/JBL feud, but those two sold me on it last night. JBL was good, but Jericho absolutely tore him to shreds on the mic and it was great.
This is the second time this year that Vince has lost his marbles on Raw. I suppose that means his limo will be exploding again next week. Can't say I wasn't entertained by the Triple H match with Regal and Coach. I'm amazed that Regal's STILL holding on to those Brass Knux. Fear the Power of the Punch!
I'm still not sold on Jeff Hardy/Randy Orton, but I seriously don't expect Jeff to win and the Royal Rumble title match is usually filler anyway, so it's harmless. Hope the match is good.
"Wocka Wocka...who wants to hear a funny-ass joke?"
Is Jericho/JBL going to be good enough to offset JBL not being on commentary? And does JBL want to ditch commentary to get back in the ring full time? Nothing against JBL, because he really came on strong in the ring before he "retired", but he's much more valuable behind the desk than in the ring.
And Kendrick sold the shit out of that Backstabber. That was fantastic.
Carlito/Santino: NAO v.'08? I thought they missed a real opportunity of just having Vince sitting shellshocked inside the corner of the ring the entire night and just let the matches go on with him sitting there, with no one knowing at what point he'd come to and go off on whoever was in the ring at the time. Don't know why Ross made such a big deal of Flair beating the count, as a Double Count Out would not be a loss, it would have been a No Contest. I'm just waiting for the night they have Arn come out when Flair is in trouble and attack Flair, just to get his opponent DQ'd.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroAND Flair gets to talk and it's great. What a world. Jericho/JBL was also by far the best mic work anyone has done since the rare times Cena did 'real' wrestling promos.
(edited by JustinShapiro on 18.12.07 0517)
Jericho/JBL was great but it wasn't the second-best mic work of the night. Orton's backstage real-wrestling promo was - it was probably his best mic work ever.
Also, Regal turning to stare down HHH upon McMahon announcing the handicapped match was beautiful.
Originally posted by Mr ShhAlso, Regal turning to stare down HHH upon McMahon announcing the handicapped match was beautiful.
The Lovely Mrs. Tracker was chanting for Regal to clock him. She never gets that into wrestling. I was gobsmacked or besmirched or something.
Vince should be ashamed of himself for using up that much TV time to set up another face vs. stooges match. And Coach should be ashamed of himself for not using the knuckles.
Jericho/JBL was as good a showcase for those two guys as anything they could do in the ring. They were in top gear. Redsoxnation's analogy with Carlito/Marella is gold. We can only hope they get that kind of push. I'm already sold on them vs. Cade/Murdoch for the belts.
The only thing that distracted me from Flair's pre-match talk was how pudgy Umaga appears without the supplements. He's lost his fearsome girth.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
After the first 30 minute circle jerk for Vince and Trips (less we forget who the real stars are), the show really soared. Everyone seemed to bring it on the mic, even Jeff. I have noticed his promos have really improved over the last few months, so I assume he has really been focusing on that lately.
I think the JBL/Jericho confrontation was not face to face so they can perhaps drag this feud out until WM? After that promo, I wouldn't mind, even though I bet Jericho thought he would get more than that upon his return.
I too am absolutely jacked about the idea of Santino & Carlito. Hopefully they don't have one of them turn on the other in 2 weeks, something I think no one wants to see.
I am getting the vibe of HBK-Jeff at Mania in a ladder match. I think Money in the Bank has ran it's course, and would seem like lazy booking this year.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Originally posted by kentishAfter the first 30 minute circle jerk for Vince and Trips (less we forget who the real stars are), the show really soared. Everyone seemed to bring it on the mic, even Jeff. I have noticed his promos have really improved over the last few months, so I assume he has really been focusing on that lately.
I think the JBL/Jericho confrontation was not face to face so they can perhaps drag this feud out until WM? After that promo, I wouldn't mind, even though I bet Jericho thought he would get more than that upon his return.
I too am absolutely jacked about the idea of Santino & Carlito. Hopefully they don't have one of them turn on the other in 2 weeks, something I think no one wants to see.
I am getting the vibe of HBK-Jeff at Mania in a ladder match. I think Money in the Bank has ran it's course, and would seem like lazy booking this year.
I would be surprised to see no Money in the Bank match this year. It seems to have become a WM tradition, it gives the WWE an easy way to hit the reset button or to do an insta-push during the year, and it always draws a lot of interest. I think it just seems a bit down because circumstances have led to the last two winners not making full use of the victory. RVD used it, and was a double champion before he got busted and eventually left, and Kennedy was derailed by the injury. If RVD had hidden his stash better, and Kennedy had stayed healthy I doubt we're having this conversation.
Originally posted by spfI would be surprised to see no Money in the Bank match this year. It seems to have become a WM tradition, it gives the WWE an easy way to hit the reset button or to do an insta-push during the year, and it always draws a lot of interest. I think it just seems a bit down because circumstances have led to the last two winners not making full use of the victory. RVD used it, and was a double champion before he got busted and eventually left, and Kennedy was derailed by the injury. If RVD had hidden his stash better, and Kennedy had stayed healthy I doubt we're having this conversation.
I agree ... I like that it helps get more guys on the card without having a buttload of meaningless tag or triple threat matches (see TNA). Hopefully we'll see guys like Elijah, Shelton (if he's not facing Punk for the ECW title) & Mysterio in this year's incarnation of the match.
Originally posted by spfI would be surprised to see no Money in the Bank match this year. It seems to have become a WM tradition, it gives the WWE an easy way to hit the reset button or to do an insta-push during the year, and it always draws a lot of interest. I think it just seems a bit down because circumstances have led to the last two winners not making full use of the victory. RVD used it, and was a double champion before he got busted and eventually left, and Kennedy was derailed by the injury. If RVD had hidden his stash better, and Kennedy had stayed healthy I doubt we're having this conversation.
I agree ... I like that it helps get more guys on the card without having a buttload of meaningless tag or triple threat matches (see TNA). Hopefully we'll see guys like Elijah, Shelton (if he's not facing Punk for the ECW title) & Mysterio in this year's incarnation of the match.
Personally, I still think I would rather see HBK-Jeff in a Ladder Match, than MITB just so a few guys get a Mania bonus. I like one on one matches or tag matches at the biggest show of the year, but that is just my opinion.
I am all for guys getting on the show, but only if they are involved in meaningful angles leading up to the show. Not something thrown together because creative couldn't think of anything else. And I must say, outside of a few spots, the last 2 MITB matches have not even come close to touching the original in 2005.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
The HSBC Arena was about 80% full I'd guess, and it seemed like there were more empty seats than in July for Raw.
Dark Match:
Drew McIntyre beat Atlas DaBone: McIntyre played the face, despite being a heel on Smackdown. Crowd didn't even give this one a chance, with "boring" chants within the first minute. Still, not a good match.
Heat Tapings:
The Highlanders beat Jim Duggan & Super Crazy: Crowd, predictably, was only into Duggan. Still, Crazy hit some highspots to save the match (kind of).
Snitsky beat Mike Tula: I'm guessing on the spelling of the jobber. Short and sweet, like most Snitsky squashes, though Tula sold like a pro.
D.H. Smith beat Charlie Haas: Crowd wasn't into this one much, either.
Dark Match Post-Raw:
Chris Jericho beat Randy Orton by DQ. It went about 5:00, with JBL interfering to cost Orton the match. Jericho, of course, got the upper hand and put JBL in the Walls of Jericho. The match started right after the main event, as Orton was still recovering in the ring when Y2J came down for the match.
Other notes:
Crowd was okay for the most part, though I thought they were suspiciously quiet during the main event. They LOVED Hardy, and would've popped huge each time if he came out ten times during the night. They hated Vince, as all crowds do, and seemed to be into the first few segments with him and Triple H. Not much happened during commercials....we saw videos on the Titan-Tron for things like the WCCW DVD and Tribute to the Troops. Todd Grisham did the hold-up-your-sign thing during a break, and Triple H talked during the first break, before his match with Regal and Coach. He pretty much made fun of them, implying there was no chance they'd win.
As for Raw....
The opening match wasn't much wrestling-wise, but it got the crowd into the show early....The Vince/Triple H/Jeff Hardy segment(s) were real fun live; don't know how they came off on TV (haven't watched the tape yet); Trips is a lot more funny when he doesn't have to rely on the sophmoric humor. Vince was great as being crazy and even Jeff shined on the mic....As for Triple H's handicap win: At least it wasn't against a real tag team....
The crowd wasn't much into the tag title match and the Holly/Rhodes program has really lost steam....Flair cut a hell of a promo, though I think the crowd got restless toward the end. His match with Umaga sucked, but I didn't mind him winning only by count-out...As some have already said, the JBL/Jericho segment was awesome. Well-written (especially the latter part of Y2J's promo) and well-acted....
I hated to see London & Kendrick jobbed out like that, but I'm all for the new Santino/Carlito team. That could be fun....The main event was very good, though I didn't sense the crowd was into it much, especially sitting on their hands for Orton. Overall, a fun night and worlds better than the RAW they put on in July.
My Survivor Series Hangout Report and More!: Experience It
Team 3D and Franky the Mobster Will Make Three at the Medley Blood, Sweat and Beers September 22nd, 2007 in Montreal What are the ingredients for a show that you know will be great in advance? Take a promotion with a history of delivering the goods: