Obviously the closing moments of Monday Night Raw were shocking to say the least and people are still “buzzing” about it. I have had to field many, many questions from people I casually run into here in Oklahoma who were as shocked as I was at the controversial and unpredictable final few seconds of WWE’s flagship broadcast Monday night from Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Interesting days lie ahead for all, that’s for sure. I have no idea what to expect this Monday on Raw from Richmond, Va. No idea whatsoever.
It would seem fitting that this week’s Raw Superstar of the Week should be Mr. McMahon. How could anyone else even be considered? So there it is with no guest panel of judges, no ballyhoo, just the facts…and the facts are that Mr. McMahon gets this week’s award as Raw Superstar of the Week.
Looking at the balance of the three hour, “Gone With The Wind-like,” bladder challenging Monday Night Raw, the atmosphere until the final few seconds of the broadcast felt like an All-Star Game. Everyone but the wounded was on hand with the majority of the non-draft small talk during the day focusing on Sunday night’s finale of The Sopranos.
Edge and John Cena had a big time match to kick off the Raw marathon. Cena again gets booed by some defiant males (what else is new) and Edge continues to prove that he is one of the best in the biz at this point in time and why The Rated-R Superstar may dominate SmackDown for years to come if he can stay away from the injury bug. Cena is a stallion who uses the undeserved boos (my opinion, and it is my column) as a source of motivation, which is admirable. It’s akin to your favorite sports team playing nothing but road games. WWE fans pay their hard earned cash for their tickets, so at the end of the day they can boo or cheer whoever they damn well choose, to be blunt.
The 420-pound Great Khali goes to SmackDown. Their catering bill just went up, and now the SmackDown Superstars can look forward to joining Khali on a tour of Khali’s native India some day. Congrats everyone.
Nice to see Jesse Ventura on tape, even though he looked like he had just returned from a Grateful Dead concert…not that there is anything wrong with that.
C.M. Punk is a star in the making and ECW is fortunate to have kept him.
Mick Foley, whose latest book is still selling well and is an excellent read, told it as he felt it regarding Mr. McMahon and it looks like we will see Foley in the WWE Title match at Vengeance in Houston, which sold out a month ago without a card being announced. Mick looks as if he has dropped some pounds, which isn’t a bad idea for many of us.
The only good thing to come out of the Umaga-Balls Mahoney match was that Raw acquired King Booker & Queen Sharmell. More royalty coming to Raw can’t be a bad thing.
Bobby Lashley is coming officially to Raw and will join Cena, Triple H and HBK, when and if they both return to action, as seemingly fan favorites, which gives Raw some much needed depth on that side of the fence.
Chris Benoit going to ECW was big for the ECW brand that is still in its reformative stages…but Benoit will be a significant boost to any brand at any time.
Six announcers working on one show had its usual train wreck tendencies, but all in all it seemed like there wasn’t too much of a log jam surrounding the announce tables. I honestly enjoy working the tri-branded pay-per-views and sitting at ringside and listening to the other announcers do their thing. At least no one got off on any elongated tangents and spent valuable TV time talking about themselves or knocking other announcers.
Mae Young & The Fabulous Moolah on all fours is still a visual I am having a hard time erasing from my memory. Where is Dr. Melfi when she’s needed??
I like the improvement we are seeing in Santino (Don’t call me Bob) Marella, but are his Intercontinental Championship days numbered? The young man from Italy is tough and has a big heart, but one has to think that his lack of ring experience will bite him in the backside sooner or later. I really like the upside of MVP and SmackDown is fortunate to have been able to keep the U.S. Champion. MVP is a keeper despite his ring attire.
Snitsky is a disgusting human being. Of course, Snitsky, I mean that in a nice way. Snitsky on Raw should be…interesting as time goes by. The former University of Missouri offensive tackle is nasty and tough, and those are nice qualities for a WWE superstar to have quite honestly.
Roddy Piper looked great after his cancer scare and it was great to see Hot Rod live and in person in Wilkes-Barre.
Another WWE Hall of Famer, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, a stroke victim but a surviving stroke victim most importantly, had some pointed things to say about Mr. McMahon but Bret looked great doing it. I miss seeing Bret as I once did on a weekly basis but I am jacked about Bret’s autobiography, which will be out sometime this year as I understand it.
The censors had their hands full with Stone Cold’s remarks, but that should not surprise anyone. Stone Cold is not a liar and can and will always speak from his heart, for better or for worse as the case may be. Steve “Condemned” Mr. McMahon graphically and emphatically on Monday night.
The Kristal vs. Candice match may not have resembled a Brisco-Funk mat classic but it did result in Raw obtaining Bobby Lashley which is a homerun.
Bob Costas is Hornswoggle short until he stands on his wallet or his ego.
Jeff Hardy is a main event waiting to happen. Young Jeffrey, the Rainbow Haired Warrior, is better than ever and perhaps losing the World Tag Team Championship is a blessing in disguise for the North Carolinian. In many ways, Jeff reminds me of HBK. That’s high praise I assure you.
What in the hell was Captain Lou Albano saying? Did the same person influence Captain Lou’s remarks that also did Superfly Snuka and The Iron Sheik’s remarks Monday night? I would have loved to have seen the closed caption rendition of those three statements. Nonetheless it was good to see all of these legends.
I guess I am going to have to take a crash course on the Jackass franchise for future reference. I wonder if those boys like BBQ…never mind.
Nice remarks Monday from “Reverend” Dusty Rhodes, who reminds me more and more of the legendary speaker Reverend T.D. Jakes. “The Dream” can still orate with the best of them I assure you. I wish we could see more of Big Dust on TV.
Randy “I Love Myself” Orton did well for Raw Monday night by winning the Battle Royal and earning TWO draft picks for the longest running TV show in WWE history (notice I did not say “the A show” or the “Major Leagues”), which resulted in Snitsky and the much coveted Mr. Kennedy. Thanks Randy, and now you can return to looking at yourself in the mirror you are never far from you handsome rascal.
This week’s Raw is going to emanate from Richmond, Va. and I suspect it will be wild and crazy; especially following last Monday night’s broadcast. I have no idea what to expect, but I am glad that “The King” and I are still on the same team. I am looking forward to getting on that airplane Sunday and heading east to Virginia and seeing what Monday Night Raw brings to the table this week. We will be back in the heart of the old Mid-Atlantic territory Monday night, which always brings back great memories.
Remember: eat more “Q” and healthy, wholesome Beef Jerky. (Shameless plug.) See you Monday night!
BOOMER SOONER!
J.R.
