After all the hype videos and funny commercials involving the history of Monday Night RAW, WWE's flagship show hits episode 1000 this coming Monday at 8pm on the USA network. With the extraordinary amount of star power, important matches and segments on the show, i will be completely surprised if RAW 1000 doesn't do well in the ratings.
Unsurprisingly, this week's RAW focused on building towards next week's monumental show. Its amazing what WWE Creative can do when they are focused on promoting the best content they can. In short, this week's RAW was a really enjoyable show that built upon upcoming matches and angles for next week in an entertaining manner. The most noteable addition to RAW 1000 was the shocking announcement by Mr. Money in the Bank John Cena. While i thought the ongoing mystery for RAW's closing segment was a tad ridiculous and illogical (i.e "Would John Cena cash in his MITB briefcase on a beaten up CM Punk?" Cena's a babyface. Why would he EVER stoop to that level?), his declaration as to WHEN he was cashing in canceled out the negativity leading up to this segment. That is, next week at RAW 1000, Cena will cash in his MITB briefcase and challenge CM Punk for the WWE Title. Considering Punk hasn't wrestled Cena 1-on-1 for the title since winning it last November and considering these two had the "Match of the Year" 1 year ago at MITB 2011, this will be a VERY appropriate conclusion to WWE's biggest televised event of the year.
For those who need a reality hit as it relates to how much is on this show, here's what to expect next Monday:
- Brock Lesnar will return to RAW with Paul Heyman to answer HHH's Summerslam Challenge.
- Vince McMahon will announce the new Permanent General Manager for both RAW and Smackdown.
- The Rock will be returning to RAW to speak on becoming the WWE Champion once again.
- Bret Hart will be making an appearance along with THE UNDERTAKER and other legends.
- D-Generation X will be reuniting at the beginning of RAW 1000.
- AJ and Daniel Bryan will be having a Wedding Ceremony.
- The Intercontinental Championship will be on the line as Christian defends against a mystery opponent.
- Last but certainly not least, WWE Champion C.M Punk will defend his title against John Cena: the man who will be cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract at RAW 1000.
Eight monumental events that could easily headline eight episodes of RAW going forward. With Summerslam on the horizon, there is no doubt that this show will be a tremendous 3 hours of WWE television.
However, while i am very excited for next week, the analytical fan in me see definite missed opportunities. Here's why.
After RAW 1000, RAW 1001 and every episode going forward will be 3 hours. While the extra hour will bring in considerable revenue for WWE per-week, i am very concerned with how WWE will fill up all this extra time. The logical approach would be to provide longer matches and more segments involving the younger talent roster. However, last Monday i watched Money in the Bank 2012. Unfortunately, by the end of the show, it was apparent that the company was struggling to appropriately fill up 3-hours of compelling PPV time. Sure, the two Ladder Matches were great as they should of been. But the rest of the card suffered because of it. Having all your top stars in two matches left the rest of the show a tad bare. Thus, if WWE can't provide a compelling 3hours of PPV, how are they going to do so every week on Monday Night RAW??
By throwing everything but the kitchen sink at an episode of RAW that will pull a great rating regardless, future episodes of RAW will ultimately miss out on having that "must-see" aura. Instead of having everything on RAW 1000, why not spread out these monumental events. For example, why not hype the return of The Rock on RAW 1000 for future episodes so that casual fans have a reason to get into the groove of the new time slot. Furthermore, have the WWE Title match between Cena and Punk at a later date on RAW and have the official contract signing on RAW 1000. That way, your top stars are building towards this massive encounter and the fans have more time to salivate over the posisble outcome.
Don't get me wrong, RAW 1000 will be awesome. I'm just wondering how awesome RAW 1001 and 1002 will be.
# 2 Jericho + Ziggler = "Must-see" WWE
There were two segments on RAW that were the most watched for the week. The first involved John Cena (which is of no surprise. John Cena is a certifiable ratings magnet!). The second involved Chris Jericho and the new Mr. Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler.
When i heard this, i was extremely happy for Ziggler. In fact, what made this rating even more of a success was that this time slot on RAW regularly looses a considerable amount of viewers before regaining most of them for the main event segment. This time however, over 400 000 viewers stayed to watch Dolph Ziggler's victory speech. THAT is a comforting statistic going forward for the "Show Off".
Even though i have been unhappy with Dolph's treatment over the last 2 months, i am a big advocate of cream rising to the top regardless of the situation. Ziggler has "it" in my books and he performed admirably this week on RAW. He has a naturalness about him that makes him different from alot of the promos that are thrown around in WWE. Although i found Vicki's howling during this segment irratable, there was no doubt that Ziggler knew how to interact with the season vetren Chris Jericho.
Speaking of Y2J, I loved it how Jericho didn't say a word while Ziggler asked him "when was the last time you won anything?" However, Jericho's facials spoke more than words ever could as it was obvious Ziggler's truth hurt. The Codebreaker to Dolph as well as the smile by Ziggler after the move made me a very happy man: We may finally see Jericho vs Ziggler on the horizon. All in all, a great segment that showed alot of promise with Ziggler while forecasting a potential match we have not seen before. Thumbs up!
# 3 Wedding Bells are in the Air...but is it too soon?
So AJ and Daniel Bryan are getting married.
If WWE's plan was to shock us, mission accomplished. I certainly didn't see this coming. But in this case, that isn't exactly a good thing.
Daniel Bryan has been WWE's biggest heel since late 2011. His world-wide experiences on the indy scene, coupled with his tremendous in-ring skill has seen him become a main-eventer that is not in line with WWE's status quo. What i particularly loved about his rise to fandom was that the fans decided that they wanted Daniel Bryan to be "their guy". This was definately evident on the RAW following Wrestlemania 28. I was front row and i watched as over 15 000 fans take over RAW in protest of Bryan's treatment in the WM 28 World Title match with Sheamus. "Yes" became the new "What" in WWE and as far as i am concerned "Yes" began as a tribute to the greatness that is Daniel Bryan.
Getting back on track here, when you have a character like Bryan that is so deeply connected to a particular role, you can't have that character suddenly change over a 24-hour time frame and remain effective. For the babyface "turn" to work, fans need time to completely adjust to the character's new motives (ie caring about people, being good etc). Look at Randy Orton for example. While fans started to find the Viper's antics "cool in late 2009, it wasn't untill Wrestlemania 26 that Orton completely embaraced his new found fame. After that, Orton was a bonafied top "babyface".
The same applies here for Daniel Bryan wanting to marry AJ. Yes, i think this would be a good pairing going forward. But i do believe this is WAY too soon. At the same time, some may say that this is leading to a big swerve at RAW 1000 and that Bryan will show his true colors as it relates to AJ. At this moment, i hope that is the case, but from watching RAW this week, it seems as though this new role is here to stay. This past Monday, WWE got a taste of what happens when you rush a full-fledged heel into a babyface role: the fans hated on the proposal and didn't buy Bryan's sincerity one bit. Thus, a chorus of "NO! NO! NO!" echoed throughout the arena. What was actually a touching moment was ruined by a polar opposite reaction from the live crowd.
The "slow burn" babyface turn is ALWAYS the way to go. It feels more natural and it usually builds to a crowning moment where everything comes together.
With this angle, we will wait and see what happens next week.
*New Concept* Match Result Express:
(Comment and tell me if you like this layout better than my normal "match results" section)
# 1 WWE Tag Team Championship:
Kofi Kingston and R-Truth def. The Prime Time Players w/ AW (Champions Retain)
Rating: **
- After all this time all this time promoting their Tag Championship match, PTP loose to the Champs on a free-to-air RAW. Talk about a missed opportunity. Someone might be in the proverbial "dog-house".
- If AW is going to continue the "house mic" gimmick, his verbalisations need to have an effect on the progression of the match. He is entertaining and brings something different to WWE, but i need this character to be more relevant. AW needs to watch old Hart Foundation matches so he can see what Jimmy Hart used to do with his signature megaphone.
- Solid match regardless that should of been better considering Kofi was involved. Young looked good again as well.
- All in all, very few positives to be taken from this match. PTP are back where they started.
# 2 Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriquez def. Zack Ryder
Rating: *
- So much for "Friday Night Zackdown". Ryder gets DESTROYED by Del Rio just in case fans were getting behind him. Stupid and illogical booking.
- Are you telling me there was no one else for Del Rio to squash? I understand he needs to go over strong after his defeat at the hands of Sheamus. But CMON!
- Match was over before i could rate it properly. Del Rio looked dangerous so i guess that is a positive
# 3 Rikishi def Heath Slater
Rating: *
Pre-match: Absolutely loved Heath Slater's favorite RAW moments. I will say this, he is getting over as an overbearing looser that's for sure. Great production by WWE as usual.
- Not much of a match to write about here. Rikishi did all his trademark moves (Thrust Kick, Stink Face, Banzai Drop etc) and even gave Umaga a tribute which was nice via the use of the Samoan Spike.
# 4 Mixed Tag team match:
AJ and Daniel Bryan def Eve Torres and The Miz
Rating: * 3/4
- Considering this was the 3rd mixed tag match involving AJ in 3 weeks, i found it hard to get into this one. Lazy booking by WWE creative. Why not a 1-on-1 match with AJ and Eve instead?
- Undercooked surprise having The Miz as Eve's "mystery partner". Came off as a weak way of getting The Miz on TV. Again, laziness surrounded this match.
- Miz and Bryan were fine and the same can be said for AJ and Eve. Not much else to write here.
#5 Brodus Clay w/ the "Funkettes" def Drew McIntyre
Rating: 1/4 *
- A nothing match that involved McIntyre taking a stupid back bump to sell Brodus' even more stupid Headbutt.
- A paint-by-numbers Clay match. They either need to get rid of Clay as an act or do something with him.
#6 CM Punk def Big Show (Via DQ)
Rating: ** 3/4
* Match of the Night *
Pre-Match: Loved C.M Punk's promo talking about what happened to his carrer "in this building" 1 year ago. In my books, you can never go wrong with acknowledging history in order to bolster a character or an upcoming event. Big Show's interaction with the champ talking about how much he was going to hurt Punk was also solid. Furthermore, the points he brought up make me think that a heel turn is on the horizon for Punk. Why is it that he is overshadowed by Cena? Great segment overall that helped build to the match.
- Wasn't particularly into this match to begin with. Shows offense was particularly boring tonight. No flip bumps in sight for the big man.
- Crowd ended up making this for me as they rallied behind Punk during each of his "hope spots".
- Great overall psychology as the fans became unglued when Punk finally took the big man down and hit his Flying Elbow Drop. Great pro-wrestling on show in the final minutes.
- Lame DQ finish ruined an generally strong main event.
Thanks for reading folks!
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