WWE Monday Night Raw 2/25/2008

I was fairly satisfied with WWE Monday Night Raw last night. Here we go...

Raw opened with an in-ring promo with John Cena, Randy Orton and Triple H, with William Regal as a 'moderator'. I'm not sure why, but for some reason they tried to make it (somewhat) reminiscent of a UFC weigh-in. What I mean is, they did the whole promo-photographs of the competitors before the match. John Cena even posed with his hands up. It felt a little odd. MMA's influence on WWE continues. The whole promo was a little predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. What I wasn't clear about was why all the attention was focused on Triple H and John Cena, while Randy Orton stood in the background. Even when Randy Orton took the mic, it appeared that he was being ignored by Trips and Cena... an afterthought. The weakening of 'Randy Orton, Champion' continues week by week. As expected, both of them turn on Orton and clear the ring of him, which in turn leads to them fighting. Orton returns to the ring and pulls RKO sneak attacks on each of them. I wish I knew why creative is doing this to Randy Orton's character. He's a great, believable heel... well, he used to be, anyway.

After the commercial break, we have a backstage promo between Ken Kennedy and Randy Orton, with Kennedy vowing to win the Money in the Bank Ladder match at WrestleManaia, and turning in the contract the same night after the WWE title match. I don't know if this is actually the case or not, but it seemed to me that Mr. Kennedy has been working on promo skills with Shawn Michaels. The speech pattern, delivery and dialogue all seemed to be lifted from the 'HBK Cocky Heel' playbook. Who knows?

The first match of the night was Santino Marella & Carlito vs. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes. There isn't a lot to say here... Bob Holly & Cody Rhodes won. I feel bad for Carlito. I don't know why they are keeping him buried in Santino's shadow. Sure, Santino has some mic skills, but when compared to Carlito, Santino is the inferior wrestler, not to mention he's ridiculous to look at. Furthermore, Carlito is just as good on the mic. I wish JR & King could've just focused on their commentary, rather than trying to get Maria's attention, over, and over, and over again. So annoying. I was left wondering what the whole point was... well, there wasn't one, except to show Maria in here Play boy Bunny logo outfit. Lame.

The press conference held earlier in the day was of course re-capped. The only reason I mention this, is I watched it live yesterday (see my thoughts here: WM 24 Press Conference). Congratulations, editing team. You managed to make Floyd Mayweather not look like a complete moron. Good job editing out all of the boos, as well as the 10-15 minutes when he looked like a child lost in the supermarket). I didn't think it was possible to polish a turd. Nice work. I missed Big Show at the press conference yesterday. In the package it was pretty impressive that Show's fist is nearly as large as Mayweather's head.

William Regal announced the Main Event. Something to be excited about. One of my faves, Mr. Kennedy is finally going to get to play with the big boys (I would later be disappointed when he basically ended up a jobber to the stars). After the announcement, Jericho approaches Regal and they trade hair insults. I hadn't really thought about it (but now I will unfortunately always think about it), but William Regal was right. Jericho's new hairstyle does look like a Cockatoo.

Separated at birth? You be the judge.

Chris Jericho made an obscure reference to their intercontinental title feud in '03 when he urinated in William Regal's tea, but I don't know if many fans will remember it. This whole promo set up the best match of the night, Y2J's Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier, Chris Jericho vs, Jeff Hardy.

Man, I hate Jeff Hardy's new entrance music. It's really bad... at least when compared to the old music. As one would expect, this was an exciting match. We've all seen the majority of the moves in this match, but it wasn't boring at all. Their two styles compliment each other like coffee and cigarettes (okay, not the most healthy analogy, but I have to draw from my source material). Jeff Hardy and Y2J made up for the botched double cross body in the Elimination Chamber (at No Way Out they jumped parallel and banged heads rather than hitting each other perpendicular), this time getting it right. Each Superstar successfully countered each other's signature moves throughout the match, adding to the excitement. One of my favorite counters was Jericho's bulldog into the second rope turnbuckle, but I didn't think Jeff sold it very well (he should have pushed Jericho like Trips does when he counters the RKO). There was a beautiful Whisper in the Wind into a pin attempt. On Jeff's sitout inverted suplex, the landing looked rough. Jericho landed face first. The match ended with an incredible finish... it's hard to put into words, but basically it was a Twist of Fate countered but Walls of Jericho, which was countered by Jericho rolling up Jeff into a pin, who in turn rolled through and pinned Y2J, who rolled through and got the pin, winning the match. The ladder match at WrestleMania is what I am looking forward to the most. So far, it contains all favorites of mine. It's just missing Matt Hardy and Umaga and then I have my dream match. Yes, I said Umaga. Many don't realize it, but the big guy, can fly.

Last night the Hornswoggle storyline has finally changed direction. Hopefully, it will be for the better. In my opinion, it really went too far, and last week was reprehensible. I've been waiting for them to announce Hornswoggle as Finlay's son, and last night it happened. Hopefully, WWE will finally reveal what 'The Deal' is, that Vince McMahon and Finlay kept referring to week after week last month. Then again, you never know... Hornswoggle was never thrown over the top rope at the Royal Rumble, and that was never addressed.
Side note: JBL, what the hell are you wearing? A royal blue shirt with a white collar & a robin's egg blue tie? WTF?

DH Smith made his return to Monday Night Raw last night, facing Umaga. Other than leading into the next promo with William Regal and Paul Burchill, I'm not really sure why this match took place. Umaga is already way over as a monster heel, and DH Smith got his ass handed to him. Like Colin Delaney last week on ECW, he only got two punches off. At least we got to see Umaga's Samoan Splash. It was almost as impressive as his (then Jamal) turnbuckle splash on Jeff Hardy (who was on a table on the floor) at Survivor Series 2002. My secret wish... bring back his brother Rikishi, and have a new Wild Samoans (although, please no dancing or stink faces. The Umaga gimmick is awesome). Creative, if you send Paul Burchill to WrestleMania 24 over Umaga, we're gonna riot (unless you grant my wish and put Umaga in the ladder match. See, I can compromise).

We saw HBK in action against Lance Cade. You know, I'm starting to get fed up. I know they need to drive the storyline and all, but is it really necessary to do it through pointless matches like this one? Is that the only way you can get HBK in the ring? That's not what you did last week. I'm sorry Ric Flair, but while Shawn Michaels may be 'absolutely incredible', it would probably be more appropriate (and believable) to make that statement after an absolutely incredible victory. My 'non-competitive wrestling' gripes continue. Anyway, The Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania is now a reality.
Side note: Is February national 'bloody/broken nose month'? HBK at No Way Out, Big Show at No Way Out, Jesse on Friday's Smackdown!, Shawn Michaels again last night. Hmm.

I was disappointed with the Main Event. It wasn't a bad match. I just desperately want Ken Kennedy to get over. My dreams would be dashed as he was made to look ineffective. I truly believe the guy could be just as entertaining as The Rock was, if given the chance. He's got the charisma, the physical talent, as well as the mic chops. Oh well. Triple H and John Cena win (of course), with Mr. Kennedy getting off a sneak attack Mic Check on John Cena after the bell.

On to ECW... It was mentioned that the big match tonight would be Santino Marella & Layla vs. Kofi Kingston & Kelly Kelly. Oh golly gee. I just can't wait (sarcasm)

Weekend Wrap Up: Smackdown 2/22/2008, Oscars & More

So... I haven't posted an Entry in a couple days. Honestly, I just haven't felt like it. That's alright, I'll kill three birds with one stone.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown! 2/22/2008
I didn't write my normal commentary on Smackdown, because, well... I thought it sucked. The only entertaining portion was the Money in the Bank qualifying match between Shelton Benjamin and Jimmy Wang Yang. This match, is exactly what I was talking about in my 'WWE Monday Night Raw, 2/18/2008' entry. As much as I would like to see Jimmy Wang Yang in a ladder match, I knew that Shelton Benjamin would get the win (who has been awesome in past ladder matches, by the way). My whole point here, is they put Shelton in the match with an opponent that made it competitive. It was a fantastic, high flying match. These two guys are great talents.

The only other redeeming quality about Friday's airing was the epiphany I had. If they ever decide to do a re-make of Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein, Festus would be the perfect guy to play Peter Boyle's monster. I also think that it's too bad that Festus isn't hairier. He be the perfect son of George 'The Animal' Steele.

80th Annual Academy Awards. 'The Oscars'
I trudged through this crap last night, basically because there wasn't much else on. I was surprised to see Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as a presenter. I gotta tell you Rock, I know you're living out your whole movie star fantasy, but please come back. Your movies are okay, but they aren't terribly spectacular. You were much more entertaining in the ring. Plus, I gotta say, seeing you in a tuxedo is just plain wrong (yes, more wrong than a T-shirt and stretchy man-panties.

WWE WrestleMania 24 Press Conference
While yes, I live here in Los Angeles, and could easily have gone to the Staples Center to see this live, I chose to sit here and watch the video stream on the internet. Fighting LA traffic all the way into downtown is not my idea of fun. Anyway, here's the recap:

Jonathan Coachman opens the press the press conference to introduce Vince McMahon. Thankfully, Vince walks out normally and doesn't so that awful 'powerwalk'. I guess he reserves that for the entrance ramp. Vince went on to define 'WWE', as if the world doesn't get it. World: Vince calls the WWE the world's greatest export. Wrestling: Here he talks abit about wrestling, but goes on to call WWE 'the only variety show left on television'. Entertainment: Vince claims to 'entertain our audience better than anyone else in the world'. Vince McMahon talks a bit about the first WrestleMania, and references the Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorf, and then elaborates on celebrity involvement. He made it a point to note that for only the second time WrestleMania 24 will be held in an outdoor venue, and that it will 'allow us to do things that we can't do indoors'. Hopefully, he means something besides just more pyro (Rumor has it that this year's WrestleMania will have 10 times more pyro than any prior events). That's cool and all, but I don't buy pay per views to watch fireworks on TV.

Coach then introduces John Cena, who gets a mixed reaction from the crowd, but there certainly seemed to be more 'boos'. Many of the crowd begin to chant 'you suck'. Cena praises and thanks Vince McMahon. He goes on to say that he, 'won't predict a win or loss, but guarantees history will be made'.

Coach then brings out Randy Orton. Randy Orton had a bad wardrobe day. He was wearing jeans with what looked like a tuxedo jacket. Typical Orton dialogue. John Cena giggles like a school girl when the crowd start chanting 'Cena'. Disgusting. Randy Orton wraps things up by saying, 'March 30th, I will not only walk out WWE champion, but no longer will I be known as the Legend Killer. March 30th I will be known as a Legend'

Next out is Triple H. Again, like Orton, typical Triple H ramblings. Hunter seemed to lose his train of thought and called the crowd 'crazy', followed with 'I forgot we were in LA'.
Triple H vows that at WrestleMania the 'King of Kings goes back on his throne'.

Coach re-takes the podium and starts talking about the Diva search. My stomach drops, because I know they are about to announce something stupid for WrestleMania. Candice Michelle and Maria come out to announce the 'first ever Playboy Bunny Mania match'. Whatever the hell that is, you can bet your ass it's gonna suck. Candice announces that it's Maria's birthday, which results in the crowd giving the worst rendition of 'Happy Birthday' that I've ever heard in my life.

The divas are followed by Edge, who basically said the same things he said on Friday Night Smackdown. 'I'm undefeated at WrestleMania too...' Blah, blah, blah...

Coach announces Rey Mysterio. Rey was wearing a god-awful black velvet mask with purple trim. It didn't go particularly well with a pinstripe suit. When Rey took the podium the mics were tall than he and began standing on his tip toes before lower the mic. He talked a bit about his injury and speaks to the crowd in a mix of English and Spanish. This would have been fine, but he never repeated in English what he said in Spanish like Ediie Guerrero used to do. Rey announced that his bicep surgery will be on Wednesday, but that it 'won't effect him helping his boy, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Every time Rey would mention Floyd Mayweather's name, the crowd erupted in boos. Vince, I hope you took note. We, the audience, do not like Floyd Mayweather.

The next bit confused me a little. I'm not sure whey it took a progression of three guys, to announce one guy.

For some reason, Coach brings out Mike Adamle. Mike rattles on about smalls guys being victorious over big guys. When Mike Adamle mentions Floyd Mayweather, the crowd boos. Mike Adamle introduces Shane McMahon.

Shane McMahon takes the podium and talks about WWE and Floyd Mayweather 'joining forces; The crowd boos. He mentions how the world is watching, and third parties such as HBO, Direct TV and Dish Network are nervous about the outcome. Personally, I don't care. After how unprofessional Mayweather was the night of Big Show's return, I hope he gets injured. That's right, I'm wishing ill on another human being. Sue me. For no apparent reason, the crowd starts a 'Cena' chant, followed by a 'Triple H' chant for no apparent reason in the middle of Shane McMahon's speech.

Shane introduces Floyd Mayweather. The fans are not happy to see him and he draw immediate heat from the crowd. The crowd stars chanting 'Yankees Suck' in response to Floyd's outfit. He stood there dumbfounded, saying nothing for roughly 5 minutes. For some reason he pulls a bundle of $100 bills out of his jacket and shows the crowd. He finally speaks... well kinda... he kept repeating 'I got all day'. The guy definitely looked rattled. The fans begin chanting 'you suck', which was followed by a 'de la Hoya' chant, which was followed by a 'Big Show' chant. Flord Mayweather then took Big Show's name placard off the table and ripped it up. For a guy that is supposedly so 'good on the mic' according to some sports writers, Floyd Mayweather is out of his element. He still is standing speechless, removed the bundle of cash and acts as if he is going to throw it into the crowd. He's that desperate, drowning that badly, that he is going to attempt to pay off the crowd. He stands on the table, flashing his money, inciting the crowd. He then jumps down and starts 'listening to the crowd' like Hulk Hogan would do. He ends up tossing money into the non-media section of the audience. After picking up the money, they continue to boo him. Floyd returns to the mic, apparently now ready to speak. He says that he is going to change the name of the WWE to the MME, Money Mayweather Entertainment. He also claims that he 'owns this city now', that he 'runs LA' and also 'runs WWE'. The crowd responds by chanting 'you suck big time'. The brags about his 'lifestyle', his 'money', and 'how good I look'. Boy, you sure do know how to win friends and influence people, Floyd. He says that he'll give people money if they tell him that he's the champ. Paying off the crowd? C'mon. Keep in mind, that this moron is saying all of these things with Shane McMahon directly to his left, champions Orton and Edge behind him, and Vince McMahon just behind the curtain. Finally, (Fi-nal-ly! ) he sits down. This was a fiasco and I want that half hour of my life back. Heh.

Mike Adamle returns to the podium to announce the Big Show. Apparently, Big Show is too big for the internet, because as his music started playing and came through the curtain my video stream disconnected. I wasn't able to rejoin the web feed. Too bad too, I would have liked to have heard the crowd chant Big Show's name and embarrass the little bastard.

I hope Vince took notes. We, the viewing audience, decide who's a heel, and who's a face. You can't force-feed us Floyd Mayweather as a face. We don't care if Rey Mysterio is supposedly his friend, and supposedly training him or not. This storyline needed a change of direction last week. I'd recommend changing it tonight on Raw. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

WWE Monday Night Raw, 2/18/2008

I was highly disappointed in Monday Night Raw last night. It kind of felt like watching TNA. It's been a rough week... maybe I'm just burnt out. To be honest, I don't feel like putting much effort into writing this... but I will.

We opened with the promo with Triple H, then Randy Orton and John Cena. We see that Kevin Eck (RIng Posts) was right, and it's a triple threat at Wrestlemania. Lame. You know, I realize that it's just the way it is', and it's the way it's been done for years, but I'm sick of it. I am sick of buying pay per views, that are supposed to determine the direction of things to come, only to have it changed the following night on the televised shows.

What am I talking about?

Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena: Well... let's see... the Royal Rumble is supposed to determine the challenger in the Main Event at Wrestlemania... but no... the storyline has John Cena give up his Wrestlemania 24 spot to challenge at No Way Out instead. In my mind, that's his one shot. Randy screws Cena out of the belt at No Way Out. Triple H wins the Raw Elimination Chamber. So it's now Randy Orton vs. Triple H... but no... now John Cena is back in the Main Event. Ultimately, we got what 'should' have happened as a result of the Royal Rumble, plus Triple H. I feel like, at least in this storyline, Raw wasted a month of my time, and money spent at two pay per views. Why are we supposed to buy pay per views, when you just change the result on Monday night? I'm sorry, but the constant switcheroo is extremely frustrating to me. Please make up your mind.

Jeff Hardy vs. Gene Snitsky: Did anyone honestly believe Snitsky being in a ladder match at Wrestlemania when his opponent is Jeff Hardy? I didn't. I wish they would have used an opponent more suited for a ladder match. Again, Kevin Eck was right (Kevin, do you have backstage source? I think so). Jeff Hardy qualifies for the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Side note: Jeff Hardy's new entrance music is awful

Shawn Michaels Hall of Fame Promo: Last night, with a tear in his eye, we saw Shawn Michaels announce Ric Flair as the 2008 first inductee for the Hall of Fame. I'm not gonna beat a dead horse about the apparent Flair/HBK match at Wrestlemania. At least we (hopefully) will see HBK turn heel again. My thoughts on the matter are here in the Kennedy vs. Flair section: WWE No Way Out 2008

Paul Burchill vs. Super Crazy: Not a whole lot to say here, but thank god it looks like the subliminal incestuous releationship angle is gone. I wouldn't be too sure about that 'bright future' in the WWE, King. This guy isn't getting over. Other than the few, pathetic 'Su-per Cra-zay' chants, you could have heard a pin drop in the arena. Poor Super Crazy. Relegated to jobber. You didn't have to call him old, JR. I wouldn't call him old... or fat. Oops.

Big Show with Floyd Mayweather Promo: "Anaheim! What's up?!" (Can you hear the crickets chirping?) I am still pissed about what happened at No Way Out. I know Wrestlemania traditionally has celebrity interaction in one form or another, and over the years there has been a fair share of boxers. You never saw Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Butterbean or Mike Tyson break anyone's nose. What an ass. Oh, by the way, Floyd, you suck on the mic.

Ken Kennedy vs. Val Venis: See my comments above. No one believed that Val was going to get the win and be in a ladder match at Wrestlemania.
Side note: Kennedy's new theme music wasn't much better than Jeff's, and the 'Ken-Na-Dy's were out of sync.

Vince McMahon vs. Hornswoggle: I haven't been into where this storyline is going. I definately was not okay with what happened last night. Seriously, I know this is all kayfabe but it was disturbing. You're right, Finlay, 'This IS wrong". In my opinion, the crowd is on board with me. I think those boos were boos of 'this is not okay', rather than just a reaction to what was happening in the storyline. I don't know if Jericho was injured in the chamber, but there really should have been a run-in by him to stop this. My guess is JBL & Vince vs. Finlay & Y2J at Wrestlemania 24. Finlay put on a great performance. I believed his distraught yelling and pain... I'd give him an Oscar. You went too far with this one, Vince. This was disgusting and we do not approve.

Maria with Santino Marella vs. Beth Phoenix: Who cares... and what a cheap way to get the win.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena with Triple H as Referee: Since John Cena returned I am not really getting why Randy Orton is now being written as a cowardly champion. The only thing that I have considered is that he's being punished for backstage politics. It's been rumored that there is a new clique backstage (Orton, Carlito, Umaga, Mysterio and MVP), and Randy is the ringmaster (New Clique in WWE). I read elsewhere (sorry, I don't remember the source) that Randy Orton says things just within earshot of others walking by, while Randy is having a conversation with friends. The target of the comment is unable to tell if the comment is actually directed at them or not. (The example given was Shawn Michaels) Of course, there's no really way to know if this is true or not, and it's probably just a rumor.

I'm rambling again...

Anyway, as expected we wound up with a triple threat at Wrestlemania, with Triple H closing the show by giving a Pedigree to Orton and Cena after the match.

Bah.

WWE No Way Out 2/17/2008: Fenn's Fiasco, PPV Peril

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll remember that I mentioned that in my TNA: Cross the Line post on 2/15, I mentioned that my cable had been out for 24 hours. If you aren't a regular reader, now you know.

Anyway, I ended up getting the cable to work by connecting the co/ax directly to the TV... however my cable box has been non functional (no DVR, no PPV, etc), until finally, FINALLY Charter Cable replaced my box this morning, 5 days later. I called and reported the problem 5 separate times... was lied to and BS'ed about what the problem was (and obviously, they did nothing to fix the problem. I used the chat feature on their website twice with the same result. Over the past week I visited the local office three times before they gave me a replacement box, this morning. Obviously, I'm not talking about No Way Out Yet... I'm ranting about Charter Cable, because quite frankly, I'm pissed. How can it take a a company 10 separate times of the same customer reporting the same problem before they 'decide' to help that customer. The only thing that stopped me from saying to Charter, 'YOU'RE FIRRRRRRRRRED' is that Direct TV was not able to set up a dish the way my apartment is situated. You'll be happy to know, that Charter Cable did join Fenn's 'Kiss My Ass' club. If you haven't caught my drift... don't use Charter Cable.

So I had a dilemma... pay the same price to watch No Way Out on the internet as I would to watch it on TV (and have the ability to record it), or go to a WWE 'Blast Area'. So with the option to not be able to record it and watch on a tiny screen (with questionable streaming quality), and the option to not be able to record it and watch on a gi-normous screen, I opted for the Blast Area. I checked the WWE website and found that Yankee Doodle's in Woodland Hills, CA is a WWE Blast Area. We arrived around 4:30... staked out our seats, and ordered some ($40 worth of awful) munchies. Yankee Doodle's was showing the WWE Preview show... it's 3 minutes to 5, and on the TV's we see Yankee Doodle's ordering the PPV (Yes, they actually waited until the very last minute to order it). Everyone in the place starts clapping, until... a big screen pops up that reads, 'INSUFFICIENT CREDIT'. Yankee Doodle's claimed that it was an issue with Direct TV, but it seemed to me that they didn't pay their bill. We watched them attempt to order the PPV over... and over... and over... eventually they stop trying. They tell us that it should be up around 6-ish. In an attempt to entertain us, Yankee Doodles put on the All Star game, only to turn it off 5 minutes later... then turn it on, and off... (you get the idea). Remarkably the crowd (about 50 other people) were surprisingly patient. We ate our crappy, overpriced appetizers... we were ignored by the waitress... we weren't given one refill on our drinks... It sucked.

It was about 6:15 when employees were seen scrambling behind the bar. The TVs blinked to life, just in time to see the Mae Young Wrestlemania 24 commercial. We missed the ECW match, as well as the entire Smackdown! Elimination Chamber match. Yankee Doodle's, you can join the 'Kiss Fenn's Ass' club, too. You'll never, eeeeeever see another dollar from me, Junior. Assclowns...

By this point, if you care about No Way Out, you either watched it live, read results today, or watched on You Tube (like I had to do today to see the Smackdown chamber match). I'm not gonna give the usual full rundown (but that's what I always say, isn't it?)

CM Punk vs. Chavo: I didn't watch it. Honestly, I don't care. Chavo sucks as a heel. I understand Chavo won clean. Who cares.

Smackdown Elimination Chamber: I read on a few sites today that this was a great match, so I dug it up on You Tube. I thought that this match was pretty lame, especially the entrant order. In my opinion, Finlay and MVP (who shouldn't have even been in the thing) should have started the match. I felt that the 'action' was slow. Is it just me, or did they unlock Big Daddy V when Khali's light went on? Nice job. The outcome of this match was pretty apparent from the start, as is the winner of the belt at Wrestlemania. Bah.

This is where the PPV started at the sports bar. I didn't time them, but they all seemed to be short matches.

Kennedy vs. Flair: I liked this match. I love this rivalry, and hope it continues. It's the first time Ric Flair has entertained me since his match with Vince McMahon at the Royal Rumble in 2002. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would love to see Mr. Kennedy retire Ric Flair at Wrestlemania, and have Ric Flair become Kennedy's valet. The two work great together. I would hate it if Kevin Eck (Ring Posts) is right and it's Ric Flair vs. HBK at Wrestlemania. It's bad enough to see one guy doing the same, tired crap he's done for decades, without it being two of them.

Edge vs. Rey Mysterio: With Rey's injury, this match was understandably short. I shudder of the thought of Edge vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Even if it becomes a triple threat, Edge really should not be in the main event. I hope and pray they strip him of the belt and Undertaker faces someone else... anyone else.

Big Show's return: I'm pretty sure this was a worked shoot gone wrong. Floyd Mayweather Jr's blows were legit. If Big Show's nose isn't broken, I'd be very surprised. Didn't anyone work with this guy and teach him how to throw stage punches? I felt bad for Big Show. What a s***ty way to have to make a comeback. I'm still not convinced Shane McMahon showing up and trying to calm Big Show was part of the shoot. If I were Big Show, doing an 'I'm back' promo, and someone pulled that, I would have gone after the guy, for real.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton: Man Cena, you are falling into the classification of 'guy I hate to watch'. Same, tired crap... over, and over, and over... have you been hanging out with Flair and HBK? Please learn from their mistakes... learn some more stuff. Your FU is a fireman's carry body slam. Jumping shoulder blocks are boring. Five knuckle shuffle, the most useless signature move, EVER. Spinout powerbomb... boring execution. Why don't you use the Freestyle or Throwback anymore? At least those were stylish. Randy's slap to the ref was priceless. I laughed my ass off. You deserved to be robbed. The more I watch you, the more I find myself starting to agree with the marks that say, 'you can't wrestle'. Watching Khali is more entertaining than watching you. When I started this blog, I promised myself that I'd never put the following video on my blog, but oh well. Deal with it.

Raw Elimination Chamber: Great match, great moves, great performances by everyone. I was especially impressed with Umaga. Speaking of which, the chain of finishers leading to his elimination was awesome. I feel that this match was over too quickly. Given that No Way Out ran the full three hour slot, unfortunately it seemed rushed like they ran out of time. Jeff Hardy was robbed again. I want you to have the belt, but... 1) Triple H, is that damn good. If we compare his performance at the house show on the 16th with yours, he blew your doors off. The crowd exploded when you came out and you seemed like to didn't care, or want to be there. You have to shine off-camera too, Jeff. 2) You're facing nepotism

So that's my No Way Out 2008 rant. Am I bitter? Hell yes.

WWE 'Raw Live!' 2/16/2008: Results and Photos

Last night I attended the house show at the Staples Center, here in Los Angeles. I haven't been to a non-televised event in many years... and I forgot how superior house shows are as compared to televised events. Why? Matches have no time constraints due to TV production schedules, there's tons of wrestler/crowd interaction, the talent has more freedom with their portrayal of their character (If you think Trevor Murdoch has the personality of a doorknob, your view will change if you see him at a house show), and you get to see the guys that they don't put on TV anymore. Of course, it certainly helped matters being in the 6th row, the closest I've ever been. I've had floor seats before (Judgment Day, May 16th, 2004), but they weren't nearly as good. Speaking of Judgment Day 2004, the RVD & Rey Mysterio vs. the Dudley Boys match was awesome. Our camera did not cooperate at all, and the majority of the pics didn't turn out. After spending 3 hours in Photoshop, I managed to salvage a few of the 'more clear' ones.

Anyway, traffic on the way to the Staples Center was beastly... worse than 'typical' LA traffic (If you've never been here, it's always rush hour). When we arrived Ric Flair and Ken Kennedy were in the ring, and we caught the second half of the match. This was a great preview to the match tonight at No Way Out. It was fairy quick-paced, and I was actually entertained by Ric Flair. I imagine this was a warm-up for tonight's match at No Way Out. They battled back and forth, but Kennedy was clearly dominating Flair. Kennedy threw the figure four on Ric Flair but Flair made it to the ropes. Flair ultimately won with is own figure four when Mr. Kennedy tapped out.

The following match was a Divas match. If you're wondering where Val Venis has been, apparently he's now a referee for the Diva matches at house shows. It was Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix. No pics... because other than Beth Phoenix's fisherman's suplex, there wasn't much worth documenting. I can watch Mickie James botch moves on TV... I don't need pictures of it. This was a popcorn match anyway.

Next up was a 6-man tag, Carlito, Charlie Haas & Snitsky vs. DH Smith, Brian Kendrick & Super Crazy. Entrances were pretty standard, however I was shocked when Charlie Haas came out. He was wearing a shiny hoodie, identical to the entrance ring attire worn by A.J. Styles. Once in the ring, he turned around and it said 'HAASTYLES'. I wish the pics of his entrance ring attire turned out, but oh well. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. I'm not sure if this is a character in development, or WWE's answer to TNA stealing gimmicks. Lots of great crowd interaction here. Carlito jumped the steel rail and charged into the crowd after a fan. He ended up grabbing the security guy's steel chair and winged it into ringside. Snitsky & Haas picked fights with the audience from ringside. There were lots of 'Brush your teeth' chants. I'm not sure what was the deal with Super Crazy. He started the match, almost immediately tagged in and stood there, looking disinterested until he was tagged back in at the end of the match. I'm not suggesting anything, but when DH Smith was thrown to the turnbuckle, he ran like a sissy. Other than that, he performed pretty well... Still not close to being as good as his father though. Brian Kendrick was of course great, as was Carlito. These two guys don't get enough credit, and rarely get to showcase everything that they can do. Charlie Haas, of course, went under the ring and emerged as a luchador. I'm not sure what happened to Charlie Haas. He was so good with Shelton Benjamin back in Team Angle. The match ended with Brian Kendrick ducking a kick from Snitsky, which landed on Carlito, sending both men over. The match ended with Super Crazy landing a moonsault on Charlie Haas in the center of the ring.

The 6-man tag was followed by a 'championship singles match between Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton. The Staples Center exploded when Jeff Hardy's entrance started playing. It was awesome. This wasn't the same match as at the Royal Rumble, but it might as well have been. We've seen this match before, maybe not in the same order, but we've seen it. Orton sliding his kneepad down and dropping it on Jeff. Whisper in the Wind. Missed Swanton Bomb. The match ended the same way the title match at the Royal Rumble did, Twist of Fate reversal into a RKO. Orton wins clean. I noticed a couple interesting things... first... it was strange to see Jeff Hardy squatting in the corner, bobbing his head to Randy Orton's entrance music. Second, Jeff seem generally displeased to be there. He scowled through most of the match and didn't smile much when he did acknowledge the crowd. After the match, he reluctantly made his way around the ring. Maybe he was just tired, but it looked like he was doing it out of obligation more than wanting to interact with the fans. Maybe he knew he was going to lose (again) tonight at No Way Out after he's been busting his ass for months. I imagine he's been getting the same reaction across the country as he got at Staples Center. Give the guy the belt.

After intermission, the action continued with a tag match between Trevor Murdoch & Lance Cade vs. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes. I expected to hate this match when I heard Tony Chimel announcing the Superstars. It was a pleasant surprise. You'd never know it from what is shown on TV, but Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade are incredibly entertaining heels. Yes, seriously. These guys are funny. From Lance Cade restraining Trevor Murdock from storming into the crowd, to Trevor Murdock trying to escape from Bob Holly's headlock by reaching for hair, not finding any, then stroking Bob's head repeatedly trying to find some (See, it's funny because Hardcore Holly has a receding hairline. Try to keep up). Holly gets the pin by kicking Murdock while he was hung on the top rope, then a Alabama Slam.

By far, the next match was the best of the night. Y2J and JBL, whose job was to warm up the crowd for the main event, absolutely stole the show. Bradshaw came out, did a promo and heated up the crowd, boasting about 'building' the Staples Center by 'destroying' Eddie Guerrero (ironically, Judgment Day 2004) and winning at Wrestlemania 21. Jericho came out in the usual manner (C'mon, baby! ) Chris Jericho and John 'Bradshaw' Layfield put on one hell of a street fight. Better than most I've seen on pay per views (It probably helped my opinion that they were fighting in the crowd just two rows in front of me). There was no blading, and quite frankly, there was no need for it. Poor Bradshaw. Someone in the crowd shouted, 'Hit him in the chest Chris... you might get milk'. There was also a (short-lived, and pathetic) 'You've got boobies' chant'. (Give the guy a break, he was sidelined for a year! ). We saw chairs... a steel pan... various choking with cords (Jericho strung him up from the top rope again)... even stair usage and a Singapore cane. Y2J got the win after hitting a chair-assisted code breaker on JBL's face. Y2J made a point to circle the ring after the match and slap hands with all the kids that rushed the guard rails... really cool of him. When the kids in my section came back to their seats they were freaking. It was so cute. Heh.

The Main Event was Degeneration-X. Triple-H and Shawn Michaels came out tossing T shirts and glowsticks. Trips grabbed the mic and did the usual DX schtik. HBK reminded Triple H that no one was watching at home, Hunter did the whole thing over and added, '...and the millions not watching at home'. Funny, but you probably had to be there.

Tony Chimel then announced the opponents. Like earlier, I groaned when I heard the entrance music... William Regal, followed by Umaga. There was a funny moment when William Regal was making faces at a fan's choice of shirt... oddly enough, the style was pretty similar to Regal's robe. Again I would be impressed. Despite what one might think, it was a great match. It was filled with surprises... and one big, nasty surprise (You'll see, if you're brave enough to scroll down. I'm now scarred for life).

Umaga's ring entrance was standard... screaming in Samoan and showing his tongue.

I am really liking Eddie Fatu's Umaga character. SO much better than Jamal (You remember Three Minute Warning, right?)

Disclaimer: So, remember up above where I said I was scarred for life? Unless you want to be scarred for life too, don't go any further. What do you mean you're not worried about it? Don't say I didn't warn you. Go ahead, it's your funeral. Have a look at HBK's sunset flip pin attempt on William Regal:

So of course, now that William Regal's butt is hanging out... Triple H can't resist and... Spank!

Triple H and Shawn Michaels react to how their hands now smell. Trips grabs the mic and ask if anyone has any Purell, followed by, 'I'm not sure which is worse, the haircut up top or the one down below'. Classic. (Now you know where they got the idea for Mr. Kennedy to pants Flair at No Way Out tonight)

Like tonight at No Way Out, Umaga tried to hit the Samoan Spike on Hunter, but HBK kicks him before he gets the chance, followed by a superkick to William Regal. Trips hits the Pedigree on William Regal, DX wins.

To wrap this up, if you ever have a choice between attending a house show vs. a televised show, go to the house show. Last night I re-learned that televised shows are meant to be watched on TV. After last night, I'll never go to a televised event again. the bottom line: You get a lot more for your money at a house show.

I'll rant about my horrible No Way Out experience tomorrow... Stay tuned.