The first Raw of February was OK. There were more promos than matches and the matches were full of dull moments and botched spots. Check after the jump for some of my thoughts on the episode and to find out which parts you should watch if you have yet to see it!
*NOTE: All WWE related photos courtesy of WWE.com
- The opening mic work by Triple H was pretty well done. The man knows how to tell a story and build hype better then anyone in the business....period. I understood this whole storyline last week perfectly without the use of words. Triple H feels sorry for The Undertaker because even though he kicked the crap out of the deadman last year, he still would not die. Hunter then explains that Taker is a shell of his former self and that he does not want to remember him this way. He then declines Undertaker's challenge for Wrestlemania 28, saying that their feud is over.
But wait.....
The lights go out....
We then get an amazing video of The Undertaker watching the match from last year while sitting on his throne in HELL (at least that's how I like to see it)!! His voice can eerily be heard throughout the package saying that "this...is not over", and I got goosebumps at the potential this story has to be possibly the best ever.
FUCK YEAH! More please....I know everyone has been groaning at the thought of a third match between these two legends. But with the undeniable talent between both men, and this great storyline, I ask you all....WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!? THIS IS WHAT PRO WRESTLING IS ALL ABOUT!
- Our first match of the night saw The Big Show face the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan w/AJ at his side. AS usual these two turn in a solid performance...
Who knew Show was that agile....
After what was a good match, The Big Show accidentally corners AJ, leading Bryan to interfere and walk AJ 'out of harm's way'. In reality, he was walking himself out of harm's way. Bryan loses the match via. countout and cuts a nice, quick promo claiming that he will STILL be champion after the chamber. We shall see Daniel Bryan....we shall see....
I mean....
Vegans DO have superpowers right?
Just avoid the Gelato's Daniel.....those have milk and eggs bitch.
Match Rating: 3/5
- Cool to see Carl Edwards make an appearance....even if his car emits digital smoke.
- Man I wish that David Otunga was a better wrestler. His Carlton-inspired character is just so fucking awesome! The sight of him Tebowing was the most hilarious thing I've seen on Raw tonight...
Well...that and him catching a brogue kick from Sheamus.
Match Rating: 2.5/5
- Chris Jericho's promo was brilliant. He said everything that I wanted him to say so for me, it was perfect. There has been a lot of Jericho-robbery going on in the WWE in his absence and man is he pissed. He feels however, the biggest offender, is CM Punk. He feels that he deserves the right to say he is the best in the world because of his impressive amount of accomplishments. He says it is his legend, his legacy and he has come back to reclaim what is rightfully his. He gave a solid argument, and I was beginning to believe that Punk would not even be able to counter it no matter how large a pipe bomb he brought with him. That is what made the next part of this segment truly brilliant. Punk arrives (with an awesome new T-Shirt) and does the same thing to Jericho that he has done to all of us, he doesn't say a word. He just raises his WWE Championship as if to say, "THIS IS WHY I'M THE BEST IN THE WORLD". That ladies and marks, is how you give prestige to a championship. Through consistent in-ring work and more importantly, you have to make it seem like it means EVERYTHING to you. Just brilliant work here by both men....bravo.
Best In The World.....
- I fucking HATE Wade Barrett's new theme....I also hated that I have to again watch The Great Khali....but that is where the hate stops. Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett would make an awesome tandem if this were to continue. Still, focusing on tonight they came up short against Khali and Randy Orton. I loved that they emphasized the 'every man for himself' vibe for the upcoming chamber PPV. I also loved Randy hitting the RKO on my least favorite wrestler post match
Hopefully he meets this maneuver again at Elimination Chamber.
Match Rating: 2.5/5
- Another diva tag team match that was nothing more then a Beth Phoenix showcase. Fine by me, her potential feud with Kharma is the only hope for the division right now. I mean come on, you could hear a spider spinning it's web over the reaction of the crowd when Tamina picked up the win.
- Our MAIN EVENT was a six pack challenge featuring all of the participants in Raw's elimination chamber match. The winner would gain a huge advantage, being able to enter the chamber last.
Great work here by everyone but The Miz. I mean, this guy HAS to be punished somehow for his EPIC FAIL in catching R Truth. Kudos to Kofi Kingston for still having the balls to dive out onto him after that (thank God Jericho was there to help as well). R Truth was promptly taken out of the match but hopefully, he'll still make it to the PPV. Cool neckbreaker/DDT combo by Punk on Dolph and Miz, seemingly an attempt to impress Jericho (see? I can do cool stuff to!). And did anyone else see The Miz clothesline himself?
Maybe he was taking a bump from the ghost of John Morrison. All jokes aside, the match was still pretty good. Most of the awesomeness coming from CM Punk who had the victory in his hands when he countered Dolph Zigglers Fame Asser attempt into the GTS, but then Jericho slyly pulls Punk out of the ring and steals the win!!! Jericho will now be the last man to enter the match. I'm gonna bet the smart money on Jericho winning the WWE Championship for the first time in over a decade at the PPV. Very cool moment with Jericho mocking Punk sitting Indian style with the WWE Championship post match.
Match Rating: 3.25/5
- The show ends with a very creepy Kane confronting Eve backstage and telling her that if Cena doesn't embrace the hate soon, things will get worse for everybody. Whatever, all eyes are now on Punk and Jericho....sorry guys.
Final thoughts: A decent show but nothing really special. After last week's awesome episode it's pretty depressing to see where this one went. Too many mistakes all around, but to the WWE's credit, this show looked great on paper. Interesting to note that we did not have any real appearance by John Cena other then that backstage segment with Carl Edwards.
Overall episode rating: 7.0 (average)
What to watch if you DVR'd the episode: The opening segment with Triple H, the Jericho promo, and the main event for the only real solid action of the night.
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