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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, August 26, 2007 at 8:16 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – The WWE TV Summary – SS Preview Greetings! It’s finally here. Summerslam. This is what the past few months have been building to. The return of H. The return of Rey. The revelation of Vince’s Love Child. This is what the goal has been since the tragedy. To just get here. And now, it’s finally come. Summerslam. The culmination of months of waiting, planning, and hope. So, since I’ve missed a few weeks, I thought I would go back and take a look at what has been going down on Raw. The Raw Summary Vince McMahon’s Love Child Vince came back from the dead for this. That’s how important this angle is. Vince’s killer was Vince. That’s right, the only person who has a chance of killing Vince is Vince himself. Vince announced that he did it….for the Rock. No, he did it to get attention, to feel love from the fans. Instead he got inquiries from Congress, the IRS, and then it was announced, in a very good reenactment of the original, of Vince making the walk to the Limo, and then getting stopped at the last moment by Coach, and we learn he’s got a bastard running around. Fade to black. The return of Vince was very well done for that one show, and would be hard to top. WWE tried, and basically, it turned south. The guessing games began, in spite of some obvious choices like H, and the leaked rumor Ken Kennedy. And the guessing game dragged on and on. If anyone bothered to put a little bit of thought into it, it seemed ridiculous that Vince couldn't get any clues. I mean really, some one’s name had to be on the paternity suit. From there, bada BING! You can figure out who it is, just like that. Instead, the angle turned into a long Vince love fest, with Vince talking about how many chicks he banged over the years. That’s a five minute bit. It’s been dragged out for weeks. Some of the surprise candidates have been amusing. Some have not. By this time, the Vince should have an idea of who it is, and that person should be actively working against Vince. In other words, Vince should already be on the trail, not stabbing blindly in the dark. But I guess, since Summerslam is supposed to be the payoff for this angle, that afterwards, we’ll get more confrontation between Vince and his Spawn. And now for a Russo-tastic Swerve of Doom: Shane is the illegitimate child. HA! TAKE THAT SMARKS! What do you mean that doesn't make sense? It makes perfect sense! See, if the mother hasn't revealed herself, it could just as easily be Linda as some slut Vince banged. Cena and Orton Randy Orton has spent the earlier part of the month and the end of July beating up Dusty Rhodes, and his son Cody. Cena spent most of the time feuding with Bobby Lashley, until Lashley went down with an injury. Randy was then awarded a title shot against Cena. That’s pretty much it. Not much build up that I can remember off the top of my head between the two. There might have been a homo-erotic Cena rap in there, but if so, my memory is doing it’s best to repress it. Thank you brain, and after all the stuff I’ve put you through too. Randy has given some good promos, but other than that, it’s pretty much being accepted as a given that Randy is going to win, and then feud with H. Me, I’m not so sure. It’s just that Cena is getting the H treatment now. He should have lost the belt months ago, and yet, he still has it. So, what’s one more victory, eh? H is coming back and again, it seems like a given that he will get the belt, and why not just beat Cena flat out like he wanted to do the first time? Boost that September PPV, Cena can't wrestle, he’s not over, yadda yadda yadda. Bottom line, this feud feels like a transition feud. Cena has won too much, Orton is still the same guy you’ve seen before, and it’s basically Randy Orton. He can do good work, and can wrestle with the best, but it’s a matter of previous perceptions. The feud is rushed, and while it’s picked up steam, the payday is coming before the audience is truly ready. Cena spending time in the Vince quagmire didn't help. Booker T and The King and H Booker has been the best thing on Raw. The guy is a phenomenal entertainer. Come on, “Jerome”? That was classic. Yet, the feud was one-sided against Jerry The King Lawler. Lawler kept getting the better of Booker for weeks, even going so far to come out ahead in an actual match. It’s only in the past two weeks that Booker has gained his revenge. And he’s going to face H, for the rights to the King moniker. The sad thing is, it seems like no one is giving a second thought to Booker T losing. Again, it seems like it’s a given and it’s hard to argue reason not to do it. It’s H’s big match back. Period. There’s no way in hell H is going to job his first match back. Or even anytime soon. So, again, for all the entertainment value that Booker has provided, his match tonight is pretty much a given. The following feud may not even happen, depending on how badly Booker is going to get beaten tonight. H might scoot right into his feud for the title. A one-week final squashing and then that’s it. What’s next for Booker after that? No idea. Possibly a rematch against Lawler. William Regal, General Manager The first skit, the Dating Game one, was gold. Ron Simmons was hilarious. The second, meh. The date between Maria and Ron? Meh Again. What is it with these WWE writers trying to become TV stars? Damn you CHRIS DEJOSEPHS! Damn they all got Russo disease now. Anyhoo, Regal as GM is a good move. The guy was made for that role. It’s just that the skits are getting lame. Ron Simmons Hopefully the WWE writing staff will realize that he is going to have to talk normally and then go back to his “Damn!” schtick. Come on, having Ron talking portfolio investment strategies on a cell phone with JBL and then looking over and seeing everyone staring at him, saying goodbye, closing his phone, clearing his throat and going ‘DAMN!”. That’s comedy. Rhyming words with damn? A one shot bit that over two weeks ago. Santonio Morella He’s doing a great job in his new role as a heel. Playing it to the hilt. The injury is hampering him, and it will be a big test to see what he can do once he does start wrestling again. But for right now, he’s doing fine. He’s not the weak link in the angle. Carlito, Umaga, and Kennedy These three have been doing rather well. The tease for Kennedy to be Vince’s son is being underplayed, and focusing more on tweaking the net crowd’s nose. Carlito has been given not much to work with, just kind of thrown out there with something new every week. He’s done well with what he’s been given. Umaga is a solid monster and the crowd knows it. It’s just that he hasn't had some solid competition. Which seems to be corrected now. The Chicks Candice has improved a great deal from her earlier bouts. She now has developed a good style for her. She seems able to work with some one other than Melina, but she still does her best work with Melina. Beth Phoenix is an interesting character. A female with a power style. Yet, I think it fits in well. And she’s not a Chyna look alike, which is always a plus. Mickie still has that raw sex appeal, but her ring work is the same. Still, the division is getting TV time, and that’s not a bad thing. The matches have gotten better and now with Beth, a variety of styles can be worked. If they still get time. Apparently I missed some Divas Search stuff. I’ll try to catch up on it later. Raw Final Thoughts There are some additional angles going on, like with Cryme Tyme, but those angles have yet to really develop. They seem like filler, and yep, that’s pretty much what they are. The tag championships seems to be forgotten about. Good thing they moved London and Kendrick over to Raw, eh? Raw has basically been a Vince Sex Fest and that’s never a good thing. It’s been followed by the hype for the return of H, and then the push for Randy. Comedy has taken over, and while I am not opposed to comedy, it’s come at the price of wrestling, and that’s mainly what I want to see. I like comedy. But the WWE style of comedy for me is hit or miss, and it’s been mostly miss. Smackdown Smackdown just hasn’t been the same since the draft. But I will say this, there seems to be a lot more wrestling on Smackdown than there is on Raw. Still, the comedy flavor is high on Smackdown, same as on Raw. Khali, Batista, and Kane Khali is your champion on Smackdown. Kane was in there for a while, but has since been bumped out. So, you had the two of the biggest guys on the roster working with Khali and coming out short. It does make Khali a monster. Still, for how long can Khali hold onto the belt, and just exactly who should beat him, is the question. Give the belt back to Batista? It’s a possibility, but then, who would Batista feud against? Kane? Again, a possibility. But more than likely it would be Khali chasing Batista. Which is just more of the same thing. Undertaker and Mark Henry I was surprised when WWE started hyping an Undertaker return. I thought he still had months to go before he returned. But apparently he’s coming back as well. In September. Meanwhile, Mark has to sell for special effects until then. Henry has been doing a good job. His matches may not be that impressive, but then again, it’s a squash match. Still, his promos work. He should have been working an honest to goodness angle, but I guess WWE wanted to keep him fresh for an Undertaker return squashing. Nothing wrong with that, but I just think it would have worked better coming out of an angle. Undertaker Speaking of Taker, he’s coming back. Soon? No. But at least this hype is better than the same video played 1,000 times. Rey Mysterio He’s coming back too. At Summerslam, against Chavo. Which is nice. Rey’s hype seems to be underplayed, but I think it’s more effective that way. That way, the saturation level is nowhere close, but the interest is still high. And the Chavo feud is a good one to come back too. Chuck Palumbo I hated Biker Taker. I could give a hoot about Biker Chucky. It’s the same exact shtick. I mean really, can't WWE come up with a little variety? Jimmy Wang He’s got Torrie by his side the last time I watched. That’s a good thing. He also looks to be in line for a run at the cruiser weight championship, that is, if the Noble/ Little Bastard angle runs out of steam. Jamie Noble and Little Bastard It’s amusing. It’s like a throw back to the legendary hardcore championship run of Crash Holly (RIP). Hornswaggle keeps escaping, and Jamie is the perfect guy to play the foil. Jamie has loads of talent, both in ring and acting. I just hope it doesn't end up badly for Jamie and he finally gets a chance to just beat the hell out of that midget. MVP and Matt Hardy It’s been a solid feud. When Smackdown was in Phoenix a few weeks ago, I was surprised at how loud the reaction to Matt was. In fact, WWE turned up the entrance music to help drown in out, it seemed like. Matt Hardy is over. MVP is a solid heel. The two work well together. But with MVP injured, the match can't really happen. However, I will give props to the Smackdown writing staff for coming up with creative ways to keep the feud alive. The Hillbillies I am tired of these vignettes. I find them neither amusing or entertaining. I find them blah. Basically, the one guy is a hillbilly Eugene, only with less energy, and more brain damaged. The other guy, the one who does the talking, well, nothing really sets him apart, now does it? It’s time for these guys to get in the ring. More TV time isn't going to help them. In fact, Smackdown Tag Titles Do they still exist? For a while there, the tag team champions were just glorified jobbers, and now, they just kind of show up from time to time. I know Smackdown only has one bona fide tag team at the moment, but still, is there nothing else they can do with these guys? Like I said earlier, good thing Kendrick and London got moved over to Raw, or that Shelton and Charlie got reunited on Raw. Teddy’s Wedding Dear God, please no. I’ve seen too many wedding in WWE to be in the least bit interested in this, or think it can be done well. And it’s planned for Sweeps. Good luck with that. Smackdown Final Thoughts It’s a pretty simple show. The angles are not too elaborate, and again, the focus seems to be on the wrestling, instead of skits. Which I think is a good thing. It’s only that the dynamic of the old days doesn't seem to be there. It may be due to a lack of star power, and Smackdown basically has to start from scratch. But there is some good talent there, it’s just a matter of trying to find the right niche for them. Rey coming back will help things, as the main event scene gets a big boost. Rey vs Batista could be a solid battle. Other than that, I’ll just say that Smackdown seems to be trying things out and seeing what works. It’s not the first time Smackdown got hosed in the draft, but this time definitely seems to have hurt them worse than the others. The ratings are still about the same, so people are still watching. It’s just that it doesn't seem to matter if you miss a week or two between shows, as not much changes or develops from week to week. I’m sure that will change after Summerslam. ECW You know, I still don't watch much ECW. The reason now is different from previous times. I’ve tried to watch, but let’s face it. Big Daddy V is a good character, but God Damn! Is it unpleasant to watch him wrestle. Get that guy a shirt. Stat. Put the tattoos on the outside of the shirt, if they’re that important, but please, cover up. The guy can wrestle, and he’s good in his role, but man, I should be watching him crush a guy, not his side flab and man boobs jiggle. That’s just wrong. John Morrison He’s trying to channel Jericho. Right down to his speech patterns and mannerisms. It’s not really working, but he’s trying. Miz and Chicks I have no problem with the chicks getting some screen time. Miz is a good heel. It seems to be working out. However, the stuff with Kelly and Balls is old and hackneyed. Kelly just doesn't seem to have the level of talent when it comes to Layla and Brooke. She can't dance, her looks are nothing special, and she can’t really speak or wrestle. No need to keep her around. A firing would be good for the heel Miz. Armando Allejandro Estrada I’m glad to see the guy back on TV. However, he needs his middle name back. That would put him over the top. Boogeyman Well, there’s worse ways to use him. And there’s worse things than his worm eating, and spitting and I never thought I’d say that. You can thank Big Daddy V for that. ECW Final Thoughts Other than that, ECW seems like a two angle show, max. Some other angles get some play, but it’s quick and if you blink, you’ll miss it. They do only have one hour after all. Still, for what they have, they seem to be doing a good job. Punk is still the main star, Morrison is fresh take on Nitro. Trying to work guys onto TV as something other than filler matches is tough, but ECW is at least trying. Final Thoughts WWE TV To me, it seems like WWE has been in a holding pattern for the past couple of weeks. Some tentative angles have been breached, but not fully gone into. It makes sense, in a way, as everything will change once H makes his way back onto TV. Good, Bad, who can say? Rey coming back will also help Smackdown, but his return angle is locked in, and fairly open ended. Chavo vs Rey could go for a while, and then, they have to wait for Undertaker to come back. But it’s Raw that will feel the effects first and foremost. I have my reservations about H coming back. But I’ll hold off on that until I see what actually happens. It could be good, it could be bad. I gave HBK a lot of guff, and he turned around and impressed me. Same with Undertaker. Once Undertaker came back and actually started working, and not just squashing, some good things came out of his angles. The same thing could happen with H. Maybe H does want to come back and actually work with some one. It’s hard to say. I still remember the squashing the Spirit Squad got. Just complete burial. But I’m willing to give H the benefit of the doubt. For now. Raw, tomorrow night on Sci-FI no less, will be a very key show. And that’s all I got for today. Not much I know, but hey, it’s a refresher. And I have plenty more planned for you this week. Just you wait and see. So, until then, Thanks for Readin’ and thanks for Ridin’ Wevv Mang Please label all feedback as FEEDBACK. mrwevv@mac.com *NEW GALLERY* AMAZING Up Close BACK Shots of WWE's Maryse! WOW!
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