Finally, the WWE took the opportunity to elevate a new talent on WWE RAW. No, it wasn’t a young talent like MVP or Jack Swagger who was elevated. The answer to the WWE’s talent problems is 38-year old, 13-year veteran Mark Henry.
Last night’s WWE RAW continued its streak of illogically booked television. RAW is starting to make TNA Impact look like the Godfather. The lack of continuity or sense in the storylines is bordering on outright ridiculous.
Vince McMahon opened the show and continued his bi-polar role of playing heel and babyface. Vince then announced that Donald Trump traded 15 wrestlers between RAW, SmackDown, and ECW. VKM continued to explain that Donald Trump instituted a weekly Guest Host role who would act as G.M. This week’s Guest Host was Batista.
Wow, where do I begin with this fantasy? I understand it is pro wrestling, but I am begging for some logic. Why in the world does Vince have to follow the Guest Host or maintain the trade? Vince stated he didn’t like any of this but he had to follow it. Why? He bought back RAW? It makes absolutely zero sense! I just don’t get it.
Since Batista was now Guest Host, he had all of the power. Batista ordered a 4-man tournament between Triple H, MVP, John Cena, and Miz with the winner facing Randy Orton at WWE Night of Champions. Batista then ordered a Gauntlet Match between Randy Orton and three of WWE RAW’s newly acquired wrestlers.
Once again the WWE dropped a huge ball here. Triple H basically squashed MVP in a short match. The MVP experiment is a bomb. The fans didn’t even care when he walked out. Even Miz got two segments with Cena, while MVP could barely last five minutes. This on the night after Triple H wrestled three grueling matches against Orton.
Later in a match more competitive than last night’s, John Cena pinned Miz. I thought Miz looked pretty strong here. He definitely looked more competitive than last night at the WWE Bash. The match was long and it seemed that Miz dominated most of the bout. He sure as hell looked a lot stronger than MVP did.
So we go into next week’s WWE RAW with Triple H vs. John Cena with the winner facing Randy Orton. Wow, if you woke up from a two year coma you wouldn’t have missed a thing. It is bordering on insanity at this point. It is obvious as you watch WWE RAW that the only wrestlers that get superstar reactions are Cena, H, and Orton.
But wait, finally someone was elevated last night to the top tier. Orton pinned his first opponent in the Gauntlet Match, Evan Bourne. Bourne looked good, but that isn’t the way to debut anyone. The next opponent was Jack Swagger. Swagger is on pace for big things in the WWE. He could have made an immediate impact with a win. Instead, Swagger pulled a heel move and voluntarily lost the match via count out.
Finally, Mark Henry waddled down the aisle to be Orton’s final opponent. I was surprised at how over Henry was. Henry teased pulling the same thing Swagger did but changed his mind. Henry proceeded to dominate Orton. Henry pinned Orton with a power slam for a clean finish. Yes, Mark Henry is your answer.
Hey, I have nothing against Mark Henry but you have to be kidding me. There are times when I even forget he is on the roster. Henry has been in the WWE for well over a decade. Henry has blown every opportunity he has had in a top position. Henry is also clumsy at times and has been known to injure opponents. I think there is some short-term payoff here, but nothing that will matter a year from now.
The WWE could have done something huge with this scenario. Anyone getting the first clean pin over Orton on RAW would be an immediate superstar. This is something that won’t mean nearly as much when it is repeated. Thus, it was crucial to get it right the first time. I could name ten wrestlers I’d love to see in this spot and Henry wouldn’t even be in my top 20.
The WWE will already have taped next week’s RAW by the time you read this. I will save the spoilers for another time. Next week will feature Cena vs. Triple H in the main-event. This will be their third meeting and I’m rather surprised that they are giving it away for free. Regardless of how you feel about these guys, it is probably the only blockbuster main-event that the company has on the roster.
Additionally, the WWE has already announced next week’s Guest Host. The host will be the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. This will surely get some attention from old-school fans like me who remember the days of the Million Dollar Man. Hopefully he pulls a kid out of the crowd and makes him cry or has a woman bark like a dog like the old days. Either way, seeing the Million Dollar Man back on WWE television will be a welcome sight.
The details of the full trade are…
Moving to the Raw roster:
Gail Kim
Alicia Fox
Jack Swagger
Evan Bourne
Mark Henry
Moving to the SmackDown roster:
Matt Hardy
Finlay
The Hart Dynasty – David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd & Natalya
Moving to the ECW roster:
Shelton Benjamin
Goldust
William Regal
Brie & Nikki Bella
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Probably the biggest shocker from the Bash is Chris Jericho and Edge walking out of the Bash as the Unified (or Undisputed) Tag Team Champions. Why were they in the match? Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long was in need for a shock for his job, so what bigger shock of putting two former World Champions together to win and hold the Tag Team titles?
Former WWE tag team champion and the son of a current WWE star was arrested last week. Brian Lawler otherwise known as Brian Christopher was arrested for public intoxication one night after a bar fight with an MMA fighter. Christopher was sentenced today and barely escaped jail time. Puppies!
Check out some of today’s top WWE, TNA, and independent pro wrestling news, rumors, and headlines across the Internet. Some of today’s pro wrestling headlines are…
A heat-wave hit the city of Philadelphia on Saturday night, June 27th at an infamous building on the corner of Swanson & Ritner Streets.. A building which holds a special place in the hearts of extreme legends & hardcore fans. For the first time since 2005, the inmates ran the asylum once again.
