I did not post a blog last week because I did not feel that RAW was really worth posting a blog about. It was okay, but nothing much to discuss. This week, there is a bit more to discuss and I also wanted to provide my thoughts on SmackDown and the current line-up for No Mercy.
Last night’s RAW was pretty good in my mind, even though CM Punk had a limited presence on the show. He lost the Cage Match in the opening bout, but nothing more was heard from him. I would not be surprised in the least to see Punk & Kofi Kingston create a tag team. The Cage Match was decent and unique, since it was the opening match. It’s weird though, I pretty much forgot all about the match by the time RAW was over.
RAW also saw the debut of Dolph Ziggler, which is, by far, the most bizzare ring name of any of the new superstars WWE is bringing up from Florida. Actually, Dolph is former Spirit Squad Member and former World Tag Team Champion Nick Nemeth (Nicky). I will have to see him in a match before I can truly judge this new character. After he introduced himself to Mike Adamle, Chris Jericho, & Lance Cade, I thought he may be the #1 Contender for the World Title. It was a long shot, but if The Brian Kendrick can be in a title match, then so could Ziggler (admittedly, Kendrick has much more talent than Ziggler, but they are pretty much on the same level, card-wise).
Santino Marella certainly has some competition for his comedy role on RAW with Charlie Haas doing all these stellar impersonations. This week, he imitated Jim Ross by transforming into “Good Ol’ J.H.” Jim Haas. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t the real J.R., but it was a good bit, albeit similar to CHL from last week. It’s great to look forward to his next impression.
I am still enjoying this feud between Rey & Kane, despite the fact that their match(es) look awkward because of the size difference. Now that they are leaning towards teaming up Rey Mysterio with ECW’s Evan Bourne, I am even more amped up for this feud. Dave Meltzer mentioned it in the latest Observer and I was thinking the same- WWE needs to put the tag belts on Rey & Bourne, they are a much better team than Rhodes & DiBiase are. Some people may argue that it would be unlikely since Bourne is on ECW and Rey is on RAW, but with the two of them taping together (I think that starts in November), it wouldn’t matter. It wouldn’t be any stranger than Miz & Morrison being ECW Superstars and winning SmackDown’s WWE Tag Team Titles.
I don’t comment much on SmackDown, but I will say I think it has been good for a while now. I am very much looking forward to the Triple H/Jeff Hardy match at No Mercy for the WWE Title. I predict Triple H retaining, even though Jeff winning it would be a nice surprise. It was at No Mercy last year that Randy Orton was awarded the WWE Title by Mr. McMahon, only to have Triple H pin him a few minutes later to win it. Triple H would defend against Umaga and then ultimately lose the title back to Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing Match in the main event. My point is is that it’s highly possible for WWE to continue the trend of unpredictable title changes at No Mercy.
While Triple H Vs. Jeff Hardy should be good, the MVP of the night will no doubt be the RAW Main Event that will see Chris Jericho defend the World Heavyweight Title against Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match. Every Ladder Match I have ever seen Jericho in has been a classic encounter. The first one that comes to mind was his Ladder Match against Chris Benoit for the Intercontinental Title at the 2001 Royal Rumble. He was also in the first and fourth Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21 & XXIV. He’s also been in a TLC Match and all sorts of other Ladder Matches. I expect Jericho to retain, but I would like to see HBK get the title for one last run. One that could possibly last until WrestleMania where someone like Randy Orton or even Chris Jericho could take it off of him or maybe even longer than WrestleMania.
RAW also announced a #1 Contender’s Match at No Mercy between Batista & JBL. Obviously, Batista will win. I don’t even know why this is on the card. This is a main event for RAW and should be held until the night after No Mercy, but I guess it fills space.
I will probably post a blog after next week’s RAW. Peace.
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