Tha Raw Report - Next Stop: Judgement Day

At least John Cena acknowledged that there are fans who feel that he sucks last night on "Raw". If only Vince McMahon would acknowledge this fact as well. Sadly, instead of heelifying Cena and giving him another program (beltless, of course), we fans are forced to watch John Cena in a feud with an even worse wrestler than himself.

And here's why...As Big Daddy Donnie mentioned on a recent episode of Tha O Show Radio, pitting Cena against The Great Khali is a 'great' way to get the fans back behind Cena. FIRMLY behind him.

For marks, The Great Khali is a bad man. He's stole John's belt and that's just wrong. He's mean and he'll pay for that. For smarks, Khali sucks ass as a worker. So it's win-win for the E.

And the proof was in the pudding last night as the fans cheered Cena as he spoke passionately about his quest to reclaim the title belt that he hasn't even lost. I must say, Cena's coughing during his backstage beatdown at the hands of Khali represented some of his best selling jobs to date. For all we know, perhaps this feud with Khali is actually punishment for his previous non-selling ways.

I can just picture someone in the E's office yelling, "You hold the title and THAT'S how you put over your opponent's offense? Well alright, if you won't sell, we'll hurt you for real. Singh, sic 'em!". Yeah, I know...only in my dreams, folks. With the abuse Cena has been taking lately, it could only mean one thing. He will defeat the odds and go over at Judgement Day on Sunday. Big surprise.

Anyway, why was Davairi not a good enough mouthpiece for The Great Khali? Easily one of the company's best on the mic, Davairi has been relegated to every-so-often on "SmackDown!" duty. Now we have some new cat translating for Khali, who doesn't even seem to be speaking a real language. Perhaps, Khali doesn't need someone to speak for him, after all. Wouldn't it be better for the ultra-heel to not be understood?

I haven't really made mention of the Hardys/Cade and Murdoch angle in my Raw Reports as lately as I haven't been too sure what to make of it. With the cowboys playing the part of the "fake faces", there are only two reasonable places this story can go. One - they show their true colours and expectedly 'turn' on the Hardys. Or two - they somehow get 'backstabbed' by the Hardys turning the brothers heel. I feel the latter is the more intriguing conclusion to this currently ho-hum storyline.

I love how WWE is trying to put over Edge's capturing of the World Heavyweight Championship as a "shocker". After winning the Money In The Bank briefcase last week on "Raw", was there any doubt that he would cash it in and save the "SmackDown!" title picture?

Edge was the best logical choice for new champ. A great worker on all accounts, it's no secret to Tha O-ster Nation that Tha O Show is Edge-mark central. Jim Ross said it best himself when commenting on the footage from "SmackDown!" as Edge prepared to spear The Undertaker before claiming the gold: "Look at Edge, his eyes tell a great story here".

In that one sentence, J.R. summed up Edge's prowess at being a great professional wrestler. He is able to tell a story. With his facial expressions, selling of injuries, promos, in-ring work...you name it...Edge is top-notch.

I remember seeing a Batista montage recently with Big Daddy Donnie that included footage of Batista with a surprised look on his face. We both reacted at exactly the same time saying something along the lines of "wow, Batista is showing emotion!". The ability to tell a story...not just through wrestling or talking...is a talent that cannot be underestimated.

So why the hell was Edge defeated cleanly by Shawn Michaels last night? Nothing against HBK but the fact that Edge has JUST won the World Title coupled with the idea that Shawn is suffering from a concussion due to his run-in with Khali last week on "Raw" made Edge's loss look like a burial. Why couldn't Randy Orton have jumped HBK before the pinfall on Edge?

The booking in the E always seems to have more holes in it than apple pies at Frank Fronte's house....Zing!

Either way, by all accounts Shawn Michaels should be in line for a shot at Edge's title. But alas, he is involved in a last second battle with Randy Orton at Judgement Day this Sunday.

The McMahons are hilarious. Vince's pink blazer/doo-rag combo and Shane's "I'm not touching you" taunts to Bobby Lashley is classic McMahon heelism. Sad thing is, with their ability to continue to get one over on Lashley, it smells to me like Blackberg may get his ECW title back this Sunday. What a NO that would be.

In other news, I'm still not sold on Santino Marella. So as to not beat a dead horse, I'll stop there because I really have nothing new to say on the subject. Is anyone out there still finding this underdog Intercontinental Champion storyline interesting?

It just doesn't seem fair that Judgement Day is so chocked-full of "Raw" matches when "SmackDown!" is providing the best wrestling on TV these days. I personally would love to see the WWE tag team titles defended this Sunday. Paul London and Brian Kendrick deserve pay-per-view exposure.

Finally...GREAT news for Toronto area wrestling fans! In case you didn't already know...if you've purchased tickets to see "Raw" at the Air Canada Centre on May 28th, you will ALSO be seeing the taping of "Saturday Night's Main Event", which will air June 2nd.

As a kid of the 80's who was too young to stay up and watch this show in its heyday, I'm psyched about being in the audience for it. Two shows for the price of one folks...another reason Toronto is the capital of the wrestling world. We don't spell our city's name with three O's for nothing!

Share |