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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8620
Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty If the devil is in the details then I'd like to meet the sanctimonious show-runner responsible for keeping up continuity. After last week's landmark effort I was convinced the WWE had turned a creative corner, but unfortunately I was again too […]
Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
If the devil is in the details then I'd like to meet the sanctimonious show-runner responsible for keeping up continuity. After last week's landmark effort I was convinced the WWE had turned a creative corner, but unfortunately I was again too quick to jump the gun. Let me first preface this week's edition of "The Highlight of the Night" by saying I had to scour tonight's card in order to find Five Moments that weren't utter disappointments. The in-ring action was scarce to say the least, however the matches we did see were ripe with staged high-spots and sensational desperation. Why would the WWE book an entire three-hour broadcast around The Authority? I fear the Creative Powers might be attempting to swerve the WWE Universe on an incredibly lofty scale—of which the size might prove too much to balance, thus alienating a large segment of long-time fans. Whatever the case may be it's my job to report on the events as they happen, and if this episode of Monday Night Raw did anything—it happened. Let's get right to it and break down The Top Five Moments that I didn't completely hate.
5. A Triple Threat Saves the Day
Ironically enough my Fifth Moment of the Night might have actually been the most important thing that happened during the entire broadcast. The second Raw hit the airways, we the viewer were privy to an enormous sea of WWE Superstars flooding the twenty-by-twenty squared circle. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder inside the ring and of course the first thing I thought was, "Oh I hope Vince McMahon is coming out to give a �Ruthless Aggression' speech." But it was the King of Kings and The Billion Dollar Princess set to regale the guys and gals with the new law of the land. I'm not so keen on segments depicting heroes and villains intermingling like average employees working in some office building. The human-resource skits in which Triple H scolds Superstars in front of one another are entirely too reminiscent of "Office Space" and makes me see the members of the main roster as human beings which can prove to be problematic to the product. People use to see Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant as Super Heroes and that's where hyperbolic terms like "Superstar" came from. Nobody ever fired Andre the Giant and made him cry; nobody ever beat up Hulk Hogan's dad; nobody ever wrangled an entire locker room of WWF athletes and lifted the curtain for the world to watch. Call me old fashioned, I just think there are ways to evolve without sacrificing key fundamentals. However though it may be dim, there is some sun peeking out from behind that cloud, in the form of Triple H announcing the WWE World Heavyweight Title match at The Royal Rumble will now be a Triple Threat—with Seth Rollins. Huge news no matter how you feel because this will be the first major opportunity for Rollins to take home the gold. And if you recall, Seth is currently in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase meaning he could conceivably lose the match and then try for a second pin after incapacitating the winner. It's also important because it breaks up the monotony of Cena versus Lesnar which I, for one, am sick of seeing. I think Lesnar will more than likely retain when the night is at an end, but anything is possible considering The Beast Incarnate is said to already be in talks with both UFC and Bellator.
4. Party Time All the Time
During what amounted to an all-around impressive outing between Big E and Adam Rose, I couldn't help but think, "Wouldn't it be funny if I put this match on my list." I've been convinced for weeks now that Adam Rose is but a guise constructed for Leo Kruger to gain the trust of the WWE Universe. His attitude and mannerisms have been completely-Kruger and I was sincerely impressed with what he offered during this matchup with the New Day's resident Powerhouse. I wasn't actually planning to list them as a Top Moment of the Night though, are you crazy? But then something spectacular happened when two faceless Rosebuds entered the ring and proceeded to demolish Big E and The New Day on behalf of Adam Rose. Despite ongoing reports of NXT talent debuting as The Bunny, these Rosebuds were none other than Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. I don't know what this means for the two highly-skilled singles stars, and question whether it's the beginning of an alliance with Rose or rather retaliation against The New Day. If the team of Kidd and Cesaro can absorb this momentum and continue forward at a top rate of speed I have no doubts that we could be looking at the next WWE Tag Team Champions. Finally, I think it could be time for Adam Rose to ditch the rest of the Party Posse and send them back to the Exotic Express. Unless he insists upon fixing his gimmick soon, I fear it may be too late and he will forever be relegated to Santino Marella Territory.
3. The Ambulance That Looked Like Papa Shango
Okay let's put the brakes on and address the inconspicuous voodoo shaman in the room—am I the only one who thought the ambulance looked like Papa Shango? I know I'm not because there were a ton of tweets regarding the same exact Magic Eye that I seemed to be drawn to—and it wasn't a sailboat! Anyway, let's discuss this match. There was a lot of WWE-hate going into this contest as all across Twitter, smarks rang out with their collective complaint: "They're billing this as the first ambulance match but there have been ambulance matches before." Oh Internet Wrestling Community how quick you are to disregard what's right in front of you! This match was in fact billed as the, "First-ever Ambulance Match on Monday Night Raw." Now as far as that being true I have no idea, it's just been bugging me since the match was first announced. Uh—not much to say except what a waste of time and an utter detriment to both Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose, not just as men but as enthralling TV characters. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as we here in The �States see Raw on the USA Network, known for their �Characters' and the absurd situations in which they find themselves. I was just hoping the bogusness of Barely Legal wouldn't bleed through into something I treat like a religion. I thought they went to the ambulance a little too fast, although in a �shoot' Ambulance Match I assume the number one priority would be getting to the Ambulance so no logistical qualm with that. I refuse to believe there are any white folding tables with big red crosses painted on the top being used in the world of legitimate medicine. What the hell purpose would they serve, other than to maybe hand out vaccines but the TRUCK-LOAD? But that can't be what they're for because this was taped in The United States of Vaccinations, not Azerbaijan! So once again, I want to know what's up with these painstakingly comical pieces of furniture. Perhaps they're commonplace among the colleagues of Dr. Amman, but I think it's more likely they were spray painted white as an afterthought, and then Vince saw them and said, "Put a big red cross on �em, that'll look official." Though the match itself was overly-scripted and saturated with weaponry, the feud between Ambrose and Wyatt appears to be reaching a boiling point and I'm happy Bray walked away victorious. I assume the two will meet once more at The Royal Rumble, although to what end I cannot predict. Maybe there's a bigger match on the horizon or even some sort of spot in the �Rumble itself. I just hope Dean gets a singles win on pay-per-view in 2015.
2. Bad News for Dolph Ziggler Fans
Don't be a jerk and ask me to pick a match of the night because it would have to be a default drawing and the winner would likely be Bad News Barrett versus Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. What is up with the IC belt nowadays, I mean does anybody give a damn about it anymore? It's been passed around more freely than an unmarked orange bottle of pills at E.D.C. and once again a new champion has been crowned "King of the Inter-continents." The WWE has become unquestionably predictable and as soon as this one-fall matchup was kicked back into gear as a two-out-of-three falls contest, I knew we'd see Bad News Barrett walk away champion. The best fall was the third as the first was rushed in an apparent effort to have Kane come down to announce the added stipulation. And the second was a squash serving only to tie the score at one victory-a-piece. WWE Superstars are such peculiar character specimens, just as I mentioned before with Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose. Take Bad News Barrett for example: he was a heel who went away due to injury and garnered an impressive following, he returned on Raw last week to seemingly defend the WWE Universe against Cesaro, and now he's being pushed like any brute-force bad guy doing the bidding for The Authority. It goes back to what I said initially about consistency and this company's inability to monitor its own program. I'm extremely happy for Bad News as I consider him a far more deserving champion and a more lucrative team player than Ziggler. I thought the match was well contested despite the twists that made the action nearly impossible to follow. I've said it before and I'll say it now with a little bit more conviction: the WWE needs to get rid of Glen "Kane" Jacobs as soon as they can get him on a plane to Stanford. He's outlived his usefulness and it's only a matter of time before he starts costing more money than he's bringing in. Plus there was so much Kane on this show, especially during matches such as this that should only rely on the chemistry between those involved. An earnest effort on behalf of Dolph Ziggler and the New Intercontinental Champion, but hardly worth a re-watch.
1. Let's Get to Those Consequences
The WWE never ceases to amaze me in their segmented approach to storytelling. I can't remember the last time I listed anything other than the final moments of Raw as Number One here on "The Highlight of the Night." It's consistently the most compelling piece of business on the card which isn't a good thing when there are barren pockets of airspace in every single episode of TV. However, as much as I'd like to see a contract signing or hostage negotiation placed somewhere else on the show, tonight's finale was fitting and couldn't have happened at any other time aside from the final fifteen minutes of Raw. Let's get the cringe-worthiness out of the way right now: "You're fired." Okay is everybody done shaking out the shudders? I think it's a safe bet we'll see all three Superstars by the time the Rumble gets here in less than a month. So either they're going to spin this program in a way that makes no sense, or they're going to keep three rising stars off the second-maybe-third biggest show of the year. It was far too goofy for what I'd like to see from the WWE in 2015, and made an otherwise humorous few moments feel awkward. As for "Cena Appreciation Night"—I love John Cena so in my house, every night is John Cena Appreciation Night! I've heard some rather harsh criticisms regarding Mr. Cena's acting in the waning moments of television, but I thought he was as good as ever. If you're really setting aside time to take shots at a wrestler's acting ability on Monday Night Raw, then perhaps you'd better assess what you actually enjoy about pro wrestling because your priorities seem to be a bit skewed. I loved the final seconds of Raw, and laughed like a lunatic during the initial music cue that brought hundreds of balloons down upon the WWE Universe. Just as John Cena's friends are fired, Stephanie and Triple H present the Doctor of Thuganomics with the big thumbs up and a rousing rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever—What a brilliant moment in wresting comedy that didn't need to be edited or altered. It was perfect and helped to add an exclamation point to an otherwise boring string of sentences.
When I can't come up with anything to say as relates to the matter at hand I usually cop out and share a personal anecdote. The first time I was allowed to "stay up late" and watch Monday Night Raw was the episode in which Shawn Michaels collapsed after receiving an educated kick care of "The King of Harts" Owen Hart. What a captivating way to engage an audience, especially younger viewers such as myself who were far more convinced of Kayfabe. I'm not asking the WWE to send "Stone Cold" into someone's house with a gun or to blow up another limousine, I'm simply yearning for the same unpredictability that had me hooked as a third grader in 1995. I think I sold everyone on my disdain for tonight's Raw already, so I don't see a need for any sort of snappy send-off. This episode was atrocious and I'm only hoping it was some sort of seat-filling train wreck that needn't be referenced going forward. The Royal Rumble is less than three weeks away and nothing has been announced other than a Triple Threat Title match and a few entries in the �Rumble itself. Can the WWE pick up the pace in promoting one of the Big Four Events, or will they fall flat just as they did with the Survivor Series? Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark Adam Haggerty, join me next week to discuss what I'm hoping against hope shan't be another abysmal failure on behalf of the "Leader in Sports Entertainment."
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Mark Adam Haggerty
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8371
Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I feel like a middle aged couple searching for the spark in my marriage, because Ladies and Gentlemen, I am BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS! What better way to segue away from a week off into another years' worth of […]
Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
I feel like a middle aged couple searching for the spark in my marriage, because Ladies and Gentlemen, I am BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS! What better way to segue away from a week off into another years' worth of work than with a slightly bawdy joke? I hope everyone has enjoyed their Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever they might be celebrating and is geared up for an amazing 2015! I had the opportunity to visit with family in New Jersey for the first time in nearly three years; it's sad to say goodbye, but I'm more than exciting to get back to my regular writing routine. So how about we all start talking about this week's episode of Monday Night Raw? I might catch some flak for saying so, but I considered this to be one of the best episodes of Raw all year. And I'm delighted to help you decide what's worth watching with my Highlight of the Night: The Top Five Moments from WWE's flagship program.
5. "It's Me! It's Me! It's BNB!"
I've been waiting for Bad News Barrett to come back to TV for some time now as it's appeared he's been cleared to compete for a few months at least. But anticipation is the name of the game and when Wade finally made his return tonight, it was met with much surprise and immediate fanfare. But let's not ignore the rest of the build, as the entire segment was as well-constructed as anything else we saw on Raw. Let's rewind for a moment or two to where we are met with the man with one name who once went by Antonio. In recent weeks Cesaro has formed a powerful alliance with the equally impressive Tyson Kidd and Natalya, so when he was seated CM Punk-style in the corner of the ring, I figured he was just waiting for Goldust or somebody to fill time between some already exciting moments on the final episode of 2014. But then he started dropping what I'll shamelessly call a pipe-bomb and my attitude shifted immediately. He discussed how he should have had a break-out year due to where he started and his impressive victory at Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans, as well as how the WWE claims he doesn't connect with the WWE Universe. But rather than pointing the finger at anyone backstage, or even turning the focus on himself, Cesaro blamed the WWE Universe itself. The Swiss Superman used his own shoot grievance with Vince McMahon and the WWE Creative Team as ammunition to sling back at the fans who "never wanted him to succeed." Toward the end of his heated promo, he exclaimed that nobody can do what he does when he steps between, "those four ropes." He immediately caught the flub, and joked, "Four sides. It has four sides." Although it was a humorous incident that had the potential to draw some fans away from the importance of the overall occasion, I'm inclined to forgive Cesaro, as it was obviously a loss in translation that he expertly attempted to cover. I think everybody really enjoyed the verbiage Bad News led with, borrowing from Diamond Dallas Page by saying, "It's me, it's me, it's BNB!" The match itself was perfectly paced and didn't appear to aggravate Barrett's recovery, all while displaying both men on a level where they could both be proud.
4. Uso Crazy!
If you'd have told me that there was a title change on Raw and I had to guess I'd probably say, "Oh Dolph Ziggler lost the IC belt again? Shocking." But this turn of events involving some double team maneuvering and two faced tactics caught me off guard, as I was sure I was right all along about Naomi. Earlier in the show, the television audience was privy to Naomi AKA Trinity giving The Miz a great big hug as thanks for the part he played in getting her noticed in the music industry. Or something? To be honest, I tune out around this exact same time every single week. But the point is, Naomi and The Miz appeared to be on good terms with one another which made me think this Wrestlemania season could be sort of sour for The Usos. What better way to build a long term feud than to feature a man's wife alongside his enemy? And then the inevitable Miz and Mizdow blow off could take place in San Francisco. But when the bell sounded and the dust cleared, The Uso's had captured the ugliest belts in all of professional wrestling and Naomi was still standing by her man. I have to say I was just as pleased with this outcome for one very simple reason: I'm tired of the Miz and Mizdow shenanigans. I know everybody loves it, believe me! I know! But at what point does the mimicry get to be too much and borderline on Bunny Suits and "Partying all the Time?" Damian Sandow is de-evolving faster than Toad did in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," and I'm afraid that if he continues falling down whenever The Miz gets hurt, he'll have very few options as far as future roles of any merit. In other words, he is now and will forever be the New Santino Marella. So—I was happy the belts were taken by a far more deserving duo who tend to get a lot of heat from the internet, but as far as I'm concerned are the best tag team on the WWE's main roster. Hopefully now we might begin to see the makings of Mizdow's revolt from the Hollywood A-Lister which could lead to a very entertaining bout for Wrestlemania 31 at Levi's Stadium.
3. The Ryback Promo
I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of Ryan Reeves' insanely personal accounting of his past and previous experiences. This was of course coming off the heels of Ryback's appearance on Chris Jericho's podcast, where he spoke on many of the same issues. When I was back in Jersey I had a friend who was recommending the Ryback episode of "Talk is Jericho" to everyone because of how much it made him like "The Big Guy" as a person. Well, I guess the WWE Creative Team thought the same thing, because as soon as he began talking about ringing the bell in Las Vegas for the WWF, I knew they were running with something special. This promo happened so far down the card that it was originally my number one moment of the night. Regardless of where it's placed on my list, this 5-7 minute speech and video package is worth a watch, especially when you're given the chance to see not only a young Skip Sheffield, but Ryan Reeves' first venture into the WWE in 2004 as a contestant on "Tough Enough." I'm not sure if Ryback is going to beat "The Pride of the Russian Federation" on his first attempt, but I'd put money on Ryback being the man that finally defeats Rusev and brings the United States Title back to America. I honestly think that if he can stay healthy and not get hurt, 2015 will be a landmark year for Ryback in the WWE.
2. "I'm still going to kill him."
First off, Rollins calls Cena, "John" a lot. Way more than anyone else, ever. Okay—I think there's bound to be some debate over whether the final segment of Raw was any good or not. I had someone tell me that Raw was, "Perfect up until the end." But I disagree. I think Rollins has a tendency to go on a little too long when he's given the microphone. But you have to place some of the blame on John Cena for employing perhaps the wrong amount of poise at inappropriate times. I understand that Cena is probably a far better actor than most of the rest of the roster, but there's a time and a place for dramatic pauses and it's not in the waning seconds of a 3 hour and fifteen minute show. I actually thought Rollins was spot on with everything he did and I was particularly surprised with some of the words he was allowed to get away with. As previously mentioned, this entire episode was eye-opening and seemed to mark the dawning of a new creative direction for the WWE Main Roster. It seems that the overt silliness is starting to take a back-seat to personal plotlines and callbacks to previously establishment stories. Seth Rollins stood over a legitimately injured man and threated, not to end his career, but to end his life. Seth's final words before being thwarted by Cena were, "I'm still going to kill him." Wow! Maybe that's too much for some, but it's just the right amount for me. I've been tentatively excited about Seth Rollins all year; I've really enjoyed him and I've been giving him 80% of my attention when he deserves all I've got. I can't say that I'm all too happy about the return of The Authority, as I figure it's just a bit too soon to bring them back. Especially right after Christmas? Can it be any more obvious that Stephanie and Hunter really just wanted a vacation? I personally would have held off until after The Royal Rumble, if I was going to reinstate The Authority at all. I think the WWE needs some breathing room without a totalitarian general manager or executive parading around on TV acting as the ultimate bad guy. But they're back and there's nothing we can do. I'll agree with my friend, that everything on Raw was perfect until the VERY end when the decision was made and, "The King of Kings" music hit, but to say that this segment with Seth and Cena was anything other than thrilling is to sell both individuals short.
1. Will Daniel Bryan be in the 2015 Royal Rumble?
Yes! Yes! Yes! I had a feeling that Daniel Bryan wasn't going to be retiring as it might appear in bad taste to tease good news when a man's career is actually on the line. I'm very excited to hear that Bryan will be returning to action at The Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, but I can't help but wonder how much of his return is based on medical clearance and how much is his own determination to wrestle regardless of the risks. Since Punk's interview with Colt Cabana, there's been speculation that certain members of Creative and even the medical staff in WWE doesn't take every injury as seriously as they perhaps should. Could it be possible that Bryan just wanted to return, found an obscure doctor who agreed to clear him, and the WWE was willing to look the other way? Worse things have happened and the last I heard, it wasn't looking like Bryan would return at all, let alone any time soon. But even more miraculous things have happened; I was at The Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden in 2008 when the Number 30 entry was none other than John Cena, returning several months before anyone expected him back. And that was seven years ago. So I guess Bryan's return to the ring isn't so far outside the realm of possibilities that I need dwell on "maybe" and "what if" scenarios. I've spoken with a variety of people recently who feared Bryan might not be as well received when he finally made his return, a notion that I dismissed and I'm glad I did because the fans seem to love Bryan more than ever. I tend to get emotional during wrestling a lot, and when the crowd chanted, "No! No! No!" at the very thought of Daniel hanging it up, I too thought for a moment, "Is this it? Is he retiring?" Thank the Good Wrestling Lord that was not the case. I personally know a few people who decided then and there that they're buying tickets to Wrestlemania. Who knows who will win the rumble or who will be champion come spring time. But the mere mention of Bryan versus Lesnar is enough to put asses in all seventy five thousand seats at Levi Stadium.
Sometimes when I watch an episode of Monday Night Raw that I find especially entertaining, I'll then listen to the Voices of Wrestling or read the Wrestling Observer and realize that I was looking at the program through rose-colored glasses. I really hope that isn't the case this week because I really thought the entire WWE did a great job in producing a watchable three hours of wrestling that I didn't want to end. Granted, the promo-to-workrate ratio was a bit skewed, but the few matches that were squeezed into an otherwise dramatic evening of events were memorable and might directly impact the path of certain Superstars heading into The Royal Rumble. Rumor has it that we can expect even more thrilling programming as the calendar turns to 2015, but that remains to be seen. I hope you didn't miss me too much as I've been gone for a week, but for those of you who even noticed my absence, I appreciate your loyalty and I'm excited to bring you even more articles as the New Year draws closer. Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to bookmark Cheap-Heat.com to keep up with everything I've got going on. Happy New Year everybody!
