Posted on 08 Dec 2009


So, as usual, the guest host kicks off the show and I was actually surprised at how well Cuban handled himself on the mic. He seemed very up-to-date with the product and knew how to get the right reaction.

Starts off with Cena Vs. Carlito, wait...a match that makes sense? Since when does WWE stop booking generic matches thrown together? Oh well, it was a squash match anyways which shows WWE's faith in Carlito. Sheamus also made an appearance and was sent to the back by security. Which is what they should've done last week too instead of making him look scared! Cena goes over and I don't care.

Next, Orton comes out which is good, we're not resorted to the Divas or throwaway mid-card match like WWE usually books. Get a decent promo out of Legacy, referring to Cuban getting RKO'd at the 2003 Survivor Series. Orton wants his title shot and isn't going to get it...but he gets a match with Kofi tonight one on one with Cuban as the ref. Now that's a good announcement! Then Cody Rhodes challenges Cuban which I didn't get, what was worse was Cuban saying, "let's take it up in June". That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen and the crowd didn't know what to think either. That's 6 months away and nobody would care! Why not just say no instead of confusing fans? The match isn't going to happen by the way.

Legacy Vs. Primo/Evan Bourne. This match was not interesting in the least bit and poor Evan Bourne. At one time they were highlighting this guy as the one to follow Mysterio's legacy as the biggest little man with the crazy moves. Now he just seems to be lost in the shuffle. Primo's on a short leash, I see him getting released within the next year. Legacy over thank god, and then they get kicked out of the building. Finally a one on one match with Orton/Kofi!

They begin highlighting Sheamus's dominance in video packages again, which they should have started LAST WEEK! But of course they realized their pay-per-view was coming up last minute and decided, "oh noes, we need to make something happen here!" I really liked the idea of the confrontation at the end of the show, it kept me intrigued hoping for a brawl with security trying to tear them apart. We'll see...

Divas match: Once again putting over Maryse since she's returned. It's only a matter of time before she beats Melina and runs around with the strap again. The Gobbeldy Gooker thing was a breath of fresh air in a stale Diva division. Why not start booking angles with the girls again? The last one was 5 years ago with Mickie James/Trish. Geez...

We get a 10 minute promo from DX about Christmas. Shilling all their stuff as usual and Hornswoggle interrupts as usual. DX cuts lame jokes as usual. Hornswoggle does something that might be funny to a 4 year old as usual. Nothing comes of it as usual and I don't care...as usual.

Kofi Vs. Orton now in a match that has actually had a decent storyline and elevated Kofi's career without damaging Orton's. I would've liked to see this get more time but it was what it was. Kofi got the backslide and Cuban did the quick 3 count which I didn't like, but made sense. Then they announce they're fighting again this Sunday which is what I was hoping for. Now they'll get the time they need to really push Kofi some more and establish himself as a future star of the company. Definitely looking forward to that match.

US Championship: Miz Vs. Mark Henry - This is another match that made sense booking-wise! Wow, they're on a role! This definitely helped Miz establish himself as a credible champion because Henry's a big guy. I'd love to see Miz in a long-term feud though to allow him to shine. I'm sure they're in reconstruction mode though now that WWE has lost hope in Jack Swagger. Miz wins because he's awesome as always. I'd like to see a guy like Arn Anderson or Dean Malenko come out of retirement and put the Miz over in a feud where they're trying to shut up the over-bearing jackass and Miz keeps calling them an old man. Really cement Miz as one of the greatest US Champs of all time, that kind of angle.

Eve/Hornswoggle beat Chavo/Jillian. Yaaaaaaaaawn! And then Masters turns face. I really don't see this going anywhere for Masters. It's his first chance to run as a face but all he has is the Masterlock and jiggling tits. He's a great guy who, like Evan Bourne, Jack Swager, Primo, Carlito, and so many others...are going to be lost.

Jericho cut an amazing promo to establish his egotistical but harsh, brutal character. I can't wait to see his character take the next step as a heel if it happens. I wouldn't mind a Jericho/Taker program with Jericho having to take it up a notch and become more violent and sadistic. Add some levels to his already amazing heel persona.

Jericho Vs. DX was a good way to have this happen. I wasn't looking forward to the match honestly but the ending saved it and was a good beatdown to establish that JeriShow is a great team.

And finally...the confrontation. Sheamus. Cena. The WWE Champion. The fast-rising number one contender. An unstoppable force. An immovable object. Why don't we get commentating like that anymore rather than King and Cole speaking to each other in whispers like it's golf?

This was a pretty good promo in the end. Cena did his usual over the top, I will defy God himself and strike great vengeance upon thee promo. BUT...how in the hell did it get by Vince that Cuban could knock Sheamus to the ground?! That made Sheamus look week in my eyes. At least they saved it with him driving Mark Cuban through a table.

All in all, an ok Raw. There were some decent things going on but some garbage we had to sit through too. Did it get me excited for TLC? Storyline wise? No. Match wise? Sort of. I want to see what Jerishow Vs. DX is capableof in TLC. We know what Shawn/Jericho can do with ladders. Kofi/Orton should be a great match, Orton on PPV is always must-see stuff. And Sheamus and Cena actually has my interest. I can already picture Sheamus tapping out to the STF which is sad, but who knows...maybe WWE will shock us?

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