Monday, December 28, 2009

Raw 12-28

I hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas. I live in West Central Iowa and I was snowed in for the entire weekend. I still had a Merry Christmas because my gift will be next week on Raw. I am hoping for a quality Raw to end the year and decade. I hate who the WWE chose to host Raw, Timbaland. What could he possibly bring to the show that I couldn't? It seems that every single week the second paragraph of the Raw blog is devoted to something other than Raw. On this night, it will be no different. I have to talk about the worst segment Showstoppers ever had last week.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a beautifully written blog about Bret the Hitman Hart. I was hoping when I tuned into ShowStoppers I would hear some intelligent conversation between John and Larry. Boy, did I get a big surprise! Larry and John compared the Hogan signing and the Bret Hart signing. I believe I did the same thing in the Hart blog. I am on the other side of this debate as I find that true wrestling fans believe Bret coming back to the WWE is a much larger story than Hogan to TNA. In fact, the Showstoppers hosts both said they would watch TNA next week and DVR Raw. After a statement like that, how could you ever take them serious? I am not dragging Larry or John down just because we have a difference in opinion. I would say that is the complete opposite on what I am trying to do. Please don't call me bias towards Bret either. I was a hulkamaniac a long time ago and loved the Hulkster growing up. I would never say that Bret is a bigger name in the general public than Hogan. My problem is that ever since November 9th, 1997, wrestling fans around the world thought Bret Hart would never be in a WWE ring again. Hulk Hogan has returned to the WWE a few times and I loved his run back from 2002-2004 plus his match with HBK at Summerslam 2005. Larry had the worst sentence of them all in the segment. He claimed that TNA will now have highlights on ESPN because they signed Hogan. Last time I checked, when Hogan signed with the WWE back in 2002 for his return there wasn't a Sportscenter moment. ESPN doesn't give a crap about Hogan at TNA and neither to most wrestling fans. ESPN only shows wrestling when it has something to with an athlete from one of the big sports, e.i. Mark Cuban or Johnny Damon.

What is TNA's roster filled with? I'll answer that for you, young talent. What happened in WCW back in its heyday? The talent was very young and full of hard workers. You had Chris Jericho, Chris Beniot, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Big Show and countless others. Hogan never put over any of that young talent, EVER! Look at the list of names I typed above. Every single one of those guys became a World Champion in WWF/E. Will Hogan put over young talent in TNA? He wouldn't job to Orton or HBK in the WWE. Hogan continues to look out for Hogan and that is the biggest concern I have about him at TNA. Bret on the other hand brings something fresh and exciting to the WWE. I believe it is well known by anyone who reads this blog, I am an old school wrestling fan. Bret signing makes me believe that the screw job is done and over with. Everyone has moved on and wants the best for the business. I'm excited to see what happens on WWE. Until TNA makes a giant step in the right direction I will keep my remote down and locked on Raw. So next week, don't expect this writer to talk about anything on the TNA show. Sorry it won't happen. As for Showstoppers, Larry, John and I will continue to disagree on this hot topic. In the end, it's great for the business to have such a huge debate. I apologize for this rant going on long. Now that I have got that off my chest, I can move on to the final Raw of the decade.

I like John Cena opening up the show. I am hoping the WWE will build up the rematch tonight from this first segment. I enjoyed the first segment tonight. I didn't want to see another Tables match. After seeing Sheamus go through the table, I have a feeling he will keep his title in the rematch. I am almost rooting for Sheamus tonight. The whole reason you give Sheamus the title is to make him into a main eventer. If you take away the belt to quickly, fans will never believe he even earned the title in the first place. You take away his credibility without having him keep it until the Royal Rumble.

To save my time and yours, I will not be writing anything about Timbaland because I don't give a crap about him or his rapping career. Legacy in the back with Orton is something I have an interest in. Orton talked about breaking up Legacy. The WWE is going to mess this all up. Dibiase had a great in ring segment with Orton a few months back. They didn't keep the momentum going afterwards. Now tonight looks like the end and there was no build up towards it.

Dibiase is a budding superstar. He maybe the wrestler who goes to Smackdown in next years draft. The match between Bourne and Dibiase is a nice match up. Bourne sells better than anyone on Raw. I was left speechless after Bourne did a standing hurricarana with Dibiase on the top rope. They messed up the ending on the launch but it was a decent effort from both men. I wonder if the WWE will set all this Legacy stuff up for a triple threat match at Mania. Back to back Legacy matches worked for me. The more in ring wrestling means less backstage crap which I don't want to see anyway. I was shocked Rhodes won so quickly. Legacy will stay together until the Rumble.

The first time in several weeks, DX had a funny backstage segment. I guess Larry was right about one thing, Hornswaggle helps DX in the comedy department. Big Show has a mystery partner tonight. How many of you guessed Jericho in some kind of costume?

I am crazy for blonds so needless to say I was crazy for Kelly Kelly and Maryse. I think Maryse gets hotter every time I see her. Both women have been improving their in ring skills. Maryse needed the victory to gain some momentum before taking on Melina for the Diva title. I hope that is next week on Raw.

Jericho had been outside protesting to be back on Raw. Show and Jerichos segment was like a relationship breaking up. I found it very funny.

Finally Vincent Kennedy McMahon came to the ring to announced Bret Hart will return to the WWE ring next week. The WWE put together a great tribute match and I felt like I was 10 again. They couldn't leave out the screw job. The Montreal screw job will always be one of those long wrestling debates. It is the JFK assassination of wrestling. Vince goes on as the normal heel chairman of the board. I don't know if his story about the Hall of Fame was true or not. Vince wouldn't say the words I was dying to hear. The thing I was most intrigued about this whole Bret Hart signing is how would the WWE play it out. I thought HBK was going to talk about Bret but instead flipped the switch. HBK used the old reverse psychology on Vince. I have no idea what Shawn meant by only good things will happen if Bret comes back. I think Vince did though. Obviously Vince and Shawn are going to be a huge part when Bret does comeback. The entire segment made me giddy like a little boy. How can you not be interested in next weeks Raw?

I loved the fact that Sheamus retaliated on Cena for his FU threw the table. The champion should be angry and get some revenge. A good heel always does.
MVP getting in the hunt for anything on Raw would be a blessing. He has been underutilized the entire 2009. Miz could use another catchphrase instead of 'really'.

Miz and Kofi could be having two matches in the same night. Hell that is more than Miz has had on Raw in two months total. The first match sure didn't last long. Trouble in Paradise in less than a minute. Crazy spot and Miz made it look pretty good. Yes! I nearly screamed when Orton interfered. A great looking RKO on the floor to Kofi surely locked up another match between the two on either Raw next week or the Rumble. I am ready for the cold calculating Orton to return.

DX having the tag team belts is fine with me if they actually defend them once in a while on TV. The WWE seems to have no clue what to do with Big Show. Big Show and Chavo? Why? Did you hear the Y2J chants? I love the fact Jericho is still showing up on Raw each week. I wonder, as a fellow Canadian, how he feels about Hart coming back? Chavo has been on the longest losing streak in WWE history. How am I suppose to believe he will be a better tag partner than Jericho? I can't, it is really that simple people. Yes, wrestling is fake but the storyline needs to be somewhat believable. Chavo lost to Hornswaggle in about a million different ways and now I have to see him battle DX. I like Chavo and think he needs to leave Raw to ECW and rebuild his reputation. Jericho can always make anything look good and he certainly did with SCM. DX and JeriShow next week for the final time.

The last image of 2009 and the decade could be either Sheamus or Cena holding the WWE title.
I was really hoping Timbaland was going to be the guest ring announcer. Cena came down at the 10 o'clock mark on the nose. This is hardly enough time to have a WWE title match. I was guessing Raw would go long after I saw that. Cena could be an eight time world champion if he wins tonight. I liked the fact they came out swinging right from the bell. The match needed to be an aggressive one by the champion. Who didn't see that coming? Cena wins to continue his winning streak but only by dq. The WWE could go in a few directions with Cena now. He get one more match with Sheamus at the Royal Rumble. Cena could have just blown his chance at his rematch and now would be in limbo like Orton was when Cena had the belt. The only chance Cena would have is to win the Rumble in the second scenario. Next week, I bet I get my answer as to what direction they go with him.

Next weeks Raw is going to be huge. DX vs JeriShow for the tag titles. Orton vs Kofi in a rubber match. Bret Hart's return could be as "The King" said the biggest news of the Decade. TNA will start up the Monday Night Wars. I don't know the ratings TNA has been getting on Spike but I doubt they make a dent into what WWE has been getting. Vince always comes up big when he has competition. The way next weeks Raw is setting up, you can see Vince wants to make sure TNA doesn't even approach his league. I will be back next week for another Raw blog. In segment 2, I will make another camo on ShowStoppers. I hope you all check that out since I have a new nickname on their show. Have a happy and safe New Year. I said it last week but it's worth repeating: Thank you for your continued support and reading my opinion on wrestling this past year. I appreciate all that you do for me. I look forward to continue writing in the up coming 2010. I know sometimes we may have a difference in opinion but that is what makes it all fun.

J Call

Monday, December 21, 2009

Raw 12-21

After a crazy week in which we heard Bret Hart signed with the WWE, what do we have in store tonight? We should see Cena continue his winning streak and get one step closer to the WWE title again. The WWE will gain even more momentum heading towards the head to head Monday Night on January 4th. I really hope I get to see some actual wrestling tonight. I think the WWE will hold on another few weeks before we see some story lines heading into the Royal Rumble. Johnny Damon will host and I couldn't care less. DX and Hornswaggle are going to court which means the WWE needed a time filler. Raw is J Call tonight.

Damon didn't get much love from the Tampa Bay crowd. A guy in a Tiger suit with a crazy ass woman chasing him. As Larry would say, WTF? I like the Divas being up first on this Raw. They seem to get lost in the shuffle some weeks when they are placed in the middle of the show. I just don't see the Electric Chair drop enough. Maryse and Melina seem to be on a crash course for a title match. The WWE will probably show this off on Raw January 4th or at the Rumble. Melina costs Maryse tonight. I think the WWE is missing out on the Diva division. They never give the heels any momentum. You can almost bet that the faces will win every single week on Raw. If you want the fans to give a crap, then build a nice storyline and stretch it out for a few pay per views.

ECW's tournament is a great idea. They need to change it up a little bit and doing a tournament for the number one contenders spot is certainly a good change of pace.

The DX Hornswaggle saga continues. BORING! Who would have thought that the Little People's Court would have little people in it? I thought it was even better that it was split into two parts. I was pins and needles waiting to hear what the jury grunted. Holy Crap! At least Raw was saved with Randy Orton and Legacy. Legacy was all over Raw last week and even picked up a rare victory. I'm glad to see Kofi continuing his feud with Orton. I want to see a few more one on one contests between the two. Where the hell was MVP? 6 man tag matches are usually used for 3 different feuds and the wrestlers thrown in for a filler for the feud. Here the 6 man tag was used to have Orton Kofi feud to continue and Kofi needed partners. The more I see of Bourne, the more I start to like him. We finally got to see the Shooting Star Press tonight. The best finisher in the entire WWE. I can't even describe that clothesline from Dibiase. Unbelievable. How about Raw tonight? This 6 man tag actually had time to develop and was a solid in ring contest. You see the WWE does listen to me. I asked, maybe demanded, more wrestling and I got it in this match. Great match and a huge win for Kofi. The WWE was smart not having Kofi pin Orton or Orton pin Kofi. Everybody wins in this match.

The momentum gained from the 6 man tag match was all but lost in the second segment of Little People's Court. One of the dumbest segments ever in Raw history. I think that might have been worse than Mae Young giving birth to a hand. I'm going to channel Booker T: Tell me I didn't see that. Tell me I didn't just see that. I was hoping it was a dream but turned out to be real.

Welcome back to Raw Jack Swagger. You have been gone for a few weeks and get to wrestle one of the hottest stars in the WWE. Swagger seemed to be in line for a nice push earlier in the year and now can barely get on T.V. I don't know what happened because he has all the tools and talent. I guess HHH or HBK don't like him so he isn't getting pushed to the moon like McIntyre or Sheamus. Swagger did have a nice showing tonight against the former champ. They might want to reconsider burying this young kid after this match. I am getting my wish tonight on Raw. I have seen two solid in ring contests. My only complaint is they were sandwiched in between the DX Hornswaggle bull crap. You can never be perfect and I will take the two bad segments with two good wrestling matches. I know some people think I complain to much. I agree at times I do. I am an old school wrestling fan who likes more wrestling than interviews and extra crap the WWE sometimes. Last week was a prime example of what I don't want from Raw. Tonight has been the complete opposite. Great match with Swagger and Cena. Cena will continue this roll until he either faces Taker at Mania or I guess I can't think of another way he will lose.

MVP stepping up his game with a challenge to Sheamus. I was reading a wrestling message board earlier in the week about MVP. They questioned whether his face turn ruined his push. I would say the WWE never took full advantage of his face turn. He turned face and had some opportunities to win the tag team titles from JeriShow. He teamed up with Henry and were made to look like real challengers. What have they done with him since then? He should be wrestling Miz for the US title. I wouldn't mind seeing him win Money in the Bank either. Speaking of money in the bank, how many guys can you think of that could potentially win that match? I can think of quite a few but would like to hear from you. Email me who you think should win Money in the Bank and if your take is good, I will post it up on here next week in the Raw blog. Send your emails to mccall316@yahoo.com

Eve being partnered up with Masters will help him get over with the crowds. I know some people won't care with Masters and Carlito's little feud on Raw. I would rather see a mini feud and a match or two then backstage segments. The match was given no time at all but at least it served it purpose. Masters even got a kiss from Eve. To the victor, goes the spoils.

Tribute to the Troops is one of the greatest and nicest things the WWE has ever done. You don't see the NFL, NBA or MLB going over to Iraq to put on a game for the troops. I know its different and not easy, but do you think it's easy to carry all the wrestling gear over there? I doubt it. Thank you to the men and women giving their life over there for our freedom. I think the media forgets about them sometimes. We are so obsessed with Tiger and every other negative story that we tend to take them for granted. Whenever a person puts down the WWE, I just tell them about what they do every year around Christmas time for our troops.

Miz gets some camera time this week on Raw. I love I.R.S. He makes me laugh everytime I see him. I wish he was on more often. I spoke of Mae Young earlier and she shows up tonight in a random moment. She maybe in her 90's but Young seems to have a blast anytime she gets in front of the camera.

The new WWE champion Sheamus gets to showoff his new title. MVP didn't get a real good showing tonight on Raw. MVP is not a jobber, although you had to know he wasn't going to beat the new champion. The match was not bad by any means. I was hoping for a little longer match but once Cena showed up and challenged Sheamus I figured out why they went the route they did. When will Cena face Sheamus again?

Mr. McMahon showing up tonight was a nice surprise. Damon makes the match next week on Raw. I thought for sure it would happen on the Jan. 4th edition. Damon makes a comment about Bret and Vince blows it off. Next week, the WWE will have to do something more next week since Bret is coming back for sure now.

Miz takes on Santino Claus. I like Santino and he does a great job every week of bringing a little comedy to the show. However, I would rather see him in backstage skits with the celebrity hosts then face the Miz. Miz has the second biggest belt on Raw and hasn't had a feud in over a month. He beat his former tag team partner in back to back pay per views. I don't get the WWE sometimes.

In case you missed it, DX and the horrible Little People's segments were shown again. I hated it the first time and couldn't stand it the second time. Good to see the Big Show back on Raw. The WWE must have a plan for him now after JeriShow broke up. Big Show and Santa finishing up this edition of Raw. I think something special has to happen to Big Show if this is really going to end Raw. I couldn't tell who played the "real" Santa.

Are you freaking kidding me? Timbaland is going to host Raw next week. That is one step above having MC Hammer. What the hell is the WWE doing to me? At least this week, Johnny Damon didn't annoy me. In fact, he took my advice and took a backseat to the real entertainers. Big Show must have known my wish as well because I was hoping Jericho would comeback to Raw as well. Santa turned out to be Y2J himself. The DX army just got a little smaller. The smallest side walk slam of all time by Big Show. I guess JeriShow isn't dead yet. Oh boy, even more Hornswaggle and DX segments now that he is officially a DX member. Somewhere, Larry is happy and this blogger is throwing up.

Raw wasn't to bad tonight since I got to see a couple of good quality wrestling. I could have cared less about the last segment except Chris Jericho will be coming back to Raw next week. Raw should be a solid show next week as well. Except for that god awful choice for GM. I can only guess that Timbaland has no clue about the WWE. I bet we even get to see a crappy music video or something. Raw will have a rare WWE title match next week as well. ShowStoppers will have their best of the decade show this week. I got to announce tag team of the decade which was a nice touch for me. I hope you enjoy that as much as you enjoyed the Raw blog. Thank you for continuing to read the Raw blog each and every week. It has been my pleasure to be a voice of the true wrestling fans in the past year. I look forward to one more Raw in 2009. Have a Merry Christmas and spend time with the most important people, your family.

J Call

Thursday, December 17, 2009

He's Back

I wanted to wait. I should probably wait. I could have waited. What am I saying? No, I couldn't, shouldn't and won't wait any longer. My favorite wrestler of all time has returned home. Bret "The Hitman" Hart is returning to the WWE. The WWE has been trying to gain the media's attention with using celebrity general managers every single week on Monday Night Raw. The news that Bret Hart is coming back brings hope to real wrestling fans who are growing tired of seeing celebrities make a fool out of themselves. They have little to no knowledge of the WWE. Bret is coming back and could be the answer to most of our prayers.

The Bret Hart signing is in fact the answer to mine. I have been longing for the day when that music hit one more time. The WWE has teased me several times. Bret even came back in 2006 for the Hall of Fame. He gave a nice speech but did not show up at the actual Wrestlemania event. I wasn't satisfied with him giving a speech and then leaving. The WWE made my mouth wet and then didn't fulfill what was necessary in my opinion. The Bret Hart DVD was great as well and yet, I still wanted more. Bret's WWE career still didn't feel like it had the proper send off. Flair got the perfect goodbye in 2008. Bret has yet to have that final bang to say. 'Yes, my career has come full circle.'

If you recall, after the Survivor Series in 1997 Bret was never going to come back to the WWE. His exit left a foul stench on the WWE. He signed with WCW and was never used to his capabilities. WCW used him more as a prop than a quality wrestler. Even in the DVD, there were two highlights of his WCW days. One was his tribute match to his brother Owen with Chris Beniot. The other was Goldberg spearing Bret and under Bret's shirt was a steel plate. Bret's in ring career was over with after Goldberg kicked him straight in the head. Was this really how the best there is, best there was and best there ever will be was going to leave the squared circle. Now the WWE and Bret have a second chance to cap off Bret's illustrious career.

Of course, you have to know there was another reason Bret was signed. I can bet Vince McMahon was trying to figure out a way to stick it to Hogan and TNA. He did just that. Hogan who? Hulk Hogan is still a huge name in the wrestling business and anything he does grabs headlines. The truth is the WWE bringing back one of the all time greats for longer than one guest host appearance puts Hogan signing with TNA on the back burner. If this made a newspaper, Bret would be the headline on page one. Hogan would be on page 4 below a used car ad. Most wrestling fans have been dreaming of another Monday Night Wars. The Ratings War always brought out the best in Vince and his writing staff. The Bret Hart signing is another reason wrestling fans are rooting for TNA to do well in the ratings on Jan. 4th. Vince pulled the ultimate rabbit out of his hat before we even got to see if TNA could battle with them.

Most of you already knew that Bret had signed with the WWE. Speculation arose after Dennis Miller asked Vince if he could bring back Bret as a general manager. Now the wrestling Internet marks are all over this story. I couldn't resist writing my own blog on it either. The news of Bret is the biggest story the WWE has had since buying WCW. I haven't been this excited for a Raw since the days of Stone Cold Vince feud. For this WWE blogger, my Christmas present has come early. All I can do now is wait and hope the gift is as good as the surprise. I believe the WWE will not let the true wrestling fans down. I have a feeling at the end of Bret's stint, his career will get the ending he deserved the first time he left the WWE.

J Call

Monday, December 14, 2009

Raw 12-14

TLC was a fantastic pay per view. I am really surprised the WWE gave the title to Sheamus and I'm really interested on how the WWE will follow up. DX is now the Tag champs and probably time for JeriShow to break up. Three hours means we should see a lot of wrestling but this is the WWE so I'll be lucky to have three solid matches. The WWE is certainly building up young talent and tonight will be no different.

First before I get into Raw, I have another gripe about this past ShowStoppers. I know seems like every week I have something to complain about. I came up with the idea of ShowStoppers doing a Best of the Decade Show, which is next week, and thought it was a great idea. We came up with several different categories and for the most part I was happy with the nominees. The issue I have is with the best match category. I will never forgive or forget what happened with Chris Beniot and his actions. Larry has stayed away from anything Beniot was ever in. Can you separate Chris Beniot the wrestler and Chris Beniot the tragic ending? I am not condoning what happened and never will. However, I will also never forget Chris Beniot's wrestling ability and his hardwork. I can separate between the two. Chris Beniot the wrestler should never be forgotten. In fact, young wrestlers should go back and watch his matches and try to become a guy that intense and technically sound. Had it not been for Taker HBK at Mania 25, my favorite match of the 2000s would have been Beniot HHH HBK at Mania 20. The match was unbelievable, great story and history making since it was the first ever Triple Threat Main Event. I realize I will catch hell for being up his name. I know some fans don't want to discuss Beniot because of the terrible ending. I just believe Beniot should not be forgotten as one of the greatest in ring performers.

Dennis Miller hosts Raw tonight which means we get a bunch of jokes that nobody will get. As I said with Dennis Miller right away with jokes about the President. Thankfully the WWE is not killing off JeriShow yet. They deserved the Tag Team of the Year Slammy. I get my wish for a rematch with JeriShow and DX tonight. I like that idea. Jericho can't go back to just being a Smackdown star. He is way to good to be on just one show. However, he did make a crack about Edge (You know Edge. The man who is going to comeback at Wrestlemania and beat Jericho). I think this is the first step in setting it up.

The Regal Roundtable gets a chance to be showcased on a larger stage than ECW. I like the three hour Raws because we get to see more wrestlers to get worked in. I found it odd that Kane and Kahli tagged with Christian. By the way, if you get a chance make sure you see the Shelton Benjamin Christian Ladder Match from TLC. They both talked before the ppv about stealing the show and they did just that. An unbelievable contest and if the WWE is smart. They will capitalize on Benjamin and give him a shot at being the ECW champion and move Christian. The match was nothing great but who cares. I got points from Christian in the FWF.

Breakout star of the Year should have been Kofi Kingston. I realize what the WWE is trying to do with Sheamus. On the other hand, Kofi has been hot since Wrestlemania. He put on a great show at the Money in the Bank Ladder match. He had a nice Intercontinental title run in the summer months. Now he has had a great feud with Orton. Sheamus has been on the Raw scene for only a few months. Yes, he is the new WWE champ and has been a monster. I just don't like taking anything away from Kofi.

Speaking of Kofi, he faced Cody Rhodes. Where the hell have you been Cody? The WWE has been pushing young talent and have forgotten all about Legacy. Rhodes and Dibiase have a shot at being big stars. However you can't expect big things if you keep them off the flagship show some weeks. I love the tag match made with Legacy vs Kofi and Bourne. All four of these guys bring something to the table. I talk about how much Bourne is misused but really 3 out of 4 guys in this match are misused. I am happy the WWE gave Legacy the win and not have them pin Kofi. I just wish Bourne would get a chance to show off the Shooting Star Press once in a while. The SSP is one of the most amazing moves ever and the fans miss it all the time.

I am glad Vicki is back on TV. She gets some of the hottest heat I have ever heard. The Slammy for Shocker of the Year should have gone to Randy Orton. The HHH Orton feud earlier in the year was one of the best feuds of the year. The WWE added the McMahons and I never thought Orton would DDT Stephanie. I did love that moment. I did believe the storyline with Jeff Hardy and Punk was the best of the year. Punk played the perfect heel and even did a great impersonation of Jeff after he left. Punk has been playing the great heel ever since he turned back in May. ShowStoppers host don't care for Punk and I have no idea why. Punk is a great in ring performer and has solid mic skills. He displayed the latter tonight on Raw.

We get to see Punk vs Cena for only the second time ever. I loved the counter GTS to the STF. What the hell is WWE doing? The match was only three minutes long. I am legitimately pissed off by what the WWE did to Punk tonight. That was a freaking joke. I will try and keep this PG rated. CM Punk is a great superstar and I understand you want to make Cena look angry and focused on getting his belt back. You dont do that with a guy like Punk. Punk is a main eventer and ever since he complained about the dress code the WWE has buried him. Ok, he shouldn't have said anything. I get it WWE. Now fix this crap and give Punk back some of the momentum he had when he was World Champion. Cena had his usual passionate 'I'm going to get my belt back' speech. Cena mentioned Wrestlemania and said he won't lose another match until he gains the belt back. Well I like that since I have him in the FWF. The big thing tonight is if Taker beats Orton we get Cena Taker a little early. I would like to see Cena Taker just not at Wrestlemania. I know it will happen and if Cena keeps this winning streak the WWE will certainly make Cena look like a guy who can beat Taker. Somehow I think Orton will win tonight. The WWE will not want to spoil a potential Mania main event.

Does anyone else miss JR's voice? I heard him when the WWE showed the highlights of the HBK Taker match. Jim Ross knows how to put moments in perspective. Was there any doubt HBK Taker wasn't going to win? Not only was Taker HBK match the best of the year, it might be the greatest match in Mania and wrestling history. I love the twist the WWE did with HBK tonight. His promo challenging Taker at Wrestlemania again was awesome. I love it and I would love to see it again. I text Larry at this moment and he said it would never happen again. I would have to reluctantly agree. HBK Taker will not happen again at Mania. I would watch that again over Cena Taker.

If the WWE had the best entrance of the year category, would Taker win it every year? I would have to say yes. A previous Wrestlemania match tonight on Raw with Orton and Taker. Some may say that was Orton's best wrestling match in his career. Of course Taker lost so no Cena Taker tonight. The WWE had Punk Cena last about three minutes. The Taker Orton match lasted 5 mins. I did like the RKO on the floor. Legacy all over this Raw tonight. I guess you have to make up for lost time. I don't like the fact that the wrestling has been short. That's Raw.

I missed Vince McMahon. I agree with Vince. The crowd sucks tonight. The Guest host of the Year goes to the guy who should have won it. I enjoyed Bob Barker when he was the GM. Dennis Miller and Vince must know my greatest wish of all time. You don't tease this WWE blogger about having Bret Hart as a guest GM. If you do, IT BETTER HAPPEN DAMN IT! Imagine, Bret comes back to guest host Raw on January 4th when Raw goes head to head with TNA. Oh my god, my heart just stopped.

Will DX JeriShow rematch be given proper time to develop in the ring? The TLC match these two teams had last night was off the hook. This is the dumbest freaking thing I have ever heard of tonight. DX gets dq'd before it even starts so Jericho won't be sticking around Raw. Instead of having three awesome matches tonight. The fans get treated to three pieces of crap. Raw is no longer Jericho. I guess JeriShow is now broken up for good. I just don't get why the WWE couldn't have given us a great tag team contest. You have three hours, 3 and you can't supply us with even two good wrestling matches. You fit in a 1,000 backstage segments and Slammy awards. All I ask in return is give me 2 solid in ring contests.

As I said, another Slammy award presentation. The boom drop was one of the coolest spots of Raw this year. The award goes to Jeff Hardy rightfully so. I wish Hardy was still part of the WWE. I still think he will be back sometime in 2010. No idea why Carlito got the beat down. He should just leave WWE and sign with TNA. Then he won't be a jobber.

Hey Miz congrats on getting back on Raw tonight. This 6 man tag team match has some FWF implications. Miz, McIntyre, Morrison and Tatsu all are on an FWF team. I like this match up. Henry seems to be getting an opportunity to wrestle for the US title. I am happy that anyone is wrestling the Miz. Tatsu and Ryder get an opportunity albiet short lived. I would say Morrison and Drew are not finished on Smackdown either.

This has nothing to do with the WWE or wrestling. I just want to plug the USA network original series Burn Notice. If you haven't seen the show, I recommend going out and getting the dvds or go to hulu.com and find the episodes. The show is exciting, fun and smart. I enjoy it so much asked Santa Claus for the Seasons on dvd.

The annual lets throw every Diva in a match when all 3 shows get together. I didn't fully understand why they had to wear gowns. The match was short because why would we ever have any match longer than 7 mins? Goldust made a nice comment about PMS. I laughed. I should laugh more that Maria won Diva of the Year. What has she done? Oh this was a fans vote. She was in Playboy which has to be the real reason. Batista does his best impression of Kanye West. Hey Batista, all I can say is you suck! I don't mean that just because you are a heel and I am suppose to dislike you. I mean it because you really suck. You can't wrestle. You can't give a good promo. You can't get heat from the crowd even though you are suppose to be a heel. I would say that all adds up to being Mayor of Suckville and Michael Cole is your assistant.

Big Dick Johnson makes me laugh everytime he is on Raw. I know a big fat guy in a speedo is gross but I dont care. I always laugh. Larry has midget crotch chops and I laugh at Johnson. Cole acted as he just won the WWE title. Cole made fun of Jim Ross during his acceptance speech. Yeah Cole, we love Vintage and Oh My so much. You really know what to say when a big moment happens. Oh wait. WOOOO! Vintage J Call.

A DX snuggie. Are you serious? Could the WWE have a few shameless plugs? HHH beat the crap out of Shawn to end the segment. DX will break up sometime after the holidays. Then we will get to see a build up to Wrestlemania for a match between HHH and HBK. I can't wait for that match.

Main event time. The Superstar of the Year should be Randy Orton. Cena made a very bold statement that he won't lose another match. I figured Sheamus would come out and cost Cena the match. At least the main event was given time and was a quality wrestling match. The announcers are making it seem like Cena has no confidence any longer. I think we can all agree that Orton has become the new master of the DDT. Jake the Snake use to be but Orton has had some of the sickest looking DDTs I have ever seen. Cena recovers from the loss last night with two wins tonight. The WWE had to make sure Cena regained some momentum and he did that tonight.

Raw was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. Once I heard the main events, I thought Raw would have more in ring wrestling and less b.s. I got to much other stuff and not enough wrestling. I guess I need to just accept that Raw will never have enough in ring wrestling. I did like the finish to the show. Cena and Sheamus is going to continue and I have no problem with that decision. They did showcase some young guys from ECW and Smackdown as well. I would say it was an average show. Raw will be hosted by Johnny Damon next week. You either love the Yanks or hate them. I hate them so Damon does nothing for me. My advice, you may have read this before, stay the hell out of the way and let the wrestlers be in the spotlight. ShowStoppers will be all new this week and BBSD will have their own Best of the Year award show. You will get a nice surprise on the show as well. I will catch you next week with another Raw blog.

J Call

Monday, December 7, 2009

Raw 12-7

Did you miss me? If you kept count, I went 26 weeks straight with a Raw blog. I was out of action last week with the flu. I missed a week of work and it sucked. I can sum up last weeks Raw with one sentence and one question. Last weeks Raw sucked balls. Where the hell was the wrestling? Now that is over, I can get to some other things. I have heard a lot of wrestling news since the last time I wrote a Raw blog. I have a lot to cover. For starters, I want to send out my dearest sympathy to the Fatu family. Umaga passed away late last week and its unfortunate. A great wrestler who showed off his Samoan heritage. I will get to TNA in just a moment. Mark Cuban, who I can't stand for to many reasons to type, is the host of Raw tonight. I hope another RKO is in store for that piece of crap. I'm back! WOOOO!

Before I begin with Raw, I have to talk about 2 things that I have been hearing on wrestling sites and ShowStoppers. Larry and John said on Showstoppers last Thursday they want to see Taker vs Cena at Mania 26. I have a HUGE problem with this match. When the WWE talks about matches, I always wonder who benefits? I believe there are 3 potential answers to that question. The fans and either or perhaps both competitors. Who will benefit from Taker Cena? I can't think of the answer. You might be screaming 'J Call you are an idiot. Fans would benefit. The match would be awesome.' If you said that, then think of a Cena match that had you saying, 'I'm so excited I got to watch John Cena'. Lets face it, he is not a good wrestler. Hell, his mania matches with HHH or HBK were not that great. If those two guys couldn't carry Cena. I can only guess neither could Taker. So would you really benefit from seeing him have a mediocre match vs Taker? Well its a match we haven't seen. You are right. The match has never happened at Wrestlemania. I would rather see it happen on a different pay per view. Cena would benefit from ending the streak. Yes and no. Most fans will be pissed off that Cena beat the Undertaker strictly because Cena doesn't deserve it. You can go look at the Undertakers streak. Go ahead, I'll wait....Ok your back. Did you see Stone Cold Steve Austin on that list? No I didn't think so. Austin vs Taker never happened at a Mania. Who would have benefited? Nobody. Austin would have had to lose and that would have hurt his reputation of a big match winner. If Taker lost, the streak would have been over and killed his aura of being undefeated at Mania. The fans wouldn't have won either because if the streak had end with Austin, the fans would have been split. Did Austin deserve it or not? I feel Cena and Taker would just do nothing but hurt one of the guys in it. Taker wins, Cena is now just another wrestler, instead of what kids believe he is, superhuman. I will give you one more example. Did Taker ever take on Hogan at Wrestlemania? No because it proves my point. Who would have benefited? One last question: Why did HBK and Taker wrestle last year then if neither benefited? Undertaker did benefit by finally beating Shawn. Shawn put on a better match than he did against Bret Hart over a decade ago and the fans benefited watching one of the greatest matches ever. Last year, Taker HBK was a win win win. Taker Cena is nowhere near that. I would say its a loss for all three.

TNA rages war on WWE. I have never mentioned TNA in this blog until now. Is TNA going to start the Monday Night Wars again? They have signed one of the biggest names ever in wrestling history with Hulk Hogan. However, Hogan is not the signing it was back when WCW signed him. Eric Bischoff had Ted Turner's money and plenty of free agents to make a big splash against WWE. I like Hogan and think he can help TNA. January 4th will tell us all if TNA can hang with the WWE. TNA will have a 3 hour show going head to head with Raw. January 4th is also the night THE ROCK will return to the WWE. Yes it is being speculated The People's Champion will host that Raw. Hogan and Rock return on the same night certainly sounds like a big wrestling night. TNA doesn't have the resources WCW had and has to offer something special for wrestling fans to tune away from Raw. Will a war start? Time will tell. Alright, now that those two items are out of the way. We can move on to tonights Raw.

Mark Cuban is a giant douchebag in part because I am a Spurs fan and hate the Dallas Mavericks. The other reason is because he has no idea how to bring a title home to Dallas. I had heard Cody Rhodes was calling out Cuban. Nothing wrong with a Raw starting with the Champ. At least the WWE is starting off with some damn wrestling. What a strange concept? A wrestling show with actual wrestling on it. I am sure being a WWE writer is a much tougher job than many believe. I do think the easiest part is MAKING MATCHES! Last week, there wasn't hardly any matches. I was happy for Carlito Cena to start Raw until Sheamus had to interupt. I guess Raw wasn't meant to have real wrestling matches on the show. Wow thanks for coming back Carlito. A guy like Carlito isn't a jobber. He should be in the mix for the United States title. Raw has almost to many wrestlers that another belt may need to be incorporated. I wouldn't mind seeing the Euro belt come back to help guys like Carlito and Evan Bourne. WWE screws up with so much talent anyway.

Again Raw is being taking away from the wrestling to the celebrity host. I don't mind having an in ring promo but not two of them back to back. I can hardly count Cena Carlito a match. Kofi Orton with Cuban as the ref. Oh boy I hope he gets his ass beat. Nice comment by Rhodes and making fun of the Mavs. I always liked Cody, lol. Cuban must have taken some pills or drugs thinking the Mavs will win the title. The WWE teams up two guys that are never used. Good move, WWE. Evan and Primo are completely underused and this is a perfect way to use them. I guess this match happened on Superstars. I had no idea because only 10 people watch Superstars on WGN. I just think about Primo and Bourne used in WCW Cruiserweight division. Michael Cole talked about how Bourne is one of the hottest stars on Monday night Raw. Really? If Bourne was so hot then he wouldn't lose every damn week on Raw. I guess that is why Cole is the best in business at sucking.

My future wife and Diva champion Maryse faced off with Gail Kim. Has the WWE given me a reason to care about this match? I didn't think so. Although I like both women and the match could have went a little longer. I can only bet that Maryse vs Melina will happen very soon.

A long ass DX promo with Hornswaggle. Midget crotch chops are funny but it took forever to have Hornswaggle do it. Raw lost some steam here in my eyes. Another week of very little in ring and way to much out of the ring. I can only hope Kofi Orton saves us after the first hour was very weak.

Will the WWE actually give the best feud going on Raw time to develop a story inside the ring? Kofi and Orton is a great feud helping Raw right now. I have been saying for several weeks, I want this feud to end up having three matches. We get the first tonight in a straight one on one contest. Feuds seldom end without having a gimmick match or two. The WWE should capitalize on this feud by stretching it out with two gimmick matches. The first could be a cage match. After the second match and both men win one, you need to end it with a rubber match. Randy is not going to win the Rumble and neither is Kofi. I want Kofi to win tonight. Orton win at the Rumble but have Kofi eliminate Orton later in the night. Then at No Way Out, Kofi and Orton could tear the house down with a falls count anywhere anything goes match to finish off the feud. You just got excited reading that, admit it. Cuban screws over Orton with a fast wicked fast count. I guess technically this is the 2nd match after last nights. This feud was way to quick sense now we are having the rubber match this Sunday at TLC. I don't fully understand why the WWE rushed into having three matches in three weeks. I guess we will see the payoff at the pay per view.

I sure as hell didn't think Miz would lose his United States championship against Mark Henry. I don't mind Mark Henry and think he has a spot on Raw. He just doesn't deserve a singles championship. I got what I thought I would get out of their match. I didn't expect a very long match and Miz won. Where does Miz go from here? He beat Henry maybe it is time for MVP to get a shot.

Time waster number 2 on the evening. Anytime Hornswaggle and Chavo are in the ring, Raw is wasting time. I wonder if the WWE knows they have a pay per view this Sunday. The go home show of Raw is having Jillian and Chavo take on Hornswaggle and Chavo. I think after this show, I won't be buying TLC. The WWE is doing nothing to make me want to see the ppv. They didn't even hype the Orton Kofi match. No they decided to announce it 6 days before the show. I can't believe the crowd got behind Chris Masters. The WWE fans do some strange things and that was certainly one of them.

In case you are not on wrestling news sites all the time like myself. Chris Jericho faced DX one on three because Big Show isn't allowed to wrestle. Big Show had knee surgery and hasn't healed yet. He will be ready for TLC, but until then, Jericho has no partner. Jericho and Show will definitely win tag team of the year by default. The match did not last long either. JeriShow dominate DX. I won't be picking against DX now. I think the match at TLC will be a great match. The JeriShow DX match will be perhaps the best match on the card. I have a feeling we are going to remember one other match more than any other. Who am I talking about? Tune into ShowStoppers to find out.

The final segment to leave a lasting impression on everyone before the ppv. The sign of the night "Sheamus glows in the dark". That is awesome. I give props to the women for that one. Sheamus made a nice case on why he will win. Cena kept pretty cool for the majority of the promo. I was waiting for Cena to get into his passionate speech voice. The promo failed to give me a real reason to think Sheamus is going to walk out TLC with the WWE title. Why did Sheamus have to look intimidated by Mark Cuban? At least I got my wish of Cuban getting destroyed by the end of the night. Come on Mavs fans. You know deep down you enjoyed Mark Cuban going through that table. I know I did. The FU to Sheamus on Sunday should be through 2 tables to make sure it puts a stamp on Cena beating Sheamus.

I just felt like Raw was flat tonight. The show that is suppose to build momentum and make me want to spend 40 bucks this Sunday failed. I didn't see enough wrestling or enough with the feuds themselves. Yes, Raw had some nice in ring promos. Hornswaggle was in 2 full segments which is one and a half to many in my eyes. ShowStoppers will have all of BBSD's pay per view picks. I sucked at Survivor Series and I will make sure it doesn't happen again. I hope you enjoyed the Raw blog. I hope this is the beginning of a new long streak. Week one in the books. I will catch you next week.

J Call

About Me

Small town guy from Iowa. I went to school in Dallas and graduated. I work for 105.3 KNOD radio station in Harlan Iowa as the news director. I love sports and wrestling. You can catch my thoughts on everything sports and wrestling on bigbadsportsdaddy.com