Raw 8-23

I'm not even going to mention last weeks Raw. This weeks Raw was taped as the WWE is in China. You could have read the spoilers or be surprised. I'm hoping to be surprised with a better show. Now, I would rarely ever argue with the greatest announcer in wrestling, however I'm going to do my best to make a case on something he wrote after Summerslam. Time to throw down J.R.

He said something to the effect of fans measure to much on wins and losses and not the beauty of the match. I'll agree to a certain extent. As an old school wrestling fan, I treasure 5 star classic contests. I value a man's in ring performance to a high degree. I won't dispute with Ross if you bring up Sheamus. He proved in a loss at Wrestlemania to the Game, he belonged. The Irish Ghost ran roughshod over everyone and picked up victories along the way, even a short stint as WWE champ, before he lost to Triple H. I believe the loss helped Sheamus's character. I will disagre with Ross when it comes to Nexus losing at Summerslam. The loss hurt the group. Summerslam was the culmination of Nexus becoming the biggest stable, next to DX, in WWE history. Raw's three minute matches didn't help them either. I know we are suppose to be morons when it comes to being a wrestling fan, that's how I feel with the way WWE is booking lately. To bad, I'm a 27 year old and a smart one when it comes to wrestling, disregard my previous ten pay per view picks. I feel I can write a better story at times than the writers. Nexus needed that win at Summerslam. They win and are strong. They lost and are now weak. Did Raw help this week? Nope.

Sheamus had a solid in ring promo to start Raw. He didn't go on forever which is damn good. The story to begin Raw with Sheamus hand picking his opponent was fine by me. The show needed focus and gave it something to play off of the whole night. I didn't read the spoilers so I was intrigued on how Orton was going to end up facing Sheamus. This was a much better start than last week.

Edge and Truth was something new and different. Edge has taken a while to return to top form since returning from the Achilles heel surgery. His first few matches weren't up to par. Now, Edge seems to be back at a 100%. His last few matches on pay per view and Raw have proved he's ready for a long term story. I still think he's been wasted on Raw since the draft. Get him in a damn story and make it last. The WWE title picture isn't it because Raw has Orton, Sheamus and Cena.

Jericho faced his strongest challenge eeeever, make Kahli look like he belongs in the squared circle. Not an easy task for anyone especially Y2J. He's a technical wrestler and Kahli is a big lug. You know how Jericho says he's the best in the world at what he does. Well he was out to prove it and actually backed up his words. The match wasn't horrible and that's saying a lot. If you couldn't tell, Raw was fed a ton of audio. The fans don't boo Jericho that much or scream for Kahli. The writers had to say something like well we need Jericho in this match and he needs an opponent. What about Bourne? No, they had an awesome feud and 3 or 4 great matches. I saw Kahli. These are the WWE writers. Awesome. I was impressed with Jericho slapping on the Walls for the victory. I didn't see that coming.

I was upset last week when Maryse wasn't chosen to face Melina and add Dibiase and Morrison to the feud. Although Jillian isn't a bad wrestler, her character has zero credibility left and desperately needs a change from the bad singer. It's ran on to long. She should be taken off TV for a few months and be retooled into a more serious Diva competitor. The whole LayCool clique or whatever you want to call them is annoying and still entertaining. I don't care much for the BFF title though and find it ridiculous. I would love to see them set up on the 900th episode a Melina versus LayCool match at Night of Champions and eliminate the dumb Diva title. They should have one women's belt for the whole WWE and float between shows like when the split started. I liked that better and it felt more important. Neither title means anything now. My guess is Cool will challenge Melina for her belt so both girl's can have a full belt.

Miz and Cena had a better match than I expected. They are a great example of what Ross was talking about because Miz looked strong in the DQ win. They worked hard and put on quality in ring work. I'm glad Daniel came out and worked the Miz over. He shows a lot of heart and passion in the moves he uses and dare I say Beniot-esque with his crossface. I'd like to see a real match or two between Bryan and Miz before Night of Champion. Perhaps a tag match or two so we can be teased a little more before their first one on one match.

The Uso's are being wasted. Their loss to Kozlov and Santino proves the WWE has no idea how to build a tag team. They were a fresh new tag team who the Dynasty could've had a long feud with and make the tag division relevant. I may not like TNA, they put on some fantastic matches with Beer Money and MCMG. Their tag team division puts the WWE's to shame. That could have changed to a certain degree had the Uso's came in and pushed. Instead, Tamina flirts with Santino and The Uso's job to everyone. They are young and need to take some lumps. I would have done things differently to establish a tag team division.

I won't count Sheamus and Ryder's match as the main event. The real main event showcased 2 guys I like and 1 guy everyone else likes more than me. I'm not saying I don't like Morrison. He's unique and I enjoy watching him. I'm not ready to cresson him the next HBK. Teddy and John's on again off again thing is annoying. John is pushed away from the Nexus and should be written back against Dibiase. Meanwhile, the Viper should be wearing WWE gold. Honestly, what else are you going to remember from Raw other than another mid-air RKO? Orton, again, is the highlight of the night. Sensational timing again and done to perfection. I give both guys a lot of credit to pull that move off, yes even Morrison. Orton is absolutely carrying Raw on his back. I'll be completely serious, he's the only reason I watch Raw. Jericho would be the other if he was put in a damn story or feud.

I was hoping for Bourne not Ryder. Evan "Air" Bourne has been left off Raw two weeks and that's a big mistake. The talented young man shouldn't be left off TV. The other hand, I didn't want either Ryder or Bourne to be squashed in under 15 seconds to Sheamus. If you're going to give us a WWE title match and have it last be that quick, don't give us one at all. It wouldn't have been that hard for Sheamus to say I choose Bourne for a title match tonight and think he's going to pick up a quick victory. This could have happened at around the 9:45 mark of Raw. Bourne comes out and starts giving Sheamus everything he has and makes it a competitive back and forth contest. After several near falls and a match the crowd gets behind Bourne, Sheamus moves as Bourne misses his Air Bourne. Sheamus hits the kick and finally puts Bourne away. As Ross said, we shouldn't value wins and losses. Bourne looks strong and comes ever so close to winning a title. Sheamus gets up and talks and then we get the match that was made. I have mixed emotions over the 6 pack challenge. With 6 guys, it leaves Raw short handed for much else for NOC. However, those 6 are sure to put on a good match. I loved Raw ending with Orton standing tall.

Raw was better, but that's more of a back handed complement. Raw had in ring quality and focus from the start. The 6 pack challenge should lead to some good matches and stories leading towards NOC. It's the perfect time for Miz and the briefcase. He's always the wild card until he cashes. The special next week better blow my mind away (it won't). I can sure hope though. Be sure to listen to Showstoppers and hear them complain. I'll be back next week for what should be a better Raw than we have seen in recent weeks. It can't be much worse.

J Call