Wwe Raw 1/26/2004

[DMScott]

I dont see how the Trish/Christian/Jericho angle is much different than the Miss Elizabeth/Hogan/Macho Man fued of the 80's. That was a huge angle that was very very popular.

It's different in at least three important ways:

1) The Hogan/Savage/Liz triangle involved two wrestlers battling over Liz and the world title. The Christian/Trish/Jericho triangle involves Trish and Christian competing for Jericho with various related misunderstandings, which is a different dynamic.

2) The older angle pushed both guys' careers, keeping them at the top of the card (since the world title was involved). The current angle has lead to all three participants dropping down the card - Jericho and Christian are no longer in the tag title picture (since everyone knows they're going to split) and aren't contending for any singles title, while Trish has been backed off from her feud with Molly.

3) Hogan/Savage/Liz blew off the love triangle quickly so they could get down to actually having matches and a wrestling feud; this one is developing much more slowly. Glacially slow, in fact - there's a real danger the WWE's writers will decide they need to try some "clever" swerve to surprise everyone, and screw up the relatively decent idea of "turn Jericho face because Raw is very light on faces, feud with Christian to put some great matches on TV and a PPV blowoff." The longer it takes them to do that, the more likely the writers are to do something stupid like reveal that Trish and Christian are conspiring to drive Jericho insane and end up giving him a phantom of the opera gimmick or some such thing.

I dunno, maybe I'm jaded, but all I really want to see is Jericho and Christian deliver some high quality matches, then see both guys move on to bigger and better things. The high school soap opera, while showcasing that Jericho, Christian, and Trish can all do comedy sketches as well as wrestle, isn't necessarily progressing towards that happy outcome.

Also, isn't Jericho married in real life? I mean I've flipped trhough the Unscripted book and a quote about his wife is on the back cover.

Yeah, he got married three or four years ago, I believe. The article on canoe.ca says he had guests from all three major organizations at the time (WWF, WCW, ECW), so it was before the buyout. But that sort of thing isn't a big deal for wrestling storylines.

 

[Eternalknight]

We don't get RAW until Friday in Australia (Smackdown! is on Saturday). Here are my thoughts on RAW. Bare in mind I'm a dedicated fan, but have only been so for the last two-three years; before that I used to just watch it on and off.

Y2J, Trish, Christian:
I like this angle. I think the slow build up is what is needed, rather than another rushed storyline. I think the longer it builds, the more memorable it will be. Jericho will turn face (obviously), and I think Christian will go on to partner Matt Hardy (boy has he got the shaft since moving to RAW). Not sure what they'll do with Jericho after this angle ends.

Chris Benoit:
I knew Benoit was going to RAW (damn friends who read internet sites). While I was told he would be fighting HHH at Wrestlemania, it was interesting to see him involve Shawn Michaels in his promo. Maybe Shawn will feature somehow? Maybe he will win the world title?

Undertaker
I remember them doing this sort of build up back in WCW when Sting was coming back after injury. I liked it then, I like it now. Not sure whether the feud will be on Smackdown or RAW, but I'd tip RAW.

Goldberg/Lesnar
I can't wait to see this. I think this will be a great feud. I'm thinking Goldberg won't immediatley jump to Smackdown, if he jumps at all. But i can see him doing some run-ins at Smackdown to disrupt Lesnar and have Lesnar constantly looking over his shoulder, much like with Hardcore Holly. On that topic, I think booking Lesnar as a coward is wrong. He could have been to WWE what Goldberg was to WCW.

Mick Foley/Randy Orton:
What a promo! How weird was it seeing Foley do that promo with spit hanging off his face?!? From what I've been told, and from the brief 'Rock and Sock' reunion on RAW a month or so ago, I think we will see Rock return at Wrestlemania to partner Foley against Orton and... someone. It'll be someone from Evolution, possibly Batista? Or, if Shawn Michaels wins the World Title and faces Benoit in the main event, Orton and HHH? It would kind of make sense, since they did the whole HHH-rteired-Foley angle a while back.

Theodore Long:
I'm so sick of the racism angle. I just wish they'd get on with it. Good thing we didn't see Coach on commentry doing it as well.

Coach:
I love seeing Coach get smashed. I don't like the guy. And hopefully they never having commentating again.

Women's Division:
Stacy and Miss Jackie? I'd pay to see them! I didn't mind the T&A... It looks like they may be turn Victoria face? With her character that would be interesting.

 

[NateDog]

DMScott: I was trying to put into words how this angle is different from the Hogan/Macho/Miss Elizabeth angle, but you did a far better job than I could have

Y2J, Trish, Christian:
I like this angle. I think the slow build up is what is needed, rather than another rushed storyline. I think the longer it builds, the more memorable it will be. Jericho will turn face (obviously), and I think Christian will go on to partner Matt Hardy (boy has he got the shaft since moving to RAW). Not sure what they'll do with Jericho after this angle ends.

While I've enjoyed the slow build up as well (as it is relatively rare now), I sort of agree with DMScott when he said

I dunno, maybe I'm jaded, but all I really want to see is Jericho and Christian deliver some high quality matches

Chris Benoit:
I knew Benoit was going to RAW (damn friends who read internet sites). While I was told he would be fighting HHH at Wrestlemania, it was interesting to see him involve Shawn Michaels in his promo. Maybe Shawn will feature somehow? Maybe he will win the world title?

I would imagine that TripleH and Shawn Michaels will have a rematch on RAW in the next few weeks, as No Way Out is a SmackDown PPV.

Goldberg/Lesnar
I can't wait to see this. I think this will be a great feud. I'm thinking Goldberg won't immediatley jump to Smackdown, if he jumps at all. But i can see him doing some run-ins at Smackdown to disrupt Lesnar and have Lesnar constantly looking over his shoulder, much like with Hardcore Holly. On that topic, I think booking Lesnar as a coward is wrong. He could have been to WWE what Goldberg was to WCW.

I have a feeling Goldberg won't make his prescence felt until No Way Out (By the way, does anyone think Eddie will win the title at No Way Out?). As for the coward thing, they have to do that, I mean when he first came in and was viscious (sp?), it only took a month or two for him to get face heat. I agree that the cowardly thing isn't really plausible, I don't think anything else can keep him a heel for any length of time.

Mick Foley/Randy Orton:
What a promo! How weird was it seeing Foley do that promo with spit hanging off his face?!? From what I've been told, and from the brief 'Rock and Sock' reunion on RAW a month or so ago, I think we will see Rock return at Wrestlemania to partner Foley against Orton and... someone. It'll be someone from Evolution, possibly Batista? Or, if Shawn Michaels wins the World Title and faces Benoit in the main event, Orton and HHH? It would kind of make sense, since they did the whole HHH-rteired-Foley angle a while back.

While I wouldn't mind seeing The Rock in Foley's corner, I think the Foley/Orton angle should be resolved in a one on one fashion.

Coach:
I love seeing Coach get smashed. I don't like the guy. And hopefully they never having commentating again.

If he's gonna be on TV, then yeah, I'll watch him get his butt kicked. I just don't see how Goldberg kicking him around helps Goldberg. I don't like him either

Women's Division:
Stacy and Miss Jackie? I'd pay to see them! I didn't mind the T&A... It looks like they may be turn Victoria face? With her character that would be interesting.

I didn't really catch the Victoria thing at the time, but thinking about it, she would be a very unusual face. I didn't mind the T&A, it just bothered me (yeah, I know it's none of my business) that she is possibly throwing away a possible future as a good worker. I thought that the WWE's goal was to get women who could work in addition to being T&A. Anyhow, YMMV, IMHO, etc.

 

[DMScott]

I would imagine that TripleH and Shawn Michaels will have a rematch on RAW in the next few weeks, as No Way Out is a SmackDown PPV.

It would not shock me at all if the WM match becomes a triple threat with HHH, Michaels, and Benoit. That way HHH can protect himself by calling for yet another screwball ending.

I didn't really catch the Victoria thing at the time, but thinking about it, she would be a very unusual face. I didn't mind the T&A, it just bothered me (yeah, I know it's none of my business) that she is possibly throwing away a possible future as a good worker.

I believe Playboy has already announced the two who'll be in the pictorial, Lawler's babbling is just to build hype among WWE fans. If memory serves, it'll be Torrie and Sable.

I thought that the WWE's goal was to get women who could work in addition to being T&A. Anyhow, YMMV, IMHO, etc.

From the way the women's matches are usually presented, I don't think the WWE much cares if they work or not. It's amazing that they deliver consistently good matches considering how little respect they get from the announcing crew (primarily Lawler).

 

[Capellan]

It's amazing that they deliver consistently good matches considering how little respect they get from the announcing crew (primarily Lawler).

I would pay money never to hear the word "puppies" from that man again.

I understand that he's playing a role, but it's not one I enjoy.

The storyline I would most like to see end at the moment is RVD's shots at the Intercontinental Belt. It's time for a new challenger.