PWTORCH.COM
VIP SIGN-UP JUMP TO VIP
CONTACT US VISIT MMA TORCH




Select Next Article by Category





WE ARE A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999




prowrestling.NET

WANT MORE NEWS? JASON POWELL, A TEN YEAR VETERAN INSIDER FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL REPORTER, BREAKS NEWS AND OFFERS INSIDER INSIGHT EVERY DAY

MMATORCH.com

CLICK FOR DAILY UFC NEWS, UFC PPV LIVE COVERAGE, DAILY PODCASTS, BLOGS




The Specialists
9/10 WWE Raw Hitlist: Opening Segment, Orton and Cena, Closing Segment
Sep 12, 2007 - 3:21:50 PM


Email This Article - Contact Us - VIP Sign-Up - Back to Home Page

| subscribe to this feed

By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Opening Segment: Raw got off to a pretty good start. It wasn’t great, and it went on too long, but it was still entertaining. Vince McMahon was good in his role. The tease of various possible sons was as well. It was nice to hear the great pop for Jeff Hardy (too bad they spoiled it later). Hardy has a poor reputation on the mic but was pretty good here. John Bradshaw Layfield was entertaining as always. The segment also set up the anticipation for the ultimate reveal at the end of the show. While there were problems with it, it had enough entertainment value to get a Hit.

End of London vs. Cade: While the match itself was too short to get a Hit, it was good while it lasted and had a very good ending. I have enjoyed the times that they have played up the fact that Cade & Murdoch present themselves as being fair and not cheating. It was great during their program a few months back with the Hardys. Unfortunately, WWE went away from it during their brief feud with Cryme Tyme. I was glad to see it back last week, and then they put a nice twist on it this week with Brian Kendrick cheating to help Paul London pick up the win on Lance Cade. Unfortunately, it would have been a better ending if they had played up that side of Cade & Murdoch’s persona a lot more lately.

Orton and Cena: The highlight of the night was the promo from Randy Orton, followed by the “surprise” attack by John Cena. Both are showing more intensity than usual which is good. Orton’s promo was very good. Cena was great. It was also very good to see the security guards actually able to hold Cena back for the most part. Wrestling fans have seen too many pull apart brawls over the years where five or six professional wrestlers are not able to hold back one wrestler from attacking another. Here it was much more believable than what typically happens, as the security guards did keep Cena off of Orton. And then when you thought the segment was over, it got even better when Cena had his face-off with McMahon. His impassioned statement to McMahon was a great way to end the final hype for his match against Orton at Unforgiven. It is too bad it was so early in the show (more later).

Santino Marella: While not as funny as in recent weeks, Santino was still good. He had some funny lines, and had a laugh out loud moment when he broke the Singapore cane over his knee. His match with Sandman was short and sloppy, but his attempts to use the cane was good. He showed more intensity in his backstage attack on Ron Simmons which is good. He is a very funny character and has played his part well. But, it is good for him to get more of an edge and just having him be a total comedy act is likely a mistake. This week he had a good balance between a comedy act and a more serious act, which is good.

Closing Segment: So we come to the final segment, and the ultimate reveal of the identity of Vince McMahon’s son. I will start with the segment itself and move on to the reveal. I enjoyed the fact that they slowly whittled down the roster. The various clues that were given by the lawyer were fun and McMahon’s reactions to the superstars getting eliminated was too. It was great to see them tease that Triple H is the son. It was also great that he wasn’t really the son. Now what about the reveal of Hornswoggle? I have mixed feelings here. I have been rooting all along for a comedy figure (my hope was Sandman) who after weeks of being a thorn in Vince’s side, would be revealed as not Vince’s son, as the rest of the McMahons played an elaborate prank on Vince to get back at him for faking his own death. That is still a possibility. I have to admit to laughing at Hornswoggle’s antics in the ring with Vince, particularly hugging his leg. They had to do something other than Mr. Kennedy since he got suspended. They had to name the son. Who else was it going to be? Whoever was named was going to be stuck being Vince’s son forever. So it makes sense that they wouldn’t put that onto a legit wrestler last minute. Plus it gave Jerry Lawler a chance to get in the line of the year when he said that Hornswoggle really is a “little bastard.” The problem with a comedy reveal is that it happened at the end of the last show before the PPV when they should have been hyping the event (more later).

RAW MISSES

Treatment of Jeff Hardy: After getting a great win over Umaga to capture the Intercontinental Championship last week, and after having him participate in the enjoyable opening segment this week, how did WWE follow up on his great reactions? By having him utterly destroyed by The Great Khali later in the show! How disappointing. Hardy gets better reactions that almost everyone on the roster (including Champion John Cena). In fact, other than Triple H (and he may be included as well) does anyone get better cheers on Raw? I know that they want to show Khali as unstoppable, but why does that have to be at the expense of Hardy?

In Ring Action: The wrestling action on Raw has been poor as of late and this was no exception. Really, the matches weren’t bad, but they weren’t good, and they were all very short. I discussed above how I liked the end of London vs. Cade, but that the match was too short. Triple H vs Shelton Benjamin was a decent length at 8 minutes, but it was interrupted by a commercial break and wasn’t anything special. It had a few nice spots, but nothing to get excited about. Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall was a decent match, but very short. Santino vs. Sandman was short and sloppy. Khali vs. Hardy was short and left a bad taste in my mouth. The show opened and closed with long talking segments. There were several non-wrestling segments throughout the show. They could have easily cut some of that out and presented more action.

PPV Push: The other major problem with Raw was the lack of hype for Unforgiven. In reality, the hype was actually pretty good, but the placement of it was poor. They hyped the Tag Team Championship match in the second segment. They hyped Carlito vs. Triple H and Orton vs Cena fairly early in the show as well. In fact, the latest hype in the show for a PPV match was for the Smackdown Main Event of Khali vs. Batista vs. Mysterio, which they still have two hours on Friday to hype. They needed Orton vs. Cena to be the focus of the show. The Horsnwoggle reveal should have come earlier. The Khali vs. Hardy match should have been the mid point of the show. Then have the Triple H vs. Benjamin match as the “Main Event.” And the end of the show should have been Orton and Cena’s confrontation.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hitlist Specialist, providing his point of view in the Torch's hitlist format for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

Comment on this Article Below (New!)

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)

ALSO DISCUSS MORE SUBJECTS IN OUR PWTORCH FREE FORUM

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA!
VISIT OUR AFFILIATE - PROWRESTLING.NET


For UFC NEWS & BLOGS:
VISIT OUR SISTER SITE - MMATORCH.COM

Upgrade to PWTORCH VIP: DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO


MORE "The Specialists" ARTICLES
MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: Top 10 Wish List for 2009 - Squashes, Swagger, Star Treatment, Shawn vs. Jericho
1/6 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Finlay vs. Swagger, Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
1/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Michaels - Cena, IC Title Match, Legacy, Main Event
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/5 WWE Raw: HBK's "history," Axiomatic Jericho, Substantial Penalty for Early Withdrawal
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE RAW 1/5: Thou shall not come off the top rope, Conflicted HBK, Evil Kelly Kelly, Chumpy Punky
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/2 WWE Smackdown: Triple H selling eBay pics, Not-so-hot history of Smackdown GMs, Paging Boris Zhukov
KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK (highly recommended read!): U.S. Government Remembers the Wrestling Industry
1/2 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: McCool, Edge's Promo, Helms Loses, Big Show & Edge vs. Hardys
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE SMACKDOWN 1/2: Trips plays with Dolls, Kozlov = New Khali, Scary Debut of Kizarny, Saturation, Snail Races
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/1 TNA IMPACT: The perfect example of how to present a best-of show
WWE Misses of 2008: Suspensions, Coach, Adamle, Khali Kiss Cam
The 1st Annual Absurd Awards: Awarding the Very Best and the Very Absurd of both WWE and TNA in 2008
WWE Hits of 2008 - Flair Farewell, Miz & Morrison, Michaels vs. Jericho
12/30 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Dirt Sheet, Finlay & Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 12/30 WWE RAW: JBL-HBK employee relations, How to play Hunter's Monopoly Game, Who played Charlie Snuka's coconut?
ECW Storylines and Feuds - A short edition as WWE wraps up many of the brand's ongoing rivalries
Raw Storylines and Feuds - A look at a possible feud collision, plus a rundown of all the other rivalries
Smackdown Storylines and Feuds - Full analysis on a chaotic main event landscape and more
12/29 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Glamarella, Haas vs. Snuka, Kelly & Orton, Fatal 4 Way
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE RAW 12/29: HBK Melodrama Mania, Designing Raw For Five Year Olds, Mr. Fuzzy Is A Year Old!

(c) 1999-2008 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

Latest Free Podcasts
PWTorch Free Podcast
01/07 Nostalgia Audio: Nostalgia news and history; AWA Wrestling from 1979 and WCCW from 1982, a review of 20 year back issues of the Torch (freeclip)
1/7 East Coast Audio: ECW - Two fine matches, Alicia's debut loss, Boogey is Boogey, End of Hardy vs. Henry? (7 min. clip)
1/5 WWE Raw post-game Show: HBK delivers again, When Bam Neely was relevant, Who's the Boss? (7 min. audio clip)
1/4 East Coast Audio: Smackdown - Sputtering Show, Vickie pics, Kizarny debut (7 min. clip)
1/3 Radican Audio Showcase with Burgan (pt. 2): Radican and Burgan are joined by Torch VIP member DrunkNinjaMast2 for his in-person perspective of ROH's Final Battle 2008. (FREE 5 min. CLIP!)
NEW VIP FEATURE: Vintage Audio Torch Talk Series - Keller's 68 minute British Bulldog interview from 1993 (never-before-heard!) - FREE 7 MINUTE CLIP




ARE YOU VIP? SIGN UP NOW FOR $7.50 A MONTH FOR INSTANT ACCESS TO AD-FREE, BENEFIT-PACKED VIP VERSION OF PWTORCH.COM (see screen capture)
PWTORCH VIP HOME PAGE

INFO ON SUBSCRIPTION TO AD-FREE VIP SITE

INCREDIBLE BENEFITS!
Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business... SIGN ME UP NOW!


PWTORCH READER POLL

Who was the MVP of the Jan. 5 Raw if you saw the event?
John Cena
Chris Jericho
Randy Orton
Shawn Michaels
JBL
Stephanie McMahon
Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston
Cody Rhodes
Sim Snuka
Manu
Kelly Kelly
Jillian Hall
Melina and/or Goldust
Santino & Beth Phoenix
William Regal
C.M. Punk
Cryme Tyme
The Miz & John Morrison
Kane
  

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
PWTORCH YEAR-END VOTING ANNOUNCEMENT: Torch readers nominate top picks for major categories
NEW APP NEWS: Announcing a second pro wrestling news app (free) available for download as of this week
TORCH TODAY RECAP 1/6: Every News Item for Tuesday in one handy guide
WWE News
WWE News: It's back! - WWE launches Vol. 9 of "WWE the Music," including classic themes from Steve Austin and The Rock
WWE News: Tommy Dreamer lists his 2009 New Year's resolutions, including a lofty championship goal
WWE News: WWE expanding officially-licensed products to include old-school gadgets aimed at young males
TNA News
TNA News: Profile of new TNA Knockout appearing on Thursday's Impact against Awesome Kong (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: Rhino discusses wrestling Kurt Angle, his time in WWE, future of TNA
TNA News: TNA heavily discounting tickets for Sunday's PPV with three ticket offers
ROH News
ROH News: Grab your popcorn - first trailer released for ROH's "Rising Above" PPV feat. Nigel vs. Danielson (w/VIDEO)
ROH News: Best 10 minutes of your day - new Video Wire includes Jerry Lynn and Claudio promos (w/VIDEO)
ROH News: Cary Silkin discusses WrestleMania weekend fan convention, Gabe Sapolsky firing, Paul London and TV deal rumors
Other News
Other News: New York Yankees bring in new heel pro wrestler, Mark Teixeira, says Boston columnist
Other News: Why "The Wrestler" was almost scrapped; wrestlers who were used to model Mickey Rourke's character
Other News: Notes from "The Wrestler" U.K. premiere - Mickey Rourke describes most difficult scene; conflict with Marisa Tomei
PPV Reports
KELLER'S WWE ARMAGEDDON PPV REPORT 12/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event - John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
CALDWELL'S WWE ARMAGEDDON PPV REPORT 12/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
TNA Final Resolution ALT PERSPECTIVE mini-recap by Wilkenfeld
TV Reports
ECW ON SCI-FI ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 1/6: Caldwell, Mezzera, Stevens rate and review
1/6 ECW on Sci-Fi Report: Mayer's "alt perspective" report on Swagger vs. Finlay, Hardy vs. Henry, Kennedy DVD drinking game
CALDWELL'S ECW TV REPORT 1/6: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of WWE Sci-Fi show featuring Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry ...again
Arena Reports
12/30 WWE Smackdown Taping Results: Full results of Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 editions taped in New Jersey
12/28 WWE in New York City: John Cena cage match and crowd reaction, Team Rey vs. Team Orton, HBK vs. Kane
12/27 WWE in Trenton, N.J.: John Cena vs. Chris Jericho, Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels, Jack Swagger real deal
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMATorch Briefing: Fight announcements, contributor editorials, ESPN.com covers UFC's attempts at New York regulation
UFC 92 PPV Coverage: Detailed team coverage of Frank Mir vs. Nogueria, Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson, Brock Lesnar at ringside
MMATorch Quick Hit: Penick's Fight Night 16 coverage
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: John Cena is the perfect son Vince McMahon never had
KELLER: WWE lacks basic human decency and judgment one again as they tease: Jeff Hardy might be dead! Stay tuned for update!
KELLER: ROH's new "subscription" plan falls short in about every regard for its fans
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL: Kayfabe Commentaries Owner Disputes My Characterization of Iron Sheik Roast DVD
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 12/29: Stream of Manu Out, Shawn Michaels Sold Out, C.M. Punk Counted Out, and JBL On Top
MITCHELL SHORT: Statistics and Superlatives From WWE Smackdown/ECW Greensboro N.C. House Show
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Tougher Than Chinese Democracy: McNEILL Previews WWE Armageddon 2008!
McNEILL's Mailbag: On WrestleMania, Punk & The DiBiases
Deja Vu All Over Again: McNEILL previews TNA Final Resolution 2.0!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S Daily Word 1/1: Happy New Year, HBK employee program, McMahon and Torch reader response to "The Wrestler"
CALDWELL: Christmas edition of Impact showed TNA's contempt for itself as a pro wrestling promotion
CALDWELL'S MEDIA CLUB: Eddie Guerrero DVD review series - final overview of WWE-produced DVD on Eddie's life and career
RADICAN'S TAKE
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #1 Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Age of the Fall from Driven PPV
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #2 Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries from Rising Above 2008
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #3 Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black
The Specialists
MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: Top 10 Wish List for 2009 - Squashes, Swagger, Star Treatment, Shawn vs. Jericho
1/6 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Finlay vs. Swagger, Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
1/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Michaels - Cena, IC Title Match, Legacy, Main Event
Guest Editorials
GUEST REVIEW: "The Wrestler" will make manly men cry, Mickey Rourke makes you believe he's a wrestler
EDITORIAL: JBL/Shawn Michaels "con" argument - Insulting to fans with real economic issues
EDITORIAL: JBL/Shawn Michaels "pro" argument - Suspend disbelief and enjoy the mic work
Torch Feedback
WWE Raw Reax #2: "Raw was the story of little things adding up to equal big things."
WWE Raw Reax #1: "Angry and conflicted Shawn Michaels is much more effective than sad, facially twitching Michaels"
ECW TV Reax #1: "There was nothing to write home about, but nothing offensive in the last episode of 2008."
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
RADICAN: Iron Sheik gets roasted and hilarity (and controversy!) ensue
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW: Return Engagement (Ibushi-Generico, Briscoes vs. Shelley & Sabin)
RADICAN: Last Call with Raven & Sandman dissapoints despite fantastic production and high expectations
Torch Flashbacks
RATINGS: Vintage 1988 PWTorch ratings of top singles, top tag teams, top all-time masked wrestlers
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (12-29-03): Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H for 30 minutes, Lita & Trish & Stacy, Mick Foley and Steve Austin
POWELL (2003 Flashback): Rock refuses to wrestle Cena at WrestleMania, but he's earned right to reject proposed match
VIP Exclusive Features
PWTorch Newsletter #1061 (18 Pages!): Keller on the Waxman letter, McNeill and Mitchell at the matches, WrestleMania 25 scoops
1/5 Daily Keller Hotline: In-depth walk through Raw with the pros and cons of the current direction and storylines (22 min.)
Tazz wins title on ECW TItle, Keller's ECW Roster Evaluation, Monday Raw Ratings Battle - 1999 PWTorch Newsletter Back Issue (PDF and Text Formats!)
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 1/7: Checking your WCW Saturday Night knowledge - main event 14 years ago
TORCH TRIVIA 1/6: Answer to the main event of the first Raw of 2002 when Triple H returned from his quad injury
TORCH TRIVIA 1/6: What was the main event of the first Raw of 2002 when Triple H returned from his quad injury?
Torch Instant Polls
Who was the MVP of the Jan. 5 Raw if you saw the event?
Rate the 1/5 WWE Raw on a 0-10 scale if you saw the event
Who was the MVP of the Dec. 29 Raw if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
01/07 Nostalgia Audio: Nostalgia news and history; AWA Wrestling from 1979 and WCCW from 1982, a review of 20 year back issues of the Torch (freeclip)
1/7 East Coast Audio: ECW - Two fine matches, Alicia's debut loss, Boogey is Boogey, End of Hardy vs. Henry? (7 min. clip)
1/5 WWE Raw post-game Show: HBK delivers again, When Bam Neely was relevant, Who's the Boss? (7 min. audio clip)
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart