Jeff Hardy Interview: Jeff Hardy is on a major role. He is responding very well to the his current push, and continuing to earn that push as it proceeds. His mic work has improved as of late, and his interview with Todd Grisham was a good example of that. He delivered his lines well, and showed more intensity than we are used to seeing from him. The interview was a good follow up on Randy Orton’s attack last week on Matt Hardy. It updated the audience on his condition, allowed Jeff to sell his state of mind in light of that attack, and allowed him to proclaim his intentions of not just beating Orton at the Royal Rumble, but also taking him out.
Regal vs. Triple H: This was a good, short, intense brawl. It is a shame that William Regal hasn’t been treated with more respect, because it was not very believable that he would be able to hang with Triple H in this setting the way that he did. But, he and Triple H delivered in the match. You really got a sense that they were only trying to cut each other as per the First Blood stipulation. Regal got in a surprising amount of offense which helped give the match a back and forth feel to it. It was nice to see them not just go to the traditional steel chair to the head for the end of the match. Having Hunter punch Regal until he bled was a more powerful image than having him just swing a chair and crush his scull.
Main Event: This was a very good Steel Cage match. Umaga and Jeff Hardy have worked together a lot over the last year, often battling over the Intercontinental Championship. Their matches have gotten better over time as they have started working really well together. The booking of the matches with Hardy being an equal to Umaga as opposed to being a major underdog has helped their quality as well. There was a lot of good action in this match. Umaga’s traditional nerve hold hurt the quality, but there were so many good spots in the match, that you quickly forgot about the rest hold. Randy Orton’s presence at ring side added to the match. He showed so much fire in rallying Umaga to finish off Hardy. The crowd was incredibly into the action, and Jim Ross did a great job calling the match. It all worked together. The crowd fed off the action. Hardy and Umaga fed off the crowd. They also seemed to feed off of Orton. Ross obviously fed off the match itself, and the audience at home fed off his words. The build to the climax of the match was phenomenal. I was expecting Hardy to dive off the cage to the outside on top of Orton. I did not see the Whisper in the Wind coming, and it was an incredible move. That is how you pull off a dangerous high spot, as it actually led to the end of the match, and will truly resonate with the fans for a long time. The final images of Raw, with Hardy on top of the cage looking down on Orton were also very memorable.
RAW MISSES
Raw Roulette: I said during last week’s Impact Hitlist that I was leery about Raw Roulette, and I was right to be. Unlike TNA, WWE gets a pass when it comes to gimmick nights like this, since they do gimmick matches so infrequently compared to TNA. After all, it has been several years since the last Raw Roulette. My problem isn’t so much that they did this gimmick Raw, but that they did it so poorly. The big issue is how inconsistent the wheel spinning was. Some of the matches were determined after the wrestlers were in the ring, others beforehand. Some found out their opponents right before the match, others found out an hour before. Shawn Michaels and Mr. Kennedy found out after getting in the ring that they had to be partners. But, no explanation was ever given as to how their opponents were chosen. Hardcore Holly and Carlito obviously could not have had their stipulation picked after ring introductions, because their stipulation required backstage preparation. It is a good thing that they happened to spin the wheel for their match early enough to prepare for it. The announcers even talked about seeing Hardcore Holly earlier, and how he was upset about having to dress up like Carlito. That makes no sense, although his impression of Carlito was funny. The next time the wheel spun, Vince McMahon ignored the stipulation to have the Divas in a Lingerie Pillow Fight. If he did that on camera, what are we supposed to think of the majority of the spins that happened off camera? The fact that that audience didn’t see most of the spins took away from the concept of the show. If Chris Jericho’s match was supposed to be vs. Snitsky, and McMahon spins the wheel to come up with a handicap match, who determined that Jericho was going to be the one handicapped? And, how was John Bradshaw Layfield picked to be Snitksy’s partner? A few brief explanations would have closed some of the holes in the show. Ultimately, it was the inconsistency of how and when the gimmicks were chosen that took away much enjoyment from Raw.
Regal’s Explanation: This is a time when waiting a few weeks to explain a wrestler’s actions would have been good. I was so intrigued by William Regal’s actions last week, as there were different possibilities as to why he hit Ric Flair. Was he trying to get back in McMahon’s good graces by taking Triple H out of the Royal Rumble? Was he trying to anger McMahon by keeping Flair’s career going? Or, was there something else going on? I was a little disappointed that he gave his answer, and very disappointed at the answer itself. This seems like the safest and laziest way to go, when going a different route could have been much better. Some ambiguity for a few weeks would have worked, as McMahon was so thrilled at Raw Roulette that he wouldn’t give Regal a chance to explain himself. The First Blood match would still have worked, as Triple H would not have cared about Regal’s motives, only the end results of his actions.
Return of Ashley: I have been so happy to not have my least favorite Diva on WWE t.v. for several months. So, I was very disappointed that she is now back.
JBL Chokes Jericho: Some people will criticize this segment, as it reminded them of the way Chris Benoit ended his life. I didn’t think of Benoit until the very end as JBL started to actually string Jericho up. If it had happened last summer, or even in the fall, I would have thought of the Benoit tragedy much sooner. As time goes by, it doesn’t have the same impact. But I am giving this a Miss, because it didn’t work for me. For one thing, it went on way too long. I have never been a big fan of strangling an opponent like this, as it seems to be a line that shouldn’t be crossed. It is uncomfortable to watch. Also, last week when JBL and Jericho were just punching each other, security came out to break it up in about five seconds. Here, when JBL is choking Jericho and dragging him around the ring for several minutes, security was nowhere to be found. It is one of those inconsistencies in Sports Entertainment that drive me crazy. If security comes out to break up a fight, then they have them come out in this situation.
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.
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