By Lee Stevens, Torch specialist

Thank you for joining me as put Raw "Under The Microscope." This is not a complete recap of Monday's show, instead it's a closer, perhaps offbeat, look at the broadcast.

One dollar, Bob

Seth Green had his moments and Dusty Rhodes certainly didn't disappoint, but as for The Microscope, if they ever did a DVD of the Greatest Moments in Raw Guest Host History (attention Shopzone), they need to lead with Robert William Barker. The opening segment certainly wasn't flawless, but Bob Barker eased into "The Price is Raw" as if he never stepped away from his uncomfortably long microphone.

He didn't miss a beat with WWE Superstars on contestant's row rather than the usual Price is Right participants and more than held his ground verbally going up against Chris Jericho. I didn't know if the live crowd would share my excitement over an 85-year-old man, but judging by their reaction, I'm not the only one who was happy to see him back on television.

Taking a closer look at the opening moments, my only criticism is seeing I.R.S. as a contestant. Granted, it allowed the writers to include the joke about "does this include taxes," but I am usually in favor of using a current Superstar when possible and this would have been a good chance to get prime exposure for any number of people, including The Miz, Jack Swagger, or even Festus. Too ridiculous? Not if you consider that every time someone made a bid, a bell rang. I'm not saying it would have changed the world and ended poverty and famine, but I don't see I.R.S. as a young up-and-coming wrestler who needs a few extra minutes.

and a Raspberry Beret!

Chavo Guerrero's bad luck continued at the hands of Evan Bourne, Hornswoggle, and a Super Soaker as he lost out on the chance of winning what is likely the most popular prize on "The Price is Right." There are prizes which are worth more, but nothing gets the crowd going like seeing the curtain open and hearing the announcer yell "A NEW CAR!!" Sadly, Guerrero missed out on the red Corvette.

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler discussed the value of the vehicle and The King admitted that he had a red Corvette, prompting Cole to ask "Was it a little red Corvette?"

"Little Red Corvette" was the name of a hit song by Prince. Although it was released in 1982, it was actually featured on the album entitled "1999." The video was one of the first from an African-American artist to be played on MTV. Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was first and "Little Red Corvette" soon followed.

Other potential "The Price is Right" prizes from Prince songs include "Diamonds and Pearls," "Pink Cashmere," and "Around the World in a Day," although trips are usually reserved for the final Showcase Showdown.

Oh no, the check game

Lawler spent time reminiscing about TPIR, which is understandable, but is list was a bit interesting. "You remember Barker's Markers, Trader Bob, and Stack the Deck," insisted Lawler. Unfortunately, I didn't remember them.

Barker's Markers was also known as Make Your Mark and the UK version features a similar game called Price Tags. The contestant plays for three different prizes and they are show four prices on the game board. Three of those prices match the price of their prizes. They don't have to make an exact match, they simply have to mark the three prices that are correct.
I remembered Trader Bob as soon as I saw the picture of the log cabin play area featuring the general store. In this game, the contestant was shown a small prize as their starting point. The contestant traded up by selecting the prize which was more expensive than the base prize. The process continued for three choices and then all of the prices were revealed. If the contestant had all four items in order from lowest to highest, they would win.
In Stack the Deck, the contestant is shown seven different numbers, in the style of playing cards. Five of those numbers are the price of the car, which they could win. They could "stack the deck" to their advantage and receive three digits of the car's price in the correct position if they guess the correct price of several grocery items.

Although Raw featured a "Body Slam Challenge" and Guerrero wrestled for a car, there were no WWE versions of pricing games. I was expecting a giant Plinko board with Hornswoggle being dropped from the top. Or Cliffhanger, with Hornswoggle climbing the mountain while Jillian Hall yodels in the background. Or the Clock Game with Hornswoggle...okay that one doesn't work nearly as well.

Would you like to borrow a mantle?

I hope you listened closely as the announcers introduced Barker because it featured an amazing number. He was billed as "19 time Emmy Award winner," which is a phenomenal amount. There is a distinction between the Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards, but that takes nothing away from the accomplishment. 14 of the trophies were for Outstanding Game Show Host, more than any other performer. He has four for Executive Producer of TPIR and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

Susan Lucci nearly matched Barker in a decidedly unfortunate way. She was nominated 18 times for Best Actress and lost. She won the 19th try.

Although he's most known for "The Price is Right," he actually hosted several game shows, including "Truth or Consequences," "End of the Rainbow," and "That's My Line."

Yeah, well YOU tell him he's wrong!

I wasn't able to find video, but on February 12, 1981, Douglas Baker was a contestant and advanced all the way to the Showcase Showdown. Why this is relevant on a wrestling website is that Douglas was better known as Ox Baker, who wrestled in the '60s, '70s, and '80s.




You can't spell "a jerk" without A.J.

If you thought White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski handled the slightly negative reaction from his hometown Chicago fans quite well, then you must be new to Pierzynski. The former All-Star readily admits that he has a strong personality, even acknowledging it during the victory parade after the 2005 World Series, when he thanked the team for "putting up with me." His manager Ozzie Guillen understands the catcher's reputation, "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less." He didn't say you love him, you just hate him a little less.

Since the White Sox season is still going, it wasn't a surprise that he didn't get more involved in the festivities, although he does have more experience that your average major league baseball player. In 2005, Pierzynski appeared on TNA television along with Sox trainer Dale Torborg, who wrestled as "The Demon" in WCW. Pierzynski later managed Torborg Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt at the Turning Point pay-per-view. He also appeared on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza," wearing the TNA X Division belt and challenged John Cena who was also a guest that morning.

Whatchu talking 'bout Willis?

Coming out of a commercial break, Jerry Lawler commented on the Chicago skyline, "I think that's the tallest building in the United States." Providing he was looking at the Willis Tower, he would be correct. The building formerly known as the Sears Tower stands at 108 stories and 1,450 feet and is the fifth tallest freestanding structure in the world.

5. Willis Tower (Chicago)
4. Ostankino Tower (Moscow)
3. CN Tower (Toronto)
2. Guangzhou TV Tower (Guangzhou, China)
1. Burj Dubai (Dubai)

Check your cards

D-X's attempted insult towards Legacy brings back a popular portion of The Microscope. Triple H described Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase as "WWE's version of Siegfried and Roy," which makes the third S & R reference on WWE TV this year, starting with John Morrison. If we reach five, I think we win a free set of knives or something. The Game also snidely referred to them as great "partners," leading up to the Siegfried and Roy naming. Apparently, he feels that two men who spend enough time together naturally infers something about their sexuality.

Which reminds me, congratulations to Triple H and Shawn Michaels who have been "partners" since 1997. Well done.

He also added that "we are the white tigers hanging from your jugular," an obvious reference to the brutal tiger attack which left Roy Horn clinging to life. Horn suffered a stroke and still has partial paralysis after one of the show's tigers grabbed him by the jugular. So you can see why Triple H is the one we're supposed to cheer. I've got two words for you, partial paralysis.

The people have spoken!

Thank you to everyone who voted in this week's Raw Microscope poll. At the time I'm writing this, it's too close to call, so in the interest of avoiding run-off elections, protesting the final results, and ending up with Al Franken as the winner, we'll tackle both of the top two vote-getters.

Just as Vanna White achieved some level of fame through her work on "Wheel of Fortune," the "Barker's Beauties" became a household name on "The Price is Right". With Barker's retirement, the women who help showcase the prizes are now simply known as "The Price is Right Models."

Although more than 25 women have served in this capacity, three stand out: Janice Pennington, Dian Parkinson, and Holly Holstrom as they served as a unit from the mid-'70s through the early '90s. Pennington actually started on the show in 1972 with Anitra Ford. Parkinson joined the duo in 1975 and Holstrom replaced Ford the following year.

Parkinson left the show in 1993 to "pursue other interests," according to our most recent Guest Host, but some speculated that she had been clashing with Pennington. The following year, Parkinson filed a lawsuit, claiming that Barker had been sexually harassing her starting in the 1980s. She withdrew the suit in 1995.

Hallstrom was dismissed from the show in 1995, allegedly based on weight gain, however Hallstrom also believes that she was fired because she refused to support Barker in that ongoing lawsuit. Barker sued Hallstrom for libel and slander and Hallstrom counter-sued for wrongful termination and age, weight, and medical discrimination. Hallstrom won the suit in 2005 and received a multi-million dollar settlement....and A NEW CAR! (Okay, the first part is correct.)

In 2000, Pennington was fired and again lawyers were called. Pennington had been called as a witness for Hallstrom's suit. Pennington sued for wrongful termination and settled out of court.

Among the more famous names to don the traditional red swimsuit are Cindy Margolis, Gena Lee Nolin, Nikki Ziering, and Heather Kozar. Ziering was recently seen on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. The rest were most recently seen on some of your computers when you thought nobody was looking.

Just as the Beauties could potentially distract from the show, Barker's great work on Monday night potentially distracted from the pay-per-view which is less than a week away. You didn't forget about it and that's why the other selection which received the most votes was a closer look at "Breaking Point."

"Breaking Point" takes the place of "Vengeance" on the WWE calendar and initial reports claimed this pay-per-view would feature all submission matches, however it has since taking the form of a more typical night, with all of the "main event" matches being won by submission. The name was chosen by fans, with Submission Sunday, Total Submission, and Submit & Quit not gaining enough support.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena will feature "I Quit" rules in the latest version of the match focused on "two words and five letters." Two of the most famous versions of this match include Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard and The Rock vs. Mankind, both remembered for their brutality. Blanchard final cried out those two words when Magnum T.A. was using a piece of wood on Blanchard's forehead. The Rock emerged victorious after 11 unprotected chair shots to the head of a handcuffed Mankind, plus a clever use of a recording of Mankind saying "I Quit."

C.M. Punk and The Undertaker will take the most simple route to the theme as they compete in a submission match. Punk will most likely try for his Anaconda Vise, while Undertaker will forego his chokeslam and tombstone piledriver and revert back to his mat holds.

DX vs. Legacy will use the same submission theme, but will extend it to "Submissions Count Anywhere," a new take on the "Falls Count Anywhere" concept. If you're a vendor, stay alert.

Chris Jericho & The Big Show will face off against MVP and Mark Henry for the Unified Tag Team Titles, new IC champion John Morrison will defend his belt for the first time as he takes on Dolph Ziggler, and The Great Khali will try to avenge the kidnapping of his brother by battling Kane in a Singapore Cane match.

As you watch this Sunday, keep in mind that "Hell in a Cell" is scheduled for October, so any lingering resentments after the show could be settled in a less-than-friendly fashion in a matter of weeks.

Finally

Enjoy some of the more memorable moments from Mr. Barker.





Lee Stevens examines Raw and Smackdown with "Under The Microscope." He misses the comments section. E-mail him at GLStevens.Torch@gmail.com

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