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WWE Raw Reax #2: "The Chippendale dancers appear as if they have lost one of their cheesiest members." Nov 20, 2007 - 12:08:02 AM
Ken A. of Jacksonville, Fla. (5.0): Best Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga. Worst Match: None. If Chris Jericho is here to "SaveUs," I fear we're already doomed. I've really been looking forward to Jericho coming back to the WWE to inject some fresh life into a horribly stale product, but after just one appearance, he already feels stale himself. With all due respect to effeminate Chippendale dancers, it appears as if they have lost one of their cheesiest members to the WWE tonight. I'm not saying that every WWE wrestler has to be a true "man's man," but something just felt incredibly off about Jericho dancing out in a sequined silver vest, flashing his bright white chompers and short new hairdo, and alluding to his "sexy waist." As your typical 18-34 male, am I supposed to explode for this? The WWE really had an opportunity with Jericho to bring him in as a quasi-serious, credible babyface with a chip on his shoulder, angry about being fired and determined to win back the WWE title. You know, someone long-time fans could actually take seriously as a main eventer. Instead we get yet another tragically unfunny, frolicking clown, who appears more concerned with getting in his next third-grade punchline ("Blue ball magazine" - what a HOOT) than putting over a program that leads to a match. Jericho promised that if he won the World Title, we'd be treated to nonstop entertainment on Raw. I'm afraid of what that means. Overall, a real disappointment. Somewhere along the lines, the WWE writers have become convinced that fans will only respond to babyfaces who craft shitty stand-up routines loosely based around their dislike of their opponents.
Alfonso Sanchez of Central Islip, N.Y. (9.0): Best Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga, Worst Match: Women's Tag Match. Well, Jericho is back and we can all breathe again. A long time fan of Y2J, I would've been satisfied if he returned with a bald head and biker jacket as the new Canadian-American Badass, but that was not to be. His promo was mostly rehash of his old character, but what in WWE today isn't a rehash of the past? It's good to see that he's decided to change his look as not to bore the fans, I guess the '80s glam metal Sebastian Bach vibe isn't popular anymore. Hopefully his return holds relevance and he's able to be a significant part of Raw every week, as he was always one of the most interesting facets of the show for me. Great production value for his return, great hype, great reaction, good delivery. Hopefully it's a smooth ride from here. As for the rest of the show, it was your typical Raw with some filler matches, the women (everyone but Mickie James at least) showing they can still barely wrestle, Triple H being Superman, Shawn Michaels being at least moderately entertaining, and Jeff Hardy getting a rock star reaction from the audience. As popular as he is, I really don't see him breaking on through, as unfortunate as it may be. Ehhh, who cares man, Y2J IS BACK!
Pete Sterpe of Oswego, N.Y. (8.0): Best match: Umaga vs. Hardy. Worst match: Womens Match. From almost top to bottom I enjoyed this show. I rarely watch Raw anymore, but the Jericho hype got me watching tonight. The torch-bearer thing with Orton was clever, and the return of Jericho was done rather well. He looks much more healthy, and is as good as ever on the mic. The crowd was really into him as well. The rest of the show was pretty good as well. The Hardy/Triple H thing has me intrigued, and a new feud between Kennedy and HBK should be good. Rhodes and Holly is kind of weird, but not too bad. Santino is comedy gold, and certainly a reason to tune in. The women looked horrible in there, and I thought someone was going to get hurt. The Finlay/Hornswoggle storyline actually has me interested as well. Poor Carlito though. I have to give him credit, he didn't do a pouty face before jobbing to the little guy. Overall a very good episode of Raw.
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