That was one of the best RAW's in a while. I've not heard many complaints. Solid to good matches. No Fluff or fillers (The Diva match is mandatory so not filler) and actually gives you a reason to tune in next week. Something the old Raw's did was give you a reason to tune in next week. For a while Raw became just one giant filler to the next PPV.
What did you expect? Obviously, there will be no CM Punk because he's "gone". So they won't bring him back right away. I know its scripted but they have to play off it for at least more than a day. It would have killed the whole "im leaving with the title" if he showed up on RAW. I thought it was fine for a RAW without CM Punk. Didn't expect the whole ending with Vince being "relieved of his duties". As much as I hate HHH, I do like the "realistic" path, they have been taking with this storyline. Has elements of the Attitude Era while still being PG.
Honestly, I don't watch for the wrestling as much as the conflicts. It just seemed like they could have kept some momentum after Sunday but instead just started over. The Cena/firing storyline has been played out plenty and while the tourney was a good idea, Mysterio vs Miz is just to anti-climatic. Once again, Vince didn't have the balls to turn Cena heel. The opportunity was there Sunday and again last night. The place would have gone nuts if after Cena's emotional speech, Vinnie Mac would have not tried to fire him but gave him a hug and the title back. Cena runs around with the title as a heel for a bit and Punk comes back to reclaim his title at SSeries. Trips coming back was interesting but the crying bit was lame. A nice pedigree and hostile takeover would have been better.
I'm in the middle of watching the PPV right now, and just finished the Raw ladder match. I haven't really been keeping up for a while, but why is Del Rio getting a push? That was the only match of his I've seen, and he was pretty nonexistent, minus some corny behavior.
They did not just start over though. I have a feeling the CM Punk thing is not close to being over, a good storyline has to build up to its crescendo and having CM Punk gone for about 2 weeks if not much longer is good. Besides CM Punk has been talking about taking a break for a while now so I think he's off television for a bit. When he does return though it'll be great. As for the Cena heel turn I doubt it's going to happen. Cena has been the most consistent character in WWE. He never turns and when it does happen it's not going to happen on Monday night. Cena has stood for his values over everything, it's what makes his character so strong. Meanwhile everyone else on WWE has been a heel...face...heel...face...they flip flop every year sometimes yet Cena has been a face for years now. He's so polarizing as it is that you don't want to mess with that. They use him like a tweener any ways. I think a lot of people say 'Turn Punk face and turn Cena Heel' for the inevitable rematch but really...it works well as is. CM Punk is much like Austin, he's supposed to be a heel but people just like him. Even before this stuff he's had people cheer him on. People talk about Cena so much but realize that how they have built Cena up was the reason that this match against CM Punk was so fun because....Cena doesn't lose. He just hardly ever does. As for the sympathetic firing from HHH. That was something new and I liked it. They've done that type of firing many times before, the whole fire the person than beat them up and shame them.
They didn't even mentioned Punk's name throughout the broadcast which sold the whole storyline, which I agree isn't over just on a permanent hold until Punk decides he wants to return. My thing is, build on what Punk left behind, for now, instead of just going in a completely different direction and killing whatever was built. Cena is pretty much at the point where Hogan was before he went NWO. The guy wins so much most people aren't very interested in his character anymore. Those roars don't come from any males over 10, females and kids make up his demographic. A heel turn would be his NWO moment and start the 2nd half of his career, if done right. It didn't work with Austin, many moons ago, because he was always a heel that people were in love with but Cena is to much of a baby face..no one likes the guy because of it. Turning heel is part of the process of wrestling or else...it gets boring. The firing was okay because it kind of has a real life angle to it but just reinforces that fact that this is a different era and the attitude era is long gone. HHH of the past would have cried, waiting for Vinnie Mac to turn around and gave him a pedigree instead of a crying fest. HHH needs to be the heel owner that Vince was so good at, not what we saw last night.
They will return to Punk. But I think they are handling it correctly by semi-moving on. Afterall the Rock thing has been handled the same way. They moved right past the Rock and continued Miz's feud with Cena. No reason to waste time on people who are not going to be there. The story will just play out in the background just like the Rock one has and over the internet with silly pictures of the WWE championship in CM Punk's fridge or of him at the Cubs game taking small shots at WWE. If handled right anyone could turn really. Thing is the Cena face thing has worked, he's been very successful as a face. He's become just like Hogan and has become so polarizing...besides they would still do the turn on a PPV and not on Raw. Besides everyone is expecting it right now, that's not the attitude era. The attitude era did things people didn't expect. Any ways I think Heel Cena would be fun for a while then people would be wanting him to turn yet again. Well you just explained why they needed to do it how they did. Because it's been pushed as a real angle.
The Rock to return at Survivor Series! http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/239279-exclusive-rock-confirmed-for-sseries-major-promo-planned
UFC President Dana White meets with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon http://www.mmamania.com/2011/7/21/2...a-white-meets-with-wwe-chairman-vince-mcmahon Could they possibly be joining forces?
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WOW! CM Punk quitting is probably the best thing that has happened to the WWE in years! Perhaps a HHH/Punk fight next Wrestlemania?
Apparently, WWE cameras were following Punk arounde...he isn't going ANYWHERE. This has the making of Trips/Punk Wrestlemania match of some sort of title.
<object id="ch6569854" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6569854&use_node_id=true&fullscreen=1" width="600" height="338"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="movie" quality="best" value="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6569854&use_node_id=true&fullscreen=1"/><embed src="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6569854&use_node_id=true&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="600" height="338" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object> This wasn't a bad review of the recent events of wrestling...
HAHA, YOu stupid little rey mysterio. CM PUNK Makes an appearance, wonder if he has a new theme. Living Colour
<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7xxgRUyzgs0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The comments section just blew up.
