"WWE RAW" Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

RAW come to you from England tonight with Backlash coming one week closer. Blackpool's William Regal has booked himself against WWE Champion Randy Orton. How will the GM fair in his home country?


http://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/wwe.jpghttp://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/raw.jpgFour for the Title
April 14, 2008

The anticipation for the WWE Championship Fatal Four Way Match at Backlash can’t be contained by America’s shores, as the Superstars battle in merry old England when Raw airs from London’s O2 Arena.

With both Triple H and John Cena interjecting themselves into the WWE Title foray last Monday, the one-fall WWE Championship contest between Randy Orton, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, The Game and Cena looks to be a chaotic matchup. Who will make the first move to get a leg up on their competition, either physically or psychologically, in this battle of four current and former WWE Champions.

General Manager William Regal announced that he'll face the Legend Killer in the ring Monday night, in an attempt to teach the WWE Champion "some respect." In front of his countrymen, will Regal and his formidable "Power of the Punch" be able to derail the champion? We’ll find out in Londontown as Raw airs live.

Also, Women's Champion Beth Phoenix will put her title on the line as Mickie James earned an opportunity for the gold last week with her tag team victory. Despite holding the Women's Title once herself, Mickie has never recorded a win against The Glamazon. Can she carry the momentum from last week into tonight and snap her losing streak to Beth?

As the buildup to the battle between two of WWE’s top Superstars continues to boil, Shawn Michaels and Batista will both be in the O2 Arena Monday night. Will they be able to keep things civil until they step inside the ring at Backlash? Or will the tension be broken with fisticuffs as The Animal continues to blame HBK for the retirement of his mentor, Ric Flair? London “bobbies” might want to be on their toes while providing security.

And the heat continues to be turned up in the tag team division, as contenders jostle for position. With Paul London & Brian Kendrick and Carlito & Santino Marella earning wins on Raw, plus the return of the dangerous Cryme Tyme, should World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly be watching their backs?

We’ll find out all the answers to these questions and more as Monday Night Raw airs live from London, England at 9/8 CT, only on USA Network.

And for Raw's return from England on April 21, WWE invites Democratic Presidential nominee hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to settle their differences inside the ring.

[VCXZX]

I'm very happy that KOTR is returning. It won't be the same without Booker. But hopefully someone will be elevated, like so many other KOTR tourneys. And my personal favorite is one Santino Marella. Him as King would be comedic gold. Plus he would be all over fellow king Jerry Stupid Lawler. And that would be gold as well.

Seems as if Jericho is turning heel now. Nothing wrong with that. He needed some freshening up of his character. Hopefully he's not angry generic heel and he's able to regain some of the old-school 1998 antics that helped him become a superstar.

Overall, a decent RAW.

[Jaguar]

Once again, I'm pretty pleased with the quality/quantity of the matches, the tag-team continuity, a pleasantly good women's match, and the interview and backstage segments. The writing is still holding fast from WM24.

Whatever this Obama/Clinton thing will be next week will probably break this streak. (ESPECIALLY if it's like that absolutely horrible Trump/Rosie match from last year.)

But the fact that KING OF THE RING (one of my all time favorite WWE institutions!) is returning next week might offset this, I hope.

[SirLemming]

I'm very happy that KOTR is returning. It won't be the same without Booker. But hopefully someone will be elevated, like so many other KOTR tourneys. And my personal favorite is one Santino Marella. Him as King would be comedic gold. Plus he would be all over fellow king Jerry Stupid Lawler. And that would be gold as well.
Oh man, THAT would be amazing.

I'm glad to hear about KOTR. Should be a pretty cool television event. Though I have no idea how "Hillary vs. Obama" will be worked into it. I guess the wrestlers will need a break.


I'm glad to see Jericho turn heel, because he was starting to seem too pompous to be a face. I guess that was the plan, but in any event, I think he works better as a heel anyway.

And no Cena? Wow. I loved the sign that said "John Cena: for ages 5-12".

The women's match was very good, if a bit sloppy. There was good one-on-one drama to it.

Orton vs. Regal was excellent until the "k, i win now" ending. Why does Randy Orton have super powers?

[hobbyfan]

Ok, so the ducks are now in a row for HBK. Figure at the worst Jericho screws him over at Backlash to start a fresh program for the two of them. That means Jericho isn't long for the IC title. Best bet to take that from him might be Paul Burchill, who didn't waste any time squashing Hacksaw.

Jericho turning heel, though, I can't say I agree with 100%. Right now, he's #4 on the face depth chart, but it's the same on the heel side. Remember, he's buried behind Orton and J-Me-L on that side of the ledger. Not much diff.

With Cena and Kennedy both away on movie shoots (Cena in N'awlins, Kennedy in Puerto Rico), at least Burchill got some spotlight time in front of the homies, but when is Katie going to wrestle on TV?

So Mickie's now a 4-time champ, ending Beth Phoenix's run after 6 months. Or is it 7? I think JR might've gotten his dates mixed up. Unforgiven is in September. Beth won the title on Raw on 10/7.

Somehow, I get the notion Katie will end up with the women's title before the end of the summer.

I'm sorry, but right now, they need to keep Santino away from the mic. Unlike the rest of y'all, his modern day Norm Crosby routine gets old very quickly.

For those of you who don't know, Crosby was a deaf comedian whose schtick was largely doing a lot of malaprops, mangling names and such. Which is what Santino is doing. No way does a moron like Gewirtz come up with that gimmick. It's before his time!

So King of the Ring, which was Smackdown exclusive 2 years ago, returns next week. No draft----yet. Probably being saved for the summer. That plus the comitragedy of "Hilary" vs. "Obama", aka "Rosie vs. Donald, the sequel". Speculate, gang. Who's in the field for King of the Ring '08?

[The Penguin]

After what happened last week, I was glad to see JBL confront Regal, but the GM really held his own against the New York cowboy. William Regal is really start to evolve into a strong general manager.

Even though he played into it well, I’m disappointed Chris Jericho has been inserted into the HBK-Batista feud. Y2J made some good points, but it felt unnecessary. I didn’t want him in the match, but Regal making him the referee isn’t much better. You can’t find a spot for the Intercontinental Champion on the PPV?!

With Rhodes & Holly as the Champs, I’m not surprised that Carlito & Santino won, but that doesn’t mean I’m very happy about it. London & Kendrick didn’t split apart because of it so I guess that’s a good thing. Brian seemed more mad at the referee.

Mickie James finally beat Beth Phoenix! I think it’s at least in part because we lost the no doubt planned feud with Candice (regardless of who would have been champ at the end), but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. They really celebrated too with Mickie being so excited she kissed Todd Grisham! I bet Mike Adamle would have liked to have had that interview!

Well it seems like none of the tag teams are getting along famously right now. I’d like to see Cade do better, I bet he doesn’t.

A one-night King of the Ring tournament?!!! :cool: It may not be on PPV, but I am thrilled!! This is the way KOTR was meant to be! I hated the years when some of the matches were held on WWE TV. Of course is they make it a four-man tournament or something, my excitement will go down.

Orton-Regal was pretty good, but it felt really short too. I’m sure it’s a thrill for Regal to compete on his home turf regardless of outcome, but he sure seems to lose most of the time.

Chris Jericho managed to survive Umaga and keep his title. The big man seems to be learning even without someone to guide him. I don’t know that I would call Y2J lucky, but his title was certainly threatened.

Well, one of the Brits won. Ol’ Hacksaw didn’t fair very well against Burchill who was actually on RAW for a change.

It’s tough to find complete info that goes back that far, but I find it surprising that Bradshaw and Helmsley have never faced each other. I’m pretty sure JBL has never faced Triple H, but I’d be curious to know if that’s 100% correct.

Did they say why John Cena wasn’t there? I was surprised he was missing from even the main event aftermath. After Orton dropped Triple H I was warning him to watch out for JBL, but then they teamed up again. But as soon as Orton was getting ready to run, I knew his head was going to get taken off.



Seems as if Jericho is turning heel now. Nothing wrong with that. He needed some freshening up of his character. Hopefully he's not angry generic heel and he's able to regain some of the old-school 1998 antics that helped him become a superstar.

I'm glad to see Jericho turn heel, because he was starting to seem too pompous to be a face. I guess that was the plan, but in any event, I think he works better as a heel anyway.I think you two are forgetting that after Jericho "turned heel" he was picked on by William Regal and then booked against Umaga, the ultimate "make the face hurt" opponent on RAW. Doesn't sound very heel-like to me.

[SirLemming]

I think you two are forgetting that after Jericho "turned heel" he was picked on by William Regal and then booked against Umaga, the ultimate "make the face hurt" opponent on RAW. Doesn't sound very heel-like to me.
True, but he cheated to win, and it really didn't seem justified either. It wouldn't be the first time someone has temporarily turned heel in Britain, but I do think they've been sowing the seeds.

[PTurkey]

Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James was pretty good. Certainly comparable to TNA's big women's matches. Dug this one more than the IC title one.

Such a weird time for King of the Ring. So close to Backlash, just announced the week before, almost like they had no material for a 3 hour RAW and they just decided to do this. It would've been better had there been a week of preliminary rounds for hype, then had a PPV or 3 hour RAW host the final rounds. I ain't complaining though; tournaments are pretty sweet in general. My KOR pick will be UMAGA.

Obama vs. Clinton will be the most awesomely stupid segment of this century only if Obama comes out to a parody of The Rock's music and rips off The Rock's catchphrases, if you smell what Barack is cooking.

[The Penguin]

True, but he cheated to win, and it really didn't seem justified either. It wouldn't be the first time someone has temporarily turned heel in Britain, but I do think they've been sowing the seeds.To beat Umaga. John Cena or Triple H would cheat to beat Umaga too. No one is upset Umaga was cheated. Faces aren't angels, but they are booked against Umaga and picked on by the mostly heel general manager.

[TheVileOne]

RAW was a good show tonight. Mickie James and Beth Phoenix certainly proved that the WWE Women's Title can be a lot more than just a vanity belt for glorified models with inflated chests. They had a good match and James got a clean victory for the title. Lawler incorrectly stated that no one had beaten Phoenix, but Candice Michelle did in fact beat her when Phoenix had her first shot at the title.

Orton/Regal was good. THIS is the way Orton should be booked. Orton has totally come into his own as a great heel champion. Not to mention he's winning matches clean. Booking has done a good job of establishing Orton more as a sneaky heel that can figure out ways to beat you INSTEAD of an incompetent heel that blatantly disqualifies himself in order to keep his title. So now he's gotten clean pinfalls in the triple threat at Mania, he cleanly beat Hardy in a good match on RAW. And now he cleanly beats Regal as well. It would be stupid for Orton to lose the title at this point. HHH and/or Cena don't need the title right now. Following Backlash, HHH should go into a singles feud with Cena.

Wow, Umaga and Jericho ended up having a good match for the IC title. Totally lame that the now more heelish Jericho isn't facing someone like CM Punk for the title at Backlash. Having him referee HBK/Batista is a waste. Still great match between these two. The finish made sense for Jericho's character and the match made total sense. Jericho even though he's a heel still played a great underdog against Umaga.

Overall good RAW this week.

[Tapout]

It’s tough to find complete info that goes back that far, but I find it surprising that Bradshaw and Helmsley have never faced each other. I’m pretty sure JBL has never faced Triple H, but I’d be curious to know if that’s 100% correct.
I was able to find a Rock & APA vs. HHH, Bossman, and Bull Buchanan match from Smackdown in April of 2000, but other than than that nothing came up. Back when they were midcarders in the mid-90s they were both heels and wouldn't have faced each other.

I'm glad to see Jericho turn heel, because he was starting to seem too pompous to be a face. I guess that was the plan, but in any event, I think he works better as a heel anyway.
I've said it before: everybody in the history of the business is better as a heel except Sting and maybe the Undertaker. Even uber-face Hogan had more depth, if not any more talent, during the nWo era.

Maria also defeated Beth Phoenix (with the help of Candice) when Santino somehow invoked the "if you lose you can't be in Playboy" thing. More revisionist history from WWE.

[SirLemming]

To beat Umaga. John Cena or Triple H would cheat to beat Umaga too. No one is upset Umaga was cheated. Faces aren't angels, but they are booked against Umaga and picked on by the mostly heel general manager.

He also did a fakeout entrance, which is a classic heel move. It certainly didn't sound like the fans appreciated it when Ric Flair's music came on and Chris Jericho walked out.

I'm calling a heel turn now; we'll see what happens next week.

[hobbyfan]

It’s tough to find complete info that goes back that far, but I find it surprising that Bradshaw and Helmsley have never faced each other. I’m pretty sure JBL has never faced Triple H, but I’d be curious to know if that’s 100% correct.

Did they say why John Cena wasn’t there? I was surprised he was missing from even the main event aftermath. After Orton dropped Triple H I was warning him to watch out for JBL, but then they teamed up again. But as soon as Orton was getting ready to run, I knew his head was going to get taken off.

1. I, too, addressed the prospect of a previous Bradshaw-HHH meeting in filing my report, which I hope should be up on www.2xzone.com (http://www.2xzone.com) later this week. That's the way McMahon operates. He expects his audience to forget certain things.

2. No mention of Cena, other than plugging the title match. That he wasn't in London means he was in New Orleans on his movie shoot. I mentioned that earlier in this thread.

[Jaguar]

I think Y2J should play the tweener for a while, then as the HBK/Batista feud wraps up (perhaps with him screwing HBK over as the special ref), he should start a program with HBK immediately as a heel (though, honestly, who could boo Y2J without him resorting to a cheap gimmick?).

[Tapout]

I think Y2J should play the tweener for a while, then as the HBK/Batista feud wraps up (perhaps with him screwing HBK over as the special ref), he should start a program with HBK immediately as a heel (though, honestly, who could boo Y2J without him resorting to a cheap gimmick?).
The same people who cheer John Cena.

[bigddan11]

I think Y2J should play the tweener for a while, then as the HBK/Batista feud wraps up (perhaps with him screwing HBK over as the special ref), he should start a program with HBK immediately as a heel (though, honestly, who could boo Y2J without him resorting to a cheap gimmick?).
Y2J was booed for coming out to Ric Flair's music, but he was also booed for challenging Regal and requesting to be added to the match. The second one wasn't a cheap gimmick.

King of the Ring returns with all three brands participating. That's cool. I only hope the winner doesn't remain "King Booker" permanently. I always felt Booker was better as a face than his cheap "King Booker" gimmick.

I was surprised RAW focused mostly on wrestling. I can't say I was expecting 2 championship matches, but finally Beth Phoenix was defeated by Mickie. I only wish they had built up on the rivalry instead of ignoring it for 1 1/2 months. Carlito and Santino were ignored as a tag team for a few months, so I'm surprised that they are the #1 contenders.

Heat on RAW continues with Hacksaw and Burchill appearing, in addition to the tag teams. I wish the match had gone on longer.

JTG defeated Trevor Murdoch. Who wants to bet next week will be Shad versus Lance Cade will be next week? I wish they weren't doing this Cade/ Murdoch split up again. They did it three years ago, and then both of them were banished to Heat until they reunited. It also made the tag division be only 2 teams. At least this time it will be 3 and possibly 4 (Londrick, Cryme Tyme, Carltio & Santino, and (if they return) The Highlanders).

No Cena makes me happy. Orton defeating Regal was no surprise, and frankly neither was the HHH/ JBL match. I turned it off because I suspected some sort of run in, and I didn't want to see Cena or Orton (again).

[Fifi Fanatic]

Nobody's mentioned Santino's latest gem yet?: "We are the true weiners." In the immortal words of Yakko Warner: "Just remember, you said that, I didn't." :anime:

I have to give this week's Raw a big thumbs-up for all the reasons already mentioned. Hopefully KOTR will overshadow the Obama/Hillary "match" next week....