"WWE RAW" 4-25-10 Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Tonight, "the Universe as you know it will change" with the 3-hour WWE Draft. With the elimination of ECW, Superstars will go from RAW to SmackDown or SmackDown to RAW for the first time since the 2005 staggered Draft. The action starts at 8 p.m. ET tonight.

See the Draft and all the fallout from Extreme Rules (http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showthread.php?t=267363) in ten minutes!


http://www.wwe.com/content/media/touts/splash/images/14255464WWE RAW #883
Monday, April 25, 2010 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on USA Network

SHAKIN' THINGS UP
Live on a special three-hour Raw, the 2010 WWE Draft shakes up the foundation of sports-entertainment, reshaping the rosters of Raw and SmackDown. Tune in to see the entire WWE landscape get completely altered, beginning at 8/7 CT.

'HART' TO KILL
The Hart Dynasty has refused to desist in their quest for their golden opportunity. At Extreme Rules, David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd defeated Show-Miz to earn a Unified Tag Team Title Match live tonight on Raw.


This thread is to discuss tonight's RAW only. Spoilers for iMPACT! are not appropriate here as all may not be able to watch the show this evening. Put another way: No iMPACT! Spoilers!

"TNA iMPACT!" Talkback (Spoilers) (http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showthread.php?t=267407)

[The Penguin]

I am having to tape the Draft tonight and plan to watch it as soon as it is over. As a result, the typical 'Best Draft pick of the night' poll will be added late tonight/early this morning or tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

[MetroSparkster]

I always forget the 3-hour specials always start at 8PM. What did I miss so far?

[Azrayel]

I always forget the 3-hour specials always start at 8PM. What did I miss so far?

ShoMiz vs Hart Dynasty for the titles opened the show. Hart Dynasty won the belts.

Second match Simply Flawless/Lay-Cool vs Eve Torres and Maryse. Smackdown team won and gets a raw diva pick.

Smackdown got Kelly Kelly

CM Punk vs Evan Bourne. Punk won with a masked man's help, which gave the smackdown roster another draft pick. They got

Big Show

and I think thats all that happened within the first hour.

[RedNinja84]

With Cole and Striker both there, the announcers are really annoying tonight.

[Kindness King]

Since when is Stryker annoying? Cole I could understand (even though I like him) but...


Anyway, Christian/Jericho was superb. Also, that was another great match between Swagger and Morrison. Those two have been bringing out the best in one another recently, and this was no exception.

[Azrayel]

Thank you Dolph Ziggler for beating up Hornswoggle. That beating truly made this an awesome Raw.

[TnAdct1]

My take on the people going to Smackdown: I think I can see where WWE is going when it comes to the draft ths year at least when it comes to Smackdown:

1. By moving the "bigger" names (i.e. Edge and Chris Jericho) to Raw while Kofi and Christian go to Smackdown (and with Jack Swagger currently the Smackdown champion), I think WWE is giving those wrestlers with "potential", but are stuck in mid-carder status thanks to the "big names", a chance to shine on Smackdown.

2. With the impending move to Scy Fy, it's best to have wrestlers that are already well known to viewers on that channel (thanks to ECW) be on the that program when the move takes place later this year.

[KJ Styles]

The draft was weak. Smackdown really looks like a B-show as a result.

Don't get me wrong, I like Kofi Kingston and Christian, but neither of them are main eventers as of yet, and could have benefitted from a main event rub from someone like Orton or Jericho. The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio are the only true main eventers remaining on Smackdown.

I also don't understand why they had Edge cost Orton the match. Edge has just returned a few months ago, was getting over as a face and now he's back to being a heel. It makes no sense. If they were gonna have Orton and Edge feud, it should have been with Orton as the heel.

The supplemental draft needs to be blockbuster or this years draft looks mediorce. The show from a wrestling standpoint was pretty good, but from a draft standpoint it sucked.

[Marvin Tikvah]

Honestly, I like it better than last year where predictability was tossed out the window and it became obvious the draft picks were all "groundbreaking" but convenient.

SmackDown gets gutted of talent as usual, but at least this means more new guys get a chance to main event. I'm excited at seeing Christian, Swagger, Kofi, Mysterio, Show and Taker having series of matches for the next year. Raw is completely stacked which is understandable since both HBK and Triple H are going to be out for some time.

I'm expecting at least a few more midcarders to make the jump tomorrow. Please move MVP back to SmackDown where he can be the old cocky heel again.

[Azrayel]

I also don't understand why they had Edge cost Orton the match. Edge has just returned a few months ago, was getting over as a face and now he's back to being a heel. It makes no sense. If they were gonna have Orton and Edge feud, it should have been with Orton as the heel.

Orton was just made face around the same time as Edge. So it wouldn't make sense either.

Besides Rated R Superstar/ultimate oppertunist Edge is awesome. I've hated how the writers/fans made Edge face. he just isn't cool that way.

Overall pretty good show. The draft always looks like the draft from my svr game.

Because Edge, R-Truth, and Morrison have been on my Raw for awhile and my smackdown also has Kofi Kingston and big show on it.

[Ioz]

Edge is a natural heel. I'm glad to see him back in that role. I thought before the show that Randy might be drafted to Smackdown, but I guess not. Techniquely, isn't Batista a Smackdown wrestler and Swagger a Raw wrestler? So if you win another brand's title they just let you stay there if you lose it (as in Batista's case). Batista's contract runs out this summer, so I doubt he will be around anywhere much longer.

[bigddan11]

Dang it. I had to go to Annie rehersals and missed the half an hour in which Christian was drafted to SmackDown! That ticks me off because dang it WWE, give us a Christian vs. Edge feud already. The purpose of the Draft was to create new rivalries, so all of the sudden we get a continuation of Edge vs. Jericho and a restart of Edge vs. Orton. Jericho is moved back to RAW after only a year on SmackDown!, so what tag team will they create next- Jericho and The Miz (since they've done ShowMiz and Y2Show already).

Let's look at the SmackDown side folks. If Evan Bourne and Yoshi Tatsu are drafted to the SmackDown! side tomorrow (both of which I fully expect to occur), then all of the sudden everyone that was on ECW on Syfy, outside of Mark Henry and Willian Regal (both of which have a history of being traded in the Supplemental Draft), will be on the SmackDown! roster when they move to Syfy. It makes no sense to have moved Christian, Yoshi, and William Regal to RAW for a whole two months if you were just going to move them back to SmackDown! and back to Syfy. As for saying Undertaker and Rey are the only main eventers on SmackDown!, I still disagree. You also have Kane, and you can add The Big Show and Chrstian to that list of people that will contend. Heck, Kofi will likely be a main eventer on SmackDown! after his performance last year.

[hobbyfan]

Reviewing the picks:

From Raw to Smackdown:

1. Kelly Kelly. Team Layme-o just found themselves a new pidgeon to play with, but we'll see how long that lasts.

2. Big Show. :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:! Been there, done that. We'll see if he's reunited with Piggy Guerrero.

3. Kofi Kingston. Drew McIntyre, meet your next challenger for the IC title!

4. Christian. I believe it was one year ago tonight that he beat Jack Swagger for the ECW title. Can lightning strike again? Plus, Christian returns to the brand he was on before leaving for TNA in '05. I called this one.

From Smackdown to Raw:

1. John Morrison. I've read rumors of him turning back heel, but would he reform his team with Miz? Or does he stay with......

2. R-Truth. Will Truth & Wisdom, as Matt Striker dubbed them, remain together? Truth's already set up for a feud with Ted DiBiase, Jr., so maybe it'll be Truth & Wisdom vs. the Fortunate Sons, once Brett DiBiase & Joe Hennig are called up? Probably.

3. Edge. Any hope for reunions of Edge & Christian or Rated RKO were dashed in the space of an hour. However, maybe Edge will be the lone wolf that Batista is now in the long term.

4. Chris Jericho. Oh, the irony. He wins a draft pick for Smackdown, only to be drafted away himself as the last pick of the night.

I'm figuring on Morrison vs. Miz for the US title right away, because Mizizzle needs a challenger to tie him over until NXT ends and Daniel Bryan comes a-callin'. Truth-DiBiase is a lock, maybe as early as next week. Edge will lie in wait for John Cena after Batista departs, but, yeah, going after Orton is a real head-scratcher, considering their feud was 6 years ago! The last history they had was as partners! Jericho will want a piece of Cena as well. The ducks are lining up........!

On to the matches. They needed to get the tag belts off Mizizzle & Show, and as Miz turned on Morrison one year ago, Show turns on him, tired of all the bragging.

Bret turning that stipulation into what it really was---a joke---was golden. Miz got played like a real sucka. ;) :p :D The Hart Dynasty bring the tag gold back to Smackdown, which rules, but the only real competition now will come from the Straight Edge Society, until the Fortunate Sons come together.

Once I read that Batista was sticking around, you had to figure he'd get one more shot for the title before leaving. Too bad Sheamus was treated like such a tool after beating HHH last night.

Morrison-Swagger III was, to me, the best match on the show----again. Swag takes the rubber match, and now has to be reintroduced to Christian. This will rule.

Maybe DiBiase turning on Santino's a sign that Marella may be moving in the supplemental draft. I think that's the case.

If Edge is turning full heel, then why is Jericho on Raw?

It's funny. Maryse was an ally to Team Layme-o a couple of months back, but she's the one jobbing to Me-Chelle McFool. How did they write this show? On a velcro dartboard?

[bigddan11]

Exactly why has WWE once again ignored there own rules of brand separation? Batista is still a SmackDown! Superstar. Unless you have him move to RAW in the Supplemental Draft, then you need to keep him on the brand he belongs to.

[EinBebop]

Batista is still a SmackDown! Superstar. wwe.com says otherwise.

[Wonderwall]

The draft was weak. Smackdown really looks like a B-show as a result.

Don't get me wrong, I like Kofi Kingston and Christian, but neither of them are main eventers as of yet, and could have benefitted from a main event rub from someone like Orton or Jericho. The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio are the only true main eventers remaining on Smackdown.

I also don't understand why they had Edge cost Orton the match. Edge has just returned a few months ago, was getting over as a face and now he's back to being a heel. It makes no sense. If they were gonna have Orton and Edge feud, it should have been with Orton as the heel.

I don't think SD needs to swap main eventers. It seems to be the show designated to make new main eventers anyway as they tend to be booked better on SD. Christian and Kofi along with Show could easily fill up main event spots, same with CM, Swagger, Taker, and Rey.

I'm guessing we'll find out next week why Edge attacked, usually they explain heel turns in the E but it's better to not show their hand and leave people to wonder why he did attack.

[The Penguin]

I have added the poll, so please vote away. I hope to fully comment on RAW and the Draft tomorrow, we'll see if my schedule allows.


Techniquely, isn't Batista a Smackdown wrestler and Swagger a Raw wrestler? So if you win another brand's title they just let you stay there if you lose it (as in Batista's case). Batista's contract runs out this summer, so I doubt he will be around anywhere much longer.As Ein, pointed out, Batista's profile was finally been moved to the RAW Superstars section, so he has been moved back. Swagger made a comment about moving to SmackDown and has been on the SmackDown Superstars page for weeks (in the main section, not just at the top as Champion) so I'm not sure why there is still confusion there.

If that helps anyone, assume they were traded for each other. ;)

[mumbo]

Looks like Edge is turning back heel to balance out the main event face-heel ratio on Raw, because Batista may be taking off soon. While yes, Edge just recently turned face, I wasn't crazy with his new face character. The man's a born heel, and I've been hoping for a feud with Orton for a long time. This could be epic.

It definitely seems like they've loaded up Raw at Smackdown's expense. It may be because they anticipate a drop in ratings for Smackdown when it moves to Syfy. That's my guess. But anyway, it leaves a lot of room for some new main eventers to emerge on Smackdown - though they could use the rub of a few more experienced guys besides just Mysterio and Taker, whose status is unreliable due to regular injury.

Anyway, this should help sort things out. Let me know if I'm missing someone big here...

Main Event Depth Chart

RAW
Face:
John Cena
Triple H
Randy Orton
John Morrison (?)

Heel:
Batista
Edge (based on what happened tonight)
Chris Jericho
Sheamus

Smackdown!
Face:
The Undertaker
Rey Mysterio
Christian (?)
Kofi Kingston (?)

Heel:
Jack Swagger
CM Punk
The Big Show
Drew McIntyre (?)


This really does seem to be great for Christian, plenty of room for him to potentially blossom into a main eventer.

[SirLemming]

I have no particular thoughts about the draft picks, but I do want to say the opening match was awesome. (The other matches weren't half bad either.) The crowd was really into it, and not just because it was a good crowd, but because the wrestlers worked the crowd. It's been a long time since I've seen someone do a suplex hold spot, and DH used it really well to get the crowd pumped. Hoping for more stuff like this!

[KJ Styles]

SmackDown gets gutted of talent as usual, but at least this means more new guys get a chance to main event. I'm excited at seeing Christian, Swagger, Kofi, Mysterio, Show and Taker having series of matches for the next year. Raw is completely stacked which is understandable since both HBK and Triple H are going to be out for some time.

I'm expecting at least a few more midcarders to make the jump tomorrow. Please move MVP back to SmackDown where he can be the old cocky heel again.

I hate that Smackdown got gutted like that. Swagger needed rubs from more established guys to look like a champion on par with Cena. Granted, he'll never match Cena's star power, but he would have looked like a more legit champion with rubs from guys like Orton and Edge. Taker will NEVER job to him, and going over Mysterio, while noteworthy wouldn't be saying that much in the grand scheme of things. I do agree with you about MVP though. He's unwatchable as a face. I liked him much better as a heel.



If Edge is turning full heel, then why is Jericho on Raw?


I know right??? That was without question the biggest headscratcher of the night. Who's Jericho gonna feud with now? They should have had Punk and the SES go to RAW instead. They also missed out on the opportunity for an Edge & Christian reunion and eventual feud.



I've hated how the writers/fans made Edge face. he just isn't cool that way.


And Orton is??

[RedNinja84]

First, congrats to the Harts for winning the tag belts. Second, I like the draft overall. With Batista leaving and Triple H on the shelf, they needed to restock the main eventers. Sadly though it's all the same feuds as Cena has feuded with Orton, Edge and Jericho. I feel sorry for Sheamus who is now on the outside looking in as a title contender. Miz and Morrison will feud for the US belt till Daniel Bryan cashing in on the Miz. I like the way they are building Ted Dibiase, he is now making it on his own and soon will soon be a stable leader. As for SD, it's quite intersting. They are lacking major star power outside of Undertaker and Rey and yet I'm more intrigued to watch the show. I'm guessing Swagger is going to get a good long run with the belt and will probably get is feud with Undertaker which all champions on SD do. I'm guessing though the Christian will be the first to take a shot at him though. I also like Kofi on SD as he can take the IC belt off of McIntyre he hasn't impressed much these days. And Kofi has a better shot at main eventing without so many roadblocks in fornt of him. So I'm actually looking forward to the new SD and see if the new guys can carry the torch for the next 5-10 years.

[Mesousa]

Taker will NEVER job to him

Is Taker Hulk Hogan now?


Who's Jericho gonna feud with now?

There's John Morrison.


They should have had Punk and the SES go to RAW instead. They also missed out on the opportunity for an Edge & Christian reunion and eventual feud.

Punk on Raw would be bad, he'll be screwed in more ways than one. Him staying on SmackDown is the reason why we've all liked him in the past 6 months.

After seeing the Hart Dynasty win the tag titles, an Edge and Christian reunion doesn't seem necessary (for now).


And Orton is??

As for the Orton/Edge thing...does this mean that we have the first ever Tweener against Tweener feud? And if WWE thinks Orton is the heel here, how deaf are they?

[Wonderwall]

I hate that Smackdown got gutted like that. Swagger needed rubs from more established guys to look like a champion on par with Cena. Granted, he'll never match Cena's star power, but he would have looked like a more legit champion with rubs from guys like Orton and Edge. Taker will NEVER job to him, and going over Mysterio, while noteworthy wouldn't be saying that much in the grand scheme of things. I do agree with you about MVP though. He's unwatchable as a face. I liked him much better as a heel.

Why would Swagger need to be on Cena's level if they aren't on the same brand. Swagger already got the rub from Orton and Edge. Going over Mysterio suits him for now, it can help him have a longer reign which will elevate him. Taker may job to him in the future, depends if Taker is around and it wouldn't be a clean win as Jack is heel but that's fine too. MVP is also unwatchable because he's not on TV much:p


I know right??? That was without question the biggest headscratcher of the night. Who's Jericho gonna feud with now? They should have had Punk and the SES go to RAW instead. They also missed out on the opportunity for an Edge & Christian reunion and eventual feud.

You're assuming Edge turned. For all we know they just had him show up to make a statement that he is not to be forgotten. As of right now there is no interest in a E&C feud, I certainly have no interest in one right now and judging from comments around the internet there isn't a big stink about it not happening.

Punk to RAW at this moment is a terrible idea. He's clearly able to do more on SD right now than he could at RAW.


And Orton is??

I like face Orton, he actually seems dangerous for once instead of an idiot. As long as he's just Orton but not eating phantom punches( Shane ) he'll be fine. Crowd is really into him this way, once he gets a proper storyline it should pay off.

[Azrayel]

I hate that Smackdown got gutted like that. Swagger needed rubs from more established guys to look like a champion on par with Cena. Granted, he'll never match Cena's star power, but he would have looked like a more legit champion with rubs from guys like Orton and Edge. Taker will NEVER job to him, and going over Mysterio, while noteworthy wouldn't be saying that much in the grand scheme of things. I do agree with you about MVP though. He's unwatchable as a face. I liked him much better as a heel.



I know right??? That was without question the biggest headscratcher of the night. Who's Jericho gonna feud with now? They should have had Punk and the SES go to RAW instead. They also missed out on the opportunity for an Edge & Christian reunion and eventual feud.



And Orton is??

Yeah. Maybe now he won't have the attitude of those crazy people in Batman Arkham Asylum and act like a normal person for once.

[Tay the Cat]

So, it seems Matt Hardy was supposed to wrestle on Raw this week, but it looks like McIntyre legit hurt him.

Matt on Twitter:


Sorry I couldn't wrestle on Raw last night due to my head injury caused by that reckless bastard Drew McIntyre.. Looks like I'm gonna be out of the ring for a couple weeks. I apologize to my fans for that. I just hope I'm cleared & they allow me to get back in a WWE ring soon. (That was a combined 2 posts per Twitter's 140 character limit)

[Tapout]

Ted DiBiase looking for Virgil II has potential for comedic gold. I hope they go for as tasteless and un-PC as possible, or just get Santino involved. But I'm sure they'll find some way to drop the ball.

[KJ Styles]

Is Taker Hulk Hogan now?

He can be at times. Do you honestly see him jobbing to Jack Swagger? I think that's highly unlikely, and that's only provided that Swagger holds the belt long enough to get a feud with the Deadman.



There's John Morrison.

That would be a good feud, but the loser of it will get stuck in midcard hell. I wish both of them would have stayed on SD. I was really enjoying the Edge/Jericho feud and would have liked to have seen a rubber match. Also, there was less of a glass ceiling there. Jericho has never gone over Cena, and I don't see Morrison ever doing so unless Cena turns heel, which isn't gonna happen anytime soon, if ever.



Punk on Raw would be bad, he'll be screwed in more ways than one. Him staying on SmackDown is the reason why we've all liked him in the past 6 months. After seeing the Hart Dynasty win the tag titles, an Edge and Christian reunion doesn't seem necessary (for now).

I disagree with that entirely. Punk on RAW would provide him with fresh feuds, and he's easily one of the top two heels in the WWE, so having him feud with Cena, Orton, HHH (when he returns) and the like would have been awesome IMO. He's someone who I could have seen go over those guys for the world title every now and then. Would have been better than turning Edge heel again and seeing another eventual rehashed feud between Edge and Cena. Personally, I've always liked Punk but they've done a masterful job with him as a heel. He'd be the perfect heel champ.

Also, I don't know what the Hart Dynasty has to do with E&C. It's not like E&C would have to be a regular team, they could have been like DX, team together occasionally and then eventually feud. It would elevate Christian to main event status bigtime, and would probably have some match of the year quality contests.


As for the Orton/Edge thing...does this mean that we have the first ever Tweener against Tweener feud? And if WWE thinks Orton is the heel here, how deaf are they?

Of course he's not the heel since Edge cost him a shot at the WWE title, but of those two of those guys, Edge is the better babyface. Orton's Viper character works much better as a heel, and Edge is a better mic worker than Orton IMO.


Why would Swagger need to be on Cena's level if they aren't on the same brand. Swagger already got the rub from Orton and Edge. Going over Mysterio suits him for now, it can help him have a longer reign which will elevate him.

He got somewhat of a rub from Orton but not from Edge. I HATE the fact that they teased a feud between Edge and Swag only for them to draft Edge to RAW. With very little starpower remaining on Smackdown, Swagger looks like a 2nd rate champion on a 2nd rate show. I'm sure he'll have some great matches down the road with guys like Christian (seen that feud before), Rey, and Kofi, but the writers dropped the ball by putting the vast majority of main eventers on RAW. I'm a die-hard fan, so I'll watch Smackdown regardless, but taking the starpower off the show will make the casuals and marks not care about Smackdown.




You're assuming Edge turned. For all we know they just had him show up to make a statement that he is not to be forgotten. As of right now there is no interest in a E&C feud, I certainly have no interest in one right now and judging from comments around the internet there isn't a big stink about it not happening.

Punk to RAW at this moment is a terrible idea. He's clearly able to do more on SD right now than he could at RAW.

I disagree with your take on an E&C feud, as well as your take on Punk (see above for my thoughts on both). As for Edge turning, while I liked him as a heel, he's equally as good as a babyface IMO. It's pretty obvious that he's turned, otherwise why wouldn't he have speared Batista or Sheamus instead of Orton?


I like face Orton, he actually seems dangerous for once instead of an idiot. As long as he's just Orton but not eating phantom punches( Shane ) he'll be fine. Crowd is really into him this way, once he gets a proper storyline it should pay off.

I don't mind face Orton (although I liked him better as a heel). But my issue is them turning Edge heel after his triumphant return from injury. They didn't even have proper buildup for turning Edge heel. I'm sure Orton will be fine also. They could always turn him back heel if his face run fails. I just think the writers jumped the gun with this upcoming feud.

Basically, what I'm saying is that they should have evened the shows out, meaning have about the same amount of established main eventers on each show, and give the guys on the second-tier rubs from those main eventers so that they'll look credible when they eventually become world champions.

[Ioz]

I have added the poll, so please vote away. I hope to fully comment on RAW and the Draft tomorrow, we'll see if my schedule allows.

As Ein, pointed out, Batista's profile was finally been moved to the RAW Superstars section, so he has been moved back. Swagger made a comment about moving to SmackDown and has been on the SmackDown Superstars page for weeks (in the main section, not just at the top as Champion) so I'm not sure why there is still confusion there.

If that helps anyone, assume they were traded for each other. ;)No confusion. I just don't like how they move a guy over with no explanation. Lazy booking.

[email2003]

Good RAW! Why!? NO FREAKIN' GUEST HOSTS!!!!

Next week, RAW will suck!? Why? GUEST HOSTS ARE BACK!!!:mad:

[Aces 21]

Good RAW! Why!? NO FREAKIN' GUEST HOSTS!!!!

Next week, RAW will suck!? Why? GUEST HOSTS ARE BACK!!!:mad:

Hopefully, Wayne Brady won't suck at the helm as guest host. I'm expecting the writers to do "Let's Make a RAW Deal" segment somewhere.

The guest host thing is a double-edged sword to me. It can be good for talent exposure and promotions, and it would make the experience so much more enjoyable if they knew about the product. We gladly cheer for them.

However, if they're flat, boring, and don't know much about the product, we hate it even if they've done something mildly interesting. I kind of hope they stop it, but if it's working for the WWE, let them have it.

Bouncing back and forth between shows, the Draft was okay with a few shocking moments, and the matches were pretty good.

[SirLemming]

Every year it appears that Smackdown gets gutted, but they wind up bouncing back and often even becoming the better show. We'll just have to wait and see.

[The Penguin]

Really late this week, I hate that, especially with this being such a big week with the Draft and everything.

I loved Bret Hart following his mandated declaration that ShoMiz was the greatest tag team ever with The Mountie being the greatest Intercontinental Champion and David Arquette being the greatest World Champion. Great to see Bret back. :)

Equally great to see The Hart Dynasty beat ShoMiz for the Tag Titles. :cool: Bret stopping some cheating was just icing on the cake en route to the next generation of Harts becoming Tag Champions. I hope this means great things for all three of them and would love it if Bret stuck around.

No surprise to see Big Show KO Miz with all his efforts to keep the team together not being appreciated by the United States Champion. ShoMiz no more.

Obviously Maryse & Eve were a poor pairing to go against the very cohesive team of Lay-Cool. The pin was way to close to the RAW corner for my liking though.

Through releasing Divas, SmackDown has lost just about all its face Divas so bringing Kelly Kelly over is probably a good call. Can't say it's going to do a lot to increase the overall skill level of that half of the roster though.

Evan Bourne looked pretty good against CM Punk which is sadly the best we can say about Evan some weeks. The same mystery man helping Punk was a good follow-up to Sunday.

Big Show moving certainly can't hurt the big man. It seems he gets moved around more than anyone else because you can always use Big Show. Teddy Long was certainly excited. :D

The confrontation between Sheamus and Orton about who should face Cena was good and seems to already be building towards Fatal Four Way. Cena with his goofy fake phone call was not all that special.

Did anyone notice the questioning look Truth gave McIntyre as Team SmackDown walked toward the ring? I thought it deserved to be mentioned.

I really liked the battle royal, especially the end where DiBiase and Mysterio fought on the apron with the match on the line for SmackDown. I also liked DiBiase taking out Santino when Marella seemed to think he deserved equal credit.

I feel like John Morrison is on the cusp of being a main eventer so I'm concerned about his move to RAW, but we can't just see every move as a bad sign. RAW is the most-watched show in the WWE and I think we all know internally that it is the 'A' show even if many of us personally prefer SmackDown. I'm hoping for good things for him.

R-Truth is quickly establishing himself as a strong mid-carder if nothing else, but I must admit I am bit surprised at this move for him. You can only get blown up once, right? ;)

Jim Ross mentioned on his blog that this is RAW "stocking up" for Monday Night Football which take a bit out of the show's ratings, which certainly explains Edge moving to RAW. I'm sure he'll fit into the picture fine.

I liked Jericho's promo and calling out Heath Slater. It was good pre-game to the match with Christian. This was a nice match to get as both a further follow-up to NXT and with the history these two share as both allies and enemies.

I think SmackDown will be really good for Kofi Kingston. It feels like he has stalled on RAW, so a fresh start is exactly what he needs. His attacking Jericho made a quick impact.

John Morrison got to work for his new home quickly with his rematch against Jack Swagger. This was of course a good continuation of what we have seen on SmackDown the last few weeks with Swagger winning the final (for the time being) match with these two.

Christian being drafted is the move from this night that I am most excited about. He showed in TNA he is capable of carrying a show and people still be invested in it and on Friday he may get his chance. At the very least, he should be part of the main event scene (if his making the belt motion at Swagger is any indication).

R-Truth outing Ted DiBiase as 'looking for a Virgil' was funny. I just hope they don't go too far with Ted, Jr. copying his father. Taken to an extreme, it's going to hurt him rather than help.

Ziggler losing to Hornswoggle in that ridiculous manner didn't upset me as much as if the leprechaun had just somehow managed to beat him. That would have been unacceptable. Ziggler destroyed Hornswoggle after the bell and that worked for me.

Chris Jericho backs up JR's theory about RAW building itself up. I'm sure Jericho will be just fine, but I would have expected either he or Edge to be left on SmackDown.

After souring on heel Batista, I loved his angry rant and Sheamus and Orton confronting him. If I were Cena, I would have told him to get lost, but that wouldn't be very sporting of the Champ.

I really did not expect The Animal to win and I certainly did not expect Edge to come out and cost Orton the match. If you ask me, Orton is solidly a face and that was an Edge heel turn. I guess we'll see what happens in less than 24 hours.

Though we must close with the observation that Michael Cole lost his voice because of all the fake yelling he did over the six hours. Get some tea with honey or something, Cole. It's not going to happen, but I'd really like Jim Ross on PPVs. Maybe Michael could have made it through RAW then, though probably not.


Good RAW! Why!? NO FREAKIN' GUEST HOSTS!!!!

Next week, RAW will suck!? Why? GUEST HOSTS ARE BACK!!!:mad:Your comments are a good jumping point for something I noticed re-watching one of the guest host segments from last week. The times any of the three of them made a decision, it was "on orders" from someone. They weren't making decisions, they were announcing them. I'm intrigued as to what this could mean for the future. The hosts are still there, and I'm not saying this is going to make them any better, but I'm interested to see if they continue relaying decisions that have already been made.