Raw's Redemption

Okay, this needs to stop. Right now. There are certain truths and realities that I rely on in order to get through my  day, and if these things are shaken up, the world as we know it could shatter. I count on Raw to be savagely disappointing, and Smackdown to be great. When this simple equation is turned on its head, I don’t know which way is up now. Yet here we stand, with Smackdown having disappointed me for two weeks in a row, and this last Raw being especially good. I’m just stumped.

Our show opens with a very nicely put together montage of the Miz’s previous assaults on John Cena, emphasizing how the Miz is indeed capable of dealing out damage to the Superman. Hey, if you want me to care about the I Quit Match, then you certainly need to put Miz as over as you can. Alex Riley, who is the most loyal minion ever, comes out and tells us that the Miz has made a living of proving people wrong, and that at Over the Limit, he will be the first man ever to force Cena to say “I quit.” Only if he can re-engineer Cena’s genetic code which prevents him from saying it... The Morally Ambiguous Laptop GM agrees with Miz (oh, look, they’re friends again!), and says that since John Cena got to choose the stipulation of their match at Over the Limit, it’s only fair that Miz gets to decide who will face John Cena tonight, as well as the kind of stipulation. I notice that the GMs like to delegate authority a lot. Making people have matches to make decisions, having the wrestlers themselves make choices... Yeesh. The Miz will spend the rest of the show talking to random people in the back, be it Ziggler or Kane, trying to conjure up support. If nothing else, it gives people a chance for screen time.

Our first match of the evening is between CM Punk and Kofi Kingston. And right here is where Raw is mysteriously doing everything right. First off, it’s a match against Punk and Kofi, and that instantly spells awesome. Second, Punk has told the Nexus not to interfere in the match, as he wants to lead by example. Third, this is the first time in a long time that Punk has been allowed to work in the ring with someone actually fun (and no, Orton definitely does not count). True to form, this match is fast paced and entertaining. It seems that Kofi is doing a lot of the work for a good part of it, but this is used for Punk to wave off the advancing Nexus members, telling them he doesn’t want or need their help. No, Punk, no you don’t. Punk eventually does get Kofi with the GTS, earning the win, and marking the first match involving a Nexus member that did not involve a disqualification finish, as well as not making Punk look like a bitch. Later in the evening it is announced that Punk and Mason Ryan will be having a Tag Team Title match against Big Show and Kane at Over the Limit. Obviously, the bookers realized they only had two matches going into Over the Limit, and are now trying to cram more in (as we shall see). I’m not enthralled with the inclusion of Mason, but I suppose Punk has to work with what’s given to him.

It’s Diva time with Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella. Boy, did the taste die in my mouth as that one came out... Thing 1 and Thing 2 kind of screech at one another for a bit until Kelly wins. Yippee skip. I can only hope that we work through all of the fluffy Divas a little quicker with this Kharma push, so that we can get to the good matches. True enough, Kharma shows, and Brie, trying to make us honestly believe she’s almost a legit Champion, takes a swing. She fails. It’s amusing. She dashes off, leaving sister Nikki to take the beating. Kelly is left in the ring, however, and Kharma works her into the corner, staring her down, before flicking her on the forehead. I believe it’s a hex-flick, but don’t quote me on that. If nothing else, the visual of a beast like Kharma taking down the piece of fluff that is Kelly with a simple flick amuses me to no end. It’s interesting that she hasn’t maimed her yet, but I guess she’s saving the best for last. Actually, I like that she’s playing with Kelly’s mind, and letting her live in a state of paranoia. In fact, if Kelly had any acting ability, I’d be willing to bet this storyline could be dragged out with great interest for some time.

Rey Mysterio comes out next, and he’s put out that R-Truth attacked him last week. He says that if Truth wants a fight, he’s more than willing to give it to him. Unfortunately for Rey, he gets Alberto Del Rio instead. Del Rio, like any good heel, knows his geography, and recognizes that they are in San Antonio, Rey’s hometown, and uses this to simultaneously lambast Rey and the audience, earning many boos in the process. The two of them have a match, and it’s what we’ve come to expect from these two, with Rey providing the high flying, and Del Rio with his counters and technical assaults. But they don’t get too far when we hear the voice of R-Truth, coming from... somewhere. The camera seeks for where he is, finally finding him in the upper deck, yelling down at Rey. He accuses Rey of stealing, calls him a thief, for robbing Truth of the title shot he rightfully deserves. Wow. Truth is really making the best of this. He is playing crazy for all it is worth. The match plays well with the distraction, which usually means a roll up pin from behind, but after Del Rio rolls him up, Rey kicks out and they work for a bit more. The match eventually ends in a DQ, with Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Rodriguez grabbing Rey by the foot. Rey’s so busy yelling at a retreating Del Rio that he completely ignores the gestures and yells of the audience who are pointing behind him (it’s actually really amusing, considering how there’s no way he could /not/ see the warnings). Sure enough, Truth pops up and assaults Rey. Then, making his crazy angle work even better, Truth becomes incredibly calm, and asks Rey, like a disappointed friend, why he insists on calling Truth out? Why can’t they just get along? And then proceeds to continue to punch Rey in a fury. I love how Truth is playing with this: alternating mood swings, coupled with his expressive eyes, and knowing exactly what to say without being over the top. It is announced that these two are also to have a match at Over the Limit. This might actually be a fun match, and it goes in line with Rey putting young guys over. He did it with Cody, and if he can do it with Truth, well, all the power to him.

Wait, wait, you think all this (good wrestling, good booking, good storylines) is too much to bear? Wait until we get past this: Michael Cole and King are geared to have a contract signing for their final match at Over the Limit (why they need a contract for this is beyond me. I mean, for titles it makes sense, but here, it seems unnecessary). Cole is, of course, gloating, with Swagger by his side. It’s not annoying gloating either: it’s the kind of smug revelry that a heel ought to have when facing down his enemy, knowing he has a minion in his corner. Also, their match is to be a “Kiss My Foot” challenge, which reminds me: remember when Cole was knighted, and it was a huge waste of time? I notice that hasn’t even come up since then, marking up another useless moment for this storyline. They sign the necessary papers, whereupon King suddenly shifts gears and points out what I’ve been thinking all along: that Cole has turned Jack Swagger from former World Heavyweight Champion to just Cole’s minion. Cole, being overcome with smugness, blabs that no one even remembers Swagger as Champion, and that being Cole’s underling is the best thing that ever happened to Swagger. I love how this Freudian slip was integrated: it works that Cole is so caught up in his own ego that he’s his own downfall, rather than having it feel forced. Swagger, of course, is aghast that Cole has said that no one remembers his reign, and walks out. Cole begs for forgiveness, then is faced with the unpleasant reality of King smiling at him. Then, true to dastardly heel form, Cole starts to try and pass this whole thing off as a joke. There, that’s what worked about Cole’s character: that old school, crawling heel, who’s only big when he has an edge, rather than a loud mouthed, annoying, obnoxious commentator who just won’t shut up. More heat is gained by showing himself to be a coward than by just running his mouth. King, of course, is having none of this. More amusing, through the rest of the evening on commentary, is Cole trying to suck up to King. If that’s all it takes to get Cole to not over-talk everyone else, it should have happened months ago. Seriously, simple is better: when Cole gets more over-the-top with his heel persona, and just yells down everyone else on commentary, he is not convincing or fun to watch. When he goes to basics of being slimy, cowardly, and underhanded, he is passable.

We have another Nexus match tonight (still no Drew, I notice... Boy, nothing I love more than not watching my favourite current wrestler at all) between Otunga and McGullicutty vs. Big Show and Kane. Remember when Otunga was second only to Wade Barrett in the original Nexus? How far you’ve fallen, Dave. This match is actually kept up better than I thought. The interference from Punk and Mason on the outside is kept to a minimum, and it’s not as slow as usual. Odder than all this, the Nexus members win. I really was not expecting that. It’s almost as if they’re planning on becoming a legitimately intimidating faction again. My guess is on the negative, however.

Main Event time. Miz waits until John Cena is on the entrance stage before announcing that he’s decided Cena’s match will be a No Holds Barred Match. Then, while Cena registers that, he is attacked from behind by Swagger, who is revealed to be the opponent. I really approve of this: first off, Swagger is fighting Cena, which means he’s being taken seriously again. Second, commentary notes that Swagger was a former Champion often, meaning they’re trying to put his accomplishments back into the audiences mind, boding well. The match is mostly Swagger doing the work, battering away at Cena. While not the best thing to have for a match (being one sided nearly the whole way), it does give the idea that Swagger is softening up Cena for the match on Sunday. It is annoying, however, that pretty much the only move that Cena gets in out of this is the STF, which of course wins him the match. I’m against having the singular offense in a match being the finisher, and this is no exception, as it means that the guy who won the match did nothing to earn it. Well, Miz applauds Cena, and starts to list off all the things he /might/ do to Cena at their match at Over the Limit, going through hitting him with the camera boom, throwing him off the stage, or levelling him with a pipe, before declaring that he will do none of those things, because they’re too obvious. Miz is planning on doing things far from the ordinary in order to get Cena to quit, especially, in a master teaser, a specific way that’s guaranteed victory. That’s the way to garner interest in a match that should be predictable as can be: hint that there’s /something/ that can get Cena to quit, but not give any details, allowing the audience to only speculate and create interest and suspense. Heck, even if you don’t care, you almost want to tune in just to see what /might/ happen. Cena doesn’t take kindly to this, and goes after Miz with a steel pipe, putting on the best serious face he’s had in a while, helping to up the drama and making it look like Cena is genuinely angry with the Miz, and wants to tear him to shreds.

So that was Raw. And it was good. I don’t think there was anything that happened which I could stand. Even the Nexus bits kept their usual obnoxious existence to a minimal. Did Raw steal the Smackdown writers when they stole their talent? They must have: this is all too good for Raw.