Monday Night Raw Warm Up for August 22nd, 2011

Everyone here at MLD is a fan of something. Sometimes our interests are wholly our own, but often they intersect and suddenly there’s a lot to talk about. Brian and I have been watching professional wrestling for decades, and this Summer has seen a lot of new interest in what’s happening on World Wrestling Entertainment‘s television programming. It seems to be one of the rare points in time where the business could take a huge leap forward, but it may be fizzling as quickly as it started.

Recently, C.M. Punk caught mainstream media attention by speaking his mind on live TV and blurring the line between scripted sports entertainment rhetoric and what happens behind the scenes. So everything is clear, we’re huge fans of Punk and have been waiting for him to take the spotlight. Things were building brilliantly as Punk left the company with the WWE Championship in hand, ousting Vince McMahon as the chairman of the board, filling the void with new Chief Operating Officer, Triple H, and crowning a new “Champion” in John Cena. Punk eventually returned and last week’s annual SummerSlam event saw the second match for an “undisputed” WWE Championship in the company’s history as C.M. Punk and John Cena faced each other one more time.

Brian: I can’t believe there were only five matches on the card for what WWE considers their second biggest PPV of the year behind WrestleMania.

PTB: I wasn’t planning to order it, so I really didn’t pay attention to the card beyond the WWE Championship match.

Brian: I think a lot of people won’t have ordered due to the lack of attention they put into it.

PTB: Relying on a Cena/Punk rematch alone won’t sell even with Triple H included as the guest referee. The hype around their last match at July’s Money in the Bank pay per view (PPV) and hosting it in C.M. Punk’s hometown of Chicago were what drew me in.

Brian: Money in the Bank is now available on iTunes. Put it on my iPad last week. $17.94 HD / $11.96 SD. Just matches. No video packages or beginning credits.

PTB: Interesting that they’d cut that stuff. Great price though.

I hadn’t seen the results from SummerSlam until last week’s Raw, and while I assumed the finish to the WWE Championship match wouldn’t be straightforward, the result was a little disappointing. Punk winning was great, but derailing his momentum with Alberto del Rio cashing in his Money in the Bank title match and winning doesn’t make much sense. I almost thought we’d see Cena and Punk team up with both of them challenging Triple H’s authority when it was all said and done.

Brian: I really don’t know why WWE decided to book SummerSlam like they did. So horrible.

PTB: It really seems that way, and the returning Kevin Nash who attacked Punk after his win at the PPV was not so great the next night on Raw.

Brian: The Raw follow up was just as bad. Apparently, they didn’t finish scripting the PPV until late in the afternoon on Sunday.

Punk’s segment with Nash on Raw was good.

Photo courtesy of WWE.com.

PTB: Punk was great in the segment. Nash was not. He seemed like he hadn’t been given a lot to go on as far as what to say. The announce team tried to sell that he wasn’t acting like the Nash they know, but I wasn’t getting the impression it was anything but lack of prepartation.

Brian: Nash was bad. He adds zero value right now.

PTB: I believe he will, but if the booking is as last minute as you’re saying it’s no wonder his talking points are a mess. I also had a real problem with the number of times the word “text” was thrown out there on Monday. It sounded awkward every time they said it.

Brian: Yeah, it was bad.

PTB: Are the machinations of John Laurinitis as obvious as the seem to me?

Brian: Laurinaitis is horrible.

PTB: He is. He’s really just a walking plot device and clearly working behind Triple H’s back. I don’t see any kind of payoff coming from this angle.

I do really like the idea of Vicky Guerrero starting a stable of wrestlers. I miss that and managers in general. I just wish it wasn’t her. She normally merits an automatic fast forward when I watch.

Brian: I totally agree with the managers thing. Back in the day, when a wrestler had no charisma or mic skills they would stick them with a manager and it was great. Now if you don’t have both you’re sunk.

PTB: Managers and stables were also a way to instantly elevate a guy and made for a fun element of some of the best heel turns. Andre the Giant turning on Hulk Hogan was great, but adding in that he was joining Bobby Heenan made it even better.

Brian: Heenan was one of my favorites. I’m not sure if you watched WCW during the Stunning Steve Austin days, but Paul E. (Heyman) Dangerously’s Dangerous Alliance was great. Heyman was a great manager and I’m hoping this move opens the doors for other managers. That’s the only positive I take from it.

PTB: Swagger and others could really gain a lot from this, but pairing them with Vicky may decrease the time I spend watching them. I love the idea behind it though.

Brian: Who really wants to hear Jack Swagger lisp for five minutes?

PTB: Another classic wrestling staple getting some attention again are the tag team titles, but like reintroducing a role for managers I just don’t care for who’s involved. David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty do nothing for me.

Brian: Otunga is horrible and McGillicutty should just be Joe Hennig. I’m not sure why WWE is renaming all these stars that have significant blood lines. He’s Mister Perfect’s son!

PTB: I’d much rather watch the Usos (or the Harts of course) if only because they have a team name, a unified look and a gimmick.

Photo courtesy of WWE.com.

Brian: Just capitalizing on Henning’s real name would give him a gimmick.

From what I’ve read on sescoops.com, there is talk of resurrecting the tag team division with actual tag teams. I’m all for it. I’m tired of seeing two singles wrestlers thrown together.

PTB: I would really like to see that. It’s one of the truly unique elements of professional wrestling.

Brian: I think an active tag team division creates a nice break in the show. Do we really need to see the same three guys come out and yap for fifteen minutes, have three backstage segments, then wrestle or do another promo at the end of the show? Please, give me a different story to follow.

I can’t stand watching two somewhat scripted storylines leading into a PPV and five more matches that were thrown together the day of.

PTB: That’s not going to make for a good show. It’s coming at a bad time when there’s some new attention being paid after the Cena/Punk feud kicked into high gear.

Brian: They totally took that feud in the wrong direction too quickly. Punk was brought back too soon and they blew it up by having outside involvement.

PTB: Something has definitely been taken away from that feud (and each of the participants) with the direction it’s going. At least they’re still letting both of them speak.

Anything else strike you from last week?

Brian: I can’t believe the Miz took Jared’s Subway sandwich.

PTB: Stuff of legends.

WWE Monday Night Raw airs Mondays at 9PM on the USA Network. Tonight we should get more on Kevin Nash, Triple H, C.M. Punk and John Cena. Hopefully, the story will tighten up a bit and get some focus. Regardless, they’ll have to fill their two hours with interesting material beyond that storyline if they want to hold on to any new viewers they’ve gained in the last few weeks.

Read more about World Wrestling Entertainment on MyLatestDistraction.

Our weekly Monday Night Raw Warm Ups began here. Keep up each week:
August 29th, 2011 edition