To use baseball parlance, RAW is two for two in 2010. While last week they hit a home run, this week it was a single, but hey, at least it was a hit. There were too many dragging parts for me to consider it a slam bang, but the worst crime committed was being boring in parts, which given the circumstances isn't the worst crime. The reasons why I think it was a hit, though, were Mike Tyson, the segment between Miz and MVP and the crowd, which was electric for most of the night. I mean, they showed some of these lame crowds how it's done, but then again, if you want a hot crowd, you can always count on Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Yes, Tyson didn't seem like he was comfortable going off script at first, and the segment where everyone started coming out started out very slowly mainly because of Tyson's jitters. However, I feel like he rebounded to the point where he had me marking out cutting that promo on Hornswoggle. Yeah, maybe it's because I really want to see someone disembowel the fucking midget, but Tyson reverting back to his unhinged boxing trash talk persona was pretty epic from where I sat.
Seeing him in the ring though, I kinda cringed a bit (and not because of the swerve where he knocked out Jericho, which I saw coming from a mile away) because he looked so awkward. It reminded me of how much he would have benefitted from some real training and how the WWF missed the boat on having him make a six month run while he was suspended from boxing. Still, even with some of the discomfort, Tyson to me worked.
What really made the show from my end was the confrontation between Miz and MVP. Miz's pseudo-shoot promo to begin the segment was the best promo I've heard since CM Punk's eye medicine promo in July (and I think what really made it was his deadeye impersonation of locker room bully and accused rapist JBL). I mean, it was star quality. And then when MVP came out to follow it, well, it reminded me why I feel like he's the best face promo in the company right now. Their interplay made me feel like I was watching two guys who really got what it took to be wrestling superstars, they made me feel like I was watching a preview of a WrestleMania main event, not just a midcard title attraction for the next PPV. Really, for all the people in the locker room and out of it who wanted the midcarders to step up, I present that segment to you as evidence. Classic, classic stuff.
What didn't work? Well, this VKM/Bret Hart angle is still floating along aimlessly. I thought Vince's segment was short and really didn't accomplish anything. You know the Hitman's gonna be back next week. Vince had a chance to really bury Hart in storyline and really get the crowd ramped up, but he kinda just went through the motions. I hope they really pick things up, because I don't want to see Hitman come back and slog through for a paycheck. That's not the Hitman I'm used to seeing.
Secondly, the wrestling was pretty flat. As awesome as the finish to Kofi/Orton was last week, it was anti-climactic this week. It had a chance to be special with Kofi nailing Cena with one of his better Trouble in Paradise kicks, but I thought Orton took too long between capitalizing on the interference and hitting the RKO and then again between the RKO and the pinfall. Plus, Legacy's run-in seemed a bit tacked on. I also don't see the logic in having a heel/heel matchup for the Rumble unless the endgame is to have Orton beat Sheamus to give Kofi a title program at WrestleMania.
As for Cena, well, I'm convinced that the guy is the best all-around performer not named Jericho they've had since Rocky retired. He takes his lumps with good humor, but you know he'll give everything in the ring. That being said, I hope he's doing something else besides wrestling for a title for the near future.
Like I said, there were some dragging issues and the show got boring in spots, but I will say that it was a good show. Hopefully they keep it up, because it'd be a shame for them to go into WrestleMania for a second straight year with no hot matchups outside of Undertaker/Michaels again.
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