WWE RAW, April 18th

[HCollins-TNA1]

I need to start out by saying I am a huge fan of the WWE and Raw in particular and unlike most I believe the WWE has been on form for quite a while. However, I have to say tonight's show from London absolutely sucked. First of all the crowd were awful. They were flat as a pancake all night which didn't help one bit, but far as I'm concerned the content was below the standard I have come to know from Raw.

Ironically it had some big moments, like Cole getting knighted and R Truth turning heel (although he wasn't exactly much of a face to begin with). I don't know what to say about the R Truth, John Morrison segment. It was certainly better than the crowd let on, but it really set the tone for a dull, flat, cumbersome, awkward show, which Sky Sports made even better by cutting to the commercials at the wrong time and returning with a couple of minutes of the Raw logo before going back to the programme.

Moving on quickly, like Sky's editor, The Rock has killed John Cena's heat. For all his haters Cena had an equal amount of followers. A few years ago you either loved or hated him and you let him know about it. Now the fans either hate him or are indifferent. This is an injustice because we had a right to hate him before, but now he's so much better and still has so much to give. It's a sad state of affairs if he has to come out with that Mexican jumping bean just to get a pop.

On to Sin Cara now. He is spectacular and he is amazing and I was incredibly impressed with him taking down Sheamus and Swagger but after watching him with Primo and the match with Cena against Miz and Alex Riley I am not convinced. He messed up the finish last week, his timing was slightly off this week and it looked like he missed that last spot by a mile. It doesn't bode well if he is going to be in the main event picture, he looks like he should be at FCW still learning his craft. There's guys been there longer than him, who have been putting on great matches and if I were them and this high spot junkie came in and went to the front of the queue I would not be happy. We haven't seen Primo for ages and all of a sudden he's back doing the job for Cara. That smacks of people not wanting to put this new guy over who hasn't paid his dues and will more than likely hurt them. Just ask Miz, he's either the best seller in the world or Sin Cara volleyed him in the skull. That I don't have a problem with, it's better than a popcorn shot, but botches I will not abide. So stop messing up Sin Cara!

Which leads me to Sir Michael Cole. I will freely admit I'm a miner and I bet the 'Sir' gimmick will catch on but this segment was painful. Considering this was a taped show it was so drawn out and boring. It was like going back to the days of Bischoff and for the first time in a long time I was watching Raw and not enjoying it. When they brought out the fake Queen I wasn't offended as an Englishman I was offended as a wrestling fan. I hope someone sticks something unpleasant in one of those Cole hole's you see on his mine.

As I just said I'm English and even though I don't have lineage to the High King's of Ireland I do have some Irish blood in me. So I was hoping Sheamus got a good pop. And what did he get? Hardly anything from the stuck up London crowd. Considering this was a show from England and right now is probably the best time for British and Irish Superstars, they didn't get much airtime at all. No McIntyre, Wade Barrett wasn't on, Mason Ryan was hardly on, and all Sheamus did was have a bad match with Santino after mentioning the draft which one of the Bella's did earlier in the night pretty much word for word.

The thing is I wouldn't mind if the British and Irish guys didn't get much airtime just as long as we didn't get a second rate Raw like we did. It felt like a nothing show from out of nowhere, a complete misstep. They should of built up the main event of CM Punk and Randy Orton in the opening segment. But even then it was a nothing fight with nothing on the line. If anything the Morrison, Truth match should of been the main event. And quite frankly I'm getting a little bored of the New Nexus, they have two settings, stand there and schmoz. WWE needs to give them some character otherwise they are never going to get over. And what the hell are they doing with Daniel Bryan?! Not to mention Dolph Ziggler looked like a jacked up Evan Bourne. I'm beginning to worry.

In closing, my advice to the WWE is stay out of London. Go to places that will appreciate you coming to town. But if you are going to go overseas bring your A game. After watching that dross I have to say God bless the USA.

And that's the bottom line 'cause Jonny 3:16 said so!

Don't they always suck when they are taped and is overseas??? Although it good to do shows annaully in London or abroad, but limit them maybe 2 to 4 maybe 5 shows a year!!!

[SilverGhost]

LOL at this part. If you even watched the same match last week, you'll that PRIMO's foot slipped and made Cara fall. Granted, he's messed up on his entrance but, I think he just needs to get comfortable with it. Last night he did it amazingly. Onto the matches themselves, his opponents have to feel him out. They haven't worked with his style before, he's been doing this since 2003/4 and these guys haven't really been around any Luchas. This is nothing new to American Wrestling as a whole but, to these guys that came in and have only faced Rey, this is new and challenging. Everything will be all good. This was his 2nd match and it was against people he's never really trained with. Him and Primo have been wrestling each other in FCW and at house shows for over a month now. Give it a few weeks and let him settle. WWE are still obviously high on him and that's all that matters.

This guy knows what he is talking about.

Maybe I am getting on him a bit quick but there's nothing I hate more than a botch. Last week you could see how embarassed he was and he was wearing a mask! Now that was impressive. But he made it worse by getting up and without any variation did the exact same spot. Believe it or not WWE is the Major Leagues and if you mess up in the Major's you don't last long. The calibre of matches in the WWE barring last night are expectional and if he can't get it right with Primo who can he get it right with.

WWE isn't the Major Leagues in Wrestling. Its big on Entertainment. You should think about this: Mistico's lucha libre style is something that some guys in the back cannot keep up with or hard to work with.

This isn't your average Mysterio. This guy can actually go.

If you knew a thing or two about him: his matches has botches but as a professional, just get up and keep going.

He is going to last in the WWE, if not oh well. Its actually WWE's loss. Mistico can go back to Japan or Mexico and be bigger than he has ever been.

And if you disagree, you have a lot to learn on Mistico.

[jonny316]

And you have a lot to learn about the WWE and wrestling in general. Why should someone who can't put on a believable match get a push? Just because he's going to break someone's neck one day? It's a disrespect to the people in the company who can actually work. Let him go back to Japan and Mexico, let him earn minor league money from the major league wrestling organisations you failed to mention. Although he will do well in the WWE if he doesn't get released, because marks like you would rather see a trapeze act than a wrestling match.

And by the way, Rey Mysterio can work 'Match of the Year' quality matches and he doesn't need to destroy himself and someone else to do it. But we could argue all day, let's just agree to disagree, you like botched filled spot fests and I don't.

[tittle97]

Don't they always suck when they are taped and is overseas??? Although it good to do shows annaully in London or abroad, but limit them maybe 2 to 4 maybe 5 shows a year!!!

This guy does not know what he is talking about.

[tittle97]

^^^ pre-taped Raws usually aren't very good.

This show wasn't an exception

What Bodom said. I noticed WAY more commercials too.

[jonny316]

Well, Sky was really annoying with their commercial breaks. But Raw till the tag team match wasn't that bad, you could obviously see that Miz and Riley can't work with Cara, the Cole segment was mediocre and I think you're wrong about your assumption about the British Superstars. Sheamus looked very good and won cleanly and Mason was also made strong, even Punk had to stop him. I think that WWE will let Wade and Drew look strong on SD friday and you're right about Ziggler, damn they looked like twins.

The thing is the British guys and Sheamus won't get much airtime in the US. It was a perfect time to get some big angles involving them. Maybe in good time. But it would of made a mediocre show in a memorable one for me.

[The Brown One]

Don't they always suck when they are taped and is overseas??? Although it good to do shows annaully in London or abroad, but limit them maybe 2 to 4 maybe 5 shows a year!!!

A lesson I learned here. Don't be a dick.
Overseas shows are great, but your ego obviously gets in the way of seeing that, or almost anything that is good in wrestling today.

[markedout4life]

micgillicutty? it still bothers me so no form of the nexus will ever be over for me, cm punk had a snoozer and the corre should have been on there monday truth failed hard due to what the live crowd said( who are you ?)really? he is fairly over mostly with the black and children demographic. but the heel turn will take all of his children fans and turn them against them. this could work so good just because he didn't inhale, it doesnt mean the kids know that. sorry r-truth rant. he is the wrestler that im embarrased to admit i like

[Automatic]

The thing is the British guys and Sheamus won't get much airtime in the US. It was a perfect time to get some big angles involving them. Maybe in good time. But it would of made a mediocre show in a memorable one for me.

Big angles? For 1 show in the UK? WWE let them look strong on their homeground, what do you else expect? WWE can't make drastic decisions just because 4 wrestlers are UK originated. And the British guys get plenty of airtime in the USA. But I think in a few years when they are the bigger stars, you will have your memorable show. I truly think Sheamus, Barret, Mason Ryan and Drew McIntyre will be huge one day, especially Barret and the great thing for you is that he is an Englisman.