There's a new sheriff in town... again. With Triple H removed from his duties running Raw, John Laurinaitis has been appointed as the interim General Manager. Tonight's the first Raw in Mexico City. What will the truly global WWE bring to the table? And of course, we're just 6 nights away from Vengeance! Read on for my thoughts on the show as it happens.
I need to set some entrance music for my ringtone...
Cool-looking arena.
Laurinaitis reminds me of a politician, which some would say fits him to a T.
Wait, they taped this the other day and the left in Laurinaitis' miscue?
Something tells me that's not even JR's quickest on-screen rehiring.
Wow, Laurinaitis isn't exactly a strong promo.
Laurinaitis, JR, and Cole are the focus of this show so far. Not so good of a start.
At least Cole's funny selling this.
Pretty good tag match idea. I continue to wonder about Morrison's status given how they're using him.
Orton vs. Rhodes works for me. Could be a big one for the Intercontinental Champion.
Show vs. Henry doesn't sound so great on paper, but it's got a good story behind it and I think they can pull it off.
It's a shame there were only 3 weeks to build to Sunday's PPV. That's one of WWE's biggest flaws right now.
I'm looking forward to Rhodes/Orton. If Rhodes doesn't get destroyed that is.
Harold, Kumar, and Johnny English? Bad Hollywood. Bad.
I miss Del Rio's faction if it's really over. Everyone involved got some mic time to get over there.
A bear hug doesn't sound as menacing as say, a bear crushing.
I'm pegging Sheamus as the guy who will take the title from Henry.
Well, had to know that outcome was coming when it came down to those two. Cool set-up though.
That title looks child-size when Henry holds it.
Punk vs. Miz. I'm down with that one.
I can't believe we're really getting JR and Cole in the main event tonight. Neither of them are active competitors, and neither (hopefully) have a match on Sunday.
Awesome package for Brodus. If he's improved since he was last featured regularly (outside of his brief squashes), he'll be someone to see. I liked the soft-spoken, but not boring, promo.
I'm getting flashbacks to the Bellas hanging out with guest hosts.
I hope at least Del Rio gets some heat working with JR. That's about the only good that can come of this.
And just like that, I care about who wins the match.
I like the WWE video game boxart in the background. I see what they did there.
I get the sneaking suspicion that either Eve or Kelly are going to be turned heel soon.
That's the Natalya I like to see.
Ok, I cracked up at Cole's lines here.
Cue complaints that the Divas of Doom/Sisters of Salvation aren't being used right. If Natalya beat Eve here, why would fans think she had a chance against Beth for the title?
Nice Del Rio/Cena package.
I hope we're not in for another Cena title reign. I like the guy, but that many championships would be ridiculous.
Punk, Miz, and R-Truth are 3 of my favorite promo guys in all of wrestling right now.
I really, really hope we're not in for Pedigree Fest '11 on Sunday with Haitch standing tall. They could do big things with the other 3 guys in that match if they look good in there with The Game. Alternately, we could end up with Bound For Glory, Part II.
They're chanting for Punk over HHH. That's a good sign for the younger, fresher star.
I got enough dives and flips last night.
But Cole, the internet fans hated last week's show! Don't you know that that means more than ratings and actual show quality? That's why ROH is so huge!
I think it's about time for new combinations at the commentary table, on both major shows.
I thought he was going to pull HHH out of Sunday's match or something. Then again, HHH is the COO so he could probably just reinstate himself.
Not a bad way to get HHH out of the picture for tonight. I think they might have something up their sleeve for Sunday that gets the others in the match over without HHH losing clean.
So far, so good. No sledgehammer-wielding HHH to knock the opposition down a few pegs while putting all the focus on himself. I'm a fan of his, but this one needs to be about the rising stars.
Nice heat for Awesome Truth to set up Punk looking for revenge on Sunday. I'm guessing we'll get more of the anti-HHH conspiracy there.
WrestleMania Rewind was my pick. They're doing the Network thing well so far.
Hahaha I love Vickie's outfit.
Also, the All-American American and the U.S. Champion in Mexico. This'll be fun.
I love Swagger's dance around the ring.
I'd be fine with getting new tag team champions then. The bigger deal is what other teams get to step up to the plate in time.
Ziggler's promos are getting a little out there. Vickie was great as always.
Good old-fashioned foreign country heeling.
I wonder how you say Broski in Spanish... Hermandoski?
The heck? That was kind of a letdown.
I like Ryan's music. They're dedicated to him for sure.
Mason's definitely getting a chance to get the crowd behind him with these associations.
Not bad. Ziggler's been the punching bag a little more than I'd like lately, though.
Fine little segment with JR and Cena.
Cole can get people to hate him, that's for sure.
That car's pretty sweet.
Whoever the baseball player is with the crazy beard, he's pretty entertaining.
There's only one Michael Cole, that's for sure.
We are really getting this. Oy. So many people who could be moved up the card and get chances to chine, and they're going with Cole and JR. I hope it's a one-night thing.
Oh wait, maybe Cena pins Cole or makes him tap, picks a stipulation of his choosing, and Del Rio heels his way into keeping the title (getting more credible and over in the process).
Put Cole in a WWE movie.
Oy vey. Again, hopefully, this was just a fun little way to tie up the story with JR and Cole, and we're moving on to other things.
Damn. Cena certainly looks like the man to beat on Sunday. Maybe Del Rio surprises us and retains in a big match that makes him look big, though.
That stipulation feels a little rushed. Like they were desperate to add something for the match to be "big enough".
I'm pretty interested in how Cena/Del Rio will end up. Things will be pretty different depending on which side prevails and how.
Anyway, that's all for a mostly good Raw. It had its down moments, but as long as they're temporary roadblocks it will all end up okay I think. I'll be back Wednesday for NXT, and a news post will be up later tonight. Thanks for reading!
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