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Every Tuesday and Friday we give you the scoop on what's happening in and out of the wrestling ring.
Chairshots
7-24-02Raw Thoughts
It's been so long since we've seen a homerun edition of Raw that I'd thought they were only something I'd imagined. For starters, the show had a different tone to it. Eric Bischoff is basically playing the same role that Flair and the McMahons have played, but he has a different energy and delivery to it that makes it seem refreshing. And while the WWE has said that Bischoff has no creative power in the WWE, Raw still had a very WCW Nitro feel to it.It starts with small things. Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Damn have a match to unify the Euro and Intercontinental championship. The Euro belt has been meaningless since its inception, so finally getting rid of it is a smart move. Having Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Damn fight it out in a ladder match isn't a bad bonus either.
Having matches that mean something is also a key factor in getting viewers to care. Booker T vs. Chris Benoit was an enjoyable match, not just because they are two talented workers but because the match had the stipulation of the winner getting an IC title shot next week on Raw. Compare that to the only low point of Monday, the Big Show vs. Spike match, and you'll see how adding some booking logic to a match can help it be more entertaining and keep fans around longer. I know I'm already looking forward to Benoit vs. RVD next week.
Clean wins are back in style on Raw. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rock, Benoit vs. Booker T and RVD vs. Hardy were all big name matches with clean finishes. No one lost any heat for losing their match, and I think Hardy actually came out better for it since he's added another four-star match to his name.
I loved the exchange with Rock and Lesnar with Lesnar walking by Rock as if he were nothing. Too often we see feuds built on back stage brawls and not enough on character moments. The Rock is an incredible character. Lesnar has only been a cookie cutter heel until now, but with one subtle move he showed a lot to both the champ and the fans.
Another small thing the WWE doesn't do enough of is using their complete roster to tell a story. Usually when a wrestler gets injured he just disappears for a few months and no one hears anything out of him. Bischoff's quest to sign superstars to Raw was an excellent opportunity to have Rhyno make a cameo. Fans are happy to see him and it adds to Bischoff's plotline.
These little things add up to make a good show, but then you need something special to reward viewers, to give Raw that "must see TV" feel. This week had two such moments.
First, The Island Boys made their WWE debut. Now, I have a few problems with the way they debuted, but I enjoyed it anyway. Why didn't J.R. know who they were? He's talked about them in The Ross Report a dozen times and even mentioned them just last week. He doesn't need to play dumb when you can just say that Bischoff signed two superstars from the WWE training camp. Next, why have The Island Boys debut on the show that doesn't have the tag team championship?
But the big highlight of Raw on Monday was the Return of DX. I saw that coming but it was a mark out moment none the less. What I didn't see coming was the the Return of DX coming to a quick end with HHH turning on Shawn Michaels.
As soon as it happened I felt stupid for not predicting it. Instead, I was wondering if Chyna would be at Raw next week. Now the question is, can Shawn Michaels wrestle? If not, It seems silly to book him into this feud with HHH.
Thank God Raw was good. I wasn't that impressed with Vengeance on Sunday and the WWE really needed Raw to be good if they wanted the new "Bischoff Era" to succeed.
Ratings
This week's edition of Raw saw an upswing in the ratings, scoring a 4.3 cable rating, with a 7.0 share. The show did hours of 4.1 and 4.4. Last week's show did a 3.8 so this is good news for WWE.Or maybe the "Bischoff Era" is already a success. Raw scored a 4.3 rating this week. That's up significantly from last week's 3.8. I said last week that this Raw rating would be a key one to look at because of the hype from Bischoff's return and the PPV the night before. High fives for everyone.
Foley Returns! Kinda…
The Biography Channel will be showing their Mick Foley biography tomorrow night at 8pm. After Foley's bio, they will air an Andre the Giant bio followed by one on Hulk Hogan. They repeat the three pack of wrestler bios at midnight. I want my Foley TV.That's it for today. I'll be back in 48 hours with a new Friday edition of Chairshots.
