RAW Workrate Report 4/26/04
What Worked
PAS: Joshi tag was kind of mediocre, but fine enough for this side of the ledger. I like the jacked T2P abdominal stretch thing by Kim. Face spot worker Victoria kind of stinks though
TKG: I had been digging Kim as Rosencrnatz and Guildenstern of the women's division. Kind of shocked that we actually get to watch her work, and it ends up being kind of fun.
PAS: The one armed pushups the ref in the Rhyno match did for every two count.
TKG: Bouncing ref didn't save this. All the time we've been lead to believe that Kane can cause explosions and Eugene goes out and does a scene with the pyro guy...way to expose the business.
PAS: Cutting straight from Nancy Pelosi and Hillary to Lawler talking about using his scepter as a placeholder.
PAS: Helmsley gives Tajiri more offense then he gave Tajiri's ex-tag partner a month ago. Really fun match with Tajiri getting way more offense then he normally gets against lesser guys. With the multiple abdominal stretch variations in this match I thought Orton was going to end up punking out Inoki tonight.
TKG: Helmsley normally doesn't let himself do comedy heel stuff so was surprised to see him do the I'm blind in Bischoff's office sketch. It's never really made sense to me that Helmsley was supposed to be working the cerebral character when he insists on beginning every show telling long stories about his childhood in St. Olaf. Dave Lasagna never seemed to figure this out as well Friends is a shitty ensemble sitcom. But tonight it felt like he studied his greatest sitcom script books. I really dug Helmsley as Rose. Batista and Flair had some fun backstage Maude and Sophia banter and in ring interaction. On the other hand, Orton's salivating around old men schtick didn't make me forget Blanche.
PAS: Tag match had some weak sections but ended really great. Match was carried by the heel team this week as Beniot looked off in sections. I have no idea when Batista got good, but he was the best guy in this match. He went up really well for suplexes, and all of his offense looked sharp
What Didn't Work
PAS: Does Hogan own a tanning salon in Kansas, everyone came on the show tonight looking like the Korean sorority girl who went to the tanning bed with her white sisters and came out looking Cambodian.
PAS: Kane stealing Dusty's spot and making it a heel move. Dusty still works indies, that is weak.
TKG: So Hardy goes from being a heel jobber to turning to become a face jobber?
PAS: Christopher really should have brought the Sexy Assassins to watch his back.
PAS: Harley Race really should have gotten some comeuppance. At least Superstar Steve or Takeshi Morishima should have run in for the save.
TKG: Where's Turkeycreek Johnson and Bull Schmidt to have Race's back? Danny Hodge breaks up Chavo and Verne but lets this shit happen?