WWE RAW Workrate Report 7/12
What Worked
PAS: Batista v. Edge had its awkward parts, but was plenty fun. I was honestly distracted by the new Lynch list, as he has tons of IWE classics. Bob Sweetan v. Rusher, Herodes from 1979, Ray Candy. I am sure this match was better then Ray Candy v. Hara, but the latter match intrigues me more.
TKG: So I'm watching Val Venis vs. Tomko on heat and really digging it a ton, as oddly Venis is as tall as Tomko and the two had a nice two big guys slugfest. Last week I wrote about how I really liked Batista's monster work but wanted to see him in two big guys slugfest kind of match. Wanted to see if he could do it. My complaint about Edge in the past has been that he works like a wrestler a foot shorter than him. Edge is legit tall, but he works like Spike Dudley, underdog who takes a beating and then has lots of big spots he can hit out of nowhere. Edge lately has been stepping up and working a little more like dominant tall guy..maybe it's just the forearms. Opening section of this match left me still unsure of both guys as first section (up untill Batista did the Finlay apron spot) didn't feel as good a Venis vs. Tomko. But then it just really came together. really like the way Batista sells. Liked the crumple sell for the leg lariat, loved the way he took the impaler, was amused by his Adrian Adonis style bump from being dropped accross top rope, and dug his fatigue sell after powerbomb. and has Edge always had a missile drop kick that good?
PAS: Tomko can't execute anything during run-ins, but is actually kind of fine in the ring. Takes a nice couple of in-ring bumps, and jacks Al Green's back elbows in the corner, plus he actually hits his finisher. Not as good as his shockingly great Heat match, but fine stuff.
TKG: Tomko really works like a UPW trained guy. Did he have a match with Hashimoto? the Al Greene back elbows were in the Venis match. The fistdrop was in this one. But essentially he works like UPW guy so offense is not going to be strength.
TKG: People on the board were pimping Rhino's spear today. People on our board are fools. FOOLS. Really dug Conway bumping like freak to get over Rhino's, stuff hell he even made Rhino's spear thing look decent.
PAS: Conway is the first guy in recent memory on a show with Flair to take a high backdrop better then Flair.
PAS: Damn Flair v. Helms was great. This totally makes me want to go to the Southern Pines Event Center to see the NWA title match this sets up. Flair kind of punishes Helms in a very Fuchish way in the beginning, and then makes Helms look really strong, before beating him. Helms looked super in this too, especially the way he took Flair's chop blocks.
TKG: I was expecting this to be run as really mediocre Flair vs. Barry Houston (yeah Helms is alot better than Houston but you know what I mean) style, with Flair just too old to work that match well. Instead this was worked like really great Fuchi vs. Ichikari (yeah Helms is better than that too, but you know). This beats out the Edge vs. Batista match as match of show cause the Edge one took to long to get going.
PAS: Eugene's German Suplexes and crossface looked really good, but there were innumerable problems with this match. Nice blade job though.
TKG: You'd think for Benoit working a , I don't want to hurt you match..they would have started with some matwork where he's working for pinfalls or something, didn't like match. Liked Regal run in.
What Didn't Work
PAS: Man the Diva search stuff was punishing, the first two girls on air presence was terrible, as they both had sort a nervous shout going on. The Korean girl who went second was kind of cute in a "now that I am relaxed, here is $20 to finish me off" kind of way. The Playboy model was the only one who had any poise, plus she was carny enough to cock tease Vince, but this is clearly a way to create new girls for them to pimp to Playboy and take 60% of the money. Hef already has shots of this girls pink, so she clearly isn't going to win.
TKG: Maybe its that I had just watched the absolutely horrible acting in the Evolution locker room, or that I listened to some diva contestant who's delivery was just horrible, or maybe it was the absolute shittyness of Kanes reaction shot huffing and puffing,...but I thought Lita's acting and delivery was really good tonight. As she seemed like she almost was able to turn this into the kind of really fun redneck angle that Dean would write for Sugar Sato. Unfortunately Kane's acting stank and instead of working ugly asshole truck dipatcher, he's working "Pontiff of Perversity". Last week Lawler refered to the no holds barred match as being a "Baby's Daddy' match. It would have ruled if they worked it like a New Jack match with "who dat is? dat's just my baby's daddy" played for whole match instead of "Natural Born Killers". That only works if its a a match between truck dispatcher and a guy who sells airbrushed T-shirts at the fair. For a minute there, Lita made me believe that I was watching that angle.Then Kane got all demonic with his mic work, puffed his cheeks and fucked it up. I don't understand why they're doing the Kane as horror movie evil schtick when it kills the ability of anyone having a meaningful storyline when they work him. Sorry I was reading the "Forward's" celebration of the 100th birthday of I B Singer and just think the WWE fucked up with Goldberg... I mean how easy would it have been just to plagarize a quiet Jew fighting evil demon story. But if his antagonist isn't going to be a quiet Jew from the Falcons, they need to drop the Kane dark magic garbage.
PAS: Goldberg would make a fine Golem as well, but that ship has sailed.
PAS: Christ Jericho and Kane had that 6 month feud over spilt latte's, they can't put together a 7 minute TV match.
TKG: Holy crap did this match suck ass. I mean just ass. neither guy seemed to be on same page. Made me nostalgic for Kane-X-pac series. They do a drop neck across the top rope spot, which they had done in almost every match on the show and it didn't look as good as when Tomko did it.