WWE RAW Workrate Report
Okay so Tom is AWOL tonight, my guess is tomorrow morning some poor 22 year old fat girl is going to wake up with an infection and a story to tell at her first AA meeting.
What Worked
PAS: I liked Orton's promo, the cocky smile, the taunting pasty Canadians to expose what the lack of sun will do to white people, the suit. Really the start of a nice heel championship run.. oops.
PAS: I like Molly's short hair, think they could do a really nice Molly + Jazz real athletes tag team. Sort of play up their athleticism and try to attract the same fan base that draws so huge for the Mystics here in DC.
PAS: Gail Kim and Victoria work a perfectly fine little match. This actually had the feel of a pair of Indy guys working their standard match as a first round of a Super 8, kind of like Mikey Batts v. Naphtali or Rob Eckos v. Josh Daniels or Derek Wylde v. Cody Steele. I usually don't like Indy touring matches but this was pretty crisp.
PAS: Batista beats Jericho's ass and I enjoy it. Jericho takes a nice asswhipping, but these matches really expose how dainty most of his offense looks. I just don't buy him hurting Batista at all. Still this was damn fun, Batista is going to be really great in his role of enforcer for heel champ Orton...ooops.
PAS: Helmsley giving Orton some advice before the title match was really great. It is way too early to show dissension, as HHH should be put in the backround for a while, sidedrain him into a bloody feud with Regal. Have him play the mentor role, until he finally can't take it anymore. Maybe in a month or two, have Orton starting blowing off the advice a bit, have him be too big for his britches. Then once Orton is established big you can have Helmsley lose it and challenge for the belt. They did a nice job setting up the slow burn here....ooops
PAS: Damn that main event was good. I really liked the story of a furious Beniot throwing everything he had at a worn out Orton, and then the one mistake allowing Orton to take over a bit. I remember the first time Orton busted out his chinlock of doom it looking really stupid, but it has gotten really nasty looking now. I also like after Orton wins clean the previous night, him basically being beat the next, but needing help from his crew. Really sets up a nice long feud between Beniot and Orton with Beniot coming real close, but having to chase the arrogant heel for the belt. Really classic wrestling storytelling, and can really chew up 3 or 4 months of shows....oops.
What Didn't Work
PAS: A longish Rhyno v. Greineir singles match? I know McMahon wants to punish Canadians for Bret Hart or something, but there is no need to punish the people watching the show too. Jesus at least RF had his pony get beat up on the outside by the Carnage Crew, he didn't give him the tag belts.
PAS: How did they find a Black girl with that flat of an ass? Did you see the size of her head? She looked like a lollipop. Or an integrated Family Circus character. Who puked all over the bathroom? NOT ME!
PAS: If this Kane wedding angle was done with Bull Pain, Miss Samantha and Bill Dundee it would actually be pretty great. It isn't so its not. Bull Pain v. Kevin White to set up a Dundee run in, would have been alot better then this desultory Kane v. Edge match too.
PAS: WWE decides to fast forward their booking six months for no good reason. No reason to let Orton get over or anything before you cut his legs out. I imagine Helsmley will run through Orton by Royal Rumble before he recycles Jericho for another heatless WM semi-main. Why couldn't Stephanie by a size queen, then at least we would get to see El Dandy or Mike Jones bury everyone. Hell Robert Fuller is taller and better on the mike.