ThunderStruck: Raw Analysis 05/14/12

Raw opens with a backstage segment between Triple H and John Laurinaitis. JL tries to tell Hunter he didn’t know Lesnar would attack him the way he did. Triple H says he will address the world with what he wants to say; he wishes JL luck in his match on Sunday.

^Anybody else wonder why JL wasn’t fired by Trips after his business with Undertaker was dealt with? How about the fact that JL has acted ridiculous and abused power? Are the board of directors in charge of JL instead of Triple H? The lack of explanation makes me think the WWE wants me to be stupid and not care. If we’re not supposed to care about those details, then why even have the storyline?

Triple H comes to the ring and talks about Brock Lesnar quitting every time things get tough. Paul Heyman comes out and taunts Triple H with the fact that Lesnar is going to sue him for the money the WWE owes Lesnar. Hunter grabs Heyman and threatens him. Heyman gets pissed and tells Triple H he now has another lawsuit against him for assault and battery.

^Paul Heyman is great on the mic, and he basically makes the feud between Lesnar and Trips more interesting. I could honestly care less about the match that’s being built around this storyline though. Lesnar CAN wrestle well, but he doesn’t make other wrestlers look good. Triple H can work a solid match, but he’s not a standout show-stealer and he’s past his prime.

CM Punk and Santino Marella defeat Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan when Punk hits the GTS on Rhodes for the three count.

^Match of the night. It was odd pairings but it was decent tag team wrestling. I love watching Punk come out on top, but I’m disappointed with how little air time he received and how little build he and DBry have been given for their match this Sunday. The match itself will speak volumes for both superstars. I’m glad WWE put Santino and Rhodes in the same match; this was a good way to remind of us how little Cody defends his title and how even worse the fact is that Santino’s US Title run has been completely meaningless.

Beth Phoenix defeats Alicia Fox in under two minutes with the glam slam while Layla watches on from the top of the ramp. Layla takes Beth down in a fast altercation after the match.

^Let’s piss on the divas some more, WWE. Really? Both of these ladies could’ve put on a solid six minute match that would’ve been fun to watch. I’m excited for Layla and Beth’s match this Sunday.

Kane defeats the Big Show with a chokeslam after JL demands an apology from Big Show during the match. After the match, JL humiliates Show and makes him apologize repeatedly and get on his knees. JL fires Show anyway.

^Kane and Big Show has been done. It was boring in the past and it was boring tonight. I respect both men and what they can do in the ring in the right situations, but where the hell is the consideration for them when it comes to consistent and even halfway interesting booking? The segment with JL and Show was ridiculously long and dragged out. It wasn’t all that entertaining, but I’ll admit that Big Show seems to be a good actor. He’ll have his job back before you know it.

Brodus Clay and Jimmy Boom defeat the Miz and ZigSwag in a six man tag match. Brodus gets the pinfall on Miz after trouble in paradise from Kofi and a big splash.

^I’m not going to complain about this match; we saw some legitimate wrestling and got to see some of my favorites in the ring. The tag title match this Sunday will be good; I’m expecting an impromptu Brodus Clay match with the Miz now.

Backstage segment with CM Punk and AJ Lee. AJ wishes Punk good luck in his match on Sunday. Punk tries to be nice but tells AJ that he doesn’t trust her and that she’s been unstable as of late. She looks pissed/upset when he walks away.

^AJ getting involved in the match this Sunday? I don’t think it will change the outcome, but it could definitely make things more interesting if Punk continues to treat her the way he did just now.

Chris Jericho defeats Randy Orton by DQ when Sheamus(on commentary) attacks Jericho after Y2J shoves Orton into Sheamus. Sheamus and Orton try to brawl after the match but the refs come down and separate the two.

^Not that I think Jericho or Orton will be the World Champ anytime soon, but I’m glad they’ve been introduced into this feud with ADR and Sheamus. This match could’ve been more; every match with Jericho could be better but lately the majority of them seem to go without a normal finish. I was half expecting Christian to make his comeback and join in on the fun with this match.

JL and John Cena close the show in the ring. Cena makes fun of JL every time he tries to talk. Eve comes out and delivers a letter to JL from the board of directors before he can make his announcement. Cena reads it aloud. JL is fired if he loses Sunday, and any Superstar that gets involved in the match will be fired. JL is not allowed to name any special referees or change the match in any way. The crowd loves it. Cena asks JL what he wanted to say before the letter was delivered. JL slaps Cena across the face and walks away.

^Cena was funny trying to imitate Jim Carrey; it worked surprisingly well for him. I’m amazed at how much effort WWE has put into getting the fans to cheer for Cena, and they’ve actually had some success with it. I’ll talk more about the match in my Over the Limit predictions column, but I actually feel like this promo(mostly Cena) kept the show from being completely mediocre.

Overall, this was not my favorite Raw. This basically felt like a continuation of the same old thing with absolutely nothing new introduced. I mean you could see WWE trying to change things up with the six man tag instead of a Brodus squash, and you could see the lack of Tensai(odd for how much they wanted to push the guy). There was also a blatant lack of backstage segments(I’m not complaining about this specifically, but follow me for a second). It wouldn’t have been a problem, but the in ring segments were dragged out horribly and we had a hundred replays of things that we’ve already seen. Was this show booked in a hurry without any careful planning? I love WWE, and I’ll never stop watching, but I definitely was not impressed with this show as a whole. I’ll have my Sacrifice reaction column and some other stuff up in the next couple days. Thanks for reading.

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