Million Dollar Mistake?
While Monday Night Raw saw 5 lucky viewers take home cash prizes (from $2 to $250,000), it may have done more to irritate the loyal and faithful fans or even drive away new ones. Rating may also help tell the truth. The giveaway moments consisted of Mr. McMahon standing at the top of the ramp, dialing phone numbers on a speaker phone and awaiting viewers to answer their phones. Contestants had to give the "WWE Universe" code to win that "mon-ey". These spots killed time on the show and possibly bored the live audience in attendance and at home. The help of Charlie Haas, Maria, Mae Young and Cryme Tyme didn't seem like it was enough to carry the bits either. They aren't improv comedians so much, and Raw is far from a telethon. WWE, take note: change the format for next Monday to impress new viewers with the Raw product.
As for the rest of the program, we saw a buildup to Night of Champions. HHH and Cena interfered in each others' matches, causing the feud to escalate. JBL took on Cena, with Cena playing possum well in the ring. As JBL came in to grab Cena, Cena was the one to surprise JBL and roll him up for a smart pinfall. After the win, HHH held his title up on the commentators' table. Cena got up to face him, but as the Game jumped down, he also tripped Cena, causing him to fall on the table. Later in the night, Cena got his revenge, but only after HHH threw Jeff Hardy at him. While Hunter faced Jeff Hardy in the main event, Cena interfered and pulled the Game off the apron, causing HHH to lose by countout. Jeff Hardy had the last laugh as Cena & HHH faced each other outside the ring. Hardy crashed down in a heap on both men, perhaps leading to a Triple Threat or tag team match in the near future.
Other matches saw the Burchill-Kennedy feud escalate as well. Both wrestlers seem like capable Intercontinental title holders right now. But as for that title, it appears we're going to get a continuation of Shawn Michaels vs. Jericho. They've provided some great matches already and have fans on both sides. Could make for a great feud, and another HBK title win.
For next week, the WWE should consider having the million dollar giveaway calls backstage, just like the other promo skits. Mr. McMahon obviously wanted to convey the "this is really happening" feel, but he could make it even better. Backstage, have actual divas and wrestlers making these calls to award fans the prizes, then air the footage on the Titantron. The calls could even play into current stories, such as Ted Dibiase Jr., or the Michaels vs. Jericho. Otherwise, new fans tuning into Raw won't be impressed by seeing Mr. McMahon on the ramp listening to Billy Ocean answer tones, while waiting for a random WWE fan to pickup the phone.
As for the rest of the program, we saw a buildup to Night of Champions. HHH and Cena interfered in each others' matches, causing the feud to escalate. JBL took on Cena, with Cena playing possum well in the ring. As JBL came in to grab Cena, Cena was the one to surprise JBL and roll him up for a smart pinfall. After the win, HHH held his title up on the commentators' table. Cena got up to face him, but as the Game jumped down, he also tripped Cena, causing him to fall on the table. Later in the night, Cena got his revenge, but only after HHH threw Jeff Hardy at him. While Hunter faced Jeff Hardy in the main event, Cena interfered and pulled the Game off the apron, causing HHH to lose by countout. Jeff Hardy had the last laugh as Cena & HHH faced each other outside the ring. Hardy crashed down in a heap on both men, perhaps leading to a Triple Threat or tag team match in the near future.
Other matches saw the Burchill-Kennedy feud escalate as well. Both wrestlers seem like capable Intercontinental title holders right now. But as for that title, it appears we're going to get a continuation of Shawn Michaels vs. Jericho. They've provided some great matches already and have fans on both sides. Could make for a great feud, and another HBK title win.
For next week, the WWE should consider having the million dollar giveaway calls backstage, just like the other promo skits. Mr. McMahon obviously wanted to convey the "this is really happening" feel, but he could make it even better. Backstage, have actual divas and wrestlers making these calls to award fans the prizes, then air the footage on the Titantron. The calls could even play into current stories, such as Ted Dibiase Jr., or the Michaels vs. Jericho. Otherwise, new fans tuning into Raw won't be impressed by seeing Mr. McMahon on the ramp listening to Billy Ocean answer tones, while waiting for a random WWE fan to pickup the phone.
Labels: Commentary, Jeff Hardy, John Cena, Maria Kanellis, Million Dollar Mania, Triple H, WWE Divas, WWE Raw News
1 Comments:
since raw isn't live on the west coast, i found it unnecessary to even turn my cellphone on, as the winners were already decided, way before raw came on the west coast.
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