Raw is Slapstick?
It's hard to know what to make of the "new Raw" format, but in the post-Adamle era, it's seeming just a bit deflated. Paul Heyman seems dead-on with his recent criticisms of WWE, because it's as if the creative team doesn't realize which stars to use and how these days. There's plenty of talent both in the ring and on the mic, but it's being misdirected as seen on last night's Raw. Examples: JBL's delivery of an interview to Todd Grisham backstage seemed straight off a teleprompter. Kelly Kelly and DX's skit fell flat on its face, which is odd for DX. It may have been their mics were turned too low, or they just weren't into it, but they seem to do best at improv.
Stephanie and Shane's dead air conversation at the start of Raw was very bizarre. Was it bad acting? It may be leading up to another McMahon vs. McMahon in-ring feud over who owns Raw. And then again, maybe all of this is the creative team, creating a story where Raw is worse under Stephanie's leadership. It's unfortunate to see this because even when Mike Adamle was around as GM, at least it was delivering a good deal of humor and excitement.
Last night's Mr. Kennedy skit seemed only there to fill dead air time and promote his new DVD movie. The side-by-side image of President elect Obama and Vince McMahon really took the cake, as their animated ears grew in size, almost screaming out Saturday morning cartoon humor. I'd recommend giving the most humorous character on the roster, Santino Marella, his own in-ring show similar to those of Carlito and Chris Jericho. Marella's delivered some of the funniest bits on the show, including his rap last week and his pre-match talk last night. Santino could interview Raw and Smackdown's WWE Divas, superstars, celebrities, former IC champs, and set up new feuds along the way.
The bright spots on Raw may have been the new IC tournament plus the returns of Goldust, Melina and John Cena. Early favorite in that tournament has to be CM Punk, quite possibly with he and his tag partner, Kofi Kingston, being the final match. Goldust was a surprise even though he was at Cyber Sunday, and I'm not sure how many fans were really expecting it to be "Goldhaas". Will he feud with Santino or another star? It has potential. The return of WWE Diva Melina Perez was supposed to be a bit of a surprise, but blame the production crew for the mistake of throwing her name up during Candice's intro. Mistakes do happen, and Melina looked better than ever in the ring, even using a "Matrix-style move". Then there was Cena, who really had the crowd riled up after coming out from backstage, almost in an Eminem MTV Video Awards type moment, leading the troops (his young fans) into the arena. He delivered the State of Raw address to Jericho, about how WWE wouldn't exist without its fans. It wasn't humorous, just to the point. And he's exactly right, now let's hope the creative team was paying attention.
More from WWE Characters the Blog:
Survivor Series Reactions
2008 Survivor Series Results
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Stephanie and Shane's dead air conversation at the start of Raw was very bizarre. Was it bad acting? It may be leading up to another McMahon vs. McMahon in-ring feud over who owns Raw. And then again, maybe all of this is the creative team, creating a story where Raw is worse under Stephanie's leadership. It's unfortunate to see this because even when Mike Adamle was around as GM, at least it was delivering a good deal of humor and excitement.
Last night's Mr. Kennedy skit seemed only there to fill dead air time and promote his new DVD movie. The side-by-side image of President elect Obama and Vince McMahon really took the cake, as their animated ears grew in size, almost screaming out Saturday morning cartoon humor. I'd recommend giving the most humorous character on the roster, Santino Marella, his own in-ring show similar to those of Carlito and Chris Jericho. Marella's delivered some of the funniest bits on the show, including his rap last week and his pre-match talk last night. Santino could interview Raw and Smackdown's WWE Divas, superstars, celebrities, former IC champs, and set up new feuds along the way.
The bright spots on Raw may have been the new IC tournament plus the returns of Goldust, Melina and John Cena. Early favorite in that tournament has to be CM Punk, quite possibly with he and his tag partner, Kofi Kingston, being the final match. Goldust was a surprise even though he was at Cyber Sunday, and I'm not sure how many fans were really expecting it to be "Goldhaas". Will he feud with Santino or another star? It has potential. The return of WWE Diva Melina Perez was supposed to be a bit of a surprise, but blame the production crew for the mistake of throwing her name up during Candice's intro. Mistakes do happen, and Melina looked better than ever in the ring, even using a "Matrix-style move". Then there was Cena, who really had the crowd riled up after coming out from backstage, almost in an Eminem MTV Video Awards type moment, leading the troops (his young fans) into the arena. He delivered the State of Raw address to Jericho, about how WWE wouldn't exist without its fans. It wasn't humorous, just to the point. And he's exactly right, now let's hope the creative team was paying attention.
More from WWE Characters the Blog:
Survivor Series Reactions
2008 Survivor Series Results
WWE Blocks Brutus the Barber Beefcake
Labels: Commentary, D-Generation X, John Cena, Melina, Santino Marella, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon
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