March 3rd RAW Review
- This episode began it's build last week as we saw The Rock make his RAW return and challenge Stone Cold Steve Austin. The hype was on, as those of us who didn't see No Way Out were interested in seeing Austin's RAW return. Possibly even those fans who don't approve of Austin since his actions last June, were at least a little anxious. Once again, The Rock stole the show for the first hour and 50 minutes. His promos were great, especially with The Hurricane once again. It's pretty cool to see The Rock give Hurricane the last word again. As for Triple H, so much for 2 weeks without seeing him. He destroyed Booker T verbally as he mentioned Booker's run as WCW Champion towards WCW's end. I swear, Booker T has paid his dues, and in those title reigns, he was the best WCW had to offer, along with Benoit. I can't wait to see Booker crush Trips. If anyone deserves some credit in WWE now, it's Booker T. He's way over with the fans, one of the best workers in the game, and a damn funny entertainer too.
- The Test/GGW segment was predictable, and this could signal a Test/Stacy break-up. Plus, Jericho beating Test cleanly with a pin instead of a submit was nice. This showed even more of Jericho's depth as a wrestler. Why in the world hasn't he been given a title shot? Oh, yeah...Triple H. I think Jericho would be better on Smackdown anyway. He could put on some serious classic matches with Benoit & Lesnar and possibly become Champ again. Did anyone notice that the last suplex Chief Morley gave Spike Dudley was a slingshot suplex? That was cool to me, since that move was Tully Blanchard's finishing move. Kinda of cool tribute to a guy who seems to be forgotten.
- The Booker T/Steiner match was a throwback to their match on the final Nitro episode. However, this one wasn't as great or as memorable as that classic from 2000. But, seeing Steiner in this match made me think he's probably turning heel soon. I could see him aligning himself with Triple H to somehow revive Evolution.
- Now to the final segment of RAW. We first see Austin almost run over Bischoff's henchmen waiting for him in the parking area. I marked out when the glass hit. I didn't get No Way Out, so this was my first time seeing him back. He looked great as he told us "Thank you". I thought that was a class act. He didn't go on about what happened, but he acknowledged his appreciation for his fans. After stunnering 3-Minute Warning, we see him and The Rock face-to-face. He almost gets Rock in a stunner, but Rock ducks him. Nice preview and build to WrestleMania. Although, Bischoff throws in a monkey wrench. He sets up a match on next week's RAW between Rock and Booker T. If Rock wins, he can decide who he wants to fight at WM...Stone Cold Steve Austin or Triple H. This could be very interesting. Overall, I was pleased with RAW, but thought more time should have been given to build Austin/Rock since Austin wasn't on last week's RAW.
My Views On The Wave of Injuries
- I am pretty upset that Angle/Lesnar will not take place at WrestleMania this year. That's a huge match. But, we'll get it next week on Smackdown. Without knowing anything about Kurt Angle being injured until just a few days ago, I was shocked to hear that he'll be out for a year. This is a huge blow to the WWE, as Angle is one of their very best wrestlers/entertainers. He's the top heel on Smackdown and has been building himself into the best champion possibly ever. I read that he is very disappointed about missing WrestleMania 19, but also that he deeply misses his newborn daughter. The time off will allow him to be with his family as he recovers from major neck surgery. But, the WWE will have to carry on without him. Edge is also suffering from a similar injury to his neck and will undergo surgery this coming Monday. He is also expected to miss up to one year. The Smackdown Brand will have to somehow move forward from this terrible news. Who will step up? Who will move from RAW to Smackdown?
- Now to the RAW side. This past Saturday night at a RAW house show, both Randy Orton and Batista suffered injuries. Orton is said to have broken his foot in 3 places, and will miss up to 6 months. While Batista suffered a tricep injury...although I can't confirm the exact nature of this injury yer. This is bad news for these young guys, as they were just starting to make a little noise as members of Evolution. Plus, Orton just returned to the ring last month from his previous shoulder injury. What is causing these injuries?
- This is something that can be contested over and over. But, I feel the workload on the WWE Superstars is just too much for their bodies to endure. Take the Smackdown Brand's recent schedule. They had to travel from their Ontario show on 2/25 to South Africa 2 days later, then back to the states for the taping of Smackdown on 3/4. Not only that, but the boys are gearing up for WrestleMania and trying to perform at their very best. Along with the physical condition of the wrestlers today, maybe more muscle mass is hurting their recovery and safety. Look at Triple H. Since he returned from his quad injury, he hasn't been 100% healthy and has been wrestling hurt for quite some time now. Triple H put on a lot a muscle mass while he was recovering, but he hasn't improved as a wrestler. Also, look at Kevin Nash. In his first match last year he was in the ring for about a minute before he tore his quad. He had just recovered from an arm injury and was thought to be back in the ring too soon. Putting on too much muscle affects the recovery time of the body. But, Vince McMahon loves the big guys, and always has. The WWE hopefully will move forward without these top guys. I sure hope each of them recover fully and completely before a return, so that we can see them perform at their absolute best.
- Well, that's all for this week's column. Tune in next week to see what's going on in the world of the WWE and my take on it. As always, thanks for reading.
