How do you combine a fallout show from a Pay Per View with a birthday celebration for one of the most popular superstars of all time?
You don't.
Ok, let me be a little clearer. This night was all about the birthday celebration. It was planned in advance and it was going to be all about that. Now, some feuds were furthered for sure, but this wasn't a wrestling-heavy or storyline-heavy show. The main thing going on for over two hours was the birthday stuff.
If you weren't into that and you aren't a fan of The Rock, this wasn't the show for you. Yes, there was a solid wrestling match in the middle and other bits and pieces you might like, but either you were into The Rock and giving the night to him or you felt this was a waste of time. There really is no middle ground.
Still, other people were involved with the show, so let's find out who was HOT and who was NOT on this unique edition of Raw:
HOT
1. The Rock - Ok, everyone on the count of three. One, two, three DUHH!! This was Rock's night and giving this spot to anyone else would be uncivilized (points if you remember this reference). While I still don't think his mic work has been as good as it can be, he's still fun to listen to and a treat to watch. The night may have bit a bit overkill at times, but this was a celebration of The Rock moreso than a celebration of his birthday. You could see at the end that Vince was legitimately emotional in thanking Rock for being him and it was then that I realized that this was about thanking Rock for coming back. Yes, it probably has to do with Vince getting his coveted 1 million buys for Wrestlemania (not official yet but the word is good), but I do think the appreciation for what Rock has done for the wrestling business was the real catalyst here. He's done a lot, and this was simply a show to thank him for that. I know some won't like it, but it's one week....GET OVER IT!
2. Kharma - I love how quickly fans want answers. The most common reaction to Kharma so far is "she's attacked heels, does that mean she's a face?" The thing is, we don't know! Nor should we. The ambiguity of the Kharma character is what makes her intriguing at this point. We don't know why she's here and we don't know what she's after. She's a monster that is creepy and powerful, that's all we know. I think the booking for Kharma has been perfect so far and it should probably continue on like this for a few weeks. Let fans continue to speculate who or what she is and let that curiosity grow. For the first time in a long time, you have that feeling FOR THE DIVAS DIVISION! It's been great and I can only hope this trend continues.
3. Lillian Garcia/WWE - Given the news in real life, I thought the beginning to Raw was really classy. Bringing back Lillian to sing the national anthem was great as she was fantastic, and the video tribute they put together was powerful and fitting. The WWE has always been fantastic with their nationalistic stance, specifically in regards to their support of our nation's troops. This was no different, as you expected the WWE to deliver their support towards the troops and the United States. Well done and I'm glad they took a few minutes of their broadcast to start the show this way.
Honorable Mention: Mason Ryan - This guy did some impressive stuff on Monday. It looks like they will be showcasing him as a singles star that perhaps breaks away from Nexus. He is a powerhouse and this was very evident on this show. The powering out of the chokeslam and big spear were equally impressive and I get the feeling that this guy is at the beginning of a big push. Wait and see on this one, but certainly impressive stuff on Monday.
NOT
1. Dolph Ziggler/Vickie Guerrero - "It sucks to be me"! That's the mantra for these two as they were humbled and humiliated by The Great One. It was the perfect "good guy sniffs out bad guy's plot" scenario and it came off as pretty funny to the audience. Unfortunately, this could be a sign of things to come for the duo. There are A LOT of heels on Raw now, so Ziggler is going to have to fight to keep his spot. The last thing he wants is to feud with Kofi AGAIN for a midcard title. With Miz, Punk, and Del Rio there though, I'm not sure where Ziggler fits in on Raw. Humbled and humiliated might be a good night for him moving forward. Now, I like the guy and think he's a fantastic ring worker, but I can't imagine he's a priority for Raw bookers at this point. For his sake I hope I'm wrong, but I'm thinking this segment with The Rock could be a microcosm of his stay on Raw.
2. The Miz - No, it's not because he had a poor performance. Quite the contrary, actually. His match with Cena was great and if you didn't think Miz was a star before, see him kick out of the AA on Raw. How many people have gotten to do that? Unfortunately for Miz, he did everything a heel should do to win a title match except GET THE BELT OUT OF THE RING! Somehow, that caused the referee to reverse the decision (of course, we've seen the WWE go to video evidence before so I never understand referee reasoning AT ALL), leaving Miz titleless. I put him on the NOT list for this reason only. To actually get caught cheating as a heel, but not get caught in the act is pretty bad, so this was very much a failed evening on Miz's part. I think he belongs on the NOT list because he would put himself on here. No title = a bad night for The Miz. Hopefully this leads to a rematch at Over The Limit though. It's only right at this point.
3. Steve Carell - It was a nice touch by the WWE to have a bunch of celebrities wish Rock a happy birthday. It gets some star power on the show and it I'm sure is meaningful to the people's champ. However, Rock's co-star in Get Smart went the dry humor route for his message, saying he was forced to wish a happy birthday but didn't want to. I get the type of humor he was going for, but it just wasn't funny. Considering no other wrestling particularly stood out for poor performances, I went with Carell as I was disappointed in him. I'm not a fan of his Office stuff, but I do like him in most movies. Thus, seeing him be as dry as his Office stuff with even less humor was disappointing. Come on Brick Tamland!
As I said, this show is solely judged on whether you enjoyed The Rock. I personally enjoyed most of it or at the very least, I can appreciate what they were trying to do for him. It also showed me why Cena got the title win on Sunday night. The inevitable encounter between the Wrestlemania 28 opponents felt more important with the title between them. It plants the seed in fans minds that these two COULD fight for the title. I'm not sure yet if they will, but the idea is there and that's good for speculation. This was a fun show that was all about celebration. For the Rock and for the United States, it was fitting to have this atmosphere around the show. Next week will get back to normal, but this was not a normal week. Thus, the show seemed right given the circumstances. That said, we should see a lot of build for Over The Limit next week. For those who didn't like this show, that should give you a lot to look forward to. Until then, please enjoy the opening video I have included.
Written by:
