I just hope Adamle can be a better GM than announcer. I wonder who the new ECW announcer will be. My first thought was William Regal would have been the new GM since he was the last one.
It seems to me than they are burying Beth Phoenix by putting her in this love storyline with Santino.
It doesn't matter if Jericho is a heel or face, he comes over funny either way. It would be nice to see Jericho get a shot at Punk's World title just to give the title a little different look. Batista, JBL, Cena, and Kane have been world champs, putting the belt around Jericho would give it a fresher look.
I think they should put Cryme Tyme a shot at the World Tag Team Titles. Ever since aligning them with Cena, they have no where to go but up.
When Batista came out with the Wes Unseld jersey, that brought back a lot of memories b/c Wes was one of my all time favorite NBA stars. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times at Memorial Stadium before Oriole Games.

Folks the following comment Mr Eck made is 100% correct. I don't know where he saw the angle but he saw it over 1 and 1/2 hours before it happened. Here is the Quote
"I initially had no idea where things were headed. However, it hit me as soon as Adamle came sprinting out to take Cole’s place at the broadcast table. I told my friend sitting next to me that I thought Adamle was the GM. He looked at me as if I had just said that the Orioles were going to win the World Series this year". Let's just say this guy knows a little about sports entertainment and makes one hell of a Ref LOL. But staying up till 5:30 am to finish this blog!! The man loves what he does.

Chris

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: This comment is posted by my friend, Chris Dolan, who was sitting with me at Raw. He is the one who looked at me like I was crazy when I said Adamle was the GM. (He also shoots all the video for the blog). Thanks for backing me up, buddy.

I was at the show as well and can not wait to watch it on TV. I would love to hear how the commentary went. But I had the same idea that Punk would defend against The American Dragon. But that would have been lost upon 3/4 if the WWE fans.

THANK YOU KEVIN!!! That's what I've been saying all night! There is no way possible that Adamle could be that horrible at announcing and still be with the company! With all that footage and all those legends around, there's no way he'd still be there getting drop toe holds confused with goozles! I honestly think that things have been planned since Million Dollar Mania, and I absolutely love it. I'm very interested in seeing where this Adamle GM thing is going.

Since you were watching live, you didn't get to experience watching the televised match between King/Cole and Rhodes/DiBiase. It was interesting because it was done without announcers, giving the TV audience a bit of the live feel. And you could tell the wrestlers in the ring were trying to compensate. The ref very loudly chided Rhodes to get out of the corner. Michael Cole could be heard yelling support from the corner. It was an interesting edge to the typical TV format. On another note, Cole kept holding the white string on the turnbuckle in the tag match. My friend, a newbie to the wrestling world, had no clue what that meant. That is kind of an old school tag gimmick you don't see in WWE very often. Thanks for taking these observations.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I did notice Cole holding the tag rope. That was a nice touch.

We witnessed the beginning of two new eras last night: The Adamle Era and The Obama Era.

Before last night I would have said the 2008 election was a toss-up, but when America's wrestling fans are cheering a video of the Democratic nominee and booing the Republican, well let's just say the "McCainiacs" are going to have big problems come November.

Hopefully whomever is president will offer more hope than the new Raw GM. As one of the two people in our section who actually cheered the Adamle announcement, I think Adamle has the potential to be entertaining, but I fear he just doesn't "get" the wrestling business and won't be able to translate his TV persona into a believable GM personality. But I never thought Vickie Guerrero would generate the most heel heat in the WWE ...

I felt like I was at a 1980s wrestling event (even though I'd never been to an event in the 80s). The crowd was solidly behind the wrestlers who are supposed to be faces, and solidly against the wrestlers who are supposed to be heels. (Excluding the group of guys who were bowing down to JBL -- which I thought was pretty cool). I think the WWE has tapped into the children's market again and will ride it out until this generation of kids is ready for the more adult-oriented storylines.

Impressed that Charlie Haas didn't get The Charlie Haas Pop last night. He was generating heat from the fans.

I was a little creeped out by Lance Cade's speech to Chris Jericho and Jericho patting Lance Cade on the face. But otherwise, Y2J delivered another phenomenal promo (and wore another awesome suit).

Main event was a bore. At least limited-talent main eventers like Hogan and Warrior usually kept their matches fast-paced and under the 5 minute mark. Too bad wrestlers like Cena and Batista can't lip-sync their performances every now and then. It works for Lillian Garcia.

Kofi Kingston was really over the crowd, more than I expected. Jamie Noble's "girlfriend" Layla was even prettier than I expected.

Shane McMahon is aging gracefully, as his dance moves are still money. The future of the WWE is in good hands with the Prince of Sports Entertainment.

Since the WWE is hotshoting Cena-Batista for what looks like a loaded SummerSlam, what do you think is more likely for WM25: Cena-Jericho or Batista-Orton?

I thought the GM would have been the recovering Orton. It keeps him in the public eye while his collarbone heals.

Every day I'm talking myself into HHH-Khali. I trust the road agents to put together a decent match, and I trust HHH to execute said match. At the very least, if the match is watchable it might get the internet people who hate HHH to back off a little bit. On second thought, probably not...

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Either one of those matches that you proposed for Mania would be good. Personally, I would love to see Jericho in a Mania main event.

I certainly hope Adamle's horrible announcing is part work (among his gems yesterday: the "two leg dropkick"- as opposed to the usual one-legged dropkick?). Otherwise, Adamle as GM will be a big failure, as the most important role a GM has on the show is being able to talk- if he's fumbling through match announcements and such, it really weakens the impact of the GM's announcements.
As much as I respect Regal as a wrestler, couldn't the booking team made Punk look a little stronger in the match? I mean, regal hasn't been in a ring in over 2 months! If he gets his butt kicked by a rusty mid-carder, how can we take his chances seriously against a Batista or a Cena? if the summerslam match is a triple threat, Punk will probably fall on top of JBL after kane chokeslams him and get a weak win. why are they so afraid to make Punk look credible?

i was shocked when Shane named Adamle the new GM of RAW, i was like, no way.... this guy? Let's all hope and pray Adamle is not on ECW tonight. I would like to see the return of Joey Styles.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I would like to see Styles back, but with his wwe.com responsibilities, I don't know how likely that is. If it isn't Styles, my guess is Todd Grisham. Grisham actually got off a few funny lines last night when asking fans to hold up their signs during a commercial break.

It was a very anti-climatic ending to an otherwise fine show. The build up was great but pity the ending was such a let down. They could have just cut to a shot of Adamle smiling or smirking and get JR & King to go what. That would have been more suspenseful ending than having him talking in the ring as if it was no big deal.

When Shane turned around to face the crowd, I thought he was going to say that the new GM would be himself.

Like you and many others, I think Cena vs Batista is being wasted for Summerslam. They should just go for a 6 man elimination match with or without the chamber and let Punk pull off the surprise win to solidy his status as champion. Cena vs Batista vs Y2J vs Kane vs JBL vs Punk. It also allows Edge vs Taker to be the main 1-on-1 attraction at the PPV.

I'm one of the heads of Wrigley Field security (most of us huge wrestling fans, CM Punk took pics with us last homestand) and as some know Adamle is a sports announcer in the Chigago area. So after the Cubs game Sunday he's running out of the stadium and my buddy goes, "Hey Adamle, how 'bout some ECW tickets?" Adamle shoots back..."Make sure to watch Raw Monday night", as he rushes out.

Thanks Mike, you dork...that's what we all thought after hearing his responce and replaying the story over and over to ther people.

I guess THAT's what he meant, huh?

I'm not sure why people would have been expecting Austin or Flair in the GM role, we've seen that already. Besides, Austin is far too busy pursuing an acting career, and Flair's appearances should be kept to a mininum to maximize their impact. Still, Adamle was a shocker, and while I'm sure it will be deadpanned by a number of people, I'll reserve judgment as I watch it play out. Most people thought Vickie Guerrero didn't deserve an on-screen role, but she's flourished in her role as a heel GM.

I knew as soon as Shane said the most technically gifted free agent, I knew it signalled the return of Regal. Boy is he as stiff as ever, solid win for Punk.

Last night's show demonstrated the biggest issue with the WWE right now, emphasizing short term booking over long term planning. CM Punk can't be booked as a credible champion now, in part because a guy who was jobbing to people like The Miz 3 months ago can't be realistically expected to beat guys like Batista and JBL cleanly today. After the draft, the WWE had 2 marquee "fresh" matchups, HHH/Edge and Batista/Cena. If this match holds, they will have managed to used them both within 6 weeks for no real reason. SummerSlam was already a loaded event, there was no real point in having Cena/Batista on a PPV that already should feature at least three fantasic matches including one potential match of the year candidate. It's shortsighted and serves no real purpose other than to pop a PPV buyrate, but accomplishes little long-term.

With Mike Adamle as the new manager, can we expect to see big pushes for The Deuce, Mike the Miz, and Sheldon Benjamin?

I want to see Batista vs Cena at Mania. Thats the only big potential matchup on Raw I can see for that show. Nothing else would be bigger.

I'll take "RAW is Adamle", just keep Vince out of it.

Why was JR brought back? Is he back to RAW full-time? I thought Cole was doing ok

Not sure where the Marella-Phoenix angle is going, but Phoenix picking up D-Lo was pretty funny.

I am a Cryme Tyme fan, I hope they get more ryng tyme and start putting together some good matches and possibly for a heel stable with Cena.

Chris Jericho has saved me, I love this angle, sweet motage as well.

Regal was stiff and appeared to have an ax to grind. I was wondering if Punk would return the bloddy nose favor with his finisher.

I for one hope the Cena-Batista match goes down a long time before WrassleMania. It was a nice touch with the Unseld jersey especially since I still consider Unseld a part of Baltimore's basketball history.

Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes needs to beat trained wrestlers and not announcers in the ring. Let the players play!

This might have been an interesting angle for Raw...if anyone that watches Raw had any idea who Adamle was. If you don't buy the PPV events, which most don't, or watch ECW, which again most don't, you have no idea who this guy is. You thought you heard a lot of groans, but what you really heard was a collective "WHO? HUH?" You might as well have invited Jim Lampley, Bob Ley or Dick Stockton to be the GM. Now, if the new GM was a known commodity and wanted to make Adamle HIS voice on the broadcast team, it would have given some rub and brought Adamle over with a little heat and built some recognition. A teenaged boy's 5 seconds of glory thinks the WWE popped the cork a little too soon on this one.

Last night, right as Shane McMahon walked out onstage at the end of the show, the cameras showed Mike Adamle standing up at ringside. It was at that point that I said, "Why is Adamle standing up?"...knowing full-well what was about to happen.

The main event came across as lackluster on television, as well. I don't remember anything about it.

We have touched on this before, but Jericho on The Highlight Reel sounded very reminiscent of Bret Hart.

Maybe I'm the only person who feels this way, but I've always been a huge fan of Cryme Tyme. Their physiques, especially Shad's, strike me as the most authenticly muscular (i.e, not technical bodybuilding). Their gimmick is hilarious and they play it well. I always liked their ring work too, it feels different, at least from anyone else who they compete against now. Plus, as has been said before, anyone who wrestles in Timberland boots has got to be good.

Personally, I was hoping the new GM would be Duane Gill, but my dreams have been shattered by Mike Adamle. But there is a silver lining on this dark cloud, because now we don’t have to listen to Adamle call play by play anymore! REJOICE!!!

Now we have to wait and see who replaces Adamle on ECW. The logical choice is Joey Styles, but knowing how McMahon & Company love messing with their fans, we’ll probably be stuck with The Coach.

I enjoyed watching Regal beat the (stuffing) out of CM Punk. It looked like ol’ CM found out firsthand why Regal’s catchphrase for a while was “The Power of The Punch!”… And was it just a coincidence that Regal’s return match from a drug suspension was a loss to The Straightedge Superstar?

On a non-rasslin-related side note, congratulations to Adam Jones for his first career Grand Slam against the Yanks Monday night. Go O’s!

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Yes, and for those who are not big baseball fans, the Orioles' Adam Jones is not to be confused with former TNA tag team champion Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Swearing on your Shawn Michaels bobblehead? Then it must be true! :)

I've seen a furor over Adamle being named the new GM on various message boards and the like already. Frankly, I don't see what the fuss is about. Adamle has been steadily improving on commentary and appears to be learning more about the business. As GM, he won't have to talk nearly as much on the fly, and everything that he does will be scripted. He certainly did a fine job last night of acting as if he had no idea why he was there and was pretty authoritative when he made the SummerSlam match.

Sure, I can see it being a letdown if people were speculating on Austin or Flair, but how realistic were those suppositions? Austin has said in numerous recent interviews that he is perfectly happy working with WWE Studios on expanding his acting resume and is hoping to make films for the foreseeable future. And Flair is over the moon about his ambassadorial role for the WWE.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what Adamle can do in this role. If it doesn't work out, they can always shop around for other ideas. But I think folks ought to give things a chance before declaring that something is horrible.

I thought that the main event came across somewhat lackluster on TV. Part of it, however, seemed to be from a muted or barely there reaction from the live crowd. The rest of it, well, let's just say that I'm not a proponent of JBL in the ring these days. Watching his earlier matches as part of the APA and his work in the hardcore division in 2002 just demonstrates how far his in-ring work has fallen. He's still good on the mic, but I cringe to see him in the ring.

Still, Cena, Batista, and Kane gave solid efforts that were entertaining.

I am loving heel Jericho. He's fantastic.

Last night, I said a little prayer before Raw, asking for a clean win for Punk. Next time, I'm ammending the prayer to include no beatdown at the end of the match. Though, I must say, in this instance, he was laid out because the odds were against him, and that made it slightly more acceptable.

I haven't formed an opinion about the continuity of Santino being giddy about a kiss from Beth Phoenix after Maria, but I must say that Beth Phoenix surprised me with her range of facial expressions and body language in the last couple of weeks. I am glad that they are letting her showcase her entertainment talents beyond being a monster heel and fantastic wrestler.

I am concerned that the reactions to Punk have been influenced by the questionable booking...

Right before the main event, Adamle ad libbed a line about JBL's Mamajuana drink being a fraud

I hope he doesn't shower with the wrestlers...

I will have to say that I can give myself a pat on the back also, just not as big of one as Mr Eck. I wouldn't have been able to pick up on it if I had not been listening to the commentary. When it got to the point of Adamle confusing Gillian and Lillian, the aforementioned "double leg drop kick" and bringing JR out, I was watching thinking, wow this is awkward because everyone knows he's drowning out there, or they are building up to something with Adamle. Not to mention, who else would want to set up an announcer to get demolished by the tag champs other than another announcer?

On a side note, I recently started reading this blog and have now wasted countless hours at work catching up on old postings. Kevin, you do a great job and keep up the work. I check the blog daily now (sometimes even more frequently) to see if there are any updates. You really have a great insight into the business and how it works. I am a very casual fan of TNA (I watch it once a month, if that), but I still find your reviews of the shows to be great reads, because of your analysis of all facets of the business. For a lifelong pro wrestling fan, I am very happy to have found such great material to keep me occupied between shows. Keep up the great work!

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Thanks for the kind words.

The air definitely left the building when Adamle was announced as the new RAW GM even when viewing it on TV.

However, I see this move as the one opportunity for Michael Cole to get a huge face pop from WWE fans. Since Adamle was behind Cole getting into the tag match, injured and effectively getting an announcer out of the way, Cole must have his revenge down the line. WWE fans might not like Cole much but compared to Adamle he's Stone Cold. Or in this case Stone Cole.

I like the Santino-Beth Phoenix storyline. As unconventional a pairing as one could find in the WWE. If it works, watch them both become faces as their interactions would humanize them considerably, especially Beth Phoenix. As for Santino being giddy, I too would be giddy if a 150 pound blonde amazon planted one on me.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: The angle with Cole having to wrestle definitely made him a sympathetic figure. The crowd was behind him and even gave him a nice ovation as he was helped out of the ring.

Um, thanks for spoiling SNME for me.

People are surprised that we're seeing a Cena vs. Batista so soon, and that it's not being saved for Mania, but come on - actually consider this match. Really think about how it will go down. I just can't see it being that great. Neither guy has the charisma to build a real blockbuster fued and both have also needed to face more creative and experienced opponents to put in their best performances. Maybe the angle could be that CM will ask to be added to the 'Slam match and put the belt on the line.

If Taker, Flair etc. couldn't get a good match out of Khali, I doubt an average worker like HHH will be able to...he'll just have to give him a few pointers on posing instead, he's good at that.

Like everybody else I'm enjoying Y2J at the moment but hope we do get to see him get one last run in his "Ayatollah of Rock-and Roll-ah" persona at some point because we only really saw him in full flow on the night he came back, and the pop was immense. When he mentioned the funny guy with the long hair last week that made me go and watch some of the stuff with Stephanie again and its still hilarious.

Mr. Eck,

How do you think Randy Savage as the new General Manager would have gotten over with the WWE fans? I think the familiar 'Pomp and Circumstance' theme music as well as the signature 'Ohhh Yeahh' could have brought some cool nostalgia and a tough-as-rocks authority figure to Raw for several weeks to come.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: That would be great, but it there's not much (if any) chance of Savage ever coming back to WWE.

Kev - Out of respect for you and your wisdom, I will not COMPLETELY trash the decision to make Adamle GM. You raised some good points. So I'll give him a chance.

But when they made the announcement, I shook my head in disbelief.

I thought that Adamle bumbled through the announcement of the main event.

Do you think they are going to portray him as a bumbling GM who is in over his head?

To me, the only thing good that can come out of this, is if Joey Styles returns to ECW.

I thought the whole Michael Cole wrestling thing was really stupid. It was the low point of an overall good night. However, when that change was made, it made me think that Ted Dibiase Sr. would be GM.

I would really like to see Crime Tyme work a program with Rhodes and Dibiase. I know you do not like them too much but I find them entertaining. I also thought the very brief staredown between Shad Gaspard and Batista presented options as well. Especially leading up to Summerslam.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I do think Adamle will portray a bumbling GM because, honestly, I don't think he has the ability to play it any other way.

i totally agree with din cuz all of those said they want title shots and what better way to make everyone happy .....except the 5 who lose the match.

I'll give you kudos for pointing out Adamle with no commentary, but it was pretty obvious with commentary. I agree with an above post that it would have been better if they just showed him at the table smirking at the King and JR. I think he's gonna do great in a smarmy way we haven't seen in awhile. Is Josh Matthews still with the company, I think he was pretty good back on Shotgun better than the alternatives.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Josh Matthews is still with the company. He does some stuff on wwe.com.

"If you don't buy the PPV events, which most don't, or watch ECW, which again most don't, you have no idea who this guy is."

That may actually not be a bad thing. I have a friend who fits into the "most" category on both counts, and she says she doesn't know who Adamle is, but she is willing to give him a shot as Raw's GM.

Kevin - you have a Sean Michaels bobblehead .... funny I have a Sean Michaels voodoo doll .

What Kevin failed to mention was that his Sean Michaels bobblehead was obtained along with the Sean Michaels pajamas / "sippy cup " set :)

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: You bought that set, too? Best part is that the PJs have feet.

Well if you watched ECW you saw Todd Grisham do a decent job of commentary. I like that move.

I didn't realize you posted spoilers for upcoming shows now. Please let us know before giving away the matches for this Saturdays show.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Sorry about that. I should have put up a "spoiler alert."

When did Shawn Michaels change his first name to Sean?

I read on a rumor site that Adamle spoiled the GM announcement to the crowd by leaving his seat and heading to the ring too early. Any truth to this? If so, it is a promising start to his GM reign

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Adamle did jump into the ring before the announcement. The live crowd saw it, but not the TV audience.

Kevin: Rob Long did say it...damn him

Will SOMEONE PLEASE tell John Cena that when he poses for the camera for PPV match cards with that stupid baseball cap and his fists up - combined with that school boy grin... well,,, he looks like a dork!!!
That basball cap reminds me of the time that Ultimate Warrior came running out with the cap on to see Jerry Lawler.... it just looks that dumb. Cena could get over so much better with the men in the Audience if:
1) He turned heel for a while
2) Stopped doing those ridiculous shoulder blocks
3) Learned some new moves
4) Changed his ring attire - most notably the sneakers - they need to go.
5) Came up with a few new catch phrases.... U can't see me is getting too old!!

I only say all this because I admire his attitude (in real life) but hate to see him bury himself with a huge chunk of the audience (men older than 25) If he does a few things to workover his character and matches, he'll be like Jeff Hardy and cheered by everyone in the audience.

Eck, I heard a rumor that Ultimate Warrior wants to wrestle Vince at WM25.... have you heard that? (Not that it would be a "Wrestling" match) I doubt Vince would agree to it, but I'd love to see Vince (or even Shane) screw the Warrior (legit) with a sharpshooter or a cross face in true Montreal style.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I have heard the Warrior rumor. Wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that one.

I thought that William Regal was about to head off to Mardi Gras in that outfit he wrestled CM Punk in. Adamle has GM, I cant see a happy ending.

No Kevin , I didn't buy that set . But I do have a Traci Brooks blow - up doll.

Deen , ho kares ?

Hey Kevin

Your blog seems to be very popular! Mind telling us your average number of hits per day???

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: That's classified information. :)

I can tell you this: Ring Posts consistently ranks in the top 5 in page views out of 40-some blogs on baltimoresun.com.

When did Shawn Michaels change his first name to Sean?

Actually, Dean, there's an interesting little factoid to go along with that spelling. When Shawn first debuted in Mid-South, they spelled his name incorrectly. On his DVD, one of his first matches shows that his name was "Sean Michaels". The misspelling didn't last too long, but it did happen.

"are we really supposed to believe that a guy who used to be in a relationship with Maria gets so giddy over a kiss from Beth Phoenix?"

What is that supposed to mean? There are tons of guys on the bodybuilding forum that are practically in love with Beth Phoenix. And I know of one particular blogger who can't stand Maria; he said she has a "catfish face", whatever that is. LOL

@ Rob: The white male over 25 demographic has been catered to for eons. You're not the only ones who watch wrestling, ok? I don't like John Cena either, but yes, he has lots of female fans and younger male fans... what is wrong with that? Are these groups of people not equally important? It's not all about you.