Kevin, I take it the complete opposite, for the first time we saw the real Miz (that ECW/WWE guy), not that squash job version that had to sell everything SuperCena was doing in the PPV to the kiddies, it's time to push young talent and The Miz is a potential ME heel guy, the boards are loving this guy right now, right now is when the push needs to be done, the PPV performance can be explained as jitters, he looked more competitive tonight and Cena atleast looked decent instead of this crappy Hogan-like character we have to keep swallowing. Hopefully if there is a GOD The Miz causes SuperCena to lose to HHH or Randy Orton via interference.

Wait, Swagger makes it off ECW and Christian doesn't?
And Shelton is headed there as well?
Kevin, I think Christian has what it takes to be one of the best in the business if booked properly. I'd be interested to know what you think of him

I thought The Brian Kendrick would go to ECW and get a push, either with Big Zeke or with out. I guess this means he might have been one of the people who didn't pass the drug test (no surprise) since the writers haven't done anything with him.

ECW got the shaft (again, no surprise) compared to the other brands. I think Christian should have moved to Smackdown instead of Matt Hardy since Hardy was just there. I don't mind seeing William Regal on ECW because he can take the role Finley had as being the veteran who can teach the new guys a thing or two.

So there's a draft again? Well looking at the superstars that were drafted I'm guessing the landscape of WWE will remains the same.

My only thoughts is, why isn't HHH or Orton was drafted so we can end the feud once and for all

I'm not sure where is Matt Hardy going with his career, Earlier this year he moved to SD from ECW. Months later he was drafted to RAW and now he's back on SD again? What's the point of it?

Anyway Mr.Eck, great blog. Keep up the good work :)

why o why did raw not get some main event talent to mix it up, its crazy night of champions orton v hhh cant wait for that i haven seen them wrestle in two hours

The titles just change hands way too often.

Kevin, if you looked back to the years when you were growing up you could probably recall just about every title change and possibly even the towns in which they occurred.

Had the titles changed as frequently during the Hulk era, he probably would have been a 20-30 time champ.

Are there just too many shows and PPV's that they feel they need to keep changing the belts in order to keep people interested and watching/buying the stuff?

I fell asleep on last night's Raw about half way through...hmmm...I wonder why?

I agree with your thoughts on booking Henry to go face and win over Orton...why not Swagger though? He could make a huge statement on Raw and remain a heel, in fact saying he's the top heel...it could even set up a possible story where Legacy leaves Orton to align with Swagger.

Also, MVP needs some work..Having him and Miz in that title tournament made no sense other than to give HHH & Cena some guys to win against. Why not just set up a Cena vs. HHH match last night to determine the contender? Back to MVP though, give him some fresh new hardcore theme music, and some sort of purpose or reason for the fans to really get behind him. Maybe now with a new heel in Swagger on Raw, MVP can stand up to him...but I fear like you do MVP has become lost on Raw.

And yes, it would be great to see Maryse and Kelly in some HLA..let's hope WWE forgets the PG rating...

"it came off to me as unrealistic that the same guy that Cena toyed with the night before could look so strong"

I think it turned out that way because Miz and Cena were probably having the match last night that they had planned on having at Sunday's PPV. Their match at The Bash didn't even start until about 10:15 or so, and that was with a 3 Stages of Hell match still to come. I think they really had to rush on Sunday and the match was probably a bit more of a squash than they had originally planned on.

Hey Kevin, long time reader first time commenter. I am so frustrated with this Triple H situation. I am now forced to hope for another Triple H/Orton match at Night Of Champions. If Cena wins then that leaves the Miz stranded on the mid card island. I desperatley hope that some how the HHH and Orton fued ends soon, so we can get this nightmare over with, or else fresh young talents like, The Miz, Swagger, MVP, Bourne, and Kofi will be wasted. And speaking of Kofi what do you think of his pop last night? It was really neat to hear the whole crowd in unison chanting "Let's go Kofi". Also considering the fact that Kofi has not been on many main event matches on RAW and he is getting over this easily is very impressive. This kid has some much potential I hope they don't waste it. And one more thing and I'll shut up, but I am not just wanting a big Miz push, I am craving it. This guy has some of the best heat (excluding Swagger) for a non main eventer. Thanks for another great article.

Raw sucks....

MVP or even Kingston would have been a good pick to fight Orton. Having one of the them beat HHH and Cena then face Orton would give them instant credibility and backability.

Raw just sucks.

Is no one happy about Bourne moving to Raw. He's a talented wrestler who with the right promos could move up first to the American Championship and then to main eventing, He could be another wrestler like Rey Mysterio.

Haha, got a chuckle out you last line Kev.

What i don't get is...

Orton punted Vince McMahon in the head months back when Vince threatened to fire him. When Batista said that he would fire Legacy if they attacked him at the beginning of the show, why didn't Legacy do it anyway? My reasons are:

1. If Orton has the guts to punt Vince in the head, who is the most powerful man in the business, why wouldn't he do so to Batista?

2. I'm sure Batista would rather beating the hell out of Orton when he returns, rather than firing him and not being able to physically gain revenge.

3. Also, next week, Ted DiBiase Snr. could just rehire them if the worst came to the worst.

Just a few thoughts.

I'm not sure i like the Henry babyface push. It will be good to see him as a babyface, but he a push in the early 2006 and i didn't like it too much. I would much rather have an MVP push or a Jack Swagger push. I guess time will tell.

Oh yeah, also, if Orton hates wresting Triple H so much, why not have the Million Dollar Man, take Triple H out of the No.1 contenders match next week.

Another great blog Kev.

Not only was HHH booked to look like Superman, Cole and Lawler were touting HHH like he was nearly devine. I wonder who was in their headsets?

Once again....its all about the game.....and I have been an HHH mark...

MAKING JERICHO and EDGE TAG TEAM CHAMPS only benefits Raw and weakens SMACKDOWN. I guess Vince was getting feedback we were enjoying Smackdown and it was a better show and had to put a stop to it.

Wow, Vince really could care less about ECW. They lose Bourne(my sole reason for watching ecw), Henry, The Hart Dynasty, Swagger, and Finlay and get back Goldust, Regal, and Benjamin. Rediculous!

From frustration to disappointment with the booking of HHH and Orton.

They're giving MVP zero chance of even showing what he could do, they need more main eventers, yet this is what they do with their talent, which results in the staleness of The Bash's main event.

I hope DiBiase brings back the Million Dollar Championship.

Remember, Santina was "there".

Did Hornswoggle go with Golddust?

I'm happy that they shook things up a bit. Raw was definitely very stale.

I think the outcome of the Triple H-MVP and The Miz-Cena matches were about as predictable as a rerun of Three's Company.

I see either Cena getting the win or Triple H winning due to outside interference from The Miz. Either way there will be probably be triple threat between Orton, Cena and Triple H at the next PPV. Break out the Sominex.

The only way it gets interesting is if Triple H turns heel. This is his longest run as a face and it might be time for a change. Even so it would be about as entertaining as watching paint dry.

Jack Swagger would be a perfect fit in Legacy. In fact, I could see Swagger eventually taking over Legacy thus leading to a face turn for Orton. Although this would be well down the line.

Speaking of face turns, I can't remember the last time Mark Henry was a face. It made for a good ending on RAW.

As for Maryse's affection for Kelly Kelly as I have written here previously I see Kelly Kelly turning heel and becoming a protege of Maryse. In fact, I think Kelly Kelly will turn on Mickie when she faces Maryse for the Divas Championship.

So it looks like they are breaking up the Colons.

Due to the mafia (Time warner Cable) having an outage in my area last night I was unable to watch Raw. Judging by the way your post is written Kevin I can tell that there are some problems with the script. I know that WWE Raw head writer Brian Gerwitz has been getting some heat and has been allegedly asked to find some new talent in the writing department courtesy of MTV, or at least those are the rumors. My thought is, What is the major difference between Smackdown and Raw? Is it talent, writing, or the inability or unwillingness to push new talent forward as it has been in the past?
I agree whole heartedly about another Orton vs winner of HHH-Cena is stale and lame. The WWE has to realize it has major stars in the making that need pushed and get some new faces involved, this opens up writing possibilities instead of rehashed, worn out angles that have no meaning or can't be swerved anymore than they already have.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the moves.

Have A Good Day.

now with Matt Hardy and The Hart Dynasty smackdown is now the best show but i feel sorry for Shelton Benjamin but maybe he will be more then a jobber on smackdown same with Goldust but what happen to him and hornswaggle(sorry if i spelled his name wrong) and i see jack swagger going in to the lagecy and kev arn't you gald that the other members of lagecy have some what of a personalty now?

A couple of comments about Raw. If Vince was against the revolving host, that Trump installed, why didn't he simply name a new general manager. With Goldust being reassigned, is this the end of Hornswoggle. And, finally, a Maryce/ Kelly Kelly "thing" would be the best thing to ever happen to Raw. PG could now stand for Pretty Graphic!

If Trump had promised to double the compensation of every Raw employee, would McMahon had to live with that too?

With the Million Dollar Man in charge, will he call up Brett diBiase from FCW?

"WWE can’t really go there now that it has a PG rating, can it?"

I don't think so, but we can hope can't we?

I'm glad they didn't destroy Smackdown..I guess Shelton is better off in ECW
Why did Batista and Mark Henry smile at each other? I thought they hated each other

Sorry, MVP, but unless your name is John Cena or Batista, you don't go over HHH without all kinds of shenanigans being against him.

Does some kind of superstition prevent all three members of Legacy from simultaneously wearing the group's t-shirt?

I really thought MVP was going over in that match. All the tape and attention to the knee had it set up perfectly. Maybe HHH changed the finish when MVP snapped on the figure four? That seemed weird to me all things considered.

The gauntlet match is such a stupid concept. You're going to screw a guy by making him wrestle three men? So if I'm Randy Orton, why don't I just stand on the apron against Even Bourne and take a countout and go home? If I'm Evan Bourne, why don't I tell Batista to go blank himself for putting me out there first since it means he thinks I'm gonna get my ass kicked?

Things should be interesting next week if MDM screws Orton but elevates Legacy. It's almost like TNA though. Breaking up a group because you're too lazy to book it better. There was so much potential with them that just hit a wall. How much worse could it have gotten if Orton didn't block Manu/Snuka? They lose non-stop as it is anyway.

Whoever pitched finding a way to get Jericho on every show should get a raise. It just sucks that it shows how valuable he is yet he can't even sniff a world title reign.

During the gauntlet match, I was impressed by how well Randy Orton plays a cowardly champion!

Except he can be so insanely intense that he shouldn't be playing a cowardly champion in the first place.

just watch, neither Cena or Triple H will win, so we will get another triple threat at the PPV. Can't do anything new...

Orton must be the weakest looking champion ever, which is a disgrace! Begging Henry for mercy, on his knees? Wow, what next? Maybe relying on his pals to win any match he's in? Oh wait that happens all the time, and just happened again at The Bash... Speaking of which, why on earth did Triple H music break when he finally, after his loss, took out Orton with his sledgehammer? I started to really watch wrestling only a year ago, and I'm already sick and tired of HHH's invincibility...

The fact that I hadn't been watching it since long enough probably explains why I don't see anything in MVP, and I would be glad if you could point it out for me: when I watch him, I see a guy who isn't particularly strong, or quick, or high flying, or anything actually! Why do so many people want him to have a big push? And I hate his "Baaallin" stuff — as well as Kofi's "boom boom boom" and Cena's "You can't see me", by the way...

On another note, Lawler and Cole were so busy flirting with Maryse that they forgot they had a match to comment: when Beth bodyslammed Rosa, which obviously was a shocker since the two are supposed to be allies, they were trying to figure out what Maryse was saying in French...

The good thing is we have Air Bourne on Raw, a little quickness is what the show needs right now (along with Triple H divorcing, of course). But I can foresee a lot of Big Show / Mark Henry matches to counterbalance that quickness... ;-)

Are they trying to kill ECW??? Take the top 2 heels- Swagger and Henry and top young talent- Bourne & Hart Dynasty and get back Goldust, Benjamin and the Bella Twins???? Regal for Finlay is a push. Who the heck is left besides Dreamer and Christian???

Rhetorical Questions:

Was that the biggest pop of Mark Henry's career?

Will Shelton Benjamin ever great the break he deserves?

Can Vince remember what happened the previous week on Raw?

Are we supposed to remember what happened the previous week on Raw?

Can the WWE get some new writers who aren't so lazy?

Are there any real storylines anymore?

When will Triple H find a new gimmick?

Can they realistically replace Lillian Garcia?

Could the fan who had the "Age of Boring" sign be any more correct?

Will the ratings tank again at the start of the NFL season?

Does MVP owe someone in management money?

Is the "Million Dollar Man's" return to Raw next week for any other purpose than to try to get Legacy over?

Is Legacy the most boring heel stable in wrestling history?

Aaron Golstein wrote "Either way there will be probably be triple threat between Orton, Cena and Triple H at the next PPV. "

Not just the next PPV but these three will main event against each other until WM26. Maybe Batista will be thrown in when he returns but who else can they put in a main event?
Can anyone remember the last Raw PPV main event that didn't include either Batista, Cena, Orton or HHH? I haven't watched Raw in weeks and won't. I'm perfectly ok with reading the summaries. I'll tune back in when/if they turn this crap around.
Smackdown is the must-see tv now.

I thought it was strange how Jericho said in his opening promo that he was finally forced to be back on Raw now that he is Tag Team Champion... even though he had wrestled on Raw the two prior weeks as well.

I agree with Axl about MVP, I'm just not seeing the appeal. The whole "Ballin'" thing died out two years ago after that Jim Jones song had its run, by the way. MVP isn't that great in the ring and many of his matches feature botched spots.

I'm also sick of Triple H, like everyone. Super Trips has had his run and it's time to late some other guys shine. But that will never happen as long as he's on the booking committee and married to Steph. So we'll get to see more and more stale heavyweight matches at the top of the card.

As for Evan Bourne, while I love his in-ring work, the guy has the wimpiest, sissiest, dive-like entrance of any male wrestler to date. He comes out punching his arms and doing his "Yay!" thing, and it just looks so girly. Maryse looks meaner during her entrance.

And speaking of Maryse, why can't Michael Cole say it right. Last night she even corrected him, but he still keeps going with Maurice. I guess that's Vintage.

just watch, neither Cena or Triple H will win, so we will get another triple threat at the PPV. Can't do anything new...

You are absolutly right on here. That WILL happen. Book it.
HHH can't lose because who would he fight at the PPV. Cena can't lose either because that would mena Orton vs. HHH XXVI. Then next week on Raw it'll be Cena/HHH vs. Orton and Legacy. I can hear Michael Cole now, "Can Cena and Orton, these two long time rivals, get along in this tag match?" It's really predictable.

Man that "top rope bulldog" sure looked like an RKO to me. How is it that both announcers can miss the call on the WWE Champion's finisher?

I'm sick and tired of HHH!!!! He won't put anybody over; MVP is being completely wasted on Raw. What was the point of that match? HHH disgusts me! He needs to move over-now!

I wish they would not let Mark Henry chum up to the fans like he did at the end of RAW. I think he can remain a face while keeping his mean heelish attitude. The same goes for MVP, turning into a nice guy has done nothing for him.

Do the RAW writers have a problem with Orton possibly looking dominant in a match ? I agree that its not an issue for Mark Henry to pick up a win, but he did Orton have drop to his knees to make Henry stop.
Does someone in the production crew hate MVP because he had to miss The Bash to go to the BET Awards with that woman from The View because apparently people who watch the View love watching Monday Night Raw and then he is forced to job to HHH who is apparently made of steel and for the rest of time cannot look weak in a match.
Apparently Edge's lighter schedule consists of him being on all three shows. I guess that Morrison might step into Jericho's spot on Smackdown because Jericho has to elevate several RAW mid carders because no one else will. And I cant for HHH or Cena to face Orton at the PPV. Its been almost two days since Orton and HHH have been in the ring together and Cena hasn't had title shot in two weeks and that is just too long of a wait them wrestle again for at least the 100th time

I was really surprised at how short the MVP-HHH match was. Looks like MVP will stay mired in a mid-card feud over the US championship. I honestly have never been big on MVP but I'm so tired of HHH.

Did anyone catch The King slip up and say "Edge and Christian" instead of Edge and Jericho? I couldn't help but laugh. Ah, the good old days when tag teams actually mattered.

Matt Hardy has changed brands more times than Jeff Hardy has changed his hair color. Well, almost. He was specifically drafted to Raw a few months ago and now he's going back to Smackdown. To do what? Feud with Jeff again?! I don't think WWE knows what to do with him and although I've been a fan in the past, he's starting to look fairly slow. I think the Bella Twins were also drafted to Raw a few months back but at least they are moving to a different brand instead of going back to the same one.

I could see Legacy breaking up and Orton teaming with Swagger. Orton seemed to be eyeing Swagger last night as a new prospect and apparently there's been some tension backstage amongst Legacy members.

Hopefully better things are ahead for Gail Kim on Raw instead of jobbing to McCool on Smackdown.

kevin, do you see a slight possibility that, somehow, dibiase jr. get's a little help from his daddy and becomes the no 1 contender to orton's title, leaving HHH out of the title picture? I think i'm asking wwe too much...

why didn't they send HHH to ECW... or to developmental...

Orton did more for the new Raw acquisitions by just looking at them and having perfect facial expressions than what HHH and Cena did for MVP and the Miz put together. I have to give Orton credit for not making Borne, Swagger, or Henry look like complete jobbers but actually made them all look good.

1) With Borne, we knew Orton would win but Orton let Borne get in enough offence for Borne to look strong even in defeat.

2) With Swagger going second, we knew Orton would win as well to get to the third opponent but Swagger was able to look strong by getting in one move before getting counted out. If it was anyone else(Cena, HHH), Swagger would have lost to them clean in a match. He also got a lot of heel heat by liking/respecting Orton and trying to "impress" Orton.

3) With Henry, Orton actually put him over because it made sense since Orton was already exhausted and was selling injury. If Orton beat Henry, Henry would look like a complete jobber since he couldn't beat an injured Orton.

I give Orton credit for not making his opponents look weak.

The big news here, Kev, as you noted is this:

The draft was an utter failure.

To me, the major goal of the draft was to re-load Raw.

Instead, Raw sucks, and I think ECW was a better product along with Smackdown.

So now, you see Henry and Swagger come from ECW to give the mid-card and main event part of the roster more talent.

its sad really.

HHH is killing Raw, as he has to win every match he's booked in. So is Cena, but at least he sold his match against the Miz on Raw last night.

That RKO to Evan Bourne was absolutely devastating...

Raw improved yesterday primarily with the addition of Swagger, who is a fresh face with main event abilities.

It made sense for him to come out second and Henry third in the gauntlet. Henry is the better known threat at this point, but I think that Swagger will get a decent push over time and that will change.

Christian should have come over also as I suggested a couple weeks back. He could be in main events on Raw even faster and hold his own. Henry is too one dimensional to stay interesting for long.

As long as they keep feeding fresh new talent into ECW, I am glad to see those who do well there get moved up the food chain to Raw and SD as needed to freshen things up.

Raw should still be called "The HHH Show" though.

Just when it looked like ECW had a future they gut the roster, losing the Harts and Bourne and 3 of the 5 guys in the scramble-why not move a Jaime Noble, Brian Kendrick or even Jimmy Wang Yang to ECW

Why is'nt McMahon screaming in the ear of Michael Hole? Randy Orton hit's Bourne with the RKO from the top rope and Hole calls it a bulldog!! Then The King reiterates. Bulldog....Bull*$@%!!
Triple H...Where do I begin. I have been a "Trips" fan for a long time now but I just don't know anymore. I don't really mind that he won, It's the fact that he did it in under 5 minutes that bug's me. The Colons and Miz didn't win either but at least you got the feeling that they might. MVP never even got that "1..2..Awww he almost had 3" moment. I hope that when Jericho and Edge came back thru the curtian they told HHH, "There, that's how that's done."
Bourne and Swagger on RAW has me excited. I was hoping to see a program between these two in ECW over that title so here's to hoping they get to mix it up on RAW.
Henry....I have mixed feelings about. While I've liked his presence and perfomance over the past year, does he need a run at the Big Belt on the(ah-hem) "A" show. Here's to maybe a nice U.S. Title run for him.
MVP is a whole other can of worms. Does anyone else think maybe he's living his gimmick a little too much and has started to think that he is the MVP, and things should just be handed to him. Maybe he's become unbareable back stage. There is no fire in his eyes anymore. You'd think that if he was told before hand that he and HHH were gonna have only 4 and a half minutes to wrestle he'd go out and try to make it the best 4 and half minutes he could, but it just looked like he was going thru the motions. I don't think his association with Sherry Shepard is doing him any favor's either. B****** the fat chick from The View is not what MVP's should be doing. That's more for The Employee of the Month at Krispy Kreme. Now if he was dippin' Halle Berry or Vivica A. Fox then he'd be ballin'!! I've posted before I don't think he over got over that 20 week losing streak last year. I'm afraid the next thing is going to be "We wish MVP good luck in yada yada yada."
I'm glad they got Swagger right in with Orton. There will some big shake up whitin Legacy soon. Ted DiBiase's movie The Marine 2 will be out soon and Vince think's he'll have a hard time promoting that if Teddy's a heel. So a nice program between Swagger and DiBiase is comming. That should be good as Eck you yourself have mentioned before that the stars are lining up for these two to be big player's. I actually thought how nice it would be to have a Swagger/Orton feud but alas he'll be wrestling HHH until Mae Young wrestles a match on her 100th birthday!

Raw was terrible last night the simple fact that a 1 legged HHH could beat a 2 legged MVP clean says it all. i am really stunned that Vince is destroying ECW to help Raw which i don't think will help Bourne is obviously 2 small 2 be taken seriously against Orton, HHH etc. Swagger has a chance and could be the next Brock, but I guess were gonna See a Big Show/Henry feud on who is the biggest and strongest wrestler is. well all i can say is this trade has done 2 things up for me i finally got to watch 4 & 10 with micheal irvin & it also looks like my Tuesday nights have opened up with Finley,Swagger & the harts gone what is there to watch Christian Job some more shelton hopefully win the ECW title with a few Squash matches with Kozlof & Hawkins thrown in then topped of with some comic relief from Goldust.

I marked out when Henry beat Orton. It was a classic babyface turn (let's hope he stays a babyface). I wonder if Henry is going to be WWE Champion before the end of the year.

Bourne didn't really get a great pop on Raw like he did back in the fall. The crowd was definitely more into HHH than MVP. I hope that MVP turns on HHH at some point. It would be a fresh feud for both of them.

If Shelton isn't the ECW Champion by the end of the year, they should just stop being cruel and release his ass.

Even as a wrestling fan I have to say for the hundreth umptiuth time - "over saturation". Roster changes not withstanding , too many programs with marginal talent scattered about . Just as when there is expansion in other sports , the talent level takes a down swing .

How are the Bella twins suppose to stay pure & innocent in seedy ECW? I lament that decision...dang you Tommy Tutone!

The creative team must not be very creative if they still can't produce anything fresh. The best thing they could have done was have Legacy cost HHH his match against MVP and then have the Miz cheat his way into a victory against Cena. Then later on Cena can screw over the Miz in his match against MVP to add fuel to the Miz-Cena feud. MVP would then be able to go on to face Orton at Night of Champions where Triple H can cost Orton the title. That way Orton and Trips can have their stale feud without having the title involved. MVP can then contend the title against the rest of the locker room
Seriously, no one wants to see Cena/HHH against Orton, that train has come and gone.

I hope that Swagger doesn't get buried on Raw, no one can get a push that isn't half-assed on that damn program

@several commenters:

Orton was supposedly trained by Flair in Evolution. Begging for mercy on your knees is one of Flair's trademarks.

@Andre:

I'm pretty sure the Marine 2 came and went.

How many of the other blogs on BaltimoreSun.com come close to getting 46 response comments in the first 12 hours that a new entry is added? Wow, that is amazing!

You definitely deserve the following that you've earned, and I suspect only a small percentage of your readers regularly submit comments.

@ Andre II:

Regarding the Marine 2:

Never mind.

Could next monday be when DiBiase Jr finally breaks with Orton and Rhodes in an angle started this past weekend? Maybe something w/ his Dad involved? I hope so I think Jr could be something on his own, while Rhodes still needs Ortons shadow

Its only a matter of time before Rosa Mendes injures herself, or someone else in the ring.

I enjoy the botched spots contest she and Carlito are having every week.

RAW was just fine this week and I commend the WWE on making changes. They have improved by a mile (from the Shane nonsense) which is evident in the ratings. I feel that people still unhappy with RAW are just nagging now.

The only thing that deserves complaint is Christian still being on ECW instead of SD. In addition to that, (as everyone has justifiably disapproved of and Kev put so perfectly) this very unacceptable bullcrap with HHH. I, however, disagree with those who believe that MVP should be pushed to main event status this soon after being on a losing streak not too long ago. Wouldn't be too logical. Rather, I think MVP should be a top midcarder; maybe have some more bouts with Kofi. This was effectively ruined by HHH.

Another reason why I don't want MVP as top babyface has to do with a point Jt brought up; I don't like how a lot of these heels lose their standout traits just because they've gone face. Same thing happened with Umaga when he became face. Part of the reason I don't want MVP as a main eventer is because evidently he can't be MVP we all knew if he's a babyface. It's not like it's impossible. Just don't direct comments like 'I'm better than you' at the fans.

I like Swagger's look and his persona. I will take a strong interest in Swagger on RAW. He's fresh! He's new! He's different! Since they want to use him as a heel, I hope they don't involve him with Orton in anyway (which I'm afraid they may judging from RAW). There needs to be another good top heel on RAW completely separate from Orton that doesn't cater to him. Cena could deal with Miz; HHH could deal with Swagger; Orton could deal with Mark Henry. I don't know how enthusiastic I am about Mark Henry though. Wasn't he borderline jobbing on SD not too long ago?

I would have liked The Miz to get one of those shocking abrupt upsets over Cena and then go crazy in shock so as to continue with the role that he WAS on. Nonetheless, Cena pushed him well unlike another superstar on RAW.

As much as I like Cole, I'm going back on what I said last week. Cole talking about Maryse being scared of Mickie James got annoying. Also, Kev, I loved Maryse commentary and I loved how she silenced Cole. Interesting feud, as her lesbian traits are comparable with Mickie James lesbian crush and kiss with Trish Stratus (wasn't that during the PG era?) Also, homosexuality is perfectly acceptable so Maryse is fine.

I was surprised that, for the second time in recent memory, WWE put Evan Bourne on the flagship show but didn't let him do a shooting-star press. How are the fans supposed to get excited about his introduction if you won't let him strut his stuff?

I liked Swagger's count-out. I'm looking forward to seeing that develop. And I was glad to see Kofi Kingston back on TV.

People stop pretending you "guessed" the triple threat match, we all know you read the spoiler as it is pre-taped.

Eck, you need to do some pruning of the comments to remove the Nostradamus wannabes.

What can I say that hasn't been said already? I don't mind HHH, but am sick of the invincible act just like everyone else. HHH, Cena, and Batista are all incredibly stale right now. I'd love to see Cena take a heel turn, but won't be holding my breath; however, I think it's a possibility for the other two, especially HHH.

Mark Henry and Big Show are going to have a long, pointless feud.

Hopefully Legacy gets shaken up soon, and next week looks promising with MDM on Raw. I'm expecting DiBiase to turn on/be turned Orton, but I'm not sure where Rhodes and Swagger fit in.

MVP should go to ECW and have a program wherein he and Benjamin trade the belt back and forth a few times. That should set up one of them to move to the big time, while the other gets the consolation prize of being the big fish in ECW's small pond.

Here's hoping Bourne is treated like Mysterio (small guy who is a legitimate contender) as opposed to London/Kendrick/etc. ("Hey, look at the little guy go! Whoops, he lost. Oh, well.").

I have to say, I was tempted to put my foot through the TV screen when Triple H beat MVP.

As everyone knows, the main event scene in WWE is as stale as a month old loaf of bread and with HBK set to retire at next years Mania by all accounts, Batista struggling to avoid injuries, Taker having his usual sabbatical and Hardy not having signed a new contract things are only going to get worse, especially if any of the other main event regulars pick up an injury.

The WWE MUST introduce some new faces ASAP if it insists on booking 12+ PPVs a year. Fortunately, here in the UK we dont have to pay for all of them, but I ALWAYS buy the ones shown on PPV. However, unless things get freshened up, I may stop. If I see Orton vs HHH again, I will scream.

Monday night's Raw was a perfect chance to elevate MVP with a clean win over HHH, seeing how HHH was banged up and MVP fresh. He needed it because since his debut on Raw, MVP has stalled in my opinion. Personally, I think he is playing to the crowd too much and has lost his 'edge' a bit. Of course, the commentators could have made reference to HHH having perhaps been not 100% but also that HHH being the competitor he is, would not want to make excuses and would accept the better man won.

Instead of that, we got the usual dominant HHH victory. There is an iceberg ahead for the WWE unless they do something.

I loved how they booked Swagger and Orton.

Him doing that does give him heat. Plus, it does set up a potential alliance between Swagger and Orton, which would be a good thing for the former ECW champion. Working the match and losing against Orton wouldn't have done much for Swagger.

Question regarding Christian doing jobs and being buried on ECW after the last few years headlining TNA - could this possible be McMahon enacting retribution for Christian's leaving the WWE in the first place and in turn, burying TNA talent on the WWE roster as a way of making a point - TNA is only a mid-carder organization? I can't help to think this is why you see Christian being buried regardless if the world knows he has the talent and skill to be more.

Bri on LI - I think it's pretty much common sense to anyone with even a modicum of wrestling knowledge that a Triple Threat was going to be the case at Night of Champions. Plenty of us don't read spoilers so thanks for ruining for us what we'd pretty much figured out already. Since every NOC match is a championship match, it's a surprise to no one that HHH and Cena are both facing Orton. I mean, if one of them won on Raw next week, what would the other one do at NOC? Have a US Title match against Kofi Kingston? I think not. Again, common sense made this one obvious a long time ago. But thanks for spoiling next week's Raw and accusing everyone who is smarter than you of cheating in their predictions.

Bri on Li. You obviously are a newbee wrestling fan who proably has his mom tuck him asleep at night in in his Cena pjs. How difficult was it to guess the triple threat match? It's the same pattern for the last 5 years. My prediction was written before the spoiler but thanks to you everyone who read your useless and crybaby comments now knows what will happen. Kev, you defintely need to "prune" some commenters.

Very much expect HHH to win the tournament.
Don't want to give anything away, but some promotional material for UK live shows later in the year suggests, to me at least, that a certain tag team/stable may reunite to take on the Legacy.

3:1 Gauntlet match > 3:1 Handicap match.

WWE should have done a gauntlet instead at SilverMania this year.

Further to John Wilding's post..... UK tour gives a pretty large pointer to the next developments right?
What about a REAL heel turn for Cena, setting up a nice feud with the possibly (definately) returning stable and leaving Orton to get it on with some new challengers like MVP, Henry or go really crazy and build Evan Bourne up?
Rather than a Legacy vs ** feud which would surely end with more Orton HHH matches...yawn.

Only good thing to come from a possible (definate) reunion is a Michaels HHH match at WM next year. Which HHH would have to win of course. God forbid he should appear weak......