I have to finish watching the whole episode (DVR is Great). Was it me Kevin or what was that missed spot in the Divas tag match? Was it supposed to be a flying body press or a ploncha move? Your right the DDT was firm.
Seth Green didn't act lost or loose his cool during the interaction with the wrestlers, that and his size as compared to HHH in the opening made him seem harmless.
I also noticed Jack Swagger looked lost at points during the match with MVP.
Last but not least, it is evident you have become one of the mindless ermine.......Just kidding those Jehrico promos still have me going.

Have a great day.

I must be out of the mainstream, for A) I had never heard of Seth Green before last night, and B) I don't think that he added anything great to the show. I pitied the poor referee in the main event. When Cena pinned Rhodes' arms behind him and encouraged Green to take a shot, the ref was supposed to be making the five count, but he had to look like a chump standing helplessly and making half-hearted gestures while the scene unfolded.

It must have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that Swagger dropped an F bomb while he was yapping at the announcers before the commercial break.

What are the chances of seeing any of the following as a guest host in the near future? Stone Cold Steve Austin, Eric Bischoff, Sgt. Slaughter or Shawn Michaels.

And which was the most-watched cable show on Monday night: WWE Raw or the MLB Home Run Derby? I'm sure we'll hear about it if it was Raw.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Austin: maybe; Bischoff: unlikely; Slaughter: possibly; Michaels: unlikely, because I don't think he'll do anything on TV before he returns as a wrestler.

Mickie looked ridiculously smoking on Monday. I know some people give her grief for the extra meat on the her bones but that is what a REAL woman looks like.

I couldn't take my eyes off her the entire match and even rewound and watched it again just cause I wasn't paying attention to the match.

Be honest Kevin, did you ask Mrs. Eck to leave so you could watch the match alone?

What an improvement! By far the best raw since pre-WM25. I completely agree that the crowds enthusiasm added to the episode. It's pretty lame these days that some fans turn just to "be cool" and support the heels. It's not a question of not respecting them, it's just going with the storyline. That and still saying "WHAT?!" - give up already! (rant over!)

One thing however, you can argue that the Diva tag match is still under the "family show" description of the current WWE, but Maryse's pinning technique surely isn't!!

...not that I'm complaining!

When Jericho said he would pick his partner and reveal it at Night of Champions, I initially assumed Ziggler. However, I began to think about when DiBiase bribed Rhodes to join him and think it may be a possibility here. It is most likely Ziggler, though.

I thought the show was pretty boring overall. I was disappointed in the selection of Seth Green and the announcement of ZZ Top for next week. The Million Dollar Man last week was perfect and I wish they continued in that direction.

The biggest thing that Seth Green brought to the table was acting ability. Last night's backstage segments were some of the most credible and well-acted I've seen in a while. I think it definitely helps the WWE superstars to rub up with someone with legitimate acting abilities. I've always wondered why the WWE didn't have an acting coach on the road with these guys anyway. A large part of what they do is acting.

It's not only what Jericho says that makes him great it is also the subtleness of his eye movements, facial expressions, and body language. His reaction when Mark Henry had his arm around him and revealed why he really came down to the ring was pure gold.

Raw is becoming watchable again....Smackdown on the other hand has recently taken a turn for the worse with segments like "Pretty Ricky" and "Word Up".

Your favorite diva match ever.
Wow Kev.
I have to admit I found Raw realy entertaining aswell...

Nice post Kev, I agree with pretty much everything you've said about Raw. Do you not think that the Guest Host format is overshadowing the main plots that are developing on Raw? I think this will be more noticeable with Guest Celebrity hosts than wrestling associated ones. Seth was the main focus and hardly any focus was given to the fact that Cena and HHH nearly went at it at the end of the show...

RESPONSE FROM KE: A lot of fans have been complaining about Triple H-Cena-Orton feuds getting old, so adding a celebrity to the mix at least makes it a little different.

I thought it was a little too early to blowoff the potential feud between Swagger and MVP.

They had such an intense encounter last week. Another two weeks of encounters would've really built this up. Especially with the hot crowd. Instead, MVP gets beat clean. And that squashes any momentum that this feud had. The match was just ok.

Swagger needs to show his power more by really giving it to MVP on the finisher. Instead it was pretty sloppy. And didnt show his power at all. I know MVP weighs a lil more than Christian, but come on.

Seth Green's promos were good because he's an actual actor. He didnt seem too out of his element. It actually worked. And it helped that the Orlando crowd was hot.

Love the slow roll on the Dibiase face turn. That kid is gonna be a star.

Jericho is good on the mic when talking to another wrestler. But his monologues are getting a bit stale. It's the same thing each time. (sycophants. parasites. pandering... etc.)

Kofi Kingston is so over. Probably third to Cena and Triple H. Which is pretty much a default first place.

I thought that Seth Green's segments were pretty cool,I have to admit that many's the time I wish over the 50 years I have been watching that I could have been one of the guys in the ring hearing the cheers (or more likely the jeers,as I knew I would have had to be a heel)but with my 5'5,125 frame,it was not obviously going to happen.So I felt happy for Green,but I damn sure would have come up with a better outfit.

Also I wonder if Vince ever watched "Robot Chicken"?Its a funny show but its about as far from kiddy friendly as anything on the tube.Spongebob its not.

Finally,how bout next week we have Guererro in a "Stomp a Mudhole in Hornswoggle and Walk it Dry" match.

Ziggler will likely challenge Rey for IC title at NOC so I'm thinking it will be another young talented heel not neccessarily from Smackdown. How about the Miz? They been having a friendly war on Twitter joking on each other and imagine how much they can draw together. Plus the Miz could use the rub and doesn't have anything in store for him after losing to Cena.

RESPONSE FROM KE: You may very well be right but I would hate to see Jericho and Miz together. I would rather see Ziggler wrestle Rey and also be Jericho's mystery partner.

"Swagger needs to show his power more by really giving it to MVP on the finisher. Instead it was pretty sloppy. And didnt show his power at all. I know MVP weighs a lil more than Christian, but come on. "

_______________________________

It looked to me like MVP went dead-weight. He didn't use his legs to help Swagger execute the move.

I wonder what the deal was with Cody saying his dad might be the GM next week and then later it's revealed to be ZZ Top? Was it just so he could get a dig on DiBiase or were they working the phones during the show for a "Plan A?"

Also, what did the Guerreros do to VKM? Vickie had to wrestle in slop and then get belittled on a very personal level before she left and Chavo is finding new ways to be demeaned each week. I hope they get hazard pay or something.

It was a really fun show though I thought.

So this is Carlito's third time around as a heel since joining WWE in 2004. And let me ask, what does WWE have in store for him? Is he going to get a shot at the U.S. title down the road? Is he going to team up with Santino again? Really, what the hell are they going to do with Carlito now that he's on his own again? Feud with his brother on Raw for a few weeks and then get lost in the Raw shuffle again? He's not getting a world title shot anytime soon, that's for sure.

And why did they bring back the apple? It was cool in 2004. Now it's just lame, and I spit in the face of people who want to be lame.

It's also unsanitary.

I thought Seth was great last night, I've really liked Seth Green in just about everything he's done, but I really wanted to see him get punted in the head! It would have done so much more for Orton's character, and would have got alot of mainstream press that Vince so despertaly craves.

Could have done without The Big Show's Dr. Evil impression, didn't fit his character.

I got to go with DiBiase flippin' on Cody at NOTC and going with Jericho. If not DiBiase then someone new or returning, I don't think it'll be Ziggler for some reason.

In here white baiting suit and dark-orange skin Rosa Mendes looked like a negative.

It's to bad MVP wasn't able to start his wrestling career sooner, he's already 36 and is moving like he's 46. Company that with the fact that he just doesn't seem to have any fire in his eyes anymore, I don't see MVP getting that big push we're all waiting for.

Why did Cody Rhodes say Dusty was probablly going to be guest host next week and then they announced ZZ Top? I love ZZ but "The American Dream" would've added so much more.

The HHH/Dakota Fanning match from Robot Chicken was better than HHH/MVP a few weeks ago.

To Mickie James and her Indian princess bikini, Hey-I-Wanna-Hey-I-Wanna-Hey-I-Wanna!!!!

When I watch RAW lately, I feel like I'm watching a desperate WCW during it's downward spiral to revive it's failing product.

This is probably a real, real long shot. But Jericho's assertion that his new partner would be a like minded "honest man" immediately made me think how cool it would be if Lance Storm made one last brief run as Jericho's partner.

Jericho's serious persona is an amplified, more elequent version of Storm's gimmick and they are close friends and partners dating back to their first years in the business.

Like I say, it's a LONG shot, but Storm recently made another return to the ring at an indy show and he would likely be fit enough for one last run. Ah well, I can dream...Storm & Jericho vs Mysterio & Morrison vs Kofi & Bourne TLC!!!

What you think Kev?

RESPONSE FROM KE: It's a nice thought, but I seriously doubt it.

Kevin I have to make 2 comments to your posts. First about the Evan Bourne/Big Show match. You have to understand that this is entertainment and Evan Bourne "sold" Big Show's spear. He did a great job of making it look really devastasting. Second, Chavo and Hornswoggle is exactly what WWE is," World Wrestling ENTERTAINMENT". I say these things because when I read your posts I want to make sure you and everyone remembers that these wrestlers are paid to entertain us...with some wrestling added in.

RESPONSE FROM KE: You must be new to this blog if you think I don't understand what pro wrestling is. I completely disagree with you on Bourne/Show. Do you honestly believe Bourne meant to land on his neck that way? Accidents happen. It's not all selling. Was Misawa selling when he died in the ring? Was Darren Drozdov selling when he was paralyzed in the ring?

Having not seen the show I probably shouldn't be commenting . I just wonder how Seth Green could enhance last nights show . I'm probably older than alot of readers and only know of his work in Austin Powers.....almost ten years ago . I'm just not a fan of celebs(?) being interjected into wrestling programs. Call me crazy .

Great show....except for that darn apple spitting. I never enjoyed seeing a grown man eat an apple and spit it on someone, but it looks like I'll have to see it weekly again. Too bad.

I thought raw this Monday was good but I wasn't to impressed and actually got board and stop watching to play Smackdown vs Raw 2009. Man how I long for the attitude era

I'd like to see Brock Lesnar as a guest host.

I actually read the book "12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee"...best book I ever read. Never thought I would EVER hear someone use that word on the WWE. But then again Jericho has reached new heights in the WWE.

MVP/Swagger can be made to go much longer than just a two week feud.

Oh yeah, poor Chavo...I guess a paycheck is a paycheck.

Good job Mark Henry!

I always ignore the divas matches, but Monday's match made my ENTIRE WEEK. WOW!

Looks like I'm in the minority on this one, so I'll keep it short: that was the worst Raw I've seen since I came back to wrestling in mid-2007. I can't say a single positive thing about it.

i thought it was a very good raw, well I am guessing it's time to say goodbye to MVP's big push I don't understand the finish at all it would have made more sense to me for swagger to cheat or something but MVP got beat straight up which what is really the point of a feud with them when Swagger totalled dominated the match. i have the same booking problem with Bourne He has known been on Raw for 3 weeks and in that time he has been totally destroyed by Orton & Show I don't see how bringing him on raw helps unless you make him into someone like Rey and give him an upset win over these guys. We need more bikini matches looking at those six I think WWE should have mandatory Diva matches in Bikini's. i love when the Show does a little comedy in his act I think when he gets the oppertunity he is 1 of the funniest characters in WWE although they could have given him a better line. Like telling Seth to Zip itm or something.

About the Bourne bump... You can actually see Big Show hesitate before slapping on his submission move. His first instinct was to see if Bourne was OK, but he quickly went back into kayfabe. Watch it again.

guest celebrity hosts...!! wwe is making some serious efforts to get raw back on track now....!
i remember kevin...you once said that one could always expect a good promo or a good match from shawn micheals regardless of a bad show overall...!!
i now realize how true this is...!!
shawn micheals ,acc to me, is theonly difference maker btween raw and smackdown!!
really awaiting his return..!

I noticed the same thing PMac about Big Show checking Bourne first before putting that camel clutch on him. He wouldn't have wanted to use that hold on someone with an injured neck. Also, notice the drop kick right before the spear. It looked like Bourne landed on his neck a bit after delivered the move.

How could Jericho have a singles match on Raw? Are we losing the brand identities again? What was the point of the draft and Trump's trades?

I thought Seth Green was great. MVP is a terrible face and needs to turn heel again to get his mojo back because I fear his future in his current form could be a short one. Raw was half decent for a change, the live crowd was great.

Evan Bourne was VERY lucky he didn't get seriously injured. Why was Kelly Kelly the only diva not barefoot during the match? (wore tennis shoes)

RESPONSE FROM KE: Maybe she forgot to get a pedicure.

That Divas match was the main event in my opinion. Put Mickie back in the skirt or let her wear that bikini every week please! Puting her in bell bottom pants and that stupid hat is worse than making Chavo job to Hornswaggle in my opinion.

Maryse has really turned the corner as a wrestler and as a character. That DDT was wicked. Love her smirks and mannerisms - theme song is pretty sweet too.

Rosa Mendez stinks. Future Endeavors within 6 months.

I have a feeling we will see both Piper and Steamboat GM in the near future. What about Shaq? I know he is a huge WWE fan.

MVP's entrance to the ring reminds me of Ray Lewis's entrance onto the M&T Bank Stadium field. Not surprising since both are from Miami!

I liked the exchange between Seth Green and Chris Jericho backstage. In particular, I liked Jericho's restraint. Even though he was soft spoken his contempt came through far more powerfully than if he were to have yelled into a mic.
Jericho used to be a likable heel. Now he has evolved into a humorless one.

If anyone should in the WWE should have an opportunity on the silver screen it is Jericho.

"The bikini match pitting Mickie James, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim against Maryse, Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes may be my favorite divas match of all time."

Kevin, I'm probably missing the humor here... Isn't it a shame that the Divas don't have actual storylines, really builded feuds and even clearly distinguished personas, and that they are so often used just as eye-candies?

If I want to see sexy women in bikinis (or without, by the way), I can find lots of web sites with that kind of content (including most of the divas involved in the bikini match this Monday). Nobody really cared about the match, all the comments in the youtube vids are about "haha, if you pause at 3'41 you can see a bit of Mickie's nipple", it was all about the sexyness of the Divas, which is kind of sad on my opinion. They could do a great job with their women's roster, especially on Raw, but since the Phoenix / Marella storyline, there hasn't been any kind of buildup around the Divas, just some angry looks between Mickie and Maryse (oh wait, there has been this awful Eve / Layla segments on SD).

And now here we go, all of them in bikinis and everyone talking more about who's more sexy than about who's more technical or powerful... The champion pinned the number one contender, but who cares? We might have seen a nipple, hoorrah!

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that WWE should absolutely not use the fact that the girls they have under contract have amazing looks, but according to me, this should be secondary, and the most important should be their wrestling, acting and storytelling abilities.

Hey, what about an Orton / Big Show / Miz vs Cena / Triple H / Mark Henry, all of them wearing only thongs? Guess THAT would be original!

My favorite moment was Santino backstage playing with a "Trish Stratos" action figure. Then saying he should have a job on Seth's show, Electric Poultry.

It was a better show than they have been for awhile. I agree, the MVP-Swagger match could have been better and had a better ending. It almost extinguishes the feud before it could really get going.

No mention of the Big Show stepping out of his heel character and doing a little comedy with Seth Green? There could have been even more considering the size difference.

As for the Diva's match, when she hit that DDT, I immediately thought "Micki's doing a Rob Van Dam".

Kevin, I agree with you about the Bourne/Big Show match, I felt sick watching that spear, afraid that something terrible had happened, because that landing just didn't look good. I know it's TV and Bourne was supposed to sell being hurt, but I'm positive that wasn't meant to be landed the way it was.

I really really enjoyed Raw and I love the guest host format, I think it's adding some special back into the mix.

i thought seth green was completely boring.. his pally segments with hhh were making me feel queezy and i gutted they didnt let santino do something with hhh and cena.
mark henry was the best part of the show.. come on vince, stick him in the title picture! nobody cares about hhh orton cena...
divas looked amazing! especially mickie wow. she would get it.

There's nothing wrong with the guest host concept,I think it allows for a lot of cool stories and angles.But there cannot possibly be anything good about getting Dusty Rhodes to be the guest host.Or even letting him come anywhere within a 25 mile radius of an event.The damage he did to the "bid-ness" was unforgivable,which probably makes him a great guy in the eyes of his fellow business ruiner McMahon.Fie on thee,Virgil.

The people booking should protect the performers from a safety perspective.

Scheduling 175 (Bourne) or 200 (Kingston and Rhodes) pound men to face opponents more than twice their weight is potentially asking for trouble. There are reasons they have weight classes in boxing.

Thank goodness that fellow didn't break his neck.

A couple of the piledrivers we've seen in the women's division lately also looked a bit concerning.

Another killer RAW! You'll note that despite all the people which that Orlando crowd cheered, Trump got booed emphatically, while McMahon was cheered. Baaahahaha!

Andy observantly makes note of the fans that try to "be cool" by ironically cheering on the heels while booing the faces; this was one moment when the crowd actually did come off as "cool" in my opinion.

An enthusiastic live audience can really make the difference between a weak show and strong show. You'll all know exactly what I'm talking about and appreciate this RAW that much more when we undoutably go back to the typical lazy-ass audience that only cheers whenever babyface takes over in the match and at the very ending.

The best part of RAW for me was Henry's antics after his match, having the crowd follow his arm motions; after which using them to silence and vocalize the crowd. That had me laughing out loud. Might have been one of the richest things I've seen in WWE. I take back everything I wrote on this blog about Henry a few weeks back. He hasn't disappointed at all as babyface. He sure did get stale and boring as a heel though.

I like Seth Green and was worried about the reception he would receive when he appeared. I got worried that much more when I realized how tiny he is. Wow! I felt like HHH's coming out there was like saying 'all right you guys, behave tonight. This is a cool guy so be on good behavior' lol! Yea! Adding to what you said about HHH's gimmicks Kev, I think that King of Kings gimmick is better as a heel. I recommend he use the smart-alecky DX gimmick whenever he's a babyface. Perhaps because of the intense storyline surrounding Randy Orton, the smart-alecky gimmick wouldn't have been appropriate though.
HHH is such a sweet guy though underneath it all, lifting Seth up on his shoulders and crap.

LoL! What's everyone hating on Carlito for? He looks bad to the bone now. I love it. :P

Kev was quick to turn down Marco's prediction of Jericho's partner being the Miz, seemed like more out of contempt than disagreement and I don't blame him either. lmfao! I think that would be a bit disrespectful to Jericho. I mean, c'mon, the Miz, c'mon!
I actually think Chris Masters who is rumored to be returning to the WWE might make his return to become Jericho's partner at Night of Champions.

Lynelle and The Natural are correct in terms of Seth Green's acting talent being a big contributing factor in his appearance on RAW conversing with arguably the WWE's best actor in Jericho.

I'm quite tired of the Big Show intruding in on what looked to be an interesting series of matches between Kofi and Bourne.

To Bob Biscaglia; I agree, given that Jericho wasn't defending the tag titles, his whole announcement should have taken place on SD. Also about that business with Jericho just happening to anticipate Edge's injury, more than a stretch. That was utterly far-fetched and outrageous!

Kevin,

I've gotta agree it was a good raw, but I can;t understand why Chavo is being humiliated on a weekly basis. The guy can wrestle, which is more than I can say for some other talents. Any reason why he is being punished?

As for Jericho I would also like to see him team up with a returning Lance Storm, but seeing as that likely won't happen, what about Jack Swagger - he kind of fits the bill.

I don't mean to start a flame war, but I mainly come here to read Kevin's blog. Seems to me that certain commenters should start their own blogs as they go overlong on their comments. Just sayin'...

To Marco50: I'm pleased that I was able to frustrate you just enough for you to go out of your way to gripe about me in your post but seriously I think the guest host concept is brilliant. I think one person said that it causes viewers to overshadow the talent. That was just because the guest host was involved in the main event. If the guest host was not involved in the main event, such a thing would not have happened and it's not like they plan on doing that with every guest host.

Also, Swagger was absolutely hilarious the way he went over to the announcer's table and started fussing at The King and Cole.

I'm not sure why the feud between MVP and Swagger has to be over just because Swagger won clean as some people have expressed? I feel this is like saying a heel can never win clean and must always cheat. The fact that Swagger had to use the ring post, hang out at ringside for a great deal, and get so frustrated at the announcer's shows that MVP wasn't completely dominated in this match and that the feud could easily continue.

However, if the feud does continue, I doubt it will look good for MVP because Swagger is getting the bigger push right now. I completely disagree that what happened on Monday means this feud has to be over though.

Not sure if Cena and HHH did a good job pushing the Legacy members in that tag match? Is it just me or did Cody Rhodes look incredibly weak in this match. Everytime he took over, the Legacy members had to cheat. I am just so ashamed that Cena and HHH refuse to push anyone. It's tiresome. Anyways, chow for now!

Well, gee, T, I'm so glad I was able to please you, but I'm far from frustrated. It's not my bandwith that you're stealing. If you wish to go on and on without saying much, that's not up to me. Have a good day! :-)

Mickie James is HOT HOT HOT!!!!! I would so marry her tomorrow... If I could LOL.

As for the guest hosts, great idea in my books.

One suggestion to Vince... would this be a good opportunity to convince The Most Electrifying Man In Sports and Entertainment to come back for one night and entertain his millions... AND MILLIONS... of The Rock's fans as they all chant his name... ROCKY ROCKY ROCKY...

Would give him a chance to teach Cena a thing or two, lay the smackdown, check Cena's candy ass into the Smackdown Hotel, show the current crop how to do a PROPER PROMO and leave us to .... SMEEEEEEEELLLLLLL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING!!!!!!

Cue The People's Eyebrow as The Rock stands triumphant on the second turnbuckle and smells what The Rock's fans are cooking...