"Yeah, maybe Cowboy Bob Thorton will come out of retirement next year and wrestle at Summerfest."

LOL!!!!

This is exactly why I read ur blog expectantly after watching the show!!! Gr8 going Kev....!!!!! :))

I Cedric was pretty bad overall, too. The Cowboy Bob Thorton line sealed it for me. I was willing to believe that he was a fan until he said that. He also didn't know Ted Dibiase and Dusty Rhodes. Any idea who the mysterious big man was? I couldn't figure it out.

Any word yet on who the new ring announcer will be? Finkel seems to good to be true, and I can't imagine the ring announcer from SD moving. It seems like he has been there forever. What about the ECW guy?

Unbelievable. Cedric the Entertainer wasn't funny or entertaining, but that nonsense with Freddie Prince Jr and Santino Marella was?? ZZ Top was entertaining?? Jeremy Piven was funny??

And do you really think Cedric came up with that bit with all the people coming out of his limo? Have you ever seen him do standup?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Jeremy Piven and Dr. Ken were awful. Cedric was nowhere near as bad, but I still don't think he was good. I don't think I have ever seen his standup. I'm basing my opinion on what I saw on Raw. Just my opinion. It's all subjective.

John Cena's promos are terrible. His "comedy" is not funny. He always does the same corny jokes with that stupid-looking smirk on his face, and then he in mid-promo transforms into this super-intense, hardcore bad-ass. It looks so stupid, and it's old. He can't make up his mind if he wants to try to be funny like the Rock or intense like Kurt Angle.

With Cedric being the first Black host, I was really pulling for him. He was funny at times, but if I never saw Raw before would not take it seriously. BTW I actually thought the limo segment was funny.

Just like I called Punk being on top when he first arrived in the WWE and am going to say the same concerning Cody. Some people just can't appreciate him yet.

Love that Alicia scissor kick! Even if she is never champ I am glad she has been elevated.

Olando Jordan...Oh yeah,I forgot...

Please WWE put Evan where he belongs...ON THE UPPER MID CARD!

RESPONSE FROM KE: Shaquille O'Neal was the first black host.

Here's the problem with Cena's promo last night (and most of his promos in general): by the end of it, I wanted to see Randy Orton kick his ass. He just always comes off as such a condescending, arrogant jerk. He'd really be much, much better as a heel. Of course, it doesn't help to know that he's going to inevitably "back up" whatever he says, because he'll always be booked strongly.

Reading your report made me realize how much of this show I didn't watch. I must have flipped off most segments as they began then I stuck around to watch them. Not good.

Will the "PG Rating" be lifted for the Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View? Thanks.

I thought he did a decent job nothing special. The orton name flub was no big deal. I don't know about anybody else but I so sick of contract signings and "impromptu" main events. In fact the whole backstage drama part of wrestling is getting tired too. It was novel during the monday night wars and attitude era but now it's as predictable as the in ring product.

Good point Bradley. A bloodless HIAC match would be a refutation of all past ones and would probably draw some boos. The point of HIAC is that it's the most dangerous of all the WWE matches. To make it "PG" would make it a joke, in my opinion. If they're going to do that, just eliminate it as a match.

I was glad to see that Lillian didn't get ribbed on her way out, or made hugged by Big Dick Johnson, or something stupid. That was one of the best moments of the show.

Take away the DX - Legacy feud and Orton - Cena feud from last night and Raw was a total train wreck. I like CTE as a comedian but last night he was definately out of his element. Im expecting another train wreck next wk with Al Sharpton as guest host.

KEV - WHILE THE HOST ARE STILL FRESH IN OUR MINDS PLEASE POST YOUR RANKINGS OF BEST TO WORST!

RESPONSE FROM KE: I'll give it some thought.

Did I hear King trying to argue with Cole about how DX have never been in a hell in a cell together...just seperately?

...Their last hell in a cell was as DX?

yea now will anyone agree with me that RAW is now the B or C show after last nite. the whole show as worse than a old 'B' movie. All the matches were flat and I feel sorry for lilian garceia her last nite and the worse show......gald I turned it off after 1st half hour. the skit with henry and hornswaggle was bad but calling henry Kool Aid was ok..............

I didn't watch Raw, and it sounds like I didn't miss much, by and large. Maybe I should have Ring Posts screen Raw for me every week.

Just awful. Inferior talent compared to the B show, horrendous booking...I turned it off as soon as Hornswaggle came from under the ring I turned to MNF. I don't think I'll be watching much Raw until the next draft - why bother? I'll catch HBK, Evan Bourne, Kofi, and Swagger on YouTube. I would include Orton if he ever wrestled anyone aside from Cena, or at least was in a decent program. Orton has gone from possibly the most feared heel in th company to a guy that relies on Legacy to get a win and regularly runs away from Cena, Batista, etc. It's a shame.

solid, if underwhelming show. cedric was kinda boring, but i thought the kool aid man/mark henry bit was funny. cody rhodes and ted dibiase are putting on a hell of a program with hhh and hbk. orton and cena's feud showed signs of life, nice job by both. enough with chavo though!

Kevin,

I couldn't agree more with your comment about Evan Bourne. He is a bright, young talent. Too bad he's reduced to a nobody on RAW. I wonder how the wrestlers really feel about being sent to RAW. I suppose the up-and-comers view it as an opportunity to hit the big time, but surely they must see what happens to most of the young talent. With few exceptions, RAW is all about the extablished stars. Everyone else is just window dressing. Frankly, I'd be skeptical of a move from ECW to RAW. I think I'd prefer to take the long road: establish myself on ECW, work my way to Smackdown by earning some credibility, and then go to RAW. I understand that most wrestlers don't get to call their own shots. That's just my two-cents!

Holden

Exactly why I just read about wrestling now instead of watching it. If you are a mark for this garbage, I wonder what your age is. Better yet, what is your IQ?!

WWE chooses to be "squeaky clean" and "celebrity friendly" at the expense of content. It wasn't like they were gold before, but now it's written for 10 year olds. No coincidence they started all this right before Linda runs for Senate. I guess they (Vince & Stephanie) think so little of everybody that it's the assumption everyone will forget angles like Katie Vick and Vince faking his death.

Maybe they can make people forget that one of their stars is suspended (Mysterio) for WP violation, or that the recently departed Jeff Hardy was busted for drug possession. I don't give this industry anymore passes or the benefit of a doubt. What they put on TV has no relation to the behind the scenes problems that still do exist (both WWE and TNA btw)!

I just thought the whole thing was rather embarrasing.

It's shows like this that make me look forward to Friday night.....and Thursday night......and Tuesday night.

"I was just happy that Jericho didn’t have to job again. …"

yuhoooooo, let's celebrate!

With all the more family friendly ratings that WWE is working with, I'm concerned that next month's Pay-Per-View is going to be renamed "Heck on a Deck"

All out mayhem on treated and weather stained sturdy wood planks of doom!

I cannot, nor can anybody else, disagree about the finish to the match between Kofi and Swagger.

You didn't say it because it's obvious, but as somebody who routinely points out the obvious I will say it: Swagger was in a match with the U.S. Champion, with a chance to win the U.S. Title, and when Miz comes down and grabs the belt--which is just a symbol of that championship--Swagger cares enough to leave the ring and stop him. Okay, fine, that could *maybe* make sense if he thought he was going to win against Kofi and wanted the belt to stay at ringside so he could carry it around and show it off later on.

But then...when he has the chance to beat Kofi and become the champion, when he has a shot that he might never get again...he chooses to walk away from the ring carrying the stupid belt. And get counted out. And lose. And thus not be entitled to carry the belt around.

Perhaps Jack Swagger's new gimmick is that he is clinically retarded. *eyeroll*

Whatever the pros and cons of the celebrity guest-host idea, it's foolish to keep putting them in the ring. Granted, it's not likely to get worse than Seth Green in that regard...but it's unnecessary, and it invariably fails.

"By the way, since Cedric didn’t know he was going to wrestle, why did he bring that wrestling get-up, not to mention matching outfits for the mysterious big guy and the leprechaun? …"

I despised Cedric as the guest host, but in all fairness, Santino did mention in passing that he had a tailor who would fit "tight pants" for Cedric.

What do you think of Al Sharpton being next weeks host.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I think it could be entertaining. Seriously.

You GO Randy Orton. I just love his way of always being serious and brutal honest. His comment that John Cena was being arrogant and despised by wwe, since he came the first time, i really believe that.

I remember he told Ric Flair in a previous story, that they kept Ric in the Evolution cause they felt SORRY for him. And that Ric since long ago is a dead wrestler (that was not his exact words, but his point was that Ric should have been retired many many years ago.)

I just love his radical "bluntness" and honesty. This is what i mostly like about wrestling, the REAL STORYLINES, based on REALITY...

Thats why i want a storyline between TripleH and Randy... cause he will really tell the truth in 3H:s eyes...

And oh btw... who is chanting and being happy about...D-generation X, but children and ......?????? Even though, they can be CORNY, a couple of seconds everytime they show up in the ring. (and that could be funny for someone who really dislike them a lot)

Overall:

More Credit to: CM PUNK. The MIZ. Swagger. Santino. Big Show (how scary and bad isnt he right now??lol)

Less Credit to: Kofi, Undertaker.. They dont have a voice, do they? Lets start to talk, we all know that a PERFECT wrestler has ALL qualities... -like micability- ...

Maybe a pretty negative input again, but here you go :-)

/Stevo from Sweden

Dang Mickie vs Beth was actually going pretty good in there, Mickie had a nice counter and the leap from the top rope made me nervous, being a big Mickie fan! Then BOOM! It was over :(. Could have a great match between those two but noooo, rather than seeing Mickie vs Beth in a great, long match they decide to have a comedian and a leprochaun in a superhero suit bury Chavo. Ugh.

On the bright side, Alicia got some great heat for the scissor kick at the end! She's getting big heat against Mickie who gets the biggest reaction, not a bad combination.

Mike in AZ > The mysterious man was obviously Ezekiel Jackson.

Cena's promo seemed like a poor mans Rock, a really poor mans Rock.

kev you really can't be stealing what I said about evan bourne when he first got drafted to Raw. i think you said about Hugh Morris being US Champ was a joke i disagree he was a very good worker and 1 time trainer for WWE. now if you wolud have said David Flair I could stay with you but doesn't evey title have some black eyes on it lets see WWE title Mr. Mcmahon, IC Title Chyna, WCW Title David Archette/Vince Russo, WCW TV Title Jackie, WWE Cruser Title Jackie.

The show has become a stale joke even by pro wrestling standards....not good.

Ced was not great, but he'll certainly be better than next weeks host. Al freakin Sharpton? Are you kidding me? I doubt I'll even bother watching.

There was a no-contact clause between cena and orton, then they fought each other in the 6 man. Is this TNA? Stop insulting the fans' intelligence, WWE.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Maybe the no-contact rule only applied to the contract signing.

I want to second the above opinion that Cena's promos have just gone down the tubes.I have absolutely no interest in watching him anymore.And his wrestling is really Hoganesque now,Orton literally kills him 5 or 6 times in one match and he still wins.Bah.
Maybe turning heel would work,but I'm not convinced.He should probably go to TNA.But then the little kiddies would cry-oh wait they just did that!

They mentioned ref Mike Kiota by name, wonder if that was a slip up or if the 'no naming the ref' policy is over considering they made a big thing with Scott Armstrong

Spot on with Evan Bourne. You have to wonder what he thinks when DX gets a 5+ minute opening segment and then a 10+ minute match and he can't even get 5+ in a match....Same goes for Kingston/Miz/Swagger.
And then again Chavo is probably wondering why Cena/Orton get a 10+ minute contract signing while he has to be publicly humiliated week after week and fight CTE and HSwoggle

Kev, I think that your blog contains the brutal truth on Cedric The Entertainer but it's wholly WWE's fault. They're the idiots who wrote all that smelly garbage Cedric was doling out at us like we were waste bakets. That was aaaall WWE's doing. The WWE's creative team provided all that sourness and made a natural moron out of poor Cedric. Seriously though, I'm sure it had nothing to do with Cedric himself. I think you were spot on when you wrote "The Raw writers didn’t do Cedric any favors with the material they gave him either." I'm loving how the WWE is paying for it with a load of negative reviews and all the disgruntled fans.

I will say that Cedric had two moments. Moment one was using the Donkey animation as The Miz's father and moment two is the manner in which he said Big Show drives a Prius. The rest of the material that the WWE gave him was stale and hopefully lowers their ratings.

ROFLMFAO @ The old “this guy looks like he could be the illegitimate son of so-and-so” shtick flopped worse than Brooke Hogan’s latest album. Man, I've been getting behind that girl too. That girl just cannot seem to make an adequate fanbase for anything.

Anyways, I repeat everything written in the blog this week except for your comments on Cena. Cena just isn't anything special to me. While I like that Orton has reverted to his dangerous gimmick and has a great presence, he needs to add more moves to his repertoire and work on his in-ring performance.

Why they'd have Swagger cost himself the US title, only heaven knows. Good point on that route being more appropriate for a non-title bout but that would make too much sense.

If there's one positive thing I can wite about RAW this week, it's that I'm proud of Triple H. I compliment him a billion times over for actually pushing somebody this week. He had a very nice encounter with Rhodes and a nice crowd reaction. He must be tired of all the well-deserved internet heat he gets for failing to push talent. I love where the DX/Legacy feud is going. They had an extraordinary bout at Breaking Point. Being contained in a cell, I doubt it will be as exciting however. The highlight of their Breaking Point match was them fighting all over the building and in the crowd.

I feel compelled to say that I wish Lilian Garcia well in her future endeavors. Such a sweetheart, the way she made that interview. I'm with somebody else though. Surprised she didn't get a pig-like mudbath or at the very least a pie thrown in her face on the way out. You know the WWE; if you can't use them, abuse them. lol! I'm hoping Howard Finkle returns to take over.

Nothing with Cedric The Entertainer bothered me because all these guest hosts are a once-and-done situation, so it isn't worth over-analyzing them on anything but an entertainment level.

However, during Lillian Garcia's farewell speech, I was embarrassed by her grandeur and self-importance!

And while the US title booking was spectacularly lame, I really enjoyed the Kofi/Swagger chemistry! I hope to see them work a singles program after the next PPV.

Does anyone know who "big Cedric" was?

It's interesting that Tonetare didn't mention Cedric the Entertainer's reference to the Kanye West incident. Apparently, it must only be offensive if a white person mentions it.

I'm pretty impressed with Kofi lately.I never thought he was much to write home about until a few weeks ago when he worked with the Big Show and did a great job of selling the Show's leaden beat-down.Obviously a talented worker and athlete.He really should give up the goofy character though,he's about as convincing a Jamaican as Baron Von Raschke was a Nazi.