I really hated that Triple H was about to win the match against John Cena just before Sheamus laid out both guys. He always have to look good in EVERY situation.
Overall, i thought it was a weak show, when you go from the promo Batista did on Smackdown last friday to the Springer segment (god it was scary awful), you have to be disappointed.

I think it is a fake and it is just an angle. If you notice the cast they put on Bret's leg is pimk and black.Why would an ambulance carry a black a pink cast and it coincidentally matches his colors.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Yes, it is an angle.

I think WWE fans need to rise up in furious anger and storm the corporate offices in Stamford if Sheamus and Triple H get booked to fight each other for the title at Wrestlemania.

Kev, I forgot to thank you for your response to my comment last week - appreciate your response, as well as your resasonable explanation.

Following on from our "dispute" regarding Sheamus' title reign, it appeared quite clear to me that his presence as champion, whether we like it or not, had one very positive impact on this week's episode of Raw. Having Orton lay out Sheamus (and, interestingly, Dibiase and Rhodes in the same vein) did a lot to get him over as a babyface with the fans. Whether or not it was WWE's intention to get him over that way is debatable, but the fact that the fans hate the strap being on Sheamus right now is doing Orton wonders in preparation for his inevitable face turn.

It be pretty disappointing not to see Bret Hart and Vince McMahon duke it out at Wrestle Mania. I dont think the physical limitations are a factor. They dont necessarily have to have a skilled wrestling match. The fans just want to see Hart beat the hell out of Vince and slap him with the sharpshooter and hear him scream that he quits.

Is it me or Sheamus never pinned one single upcarder? Almost all of his matches end up on a disqualification. What kind of champ is this?

I thought the shows for both brands had been pretty good the last couple of weeks, but this episode of RAW was pretty weak.

I like the fact that they are letting the guest hosts get less involved with the show. The whole "announce guest host, heel interrupts, face comes out to confront heel, heel gets in unfavorable matchup" formula was getting really old.

That Springer skit was a LONG way to go for a Mae Young sketch. It was funny for a very brief amount of time.

Big Show trips over Mark Henry and Cole says, "...Mark Henry tries to grab Big Show's leg, but Big Show broke free of it." Meanwhile as he's saying this, Mark Henry didn't even move at all.

I love how John Cena is telling Vince McMahon how he is in it "just for the money." Meanwhile Cena has been a "hardcore rapper" who even cut a rap CD, then changed his gimmick to a Marine for a year or so to hype a movie he stars in called "The Marine", and now he changes his colors and merchandise every couple of months. Pot calling a kettle black.

Kofi has been really sloppy in a few matches and I brought it up before that Orton seemed really ticked off at him after a match in which it seemed like Kofi didn't stay down long enough for Orton to "pump up" his RKO, then after he pinned him he shouted "STUPID" at Kofi at least a half dozen times. Kofi has fallen off the top rope a few times when he tries to leap up there, once bailed out by Big Show catching him. And where is that fire and intensity we saw when he cut that promo on that stock car?

I think DiBiase and Rhodes are ready to be soloists. Rhodes a bit more so even with his lisp, he's got a bit more of the "it" and a personality than DiBiase.

I am a bit intrigued about what this WWE NXT thing is all about.

I have softened my stance on Sheamus being parachuted into a top spot. When I look at it as a wrestling fan instead of smart mark, I see that Sheamus' push has - if nothing else - broken the HHH-Cena-Orton monopoly on Raw. Of course, if I were Kofi Kingston or Jack Swagger, I wouldn't be very happy about it, but from a fan's perspective, it's not so bad.

Hey Kev, havent heard this around yet but the mysterious blonde kinda looked like Brets daughter Jade..WWE made it a point not to show her long, but that was my first reaction. My thought is that the "accident" is Cena and Brets plan to get Vince in the ring...I did think it was a good touch to have both the heels and faces wish Bret well when he was "leaving."

Kevin, go back and watch the video of last night and watch closely at the car that eventually hits Bret...it has Maryland tags on it!...hopefully this was a smart setup by the writing crew to eventually reveal the woman was actually the wife/girlfriend/lady friend of Batista (being that he's from nearby D.C.)...that's giving the writing crew ALOT of credit, but it's interesting that a MD tag would be in Iowa for no reason...what do you think?

RESPONSE FROM KE: I think that your powers of observation are very impressive. I also think that's giving the writing crew too much credit.

Probably the best line in a long time re: a stupid segment came from Singh, who said something about Khali thinking what the audience thought, in that the Springer segment was a "waste of time". I laughed out loud. That whole Springer fiasco seemed to function with a bit of a different spin than most, though; it seemed self-reflexive in some ways. The cast recognized and poked fun at themselves and their entire "creative" endeavor...
....then again, maybe I'm willingly trying to read too much sense into something so dumb.

The one thing that was wrong with the Hart angle was Cena taking a couple seconds too long to react to the sound of the car hitting the limo.

While the Cena/Batista match with Hart/McMahon in the corners seems likely, I could see Vince coming out to taunt Bret again and say he'd have a match with him now that he knows Hart's hurting, so it could still turn into a tag team match. Hard to tell at this point.

The rest of the show was kind of take it or leave it to me. It advanced storylines and that's about the best you can say.

This angle is that Brett Hart will file a lawsuit against McMahon unless he wrestles him at Wrestlemania in an "I Sue Match"

I can't believe they had to go out and screw around with the Hart/Vince program with this stupid thing. That program was hot enough due to their performances and past history without bringing in this stupid, cartoonish angle.

Shades of HHH breaking into Randy Orton's fake house.

The best angles are those that at least appear to be a little bit real. This just screws everything up for the sake of creative showing off how brilliant they are.

My wife already cleared out the DVR so I can not recheck the incident but I'm pretty sure the tag on the blonds car was from Maryland. Did anyone else notice it?

It's trivial, I admit...but would somebody PLEASE tell Bret Hart to dye his damned hair? He looks absurd.

I was pretty suprises Shamus hit the Celtic Cross on Triple H, I assumed that move was reserved for jobbers under 200 lbs.

When Orton rose up from the second RKO and gesticulated wildly, I immediately thought he went from viper to rattlesnake.

I gotta say one thing: this week's show was horrible. Fake segments all over the place.

When Lawler exclaimed, "Can you imagine, we have Cena and Triple H in the main event on Raw?!" I yelled at the TV, "Of course I can", because it's been done at least 40 times in the last 2 years.

Wow, I thought I was imagining things when I saw the MD Plate. Good to see others saw it too. I know it's an angle, but why would she be backing up?

Jo.V.Was.Great...I did the EXACT same thing....

Man the WWE really does think its fans got the memory of one of those "Matrix" drones!

I was watching the segment with the whole Bret Hart "injuring" his leg part and I couldn't help but noticed and recognized who the blonde woman was. Does a Rebecca Hickenbottom ring a bell?

As poorly as Cena acted in the parking area, maybe Cena & Hart set up a fake injury/accident to set up Vince, threaten a lawsuit. Instead, Bret gives Vince a choice......the lawsuit or a W-M match?

Also, I kept waiting for HBK to interfere in someway in the Triple H/ Cena match.

I was suckered into watchin' RAW last night only because of Bret Hart. This pulled me back in cause I'd love to see him knock the crap out of McMAHON!! I have not been a real fan in years so this obviously has my attention. I do think that Hart will return and face McMahon( Vince will take this opportunity to take advantage of Hart's "injury"- ) and Hart comes out on top!!! (in a series of rematches of course.

Let's call a spade a spade. This show was god awful bad. The Springer thing was a total waste of time and did nothing fr anybody. Looking forward to TNA on Monday nights so I can turn the channel when either show lays such a lame egg.

i enjoyed raw...especially that springer relationship segment...it's not as edgy as attitude era but it was close...absurd, yes. entertaining, yes to some. but i saw the hornswoggle as a father thing coming, the same goes for Santino being the first man to come out from the curtain. is it me or is santino getting chubbier?

I agree this was a weak RAW after the past few weeks where the show was very good.

The pros were Orton, who is as hot as he's been since last year's Rumble. The HHH/Shane McMahon feud really hurt Orton, but he's once again on the brink of being a red-hot performer if they handle the rest of his program with Rhodes/Dibiase the right way, They should really let him go on his own and have him in the Austin circa DTA/Rattlesnake mode where he has no friends and is set to go off at anytime. Orton is much different than Austin, he's not going to be some blue collar anti-hero, but if they combine Austin's "I don't give a s--- about anyone and that's the bottom line" with a Randy Savage-esque rampant paranoia streak, I think Orton could work as both a face and heel depending on who he's fighting at the time. The main thing that has to come out of this feud is to separate him, Rhodes and Dibiase and let Orton be completely on his own for a while.

Also, while I'm in the same camp as basically everyone else in this regard as far as I don't think Sheamus should keep the belt past Elimination Chamber, I think he actually came off looking pretty good this week. He took the RKO, but laying out both HHH and Cena made him look pretty strong, especially with the entire crowd chanting "You Suck" as Raw went off the air (although I'm still not sure if that's actual heat or the fans just not buying him as champion).

The Springer segment was pretty much a disaster, and I, like Kevin, thought this could have been entertaining during the Attitude-era, but didn't really work in today's WWE.

The Hart/McMahon feud continues to be very hit-or-miss for me. Hart was never a big promo guy, the thing that made him a top star was how great he was in the ring, and this back-and-forth between him and Vince is struggling due to it being mostly the two of them talking every week. I loved Vince yelling "You deserved to be screwed!" last week, but this week was way too over-the-top with the car crash angle. I think they might now have Vince change his mind and accept the challenge due to the inury, only to find out that Hart/Cena set up the whole thing to bait Vince into doing the match, which could be fun. I'm also really looking forward to a Hart/Austin promo against Vince when Stone Cold hosts in March ... that could be amazing.

So, a weak RAW, but overall things have been going pretty good recently in the "Road to Wrestlemania" so hopefully they can bounce back next week.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the match between Cena and HHH. It was more than the same old stuff I'd come to expect from those two.

If Kingston's not able to break through the glass ceiling that will be a shame, because I've been hoping to see him as a world champion for quite some time now. With the possible exception of Evan Bourne, Kingston is the most amazing performer on the Raw brand. He may still win MITB, but I might be setting myself up for disappointment by clinging to that hope.

If I ever see Mae Young on television again, it will be too soon.

Randy Orton seems to be good for one dropkick per match lately, which makes them more entertaining in my opinion. I actually enjoyed his match with Sheamus. I also found myself laughing several times during the Springer segment, and not even the arrival of Hornswoggle was able to ruin it for me. (The "Jerry!" chants got old after a while, particularly when the WWE stars were doing it all on their own without the crowd backing them up.) Either I was just in a good mood when I watched it, or Raw was actually mostly good for once.

Kevin, what you said about the triple threat between all three Legacy members might have been foreshadowed in "Smackdown vs. Raw 2010". In that game, if you play through Randy Orton's storyline you end up going against Rhodes and DiBiase at the end of it.

Why isn't anyone put off by the fact that HBK isn’t involved in the Bret Hart/McMahon storyline. It really should be a Hart/HBK tag match against McMahon and Batista.

I am having a tough time accepting Sheamus also, but Miz has convinced me to hold tight when it comes to accepting certain wrestlers.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I agree that the jury is still out on Sheamus. The difference with Miz, however, is that he didn't win the WWE title six months after making his TV debut.

Am I the only one who thought "Oh course, leave it to a woman driver..." when Bret was hit? There was a LIMO right behing her. And then she walked out and said, "I didn't see it there."

Really? She didn't see a Limo right behind her? I am not sexist or anything but... way to reinforce those oh-so-fun negative stereotypes. Cena, you could tell, was thinking the same exact thing when she continued with, "What should I do?"
"Move the CAR!" Duh.

Also, can someone please tell Michael Cole that Big Show and the Miz are collectively known as "ShowMiz," as in a play on "ShowBiz"? "MizShow" makes no sense and not what the entrance video reads.

Well, I'm done with my rant. I think I'm gonna go back and continue reading my Mick Foley autobiographies to calm me down.

Re: this by The Mythical One:

"I love how John Cena is telling Vince McMahon how he is in it "just for the money." Meanwhile Cena has been a "hardcore rapper" who even cut a rap CD, then changed his gimmick to a Marine for a year or so to hype a movie he stars in called "The Marine", and now he changes his colors and merchandise every couple of months. Pot calling a kettle black."

You do know Cena is doing what the company wants him to as far as his gimmick and merchandise, I hope. Changing his shirts every few months and having DX pimp gear is pretty much exactly what the "Vince only cares about money" angle fits right into.

I think the final three of the WWE Elimination chamber will be HHH, Sheamus and Orton. Then Michaels will somehow screw HHH and Orton with Sheamus keeping the title setting the stage for an intersting WM line up of HHH vs HBK and Orton vs Sheamus. HHH will get his WM moment by beating a Heel and confused HBK and Orton will have his but winning his first WWE title as face. Right after that, I sense that HHH will turn heel and have a program with a face Orton in which Orton will be put over massively.I can see HHH attacking Orton the night following WM while Orton will be bonding with the WWE universe as the new face of the Business...

No matter what happens this Sunday, I think we are in for big shocks @ this coming PPV. Just like Edge shocked us last year...there will be a dramatic turn to the WM road.

Was the accident staged, not sure, I think was but I don't think Bret Hart's leg was supposed to be outside the door, too many things could happen, the play for Bret Hart is if he wins the match with McMahon, his father Stu goes into the WWE Hall of Fame. The real question is will Triple H win the Chamber match for a 5th time, I say no, it will be Cena with the win and Batista challenges him at Wrestlemania, Jericho wins the other chamber match and Edge challenges him for the tilte at Wrestlemania. Now where does this leave DX, win back the Tag-Team Title and challenge the Brothers of Destruction to Tag Team Title match at Wrestlemania, the Undertaker may be defeated at Wrestlemania but the Brothers are undefeated in 13 years period, this way HBK still gets what he wants and so do the fans, the greatest Tag Team Match ever.

Kev,

do you remember a few months back after tlc, Cena came out and cut a massive promo, going on about how he was going to remain undefeated until he won back the WWE title? Whatever happened with that? from my memory, which isn't perfect, I don't think he has actually lost since, but the majority of his matches have ended in a DQ. I'm presuming that this run won't continue with Elimination Chamber this weekend, but it does seem weird that he made such a big deal of it at the time, and yet there's been barely any reference to it since. Was just wondering about your thoughts on that?

RESPONSE FROM KE: I think WWE just decided to take the story line in another direction.

Hi Kevin,

Your point about Kofi kingston's stock dropping got me thinking about something I've noticed in recent times.

It seems that WWE is looking for their next big thing, and is not giving anyone the appropriate amount of time to get it.

I mean, they have people who the crowd likes such as Kofi, Morrison, Bourne, MVP, R truth, Matt Hardy, etc. and when they didn't become the Rock overnight, they put belts on guys like Sheamus and McIntyre who never got over with the crowd first at all.

Kofi was one of the few who seemed over with the crowd (certainly with me) before WWE ever gave him a push. He had a few great weeks, then, when he wasn't at Stone Cold Steve Austin level in that short time, they are pulling the plug.

That said, there is nothing wrong with ups and downs (like the loss on Raw) when the downs don't outweigh the ups.
It just seems like someone who is destined to be a rising star like Kofi, as soon as they suffer one loss we all think the plug has been pulled.

Do you suppose that the WWE Powers that be are really so foolish as to give someone such a short time in the sun, or do they have a long range plan that includes ups and downs (Like all the main eventers with the exception of Sheamus.... grumble grumble... have had)

It's good have JR back on the announce table. It brought back memories when he said "STONE COLD! STONE COLD!" after Orton hit the RKO's.

I thought it looked like Shawn's wife also.

Favourite moment of a very poor Raw?

Cole: Bret Hart has touched so many young stars in the locker room."

Ha ha! Great blog as ever.

I'm really looking forward to the night when Austin hosts raw. Doesn't everyone see the remarkable similarities between his character and that of Ortons? Similar look, similar attitude, similar finishing move... Hell, they're even both snakes. Their interaction on the show should be gold.

The Springer segment was absolutely HORRIBLE. It was just flat out embarrassing, and as a WRESTLING fan made me embarrassed. Kelly Kelly is the WORST actress I've ever seen. She is the protype "blonde bimbo" and can do nothing but smile and laugh at EVERYTHING. It's amazing to me how you can trash a lot of the stuff TNA has done, yet defend this. This segment was worst than anything TNA has done.

I definitely marked out for the MD license plate

Something came to mind as I was watching the end of RAW. We have to totally ignore Sheamus. No "you suck" chants, no booing, nothing. As soon as his music hits, the arena goes silent. What would be great is if people would bring newspapers & do the college basketball thing & hold them up for the duration of every Sheamus appearance. I know this is a pipe dream but to me, if we're going get the point across, we need to treat him like he has the plague.
Sheamus=Silence.

It seems pretty clear now that Bret will use what happened to him on Raw as a way out of wrestling at Wrestlemania. In a way, I think this is the right call, as Hart, as good as he was in his prime, might not be able to put on a good match at his age. Having said that, I still would've loved to have seen him in the ring one more time. But, this story might take a few more twists and turns between now and 'mania so who knows what'll end up happening?

I guess the idea of an Elimination Chamber match is pretty exciting, but when I really think about it, I know that WWE has a PG rating now, so it might not be as good as I once thought. I think the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view last year suffered tremendously because no one showed any colour, and I fear that's what may happen this Sunday. I'm not saying the wrestlers should blade and bleed all the time, but in matches like this I think it just adds that something extra to it.

I know Ted DiBiase needed a win to get his momentum back after last week, but I think it could've been done in a much better way than it was. Kingston got so much offence in and was pretty much dominating the match, when DiBiase hit him with one move and Kingston was down for the count. I hope Kingston gets booked better than that in the Chamber this Sunday.

I'm guessing I'm one of the only people that thinks this, but I thought the Jerry Springer bit was pretty funny. I'm all for comedy bits on wrestling shows, if it's done right. And, for the most part, I think this one was. Apart from the Mae Young thing at the end. That I could've done without seeing. I thought the funniest part was the crack Santino made about GrandMaster Sexay.

I didn't care much for the verbal confrontation between Cena and Batista. Cena mentioned that Batista's hand was shaking as he was cutting his promo, which I've never seen happen to him before, as he's usually calm and relaxed when talking on the mic. It would've been better if Big Dave had just appeared on the big screen and simply stared at Cena and said nothing, like he did last week on Smackdown.

Overall I thought the show was decent. Trips and Cena put on a good match. Like another reader posted, I thought it was odd seeing Trips placed in the Celtic Cross, what a dangerous looking move that is. Another solid week for Rhodes and Dibiase, their star meters contiue to rise. In the end I think Rhodes will make the most of his opportunity, he definitely has the "it" factor going for him. I thought Jerry Springer did fine in his segments, at least he didn't screw up a bunch of names. Did you see how wide Lawler's eyes got when Springer mentioned that he likes younger girls? Springer must have talked to Doug Gilbert before the show. I hope the Brett Hart storyline gets better because right now it sucks. I'm happy to see that the WWE is putting Antonio Inoki in the Hall of Fame. He is truly a legend in the wrestling business.

What did Kofi do to lose his push?

I thought this was a weaker RAW than past weeks. No Shawn Michaels follow up and the change in direction of the Hart storyline made the show a bit anti-climatic. I don't have a problem with the Hart story, it just wasn't expected. As was the commentary about Hart's "worst night of his life". Was I dreaming that his brother died in a tragic accident, his mother and father recently passed away, his career ending concusion, stroke, the 20 or so friends he worked with that died an early death and the "screw-job"? Bad choice of words.

Shawn not being there wasn't a shock but it was barely mentioned. This story being the main point of interest for many it should have been a big spot in the show. It makes it obvious that HBK will be back if they don't make a big deal over his career being "over".

HHH vs Cena was actually a good match. Once again, I just couldn't believe the commentary being fed to the audience like this was a rare RAW main event.

Really? She didn't see a Limo right behind her? I am not sexist or anything but... way to reinforce those oh-so-fun negative stereotypes. Cena, you could tell, was thinking the same exact thing when she continued with, "What should I do?"
"Move the CAR!" Duh.

Posted by: Dean from Vegas | February 17, 2010 1:19 AM

C'mon, Dean, being from Vegas, you're just used to being around limos.

MD tags!! Promo for Stacy K??

I really don't get the Sheamus hate. It's like everyone is playing by old WWF rules, "If I didn't see it on TV it never happened." Sheamus is a very good worker with a lot of experience. The fact that it happened in Europe seems to mean it never happened. He's been a very effective heel, destroying lower talents, but dodging the top faces. It's a style of heel we haven't seen for a while and it seems to be causing a ton of hate. As far as how soon he won the title, did we all have this problem when Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar received similar pushes?
As far as EC goes, I figure Morrison is going to be too "injured" to fight and Shawn will sneak into the 6th spot, cost Undertaker the title and spark the feud for the dreaded rematch between those two. Jericho will win and we know who he gets at WM. On the Raw side, it certainly does appear that we're going to get a Legacy split and Triple-h Sheamus as a result, just not sure which match will be for the title. And the real test for Kofi is MITB. For MONTHS I've been saying he is certain to win it, but I'm starting to get my doubts.

For those who are Cena took too long to react obviously it was to help cover up that Hart wasn't really injured however Have none of you ever been in your own little world and then something happens and you snap out of it but it takes you a few seconds to register anything (a plausible excuse for a scripted distraction)

The triple H/Cena match was good, I always like seeing those two in the ring together because they never just seem to go through the motions, it is like they try to top each other. Admittedly the ending was formalistic but over all still a good match

I will try to put this in the most kind of terms...Monday Night "Raw" SUCKED.It was the worst show of the decade and maybe EVER.The one question is did the writers,staff and management of the WWE quit or did they just give up on the fans,performers and USA network?Next weeks show will be better by default.Thanks Kevin and as always God Bless.

"the kid would be a major screw-up. Remember Grandmaster Sexay?”

Now THAT had to hurt. lol

I was looking at what people were saying about the angle with Brett Hart. I kept reading how this would be his out to not have to fight. How Batista set it up. I think this could work out a different way. Instead of him being too hurt to compete, what would happen if Vince announces tomorrow that he is now ready to fight Brett at Wrestlemania. You have the big buildup with Brett being hurt, but he is still the Hitman and won’t turn down this fight after all these years. He goes to the ring and squares off against Vince and then low and behold he faked his own injury. It seems like finally the tables have been turned on Vince. We finally get to see what we want, Brett finally evening the score!

hi kev my mate told me bret really did brek is but i told him its a storyline can you solve the argument is it a storyline thanks

RESPONSE FROM KE: It is a story line.

Has this new Bret Hart angle upset any other (former?) Hitman fans?

WWE basically mocks him at the opening sequence of any WWE television event or am I the only one who noticed that as soon as Bret returned they added Million Dollar Man's catchphrase (Everybody has a price) followed by a video clip of the Hitman. Then when Bret returns he apologizes to everyone who screwed him and when confronted by McMahon over the weeks, Hitman just stands there with a blank look (and no response or defense), all while hiding behind his sunglasses so McMahon can assault him and worse of all insult him and his legendary family.

I understand setting Bret up as an underdog to get fan heat going to the biggest show of the year, but it has not been endearing (just makes me sad Bret sold out), so hopefully Bret does something big at Wrestlemania to redeem himself because so far he has looked like a total pansy and done nothing but further tarnish a hall of fame career.