Raw: Bret Hart gets GM job; Batista quits his job
For the most part, Monday night’s episode of Raw was predictable: Bret Hart relinquished the U.S. title that he won on last week’s show and was named the brand’s new general manger; the competitors for the WWE title match at next month’s Fatal Fourway pay-per-view ended up being John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge and Sheamus; and it became official that Batista is gone from WWE for the foreseeable future.
There also were a few surprises, however, including one involving Batista. I figured we had seen the last of him for a while after he took an Attitude Adjustment from Cena off a car and through the stage after their match at Sunday night’s Over the Limit pay-per-view, but he came out during the opening segment Monday and cut a promo.
Batista, who reportedly suffered a lower back injury during his match Sunday, was selling an injury to his left arm (he had it in a sling) and was helped by two referees down the ramp and into the ring, where he sat down in a wheelchair. He demanded a rematch against Cena after he is fully recovered. The ring announcer interrupted Batista to introduce Hart as the new Raw GM. Hart informed Batista that to get his title shot, he would have to beat Orton on this show in a qualifying match for inclusion in the upcoming fourway. When Batista said they he was physically unable to compete, Hart declared Orton the winner by forfeit. Batista threw a tantrum, said that he was quitting WWE and stormed out.
I really liked this segment. Batista cut a good heel promo to ensure that he would not get any sympathy from the fans despite his injuries, and the announcement of Hart as GM got a big pop. Since Hart has decided to remain in WWE, this is the best role for him.
In other unexpected developments, R-Truth defeated The Miz in a match for the vacant U.S. title, and a new tag team laid out The Hart Dynasty.
Other thoughts on Monday’s show:
There is one major logic flaw with Hart getting the GM gig: Why would Vince McMahon give the job to his bitter enemy? To WWE’s credit, it did not ignore the obvious, as Michael Cole posed the question after the announcement. I wonder if WWE will provide an answer at some point. …
The main event – a triple threat match between Cena, Edge and Chris Jericho – was good. The stipulation was that if either Edge or Jericho got the victory, the winner would gain a spot in the fourway match, but if Cena prevailed, neither of them would get in. The match was fast-paced and there were a lot of nice three-way spots and near falls. I had no doubt that Edge was going to win, but I was surprised that he pinned Jericho instead of Cena. A win over Cena would have given Edge some momentum. Plus, it was made clear in commentary that Cena was hurting from his match the previous night against Batista, so he had an out for losing. But I suppose I should never be surprised when Jericho does a job, no matter the circumstances. Cole did make the point that this match showed how Cena doesn’t have to get pinned to lose the title in the fourway. …
The cut on Cena’s forehead that he got during Sunday’s match started bleeding during the triple threat, but the match was not halted so that the wound could be closed. That was a good decision, because there were only about five minutes left in the show and the match was building to the finish. A stoppage at that point would have killed the heat. …
Orton, who suffered a separated shoulder during his match against Edge Sunday, made his only appearance on the show at the very end, when he came out on the stage to stare down his three opponents in the fourway. There has been no word as to whether Orton will be back in the ring before the Fatal Fourway show on June 20. Depending on the severity of his injury, it may not even be a sure thing that he will participate in the fourway match. …
Sheamus defeated Mark Henry in his qualifying match. Talk about a match with a foregone conclusion. …
I’ve been advocating a push for R-Truth for nearly two years, so I was very pleasantly surprised that he defeated The Miz to capture the vacant U.S. title. I hope WWE gives him a legitimate opportunity to get to the next level. As for Miz, he’s at the point now where he doesn’t need a belt to get over. …
The Miz did a horrible job of catching R-Truth when he dove over the top rope. Miz barely got a hand on him, as R-Truth nearly went headfirst onto the floor. R-Truth is very lucky that he wasn’t seriously injured. …
It seemed kind of arbitrary that R-Truth and Miz were put in a match to determine a new U.S. champion. I was expecting there to be a tournament, which could have gotten guys such as John Morrison and Evan Bourne on the show. Speaking of Morison, after the draft last month, I thought for sure he had the No. 3 babyface slot on the current Raw roster (behind Cena and Orton) sewn up, but it appears that R-Truth has passed him. …
The Hart Dynasty scored an impressive win over William Regal and Vladimir Kozlov in a match that didn’t even last two minutes. The story was the post-match, however, as an unknown tag team came out and jumped THD. The two men took out Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, while a woman who was with them attacked Natalya. The three newcomers hit simultaneous splashes off the top rope. For the record, the team is Jimmy and Jules Uso, who are the twin sons of former WWE star Rikishi; and the woman is Sarona Snuka, the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. …
I was not looking forward to Jon Lovitz as guest host, but to put a twist on something Shawn Michaels said during his last run with DX, God help me, but I laughed at some of that stuff. When The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh came out in coat and tails during the “WWE Superstar Search” segment and sang “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in a recreation of a famous scene from the 1970s move “Young Frankenstein,” I couldn’t help but laugh. Then when Jillian Hall made her way onto the stage and Lovitz – who was the judge of this “talent” contest – hit the buzzer on her before she even opened her mouth, I laughed again.
A segment that was so bad that it was good quickly deteriorated into just plain bad after that, however. Lovitz asked if there was anyone in the crowd who had some type of talent, and he selected a plant in the front row. The guy said his talent was that he can remove his eyeball from the socket – and he did exactly that (it was a glass eye). You can’t make this stuff up. At that point I was ready for the segment to end, but out came Ted DiBiase Jr. and Virgil, and then Santino Marella. There was one more amusing moment, as Marella said that he had learned a nerve-hold from Lovitz. He applied it to Virgil, who hit the mat like he was shot. Then Marella tried it on DiBiase, but it didn’t work, and DiBiase laid him out with Dream Street. …
When DiBiase entered the ring, Lovitz asked several times, “Who is this guy?” Way to bury DiBiase. By the way, DiBiase reportedly suffered a concussion from a hard slap to the head from R-Truth during their match at Over the Limit, which explains why he didn’t wrestle on Raw. …
The four remaining rookies on WWE NXT – Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater – appeared with Josh Matthews in a brief backstage segment. Each rookie was asked who they think should be the next one eliminated. The last time that question was posed to the rookies on NXT, Otunga was ganged up on, but this time Slater was singled out by the other three. …
Cole said that he was going to demand an apology from Daniel Bryan on NXT Tuesday night, and that if Bryan didn’t apologize, Cole was going to sue him. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one plays out. …
Maryse pinned WWE Divas champion Eve in a tag team match, so it looks as if their program will continue. I always root for Maryse to win whenever she wrestles just so I can watch her cover her opponent.
Comments
Interesting show. Bret sticking around - as GM is a strange move; while his appearances may get a couple of pops from the old school crowd, I can't see him adding too much to the show other than the nostalgia factor.
It will be fun to see how far the WWE pushes the new Samoans - with Carlito's firing the obvious first contenders to the Hart Dynasty were out of the picture; maybe the Samoans have been fast-tracked to compensate. I take it that the team of Miz and Jericho has been forgotten about after their loss at Over the Limit.
Speaking of Over the Limit, the card appears to have lived up to it's name in the toll it's taken on the stars; Orton, DiBiase getting injured in addition to Punk and Cena nearly getting scalped, plus the injury to the leaving Batista is a pretty rough night.
Nice to see R-Truth getting a bit of a push - if only they'd start using the Ron Killings name.
Finally, good to see they've managed to work Bryan back onto NXT - as if they could leave the #1 reason to tune in off the show anyway. Looking forward to seeing how this pans out.. hopefully with Bryan rebuilding a feud with the Miz.
Posted by: Mike Byron | May 25, 2010 4:41 AM
I have no issues with R Truth and Kofi Kingston getting some run with the titles.
But honestly, this was a really bad time for them to take the strap off the two heels, Mcintyre and Miz. They were getting very legitimate heat. Plus the buildup to the matches were zero.
Remember the intense confrontations and the strong promos that MVP and the Miz were cutting against each other a couple of months ago. That was the kind of program that would've been worthy of a title change. The Kofi/RTruth title wins seems a lot like rushed booking. It cheapens the titles. The lower titles are only hot when the confrontations are hot. Now Truth and Kofi seem like paper champions. They deserve better.
Truth's finisher is downright awful. Downright terrible. A simple clothesline looks more effective than that spinning crossbody.
Dibiase got a concussion from a slap? Sounds like he's got Steve Young syndrome. Doesnt bode well for him too when he's doing comedy bits with Santino Marella.
Here's to hoping that the Miz dropped the U.S. belt because he'll be a last minute replacement in the fatal fourway championship match. (Now there's a sentence i'd never thought i'd type. Amazing how far that kid has come in the last two years).
Posted by: The Natural | May 25, 2010 6:16 AM
Great post as always.
Is John Morrison injured, or they've decided to bury him?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Word came out today that Morrison has an injured ankle.
Posted by: zooey | May 25, 2010 7:40 AM
Kev,
You claim DiBiase was buried when Lovitz asked, "Who is this guy?" At least he followed it up with, "This guy must be good. He has a belt."
Oh, that's right. Everyone in wrestling has a belt nowadays.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Yeah, I heard him say that, but it came off to me like he was being sarcastic. By the way, he's supposed to say title or championship not belt.
Posted by: Matt K | May 25, 2010 8:33 AM
yes the hitmans back
Posted by: Anonymous | May 25, 2010 9:53 AM
hey kev, love the blog, with batista gone now the top heels on raw are Jericho, Edge and Sheamus. Jericho contines to job while edge and sheamus continue to rack up title opportunities. Jericho should have been placed in the fat four way and Randy should take some time off to heal his shoulder
Posted by: Chris | May 25, 2010 10:20 AM
Nice to see this report on a Tuesday morning! :)
Posted by: Rood DOg | May 25, 2010 10:29 AM
This time I have to agree with the rookies. Health Slater should have been gone at least before Young. I feel Slater is the one should get the boot tonight. I also hope David Otunga puts Slater in his place after last night comments. Otunga tonight is a must win for him.
Posted by: norma | May 25, 2010 10:31 AM
I've got to say i'm chuffed that R-Truth is finally getting his push, but what is that new 'finisher' about? the 'Lie Detector'. it's nothing more than an elbow to the face, how are we supposed to believe that's gonna lay a guy out for a 3 count. it would be a cool enough signature move, but it clearly doesn't look like a finisher.
Posted by: Nick Jolley | May 25, 2010 10:35 AM
It was interesting how directly after THD was attacked by the mystery team the next thing the announcers mentioned was the triple threat match coming up after the next commercial break. It was like the attack never happened. At least there is another tag team in the WWE now. I wonder how those "rookies" got out of being on NXT. I thought the "next breakout stars" had to come from their new show. Why do some "rookies" have to go through the NXT show and other "rookies" just get to come in and beat up the Tag team champions?
Posted by: mat | May 25, 2010 10:42 AM
Awful... just awful.
One thing that puzzled me was Michael Cole. He said "I will sue him for everything he is worth". Cole must be desperate for money...
Posted by: SteRDLK | May 25, 2010 10:45 AM
A couple of points to ponder...
-- Does Ted DiBiase have a real concussion problem? Sunday night wasn't the first time he suddenly went woozy after a headshot. On earlier occasions I assumed it was a work, but now I'm not so sure.
-- How much is Linda McMahon's Senate candidacy affecting the product? The whole family has disappeared from TV (including HHH); they stop matches whenever a wrestler bleeds; and we've had a bunch of babyface wins in recent days -- i.e. since Linda became the clear favorite for the Republican nomination. We might be in for several months of thoroughly G-rated programming.
Posted by: jvwalt | May 25, 2010 11:00 AM
Thanks for the clarification on the 3 newcomers that attacked THD. I don't recall Lawler & Cole mentioning their names at all. I hope Cole gets his teeth knocked out tonight!
Posted by: wrzesien | May 25, 2010 11:01 AM
Had the Lovitz failed-attempt-at-comedy segment appeared on TNA, I strongly suspect you would have trashed it as the second worst pile of garbage ever to appear in wrestling...following Chubba.
Personally, I questioned why I was wasting those few minutes of my life watching that garbage and turned off the tv. It was so bad that I never even returned to watch the main event, which I had been looking forward to.
Even Vince Russo, at his worst, would have trouble writing a segment so unfunny.
I saw the Uso twins wrestle in separate matches a few months back at a FCW card in Orlando. Interestingly, one wrestled as a heel, one as a face, and both were in forgetable undercard matches. Since then, they have received a big push and even won the FCW tag team title from Joe Hennig and Bret Dibiase, who had much more heat. I was stunned they were pushed all the way to RAW. I would have been surprised if they had even made the cut for the next season of NXT.
I worried that RAW would return to auto-pilot after TNA moved back to Thursdays, and it appears I had a right to be concerned. That show, or least the parts leading up to the main event, was horrible. The guest host thing needs to be revamped or dumped. It is enough to gag a maggot off a gut wagon.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Now don't start the "you're anti-TNA stuff." I suppose I just have a strange sense of humor. Or perhaps I was punchy from lack of sleep. But I can tell you that I actually laughed a few times during that segment, especially when Khali and Singh did their bit. One of my co-workers said that he thought it was funny as well. I have also laughed at some silly segments in TNA. And I also express my opinion when I think attempts at comedy miss the mark -- on both shows.
Posted by: LarryB | May 25, 2010 11:47 AM
I think Bret Hart is the ebtter choice to the GM job. He will put some great matches specially around Summerslam or Wrestlemania 27.
I hope Bret will stay a long as RAW General Manager
Posted by: Alvaro Torres | May 25, 2010 12:04 PM
Kev i am like you I hope they are finally gonna push R-Truth but i am afraid that this is probably just a turning point for him to hold the title until they put it on Dibiase & he eventually becomes the new Virgil.
Posted by: frank from dundalk | May 25, 2010 12:05 PM
The triple threat match was indeed very good. I still have doubt for Orton to compete. I think the injury is quite serious. Jericho might indeed end up in the match and who knows, finally get a win over Cena.
Batista is gone and finally, I can say it now after seeing his matches. Rarely [tending to never], this guy had impress me. He sell a match so clearly that even Jericho and Cena seemed to have lost fair and square. Adios!!!
The new tag team of Uso and Snuka seemed good. Now with the Hart Dynasty, Miz-Jericho and SES, there might be a F4Way for the Tag titles. Bad luck that Carlito had been released, perishing along the Colons team.
Don't be so pervert when Maryse is covering. Be it more!!!!
Posted by: KnightKIJ | May 25, 2010 2:07 PM
Not a bad episode of Raw. I was a little disapointed as well that there was no tournament for the US Title.
Bret Hart as the new GM seemed a little too obvious. However, I think he'll do a good job. But now there is a GM, whats the point of the Guest Hosts anymore??? Ashton Kutcher next week......let me guess that he has a new series of Punk'd starting soon.
Randy Orton didnt seem to look injured. But then again when all you have to do is walk 5 yards and stare at your opponents, injuries probably dont come into play.
Kevin, did you see Cena's botched 'bulldog' type move qwhen Jericho had Edge locked in the Walls? Priceless. And what was better than Cena completely missing him was Jericho actually reacting as if he had grabbed him!
RESPONSE FROM KE: Yes, I saw the failed bulldog. Botches happen, so let's not single out Cena.
Posted by: Paul | May 25, 2010 2:28 PM
Backlash 2007: Cena vs. Edge vs. Orton vs. HBK
Fatal Fourway 2010: Cena vs. Edge vs. Orton vs. Sheamus
Things don't change much, do they? I'm hoping that once the mid-carders get pushed on Smackdown, we can finally see some new main events and feuds. Or maybe pushing the mid-carders on Raw would be a good thing, too.
Posted by: Cliff | May 25, 2010 2:49 PM
I liked the part where Singh and Khali sang "Puttin on the Ritz." That segment as a whole was awful, but that reference to Young Frankenstein made up for it. I had that song stuck in my head for a couple hours after wards. The version used on Raw was from an 80s New Wave group.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Yes, and the name of that artist -- Taco.
Posted by: Another Wrestling Mark | May 25, 2010 5:09 PM
Nick Jolley,
You don't find Truth's finisher believable? He gave a pretty big dude a concussion with just a slap.
Posted by: Andy | May 25, 2010 6:15 PM
Raw is getting too "happy" for me. I just wish SD was live...because I'm always tempted to just read the spoilers
Plus, who is going to face R-Truth now? Nobody! All the mid-carders are on SD!...
So be ready for R-Truth vs Evan Bourne, or that Ryder guy, or maybe Ted....because we all know Miz doesn't have it because he's main-event now
Posted by: SOUTHERN MISS ELITE | May 25, 2010 7:05 PM
I also thought that part of the Lovitz bit was funny. Khali and Singh doing Puttin' On The Ritz was good but Lovitz buzzing out Jillian even before she opened her mouth had me laughing out loud. Then Lovitz started calling out for people in the audience and that segment died a brutal death. Not even the obligatory Santino appearance could bring it back from the dead.
Another thing that made me laugh on the show was when Batista was getting in the ring. The two referees were trying to help him up and Batista helped himself up by holding onto the head of one of them.
When Cole said that he was going to sue Daniel Bryan for all he's worth, an interesting thought came in my head. Bryan Danielson has already said that "Daniel Bryan" is only a creation of the WWE, therefore "Daniel Bryan" isn't actually worth anything.
Posted by: loco | May 25, 2010 7:13 PM
I liked Truth winning the US Championship.
I hope that the new tag team does not stop the feud between THD and Mizicho.
Batista delivered another great promo, and left the door open for a big return down the road.
The Lovitz sequence was awful, and they really just need to get rid of the Guest Host concept. It's not helping ratings, last night pulled a 3.11.
Hart as GM is cool, but I prefer my GM's as heels.
Laslty didn't you predict the Fatal 4 Way match for the WWE Championship exactly the way it turned out?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Yes, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one. It was pretty obvious.
Posted by: Kevin | May 25, 2010 7:49 PM
He quits WWE because he's getting too old and feeling extremely bored with WWE. Maybe he wants to be fisherman or retired.
Posted by: Sad | May 25, 2010 8:19 PM
I also found it interesting that they made no mention of Orton's injury. Are they hoping that he'll be fully healed by the time Fatal 4 Way rolls around?
Posted by: loco | May 25, 2010 9:40 PM
IMO vince always does whats good for business thus lets Hart be the GM
Posted by: drunk_richard | May 25, 2010 11:10 PM
I suffered what looks like the same injury as Orton, in November last year, only I did it while swimming in the Ocean and accidentally slammed into a large sea turtle and dislocated my shoulder... Yes that's actually true - I'm a marathon swimmer in Australia.
It took me 6 weeks to get back into full swim training and that was with intense chiropractic and rehab care. And that's getting back to swimming - not taking bumps (except with big Turtles) If Orton has the same injury, even if he feels better next month, it is still a big risk for him to be in the 4 way. I know he's hot right now and the program with Edge should be good, but it is a big risk to book him into the match. I hope they make the right call.. and play it safe. I'd hate to see him out of action for a long time.
Posted by: rob | May 25, 2010 11:48 PM
I think a plausible way to explain Bret's appointment would be by stating that Vince objected to the appointment, but the WWE Board of Directors overruled him and appointed Bret as GM. BTW, I'm wondering how they'll address the possibility, in the storyline, of Bret showing favoritism to The Hart Dynasty, since they are the tag champs.
Posted by: Jeff | May 26, 2010 11:16 AM
jvwalt - I don't think Linda's Senate candidacy is affecting the product that much. It was headed down the PG path before Linda announced she was running. Plus if you must know about why the family isn't around - Vince has said numerous times recently that he would like to retire the "Mr. McMahon" character since it was created out of the whole "Bret screwed Bret" deal and the fight at Mania was the fitting end to that character; Shane McMahon left the company altogether in January; Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are currently expecting a child and Trips reportedly wanted time off for that and to heal some nagging injuries. I don't think it's a conspiracy to keep the McMahon family off TV during the campaign because quite frankly you don't need recent footage if you are going to use it against her.
Paul - Ashton Kutcher has a new movie coming out and probably wants to promote it. A lot of non-wrestling guest hosts this summer will probably be doing the same.
Posted by: Gary | May 26, 2010 3:10 PM
I find several finishing maneuvers look much weaker to me than R-Truth's lie detector such as: the Style's splash, the Zig Zag, the Attitude Adjustment and anything that involves running around and bouncing off the ropes a few times before hitting the move. Maybe an article about the weakest looking finishing maneuvers would be of interest. Also, does anyone else feel that matches would be more interesting if the wrestlers employed a variety of finishing maneuvers so their matches would be less predictable?
Posted by: JohnK | May 29, 2010 9:47 AM
Well I'm super excited about this new tag team. Finally some fresh faces! I thought they looked Maori at first and wondered if somehow a tag team came out of NZ and into the WWE without anyone here knowing. Thanks for letting us know who they are. Can't wait to see what will happen with them. And finally Natalya will wrestle! Wooo!
Posted by: Renata | May 29, 2010 4:15 PM
I am going to assume after reading the arti
cle that we truly once again have not seen the last of Batista-which is both good and bad.I am sure after he heals from his injury
if you will that he will be back-I am sure they are going through a roster rotation and that Batista probably wants some tome off
Posted by: Robert | May 29, 2010 10:30 PM