do you think otunga's current role was meant for bryan?
and also i think gabriel would be better suited for his spot, because otunga is a natural heel and people will wont root for him.

Name a better "heel" in the WWE over the last 3-5 years than Barrett. In fact, he's so good, that he doesn't even get a total baby face pop in his own home town. Without Barrett, the Nexus gimmick would really suck. He's the only one who gives Nexus any credibility!

I also thought the tea party was the highlight of the show. It was nice to see a bit of a human side to Shamus as he smiled a bit as Santino was doing his thing.

I might be spoiling this or I might be captain obvious, but I see Miz going home with the title at Survivor Series and Cena getting stuck with Nexus due to some antics (semantics).

Speaking of Survivor Series, are we going to see any elimination tag matches this year? I think they got this Bragging Rights/Survivor Series thing all backwards. Why not have a Raw vs. Smackdown elimination tag match at Survivor series first, than hold Bragging Rights AFTER the Survivor Series which features a card of single and tag matches pitting Raw superstars vs. Smackdown ones. Whoever wins the most matches wins the cup. At least you could at least create some build up for the Smackdown vs. Raw angle by having shenanigans happen during the elimination tag match at Survivor Series leading to some programs for Bragging Rights. I guess that would kind of screw up their timing with the video game release though huh?

Finally, can we just stop having the Divas wrestle? You never get to see the good ones work. I get that a big part of their demographic likes to see scantly clad women bouncing around, but can't they just turn them all into valets and do the obligatory pillow fight every sweeps week? The women in the WWE aren't exactly what they used to be. I can't foresee some future diva 10 years from now saying she was inspired to become a wrestler after watching LayCool.

Kev, if Sheamus and John Morrison are due for a program, believe me it's gonna be stellar. They had a match in Cardiff, Wales I watched, and they stole the show - a lot better than Cena or Orton etc.

Agreed on the best moment of the show being the 'tea party'...very humourous.

As far as the WWE title, to me it looks like it will play out that Barrett beats Orton for the title, sets Cena free and then Cena and Barrett go at it a bit. Then Miz will show up, cash in money in the bank and win the title...

Raw's lost a lot of momentum between Bragging Rights and Survivor Series. I was glad to see Miz take out Orton, because it gives Orton something to do. He's spent weeks now as the third wheel in the Cena-Barrett feud. The WWE champion shouldn't be in that role.

I don't think Cena's going to turn heel at SS, but Barrett will win in a way that will leave some doubt open as to Cena's intentions. I think now that it might involve the Miz running in. Cena tries to get him to the back, and while he is, Orton hits the RKO on Barrett. But Cena's not there to count the pin, so Orton gets in his face. Barrett recovers, hits his finisher, and wins the title. Cena takes out Barrett as he promised, leading to Miz cashing in the briefcase. But Orton interferes, costing Miz his title shot. So now we've got Barrett-Cena feuding for the title, and Orton-Miz feuding after having both cost the other the title.

It's football not soccer...

I'm sure I haven't been paying attention but I haven't ever seen this much personality out of Shamu. I'm still not a fan but it was a step in the right direction to have him cut up a little.

I think every time they go overseas before a PPV the PPV losses it's momentum. The show was aweful. Otunga will somehow help Cena escape the Nexus stipulations at the PPV and turn face. Barrett and Otunga are headed to a Nexus leadership battle. Not sure where Cena lands post PPV. Agreed Miz and Orton are headed for something. A shocker would be Miz cashing in at SS and winning the belt.

Hey Kev i am starting to think Cole is Raw's GM just connect the dots he is friends with Shemus then tea party is interrupted by the GM and Shemus wins the match and the high 5 with Riley with 10 man tag match then The Miz at the end of the match hits the Skull Crushing Finally on Randy Orton .

This is the problem with pro wrestling today. There is too much fast booking for a pay-per-view that is going to be 3-4 weeks away. The fast booking makes for companies who produce great shows one week and poor shows the next. There is very little time to build the characters and their feuds before they are actually settling the feud.

I think this was wrestling's success in the 80's. They went for months building the fued with some minor payoffs (i.e., Clash of Champions, Prime-Time Wrestling, Saturday Night Main Event). Those "special" shows added steam to the feud when the pay-off would occur at Starrcade, WrestleMania, Survivor Series, etc.) There was time to build the story. I remember that I couldn't wait until the next PPV because I was hooked by all the lead-in prior to it. In those days, legends were built through character development.

I don't foresee the PPV schedule being reduced any time soon. TNA would greatly benefit from doing just that. I know companies make good money from those PPVs but the total number is just over-saturation of the process of story building and is (in my opinion) killing pro-wrestling. Unfortunately, it is dying and may have gone too far to be resurrected. It needs someone who can be built into a larger than life character on whose every word the audience hangs like an 80's Hulk Hogan or 90's Steve Austin and that character needs solid storylines that have time to generate interest before they're moving to the next.

As a side note...LOVED the Santino segment and I hate hokey comedy interjected into wrestling. He and Koszlov had to have been the most "over" wrestlers of the night. Thought the PeeWee Herman segment last week was funny too. Great job on the blog, Kev.

a couple of things #1 I did not catch all of Raw why was the King not there and secondly I still don't see what is the point of the Miz turning on Orton to cost his team the match and not cash in Money in the Bank?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Lawler had a knee injury.

As a British viewer I thought there were some pretty weak moves by the WWE made during this show which surely only served to alienate us Brits in our own backyard.

Both the commentators were insulting about football during the divas match. It is to be expected of Cole with his new persona but Josh was probably more damning of the game. Nice way to endear yourselves to your loyal British fans guys! Oh, and most of the rest of the world love football too, so you've pretty much p*ssed in the face of 70% of your international audience.

The line from Josh about the Manchester fans booing Manchester United was also ridiculous. Although the show was in Manchester people are travelling from all over Britain to see these shows...not to mention the fact that Manchester has two top level teams (United & City) who have a passionate rivalry, so even if it was only a Manchester crowd there would have been a split reaction.
Interesting that they chose to deck the heels out in Liverpool attire too, bet that went down well with all the Liverpudlian fans who had swallowed their pride and travelled to Manchester to watch the show. Liverpool should probably think about signing Tamina though.

No Regal on the show? WTF? Way to respect an immensely talented performer who is reportedly on his way into retirement, nobody gets a bigger pop from the UK crowd than Regal, but I guess sending the fans home happy is low on the list of priorities these days.

The Tea Party - absolutely no denying this was funny (although I thought the ginger warrior was made to look a bit ridiculous as he sat there and put up with it all before 'forgetting what he was even angry about') but some very base stereotyping going on there, i was half expecting a gang of soccer hooligans to come out and ruin the party closely followed by the Queen turning up and banishing them all from the kingdom. But i will forgive them for this because Santino & Koslov delivered the laughs.

The Baby Bulldog does the job AGAIN in his fathers homeland!? Come on, we are dying to cheer the guy but you really don't make it easy.

Also suprised they didn't mention that Jeff Hardy has stolen the Divas title and is flaunting it on TNA.

Ok, rant over. Curious to know what other British viewers thought of the show.

I'm sure there will be people blasting that segment on here, but I also thought that tea party segment was hilarious! Some people don't like Santino - I don't know why. The guy has absolutely spot-on perfect comedic timing, and believe it or not, he CAN wrestle quite well, it's just that his in-ring performances are played up more for the comedy. He's a true talent.

It makes me wonder if the once rumored Santino-Kozlov sitcom actually would have been pretty funny...

I'm curious to see where they're going with this Otunga storyline. I just don't see him getting over as a face yet.

Also, of course, anxious to see if Cena will actually turn heel - it certainly has people buzzing!

This apparent Wade Barrett-David Otunga feud is a swerve. Barrett is going to win the belt with Otunga's help. After all, Otunga won't technically be a member of Nexus at the time of the match. Then, Cena will beat down Barrett. That's when the Miz arrives, cashes in, and wins the belt from a battered Barrett.

Wade has an in with the head of programming on Syfy because they are both British and can do whatever he wants. It is the same reason he could book a Nexus v. Big Show match when SD premiered on Syfy.

RESPONSE FROM KE: You're right! I forgot all about that.

Seriously. Brutal all around.

What age group is the WWE marketing to these days? Are the storylines so childlike and juvenile in approach because they are marketing to kids of hardcore fans?

I have to wonder if the WWE is giving tickets away now, because I just can't see anyone paying for five 'meh' matches, a tea party, and backstage conversations where the participants' bodies are consistently angled at a 45-degree angle to the camera while they look at each other. Unless the possibility of seeing oneself on TV is that important that it makes it all worth it, I'm missing something here.

I agree with you on the tea party segment, Kev. It was very entertaining, and the crowd was really into it.

I agree with alex above. I always thought Justin Gabriel would have been a better choice as Barrett's #2 and Otunga should have been w/ Slater w/ the Tag belts. That way you could hide his weaknesses. Even though they haven't given Gabriel a ton of time of the mic, I can't believe he'd be much worse than Otunga. Otunga hasn't had a terrible week, but he is still VERY green and it's painfully obvious he doesn't really belong on the upper mid-card level, much less hanging with the big boys at the top of the card.

I totally agree w/ you Kev. Tea Time was by far the best segment Monday night, and in fact, I thought it was arguably one of the best comedy segments the WWE has done in years. I know it may not be everyone's "cup of tea" but I thought all involved were perfect with their tone and timing. Santino and Kozlov lookded AMAZING in their 3-piece suits. Kozlov looked so good and his delivery was so good he actually got over w/the crowd. And you're totally right - Sheamus is actually getting over more w/the crowd because of Santino's help. The one who is losing out right now is Morrison who hasn't done much other than intervene on Santino's behalf for some unknown obscure reason. Santino is super over right now...and it boggles the mind, but good for him, and he's good at what he does. It just goes to show that sometimes the wrestling crowd just like who they like and there's not much WWE creative can do other than submit and give the people what they want.

The rest of Raw was okay, but I was happy The Miz finally got something to do and the prospect of Miz v. Orton is exactly what the doctor ordered. The WWE actually has so many guys right now w/ main event "breakout" potential (particularly on the heel side - Miz, Barrett, Ziggler) that I'm interested to see what creative does with some of the "breakout" type guys in the next 6 months. Something tells me, whether some like it or not, that 2011 will be the Year of Miz.

1.) Can that guy who said "it's football not soccer...", shut up? Nobody wants to see this stupid argument again.

2.) I thought the Tea Party was hilarious. Hopefully the Morrison-Sheamus match is as good as it is being hyped. As for the WWE Championship, no matter who wins, I believe the Miz will cash in the MITB.

no question mark necessary, the tea party was the best segment!

I would agree with Ken Raining's theory for Survivor Series except that I expect Otunga to be involved to some degree... maybe getting fired this Friday and then doing a run-in at Survivor Series.

Otunga still needs to work on his wrestling skills more, but he's done a great job otherwise, holding his own vs. Barrett, who has been white-hot on the mic. Barrett this Monday made John Cena look like a stammering amateur.

If Otunga is fired, then he, Tarver & Darren Young could form a splinter faction... call it "The Nation of Discrimination." MVP could join too, b/c he's been stepped all over for years...

"Nexus" is banned from ringside at SS. But if Otunga is "fired" from Nexus, he can interfere, one way or the other, without repercussion.

That's the likely swerve. I think Miz will likely cash in soon as well.

"Seriously. Brutal all around.

What age group is the WWE marketing to these days? Are the storylines so childlike and juvenile in approach because they are marketing to kids of hardcore fans?

I have to wonder if the WWE is giving tickets away now, because I just can't see anyone paying for five 'meh' matches, a tea party, and backstage conversations where the participants' bodies are consistently angled at a 45-degree angle to the camera while they look at each other. Unless the possibility of seeing oneself on TV is that important that it makes it all worth it, I'm missing something here."
Posted by: Trevor | November 10, 2010 1:13 PM

Stop it. Seriously. Everyone and their mother knows who the WWE are marketing to these days. Where is this rock you've have been living under. It's called the PG ERA FOR A REASON. It is what it is and it's not changing anytime soon. It's not the first time wrestling (specifically WWE) has been geared more towards children and it won't be the last. And NEWSFLASH they've been doing comedy and backstage skits like that for well over a decade. Yes John Cena is geared for kids. But how is that any different from "Take-Your-Vitamins" Hulkster back in the '80s. And Warrior. And Savage.

And what exactly on Monday night was "childlike and juvenile?" The tea time segment? That was funny shit. And NEWSFLASH: the highest rated segment in the history of Monday Night Raw and wrestling in the last 20 years was "This Is Your Life" w/ Rocky and Foley and it lasted a half hour. I've seen weddings and funerals and Piper's Pit and Carlito's Cabana and The Highlight Reel and pillow fights and on and on....I've seen THE HUMBURGLAR on Raw for heaven's sake (somewhere Shane Helms just perked up a bit). The Nexus isn't childlike or juvenile. The Undertaker and Kane are, but they're not doing a ton differently than they did when it was considered ATTITUDE. You want to say its not being executed well enough? Fine. You want to say its boring? Okay. But pay attention and think before you troll. Because it makes you sound ridiculous otherwise. So just bring it or go troll somewhere else.

think miz will cash in his contract before the match is over?
this way cena has a way out

"I still don't see what is the point of the Miz turning on Orton to cost his team the match and not cash in Money in the Bank?"

What, you expect Barret and the NXT guys to just stand there while Miz takes the title?

@ Ryan

1.) Can that guy who said "it's football not soccer...", shut up? Nobody wants to see this stupid argument again.

No Ryan. I won't.

There is no argument. The clue is in the name really - FOOT ball.

Back to wrestling - The show was enjoyable, and people can moan all they like about who they are trying to please. WWE is now PG - If you don't like it, there are alternatives. Perhaps we got lucky with the late 90s early 00s.

Sheamus is better suited to his current mid card role without doubt - they guy does have some personality, isnt' a bad talker - maybe some time at this level and he can get back to main eventing in due course. For me, he has more upside than Morrison and should be the one who eventually goes over in this feud.

The Tea Party was hysterical!!! Santino plays the role of the goofy face perfectly and based on Sheamus having to stiffle his own laughter it looks like there was some serious improv going down.

("Ginger Tea" was too much!)

The 8 and 10-man tag matches seem to be giveaways about writer's block during the week.

Why throw a bunch of guys together who have no chemistry and otherwise wouldn't be on the same team?

And if they are bent on doing it, at least give the matches some semblance of sport by setting up rules concerning where the wrestlers must stand in the corner outside the ring.

I think I saw one tag string for four wrestlers. And guys drifting on the ring apron.

Nerd moment, I know.

Come on Kev. "Hate" soccer. Not even apathetic towards it?

As someone who blogs about something that is much maligned, i'd figure you'd be a little more sympathetic towards a sport that is appreciated world-wide except in America.

I love both soccer and wrestling. I have great appreciation for athletes. Im curious as to what exactly there is to hate about a sport that takes an immense amount of skill, discipline, and physical ability.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I just find it incredibly boring. But that's me. If others like it, that's cool. I love baseball and plenty of people tell me they think that's boring.

its football not soccer

DX to reunite HBK and HHH will be in Atlanta when tickets on sale .

Miz is basically just floating around right now. He has been since his program with Danielson ended.

I am continuously amazed by people's lack of ability to realize that Americans call it soccer and the English call it football.

It's almost as if we have different words for things! (flat vs apartment, lift vs elevator, etc.)

Get over yourselves. You're not being smart or clever, you're just showing your lack of ability to think critically.

I was at the show in Manchester and the reaction Barratt got from the crowd was definately edited. He got a standing ovation from all (obviously barring the kiddies) when he first appeared and at the end of the show when hoisted onto the shoulders of Nexus.

Billy regal opened the show in a dark match against Alex Riley, and got his usual fantastic reaction, if he is going it'll be a sad sad day in the double double E