December 13, 2007
I’ve gotten a ton of email about the 15 Anniversary RAW show so I thought I would make this a commentary rather than just post random TV thoughts. Most of the email I received asked me the same question: “Why wasn’t I on the show?†Everyone wanted to know if I was invited to take part, and if so why did I not attend. Well the answer is simple, I was not asked to be a part of the show, which for the most part explains my absence. Not getting invited did not surprise me at all, as I never saw myself as a real major player in the company, whose return would mean anything. I don’t see how or where I could have fit into the show, had they wanted me to be a part of the show either, so I wasn’t expecting to be invited.
Most of the big returns had their own segment, which I certainly wouldn’t warrant, which really only leaves the Battle Royal, and that for the most part was to showcase past “characters†and entertainment, rather than workers. I’m not saying those in the Battle Royal aren’t good workers; I’m just saying their work rate was not the reason why they were there. For this reason, I likely would have turned down the invitation had it been extend to me, as the thought of traveling to an event simply to play a meaningless role, really doesn’t appeal to me.
All of this being said I really enjoyed the anniversary show. The opening segment was a bit long, and painful at times, but on the whole the show was a lot of fun to watch. All the flash back video packages reminded me how much I’ve enjoyed RAW over the years and in a lot of cases reminded me that I was not only a worker in this business but a fan as well. I think they did a great job of highlighting the returning stars without sacrificing current stars credibility too much in get the returning stars over. I was also glad they included guys who are currently working in TNA into the highlight packages, as it made for a more authentic recap of the 15 years.
Hulk Hogans return was great, but was Kahli actually covering up from Hogan’s punches? My God! I’ve taken Hogan’s punches and he is so absurdly safe I’d let him punch my kids. RVD was a huge surprise and it was great to see him again, if only for the 5 Star Sprog Flash (not a typo). The highlight for me on the show though was the return of Howard Finkle as ring announcer. I love Howard, and it is his voice that I best associate with WWE ring announcing. He was the ring announcer when I was a fan, and for me he will always be the best. Howard has such a love for that job and this business that it’s infectious. You can tell from looking at him and listening to him that he is excited about being there and excited about the match that is about to take place.
Critics of the show will point out that this was the go home RAW for Armageddon and it did a poor job of selling the PPV, which I will agree with, but I don’t think that was the point of the show. The point of the show was to celebrate 15 years of RAW and pull a rating, and at that they succeeded. WWE still has SmackDown to hype the PPV and in all honesty I think the Batista – Undertaker – Edge, SD Title match is the match that is going to sell the PPV anyway.
The only negative on the show from my stand point (opening segment aside) was that this show reminded me how great RAW has been over the past 15 years, which also then points out the fact that of the 15 years of RAW’s existence this past year has not been it’s strongest. When past angles, promos and Stars get better reactions than current ones; it isn’t the greatest endorsement of the current product. That’s my 2-Cents
comments?
I’ve gotten a ton of email about the 15 Anniversary RAW show so I thought I would make this a commentary rather than just post random TV thoughts. Most of the email I received asked me the same question: “Why wasn’t I on the show?†Everyone wanted to know if I was invited to take part, and if so why did I not attend. Well the answer is simple, I was not asked to be a part of the show, which for the most part explains my absence. Not getting invited did not surprise me at all, as I never saw myself as a real major player in the company, whose return would mean anything. I don’t see how or where I could have fit into the show, had they wanted me to be a part of the show either, so I wasn’t expecting to be invited.
Most of the big returns had their own segment, which I certainly wouldn’t warrant, which really only leaves the Battle Royal, and that for the most part was to showcase past “characters†and entertainment, rather than workers. I’m not saying those in the Battle Royal aren’t good workers; I’m just saying their work rate was not the reason why they were there. For this reason, I likely would have turned down the invitation had it been extend to me, as the thought of traveling to an event simply to play a meaningless role, really doesn’t appeal to me.
All of this being said I really enjoyed the anniversary show. The opening segment was a bit long, and painful at times, but on the whole the show was a lot of fun to watch. All the flash back video packages reminded me how much I’ve enjoyed RAW over the years and in a lot of cases reminded me that I was not only a worker in this business but a fan as well. I think they did a great job of highlighting the returning stars without sacrificing current stars credibility too much in get the returning stars over. I was also glad they included guys who are currently working in TNA into the highlight packages, as it made for a more authentic recap of the 15 years.
Hulk Hogans return was great, but was Kahli actually covering up from Hogan’s punches? My God! I’ve taken Hogan’s punches and he is so absurdly safe I’d let him punch my kids. RVD was a huge surprise and it was great to see him again, if only for the 5 Star Sprog Flash (not a typo). The highlight for me on the show though was the return of Howard Finkle as ring announcer. I love Howard, and it is his voice that I best associate with WWE ring announcing. He was the ring announcer when I was a fan, and for me he will always be the best. Howard has such a love for that job and this business that it’s infectious. You can tell from looking at him and listening to him that he is excited about being there and excited about the match that is about to take place.
Critics of the show will point out that this was the go home RAW for Armageddon and it did a poor job of selling the PPV, which I will agree with, but I don’t think that was the point of the show. The point of the show was to celebrate 15 years of RAW and pull a rating, and at that they succeeded. WWE still has SmackDown to hype the PPV and in all honesty I think the Batista – Undertaker – Edge, SD Title match is the match that is going to sell the PPV anyway.
The only negative on the show from my stand point (opening segment aside) was that this show reminded me how great RAW has been over the past 15 years, which also then points out the fact that of the 15 years of RAW’s existence this past year has not been it’s strongest. When past angles, promos and Stars get better reactions than current ones; it isn’t the greatest endorsement of the current product. That’s my 2-Cents
comments?
