(courtesy of WWE)
If you didn’t know that I’m excited for the 1000th
episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, then you better ask somebody! To me this
episode maybe a bigger show than the past two Wrestlemanias. It feels like a
restart for the company. As if next week all the mistakes they have made over
the past few years will be washed away and this new reality era, akin to the
attitude era or the Hogan era, will mature into something special. It was only
a year ago that this all began with CM Punk dropping pipe bombs all over the
WWE Universe. Now this era has grown up and is ready to launch the WWE into a
new dynasty of fresh gifted talent.
Today I want to look into the future a few days and make my
suggestions for what should happen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
Now you can be certain of this, 98.9% of this will probably not happen. It just
is fun to get your hopes up like a kid the day before your birthday, and wonder
what gifts will await you. Sure you can hope for a copy of “Wrestling Road
Diaries”, but in reality you’re probably getting socks & an ice cream cake.
The DX Reunion
This is going to kick off the show. On the graphic they have
HBK and HHH, yet it looks to be a full blown reunion as the New Age Outlaws,
X-Pac, and even Chyna have been rumored to be in the building. It will be great
to see all of them in the ring at the same time, cutting the old catch phrases,
and crotch chopping until Chyna’s penis falls off. Yet this should also be when
Brock Lesnar makes his first appearance.
Monday Night RAW is going to be starting at 8 from now on.
People need to be trained to learn to not miss the first hour. That means for
the next few weeks, and probably months, big things need to happen during the 8
PM hour. Having Brock destroy the Outlaws, X-Pac, and even Chyna before getting
run out by HBK and HHH, will sure heat things up.
It also plays into the rumor that later in the show Brock
will face off with HBK in a match. That would be something really special for
RAW 1000. Especially if it goes longer than 5 minutes, which it won’t as they
will use it to injure HBK and establish HHH/Lesnar as a blood feud.
Heath Slater vs.
The Legends
This is the big payoff for Heath Slater. He has lost to
almost every legend that has walked down the ramp. This week, when he loses, he
needs to lose to somebody BIG. I have read on the internets that the money pick
here is the Ultimate Warrior as a reenactment of Warrior’s IC title win at
SummerSlam ’88. That would be cool, but there is somebody even bigger who can
walk that aisle and pop the crowd for a minute or two.
The Nature Boy Ric Flair!
He isn’t under contract with TNA anymore and he is tailor
made for this kind of payoff. The WWE audience only remembers old Flair, not
bleed buckets TNA Flair. When his old school music hits and he struts that
aisle in a blinged out robe, the building will lose their minds. Then he’ll do
a series of chops, a bad back body drop, a cheap shot, and a figure four.
Slater will tap like a fool, and Flair will walk back up the aisle. It’s the
payoff this angle deserves.
Piper’s Pit
On Twitter this week, the Rowdy one said he wants to give CM
Punk some advice backstage at RAW 1000. Why not also come on out and do a Piper’s
Pit with, oh I don’t know, THE ROCK! Two of the best talkers in the business
kicking off the 9PM hour will drive home that this is a big show. Most feel
that Rock will be involved in the main event between Cena and Punk, yet he also
needs to cut a promo to let the fans play sing-a-long with The Rock. This would
be a great segment to build up the suspense of Rock wanting to challenge the
winner for the title at SummerSlam. If done right it can benefit Punk and Cena
without having either come out until their match, building the anticipation for
the match to a fevered pitch, while also allowing Piper & Rock to give fans
a special moment.
The Wedding
I want to start this off by saying the wedding angle is
overplayed and only slightly less worse than the pregnancy angle. The fact that
this has come out of nowhere and has really only been simmering for two weeks,
makes me cringe more. I think Daniel Bryan and AJ could have something special
as a long term tandem. That being said, this shotgun wedding is gonna happen, which
is why it should go off without a hitch. It won’t, but it should. They should
have a bunch of special appearances, but no raining day heel or funny shenanigans
like AJ getting cold feet.
Have Bryan and AJ tie the knot and walk out a happy couple.
Then have your nasty heel moment post wedding. Imagine Kane driving their limo
as they leave for the honeymoon? The big red machine becomes the green monster
of jealousy. It’s a stretch as the Miz or somebody else will probably do
something to ruin it. These things tend to follow a retreaded plan.
The Undertaker
It’s rumored that he’ll return for at least the night. I don’t
know exactly what he’ll do as the WWE tends to save his wrestling for once or
twice a year. There also isn’t anyone who has raised the ire of the dead man
lately.
I guess maybe a cool moment with Taker would be him coming
out after Ryback destroys Jack Swagger with the two starring each other down as
Ryback screams “Feed Me More”. It could plant the seeds for Ryback to possibly beat
Taker at SummerSlam, which would be the origin for their streak vs. streak
match at WrestleMania. The role of Taker will be an interesting one if he does
show up.
The GM
Two words ... Paul Heyman. He & Brock have lawsuits against the WWE in storyline. He settles out of court for control of the shows. It gives him a role outside of Brock. It also gives Brock a power figure to help explain why he is off TV as much as he will be. This should be a no brainer, bit this could also be the role Ric Flair takes on if he isn't the legend pay off. Fingers crossed for Heyman. He's so good as a slime ball.
The IC Title
The fans voted and Christian will be defending his title on
RAW. He should defend it against a returning Randy Orton. The two could have an
amazing match, plus the Apex Predator’s return will be a big pop moment. Having
Orton lose to Christian can only help elevate the IC title. It also can help
begin the heel turn that Orton desires. Nothing turns the crowd against a guy
like a sore loser. Christian is good at selling a beating, and having a
mini-feud with Orton going into SummerSlam could be exactly what the doctor
ordered. Christian gets a big win under his belt and Orton gets to be a bad
guy, which fits him better. If it’s not Orton, then Wade Barrett would be a
good choice too.
The World Title
Picture
There are a lot of people who want to challenge Sheamus for
the World title. There is Albert Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Rey Mysterio Jr, and
probably Chris Jericho. Last week we saw Jericho face off with Ziggler, putting
him as the defacto good guy in their confrontation. It looks like this might be
the mix of talents that ends up being the trademark six man tag for RAW.
Needing a sixth person for the match, I would look for the WWE to add Tensai to
the mix since he is flirting with becoming Vickie Guerrero’s new boy toy. Yeah
I just typed that.
On one side you have Sheamus, Mysterio, and Jericho. On the
other you have ADR, Ziggler, and Tensai. They can do the fun six man stuff and
Tensai can take a brogue kick, a code breaker, and 619 protecting ADR &
Zigs. I would expect Guerrero to start using Tensai as way to soften up Sheamus
so that Ziggler can cash in the MITB contract.
The WWE Title
If the intros for this match start any later than 10:30,
somebody in the WWE creative team needs to have their head put on a pike like
its Game of Thrones. This match needs tons of time because it will have a lot
involved in it. If Cena does win, then Punk deserves twenty plus minutes to put
him over as a testament to his 240+ day reign as champion. If Punk does win,
then Cena deserves twenty plus minutes to put him over as a testament to Cena
being the first MITB winner not to cash in successfully. Plus there will be
appearances during this match. I am guessing Big Show, The Rock, and a few
others.
Also Good Ole’ JR needs to be at the mic telling this story.
Sorry Michael Cole and King, but even together they don’t come close to being
in Jim Ross’s league. He does more to elevate a match than any announcer since
Bobby Heenan. This should be a no brainer on the WWE’s part, especially if they
are doing the whole RAW past, present, future gimmick all night.
I said it yesterday that the WWE needs Punk to win this
match. It plays better for the company, and Cena just being on the show will
bring in the same sales & fans as him being champ. Punk being champ allows
for better matches, more diverse stories, and elevated talent. Call him
Hollywood because CM Punk makes stars.
I just hope they don’t puss out and do a no decision because
of interference only to have this match conclude at SummerSlam. Yet that is
probably exactly how it will go with The Rock involved somehow.
The Ending Angle
RAW 1000 will have an ending angle. It might be tied in to
the WWE title, or it might be free floating. It is being said that Vince wants
something on par with the Summer of Punk or NXT. I say combine the two. Seth
Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and many other developmental talents are ready to
revolutionize RAW. Having them close the show with some kind of angle will
really catapult them into the spotlight. Maybe they start a feud with Cena,
maybe they start a feud with Punk, or maybe they start a feud with both. New
blood with tons of talent is exactly what this company needs.
Ambrose can talk and Rollins can wrestle. Together they can
do a lot of damage. Imagine if the two ended up costing Cena the title and
making him the first MITB winner to screw up cashing in the contract. Yeah that
is some instant heat. Imagine Rollins and Ambrose vs. Punk & Cena, A.k.a.
The Mega Powers 2012, as the undercard for SummerSlam, where the main event
will be HHH vs. Brock. Yeah I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it.
No matter how you slice it, RAW 1000 is going to be a really
fun show. It might be one we watch a few times to relive a lot of moments. 8 PM
can’t get here fast enough, and that feeling alone is worth the price of
admission in my book. Good God it feels great to be a wrestling fan this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment