Raw, Ted Dibiase Jr., and ITVR

So Raw last night was a decent show - I have to admit it wasn't particularly forward-moving in terms of driving plot forward, nor was it particularly exciting; but it was solid. Manu was used as effectively as he has been to date; they brought out Evan Bourne to keep him in our minds as fans, which was a ball I was afraid WWE was going to drop when he got injured, and CM Punk was given an important role. Shawn Michaels is returning to his funny self (although the segment backstage w/Rey Mysterio was random and I couldn't help but feel he was making fun of Rey somehow), and his match with Mysterio vs. Miz and Morrison was good - all the better due to Shawn doing the job for Morrison. Now I'm a Shawn fan and as such enjoy seeing him do well; but I don't enjoy the 'have him lose when it counts and then beat other guys who don't matter, but could if they got the win over somebody like, oh, say, Shawn Michaels. His loss here was just 'freak accident' and flukish enough - a superkick, which has been built as a devastating maneuver, out of nowhere when Shawn and Mysterio had been dominating - while still decisive enough (a pinfall win is a pinfall win) that it will elevate Morrison.

Really at the end of the day my only disappointments were these: 1. the public meeting of Raw roster at the beginning. I think Stephanie McMahon is a much more interesting character than they've let her play these last two weeks - I know they teased a heelishness about her a couple of week ago and I'd like to see them pursue that. And I'm trying not to be impatient; builds are good. But a non-wrestling character can only last so long without clarifying what their impact on the product is going to be - see Adamle, Mike. Bottom line: this was a new and refreshing way to start Raw with a lot of potential, and I feel they dropped the ball - although Santino Marella's rap, and Shawn Michaels' attack on JBL were both hilarious. I was also disappointed in Chris Jericho's promo; last night was the first time I agree with Ari about Jericho: he basically restated, repackaged and reiterated what he's been saying for months. He's done a great job at that so far, while keeping it interesting, and his points about the fact he should be the centrepiece of Raw since Cena's been off so long were valid too. But let's continue to develop this character - if this is where the new, more serious Jericho shift ends, it is simply whiny and uninspired. Y2J ca do better.

Otherwise a strong performance by all players, and every match tied into the upcoming Survivor Series, thus making an effective Go Home show - the only way it didn't fit is it didn't feel like it gelled or carried over from the previous few weeks in terms of continuity - but that might just speak to the fact the previous weeks' shows didn't build up to Survivor Series enough. I also enjoyed Randy Orton's interactions, both with Batista and with Cody Rhodes and Manu - this kid is tremendously talented and I'm glad it seems he's gotten his stuff together enough to have been, and to remain, a top-tier draw for the WWE - his program with Priceless, either as friend or foe, and potential upcoming programs with Batista and/or John Cena (I think these three have some interesting history and tie-ins which should be explored) are things I'm excited about.

And last thing - speaking of John Cena and Priceless (tangentially). Many of you remember John Cena's movie from about eighteen months ago, The Marine. Many of you have also noticed that Ted Dibiase Junior has been off TV of late, due to a kayfabed concussion inflicted by Randy Orton. How are these related? Well ... currently in production with WWE Films ... The Marine II ... starring ... wait for it ... Ted Dibiase Jr. I can HARDLY wait. :P Ari and I will talk more about this, however, as well as previewing this Sunday's Survivor Series, tomorrow night, "In This Very Ring." Be sure and tune in then. :)