When in crisis, invite the heavily in-risk!
wrestling 022 & tv review 063
WWE
RAW Legends Night
January 04th, 2021
I've been wanting to do this... I am so behind but I'll try to take care every episode that I could download, in sequence or rather in schedule from week to week. I love this medium and I want to cover them as effective as I could. I'll comment more on the storytelling rather than the wrestling itself since I'll never do these athletes any justice.
Without further a due, let's go!
~
Previously on...:
With the lowest rating for RAW yet, Vince McMahon using his old tricks again, bringing back all the legends back for 'one night only' (until another dip obviously...) for that one nice bump back up, overlooking the actual problem of the show. It is nice to see all these old faces back but when they overshadow your current wrestlers that actually need the focus, you're just highlighting your biggest weakness even more.
- Legends coming back for no tangible reason -
They were used sporadically between segments from split-second cameos to random pairings to actual storyline-related, so I can't say that it's a success but I can't say it's a failure either. Sure, there will be bumps in the views but how many would actually stay around past this week? Does the risk of exposing these elderly people in this current pandemic is worth it?
... Somewhere in the middle for the inclusion and application of Legends throughout...
Cameos: Hulk Hogan, Teddy Long, Alicia Fox, Tatanka, Sergeant Slaughter, Mickie James, IRS, Molly Holly, Melina, Torrie Wilson & Ron Simmons
STORYLINE:
- Hulk Hogan... he still doesn't really apologize for something he got caught... so he's still not out of the doghouse yet.
24/7 Title
Nothing much, really... As it is designed, it serves its purpose to fill in the air time. It may not reach its high with the golden pair of Carmella and R-Truth anytime soon, but it gives the wrestlers in the lower rung something to play with. It is harsh, but they never really give the title any credibility at all, so why should us viewers?
Angel Garza plays the Bachelor type really well (his proposal to his real life girlfriend last year on NXT notwithstanding) so props to him for using the given time effectively. The last segment with the Boogeyman is a nice way to end it, with the original holder skipping away towards the sunshine.
+ Props to Angel Garza ... typical low-brow or low effort humour...
-
the Miz [MitB] & John Morrison vs the New Day
It's a shtick, having the talk show, and it is a working platform for the wrestlers to exercise their personal talents, and the Miz TV is perfect for him and John is his perfect partner. Their perfect foil is of course the ever entertaining the New Day, on the mic as well as in the ring. It's a good segment all and all.
+ Good banter, good match & Teddy Long!
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Randy Orton & Alexa Bliss
I applaud them for being able to really have some really slow unraveling of this storyline, having a long-term booking for this feud between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. They need to make up for the debacle of their last encounter in Wrestlemania, and they are going from strength to strength after 'the burning' of the Fiend and then the inclusion of Alexa Bliss into the fray. It's unfortunate that Nikki Cross couldn't have a more involving role in this narrative especially since she is kayfabe her best friend. The one biggest plus of having all these legends on the same night is to having the Viper goes down the memory lane of his streak as the Legend Killer from the Big Show to Mark Henry and then Ric Flair. Now that's a way to use your talents properly!
+ good walk down Legend Killer lane - long recap
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AJ Styles w Omos v Elias w Jaxson Ryker
If SmackDown had Daniel Bryan, Raw has AJ Styles, putting over the younger talents as much as they could... instead of cutting down one of the hottest storylines just because you don't want to lose to a Halloween monster. You know who I'm talking about... if not, it's the one legend making a grand entrance at the end of the show. Anyway, this pairing between AJ and Omos is brilliant ever since the latter lost its Underground gig, letting his lanky height and increasing presence do the work. The booking of him is perfect as well, letting people be afraid of him from just being there. This was quite a bout between the agile superstar and the bulky rockstar, and the former's selling is one of the best so you know you are in for a show. Elias has a good shtick going on and giving him a disciple is a good decision, adding bit by bit to his character. The disciple himself is not lost in the shuffle anymore, trying to make amends after the social media blunder. Not a traditional good-versus-evil match but a tweener-versus-evil is something different at least, especially when you know Styles would make the best of it!
+ Great match & Omos kicking the guitar!
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Charlotte Flair [Tag] w Ric Flair & Asuka [Women & Tag] vs Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans
One of the only two matches for the female roster and it involves a main storyline of a romance between an elderly man a younger woman. Sure the man is indeed Ric Flair himself but it doesn't mean that it's not overly done already and definitely out of touch. It's the start of the rift created between the Nature Boy and the Queen because of Lacey Evans. The one good thing here is the wrestling since all of them could really go in the ring, between the two veterans (in-ring, no pun intended) and the ever improving counterparts. Yes, this would lead to the eventual fight for the single championship but totally putting the Champion herself in the shades without any reaction from her at all after losing the match is not a smart decision. Yes, the father and the daughter played the aftermath wonderfully between them, but everything else around it getting the shaft so to speak is just heartbreaking.
+ Good match - oh good, another 'sexy' storyline..., Asuka completely being sidelined & Peyton being in a tag team again for no good reason...
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Riddle vs Bobby Lashley [US] w MVP
These two getting physical is always a treat, a clashing of styles that is just great to see between the ropes. The Champion overpowering every offense while the challenger trying to outwit them is a good dynamic, and they make it work in the match. It's a bit of a copout ending but it tracks with how it is going and you'll see the followup would be even better than this.
+ Good match albeit short
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Okay, something a little bit different so I appreciate the variety. The blooming relationship between the swole weightlifters is great to see and having an apparently insurmountable mountain to conquer is a great motivation and a great watch as well. The roll-up during submission has been done before (especially against Baszler) but she is holding onto her because she cares more about inflicting pain than her personal record, in line with her persona.
+ A good progress on their storyline - Where is other female wrestlers?!
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Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy
Speaking of which, following up on the Legend Killer storyline, Randy faces Jeff again in a blowout match. You've watch it before but I will always appreciate a good tussle. You know the unorthodox of Hardy and the calculative of Orton, but this is up on another level since they have face each other many times before. That ear lobes spot though would never not look excruciating! That Twist of Fate counter into RKO is another highlight to put into the pile...
+ Good match ! Ear lobes !
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Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin vs Lucha House Party
The creation of the Hurt Business has been going strong as a stable with the leadership of MVP on and of the screen, with wonderful usage of the used-to-be-underused Shelton and the rudderless Bobby. And then the inclusion of Cedric, the one volatile addition to the solution here, is slowly but surely disturbing the balance between them. I love how much he is enjoying this new role, and how his increasingly volatile ego is getting in the way again. It was always in the fringes before but now it's costing them the match. A natural progression.
+ the slow rising tension between them
Drew McIntyre [Champ] vs Keith Lee <WWE Championship>
Ah, how much better this would have been with a live audience! This is the type of moments that would benefit tremendously in front of fans, especially with the amount of talent and spectacle these two behemoths could provide and did in this packed twenty minute scuffle. Please watch it yourself and I promise you will be entertained! I don't even want to talk about that last guy...
+ Legends Lineup! + bump over the barricade! + announcer's table Powerbomb spot! + Spanish Fly!
... Goldberg...
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