thoughts on monday night raw

they might have broken out the big guns, but monday night raw was still as schizophrenic a show as it has always been, and this week must be up there as one of the most bizarre and surreal episodes of all time. there was some good stuff, there was slightly more terrible stuff, there was stuff that made no sense to anyone, expect vince mcmahon. but i'm an optimist, so we'll start on a happy note- it was great to see bret hart back in the WWE. he might have his health problems, but his mic work and ring presence are still superior to 90% of wrestlers working today. his interaction with jericho, which saw perhaps my two favourite performers together for the first time in years, was fucking awesome, to put it bluntly.

but alas, this wouldn't be the WWE, hell this wouldn't be wrestling, without some issues that i just can't ignore. perhaps it comes from being a smart mark, someone who reads about the lives and relationships between the people behind the characters, but when vince kicked bret in the crown jewels, even though it was obviously coming, my first reaction was, really? really? are WWE really going to start a conflict between a 64 year old and a 52 year old with a history of heart and concussion problems? word is that there's going to be a mcmahon-hart streetfight at wrestlemania. i guess that stipulation means they wouldn't have to work as much, but come on. there are so many other roads WWE could have gone down. besides, it's been made clear by mcmahon and hart that they 'buried the hatchet', as michael cole kept calling it, a few years ago when bret was inducted into the hall of fame and they collaborated on his dvd. they might not ever be best friends, but there is at least an understanding, and something approaching respect.

on the other hand, there is little to suggest that any of the heat between bret and shawn michaels following the montreal screwjob has dissipated. bret closed his autobiography by stating that he'd never forgive shawn and hhh for what they did to wrestling. so why not have bret screw shawn in the dx-jerishow match (more of which later), get his own back, and plant the seeds of disunity in dx, ultimately leading to a michaels-hbk match at 'mania?

because dx sell too many shirts and glowsticks of course. and i'm still going to be clued to every episode of raw featuring bret, and i'll be rooting for him against vince, if it happens. i just hope he's getting well paid, and that he doesn't risk the health he fought so hard for.

and as for jericho...the minute hhh avoided that stupid pancake jump thing from the big show (has anyone ever actually seen him land that), i knew dx were going to win. but did hornswoggle have to get involved? really? that aside, i'm actually happy jericho is off raw, there's that long-awaited feud with edge on his horizon...

i'm also happy that randy orton beat kofi, especially after the ultimatum that rhodes and dibiase issued. him losing at that point would have made him look weak, and i'm starting to hope for a face turn for dibiase, along with some sort of alliance with kofi. sure, kofi has lost a bit of momentum, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was in the final two in the royal rumble, along with orton.

overall raw was better than usual, and it definitely made the lines of conflict clear...even if they weren't the ones i expected or hoped for. but that's the sign of good creative i 'spose. i'll be watching TNA tomorrow evening, although i've already fucked up my mission to view it spoiler-free goddammit.