Magnificent Matches or McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania?
WWE Monday Night RAW Results and Highlights
RESULTS
Mr. Kennedy def. Paul Birchill
Mickie James def. Beth Phoenix in a non-title match.
John Cena def. John “Bradshaw: Layfield
Chris Jericho smashes Shawn Michaels’ face into a TV in a Highlight Reel segment
Umaga and Snitsky def. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes in a non-title match
Cryme Tyme def. Santino Marella and Carlito
Jeff Hardy def. Triple H by count out in a non-title match
COMMENTARY
Was tonight really “all about the money” or were there some good wrestling matches? Before RAW started we had hoped that Vince McMahon would pull out all the stops for this episode. We thought that we’d get near pay-per-view caliber matches and great between-match drama since the stated intention of this Million Dollar Mania show was to bring in new RAW viewers. Were we right?
Once Vince announced the password, WWE Universe, and that he was giving out $200,000 RAW got right into a moderately interesting feud: Mr. Kennedy vs. Paul Birchill. The action was good and the Katie Lea-slapping-Kennedy was cool but I couldn’t get into it as much as we wanted. We were still distracted by whether or not Vince would call.
The next match was more or the same. It was a terrific WWE Divas match between the champ Mickie James and Beth Phoenix, the best women’s wrestler by far. After James pinned Phoenix Melina came out and feverishly attacked the Glamazon. It should have been fun but we were still thinking about the money.
The money-centric theme didn’t change. Either before or after every segment or match Vince gave away money. This consisted of the chairman slowly dialing the phone numbers like your aging grandparent often hitting the wrong buttons and having to start again. There were busy signals and the first callee actually Rickrolled Vince!
As the show went on there seemed to be more and more time dedicated to the giveaways. One especially long segment received a rain of boos and boooo-ring chants from the audience. The chairman’s son-in-law Triple H even derisively called him Monty Hall. Both the excited Oakland crowd and Triple H seemed a little perturbed that RAW had sunk to be all about the money. It should be all about the wrestling, right?
If Jerry “The King” Lawler’s declaration that 1.5 million people signed up for the Million Dollar contest then so far the giveaway must be seen as a failure. Even with the ratings decline RAW still draws more than 1.5 million weekly. The entry number reveals no demonstrative gain; maybe the shows ratings will be up. Up enough to excuse the raw desperation, the pathetic pandering, and the descent of RAW into game show territory? Not in our book.
This should have been a great night of RAW. The matches were great and the performers put in terrific efforts. The wrestling show shouldn’t have had to take a backseat to a glorified lottery.
Photo Source: Newscom.com
Tags: beth phoenix, cryme tyme, Jeff Hardy, john cena, Mickie James, Million Dollar Mania, mr kennedy, Paul Birchill, RAW Results, santino marella, triple-h, Vince McMahonRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Wrestling
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