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- Batista/Randy Orton/Stephanie McMahon Segment

[Reaction: First of all, why is Batista out for an interview in his tights? Did he really think he would get a World title shot in the first segment of the show? At least Randy Orton got the memo. It was also nice to see they are continuing with the McMahon storyline even though that was a horribly produced segment. It was CLEARLY prerecording but yet they still tried to pass it off as live. I did like the fact that Stephanie announced all the matches for the show right then. It gave it a real "Attitude-era" feel where you didn’t really know what you were going to get to see.]

- Santino Marella versus William Regal for the Intercontinental Title

[Reaction: Poor Santino although I do have a feeling he’ll win it back and somehow this change will have never happened. If not, I am glad they killed this angle before it grew stale and overbearing.]

- D’Lo Brown versus Mike Knox

[Reaction: This is was what they were hyping for the past month? At least have Knox dominate the match alittle bit more and not just hit his finisher. Very unspectacular.

- Chris Jericho Interview

[Reaction: Ok so he hypes all of his other potential opponents but not really the one he has tonight. And no interview segment for HBK at all! This is supposed to be their blowoff match after a 4 month program, give them some damn airtime!]

- Rey Mysterio versus Kane in a No Disqualification Match

[Reaction: So this feud is over now right? We don’t have to watch Kane’s character get slowly killed off every week? Lemme guess, next week it’s going to be revealed that Mike Knox killed Kane’s baby making him a bigger bad ass than Kane and suddenly Kane will be a face again.]

- Randy Orton/Priceless Segment

[Reaction: I’m still not sold on Cody Rhodes as the cocky new kid. I feel like the lineup should read like this (compared to the 4 Horsemen): Randy Orton playing the Ric Flair role, Ted DiBiase as Tully Blanchard, Manu as Ole Anderson and Rhodes as Arn. That way Orton and DiBiase can do most of the talking with Rhodes just chiming in now and then with Manu just needing to look tough.]

- Cody Rhodes versus Batista

[Reaction: My interpretation on how the production meeting went on this one:

"Ok so Orton isn’t going to face Batista. Cody is gonna come down and say he is going to prove how tough he is and challenge Batista."

"Alright, alright cool. Good way to build the kid up."

"Then Big Dave wins in no more than 3 minutes."

"Oh…"

"And then spear Manu just for the helluva it. Should get a good pop."

"Well..."

"OH! And then he chases a fleeing Orton out of the building."

"SOLD!"

Yea, way to give the rub to the new guys. Dennis Rodman made Screech look better on CCW.]

- Beth Phoenix with Santino Marella versus Mickie James for the Women’s Title

[Reaction: Do they only have 2 competent women wrestlers on Raw? It sure seems like it.]

- Chris Jericho versus Shawn Michaels in a Last Man Standing Match

[Reaction: Ok when I first saw this match, I was unimpressed. After reading all of the online praise for both Michaels and Jericho, I took the time to watch it again. In all honestly, it was a good TV match but something was missing. I am glad they gave them enough time to properly end this feud but I think I would have liked something a little more dramatic. A HBK promo would have probably helped and maybe a week to promote it too. It just felt rushed and like it was 2 very, very good performers doing their best working with a less than ideal situation. I was able to get more excited for this week’s Hardy/Undertaker match than I was for this match because of the lack of promotion. But that’s just one man’s opinion.]

- MEM introduction of Scott Steiner.

[Reaction: Steiner has always had the presence and look of a star but that’s about it. The man is lucky if he can bend down to pick something up and his promos make about sense as my cat when she’s in a talkative mood. Hopefully he’ll remain the "Hitman" of the Mafia and not the mouthpiece. What also bothered me were his and the Mafia’s attempts at interjecting humor and insults into their promos. The MEM should be dead serious and leave the wise-cracking, one-liners to the younger talent. It almost seems as if the members of the MEM want to be over as the cool heels but it just doesn’t work when there are supposed to be cool heels and cool faces.]

- Booker T (with Sharmell) and Beer Money Inc. (with Jacqueline) defeated Christian Cage and The Motor City Machine Guns in 5:18.

[Reaction: Nice old school tag team match where the heels involved in different feuds team up to take on the faces who oppose them. I feel like this is a great way to save some TV time without blowing the PPV match. I particularly enjoyed the use of the belt in the finish and thought it was a solid go home match for Turning Point.]

- Kurt Angle came into Jarrett’s office. Foley stood next to Jarrett. Angle told Jarrett he would never forget Bound for Glory and after he takes care of him, Foley was next on his hitlist. Angle mentioned what he might do to Jarrett’s daughters and Jarrett went off.

[Reaction: Ok this is getting a little much. This is not Kurt Angle’s character and nor should it be. This is one storyline that I would mind if it was just dropped.]

- Matt Morgan and Abyss defeated Team 3D, LAX, and Tanahashi and Volador in a ladder match to earn a future shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship in 7:54.

[Reaction: A four team ladder match with no hype whatsoever…smart move.]

- AJ Styles/Mick Foley/Sting Segment.

[Reaction: Very strong segment with Foley giving AJ the rub for all the new TNA fans who really don’t know who he is Sting FINALLY got some of the heat he has been searching for in the past year and both came off really intense and ready for a title match. We won’t see a change this early in the feud but I’m excited to see it. Open suggestion to Spike TV and TNA: Air a special featuring the DVD of AJ and Joe. Your new fans have no clue who these guys are and when they turn on the TV, they’re automatically going to gravitate to the MEM.]

- Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed defeated Taylor Wilde and Rhaka Khan in 3:23.

[Reaction: For a women’s division that is so deep and talented, they need to be utilized a bit better if they want to stand apart from the WWE. I feel they took a few steps backward with this match.]

- Kevin Nash Interview.

[Reaction: There’s a reason why Nash is still in high demand and Hall isn’t. Do yourself a favor and find a clip of this interview.]

- Mike Tenay conducted a sit down interview with Sheik Abdul Bashir

[Reaction: So Mike Tenay is now getting involved with storylines? With Jarrett, Cornette and Foley, there are far too many people in charge and Tenay will only hurt they’re position.]

- Sting, Kurt Angle, and Kevin Nash defeated Jay Lethal, Eric Young, and Consequences Creed in 4:06.

[Reaction: Very forgetful match that appeared to be on the card only to allow the MEM more screen time. No one came out looking good and the only member of the Originals that should’ve been involved was Eric Young. My rundown for the Originals group: AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, Matt Morgan and Christopher Daniels. Lose the rest.]

- Scott Steiner defeated Samoa Joe in 8:11

[Reaction: I really am enjoying Kevin Nash in this feud with Joe. And although I am a fan of Joe’s, he has come off far to whiny in the past year and now people would rather see Nash knock him straight back into the killing machine he once was. Can you tell me the last time you heard a genuine "Joe’s gonna kill you" chant?]

There has been much criticism lately about the current storylines and how they seem to be “out of touch” with today’s culture. In my previous article, I took a brief look at some of the more prominent stories headlining the shows in pro wrestling. Now I intend to take a look at some of the major shows in the business today and what direction their respective companies might be sending them.

Raw:

- “The New GM?”

o Can anyone remember when the role of General Manager added to the quality of the program instead of being just another segment that we have to sit through? I would have to actually go back to the very first set of general managers, Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon. Bischoff had already established his character in WCW and Stephanie is just simply a McMahon. Since that combination, the role of general manager has truly been hit or miss. Paul Heyman played the role well but Teddy Long has been brutal from the beginning and has yet to get better. Vickie Guerrero is just a joke and all the others were largely forgettable. But now it seems like we could be seeing a new spin on the authority figure with the sibling rivalry of Shane and Stephanie McMahon. We all know that the McMahons equal ratings and that’s exactly what the WWE desperately needs. A feud between Shane and Stephanie McMahon would be ratings gold. They were on screen a total of 10 minutes this past Raw and already people are drooling for more. Shane and Orton had immediate chemistry in the ring and Stephanie can instantly make any audience turn against her, or fall deeply in love with her. This just might be the storyline backbone that the entire company needs as a spark. The only problem with this scenario is Shane’s lack of desire for being on camera. He would much rather stay on the corporate side of things and be able to be home every night for dinner with his family. This will be the one factor that will make this angle sink or swim.

- “Randy Orton & Priceless”

o Ted DiBiase in Randy Orton’s Priceless will have the same fate as Orton in Evolution. The slooooooooow build for this whole angle has played out very well with the audience chomping on the bit for the 4 men to just join together and take over the Raw brand. Its about time that a dominant group of men ran roughshod over the WWE and all 4 of these men have the pedigree to reign on top for a long time. DiBiase will be the breakout star of this crew and a feud with Orton will headline at least 2 Pay Per Views in 2009.

Smackdown:

- “Battle of the Big Men”

o The Undertaker and the Big Show are once again embroiled in a feud. And surprisingly its no more exciting than the first 3 times they attempted it. The Big Show could have very well been on the same career resurgence as Chris Jericho but instead he ended up stuck in 1999. The Big Show would be more suited in a program with Edge as the heel and the Undertaker could be giving the rub to MVP or Ezekiel Jackson, both of who could move up the ladder extremely fast with the right program. Its time to move on from the “go-to” matchups between men who have worked numerous times before. Try something new. You never know when you’ll strike oil.

ECW:

- “New Talent Initiative”

o Evan Bourne. Jack Swagger. Ricky Ortiz. These are just 3 men who have done their damnest to make their mark with the opportunities they have been presented. Now with FCW having a weekly television slot, superstars like Joe Henning and Kizarny are being allowed to develop a fan base even before hitting the big time. ECW might not be the most exciting hour of television but being able to see these future major players on a smaller stage is definitely a treat.

TNA:

- “Main Event Mafia vs. TNA Originals”

o This angle was another slow build, beginning with Booker T and Sting probably before anyone really realized what was going on. TNA’s timing capitalized on constant “backstage reporting” on how the veterans were holding the younger talent down. The MEM have a nice dynamic of personalities and abilities and have just the right amount of accolades to make it believable. Sting was able to pull off a slow heel turn to relatively good results. Essentially, creative combined all the successful feuds from the past year and threw them all into one pot. I just wish they would focus on a few TNA Originals along with Joe and Styles instead of a rotating group of mid-carders. But yet I still feel that finally TNA was able to strike cord with a major angle that could develop into something huge.

- “Foley in Charge”

o As I stated in my last article, Foley at the top of the creative food chain could be the best thing to happen in the history of TNA. His creative mind is probably the most valuable resource they’ve acquired in the past year but now its up to them to realize this and capitalize on it. Only time will tell.

The potential for each of these shows is pretty high and it’s been awhile since anyone has been able to say that. But history is against them. As with the Orton/Punk program, the blow offs for some of the biggest angles in the past few years have been lackluster at best. Even the Ladder Match climax of the Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho feud (while a classic), did not provide the closure that many angles need in order to feel complete. And this was widely considered to be one of the best storylines of the past 5 years. It just goes to show how the standards have fallen slightly across the board and that is the main dilemma that needs to be addressed before things can begin to improve.

- Randy Orton’s music hit and he came out to the ring. He reminded us of the ultimatum he gave to Shane and Stephanie McMahon.

[Reaction: I love the slow build they’ve given Orton’s return. He is a major player and will be for years to come, I’m glad they decided to treat him that way.]

- Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy defeated MVP and The Brian Kendrick (with Ezekiel Jackson) in 4:13.

[Reaction: Simple squash match to showcase two men who have been a big part of Raw over the years. I would have liked to see Kendrick and MVP with a little more offense to capitalize on the rub but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.]

- William Regal won a battle royal that included Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Jamie Noble, Manu, Snitsky, JTG, and Shad in to win an Intercontinental Championship Match in 3:25.

[Reaction: Was anyone else rooting for Ted DiBiase once he eliminated the other members of Priceless? I was truly marking out for this kid.]

- Randy Orton/Shane McMahon/Mike Adamle segment.

[Reaction: Shane McMahon will always get a reaction, the son could be more popular than the father ever was but has always been shy of the limelight. I was fine with Adamle resigning; it might have been the one true pop he would have ever received.]

- Vladimir Kozlov defeated Bret “The Hitman” Haas in :23.

[Reaction: Haas is the epitome of what a man should do with the spot he is given. Keep your mouth shut and do your damnest to get it over. Too bad he was just fed to the Moscow Mauler.]

- Degeneration X defeated John Morrison and The Miz in 6:32.

[Reaction: Let me start out by saying that I hate the Miz. I think he is a reality show leech who somehow weaseled his way into a contact. That being said, the man has stepped up his game and is living out his dream. I just wish he had to pay his dues. As far as the match goes, it was pretty standard although I am glad Morrison & Miz got some good offense in. Yes they we built up just to be fed to DX, but I do feel they gained some strength from this brief program.]

- Beth Phoenix pinned Mae Young to win a 16-diva tag match for her team in 1:33.

[Reaction: …..whatever]

- C.M. Punk defeated Randy Orton by disqualification in 2:51.

[Reaction: Last month this was a main event program in the making. Now, it was a 3-minute match with no payoff and the crowd rooting for the heel by the end. Can’t help but feel like they missed the mark with these two. Maybe they’ll be able to salvage something for this program but it’s going to be much more difficult now.]

- The Undertaker defeated JBL by countout in 2:53.

[Reaction: Simple segment that brought the Deadman back to Raw and furthered the JBL/Michaels storyline without getting too convoluted.]

- Kung Fu Naki, Hornswoggle, The Boogey Man, Jesse and Festus, Jim Duggan, Sergeant Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, and Goldust danced in the ring. Goldust kissed Cole. Ron Simmons came out to the stage and gave his line.

[Reaction: Does today’s wrestling fan even remember who all these people are? I’d be surprised if half the people in the arena have seen Slaughter or Rhodes in the ring.]

- Kane and Mark Henry defeated Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston in 2:23.

[Poor Kofi being thrown into Evan Bourne’s spot with no warning. This just seemed like a spot to get some of the bigger names onto the card and was a little out of place.]

- Backstage, Stephanie sat down next to Shane. Stephanie said she loved Shane’s announcement but to keep the surprises to a minimum. Shane wished Vince could be there. Steph agreed that Vince would be proud to see how well they were doing.

[Can anyone else see these two as the new GMs of Raw and Smackdown? Too bad there are so many reasons why it wouldn’t happen (look for my next article).]

- Chris Jericho defeated Batista in a steel cage match to win the World Heavyweight Championship in 15:34.

[Reaction: Nothing against Batista but the Raw brand works a bit better right now with a heel on the top and almost everyone loves to hate Jericho. He might not be selling a load of t-shirts but he will be selling tickets to people who want to see him get his ass kicked.]