It's time for the next generation of Smackdown Video
Games for Playstation 2. You've played Smackdown: Shut
Your Mouth. You loved Smackdown: Just Bring It. You went
insane over Smackdown:
Here Comes the Pain. Some people even bought Smackdown
vs. Raw. Well, now it's time to find a pregnant woman
and light her on fire. Why? Because it's time to play….
WWE Smackdown: I Like Your Shoes
Welcome a Smackdown game unlike any other, with all new
storylines and interaction. Live the exciting lifestyle
of a WWE superstar and participate in real life WWE storylines
written by WWE's real life team of monkeys writers!
Play as your favorite WWE superstar and finally get a
glimpse of the industry through the eyes of those that
run it. Reach for the stars and climb the ladder of success.
You can go as far in WWE story mode as you can in the
real-life WWE! Defeat challenger after challenger and
eventually rise to the top of the WWE ladder where you
can lose to Triple H on a pay-per-view! The limitations
are endless!
Perhaps playing as a Diva is your thing. You can journey
through the career mode as one of World Wrestling Entertainment's
732 Divas! Can you avoid Kane's Big Red loving? Do you
have what it takes to survive such amazing mini-games
as "Avoid the Poopie-filled Duffle Bag" and
"Find the Glass That's Really Filled with Milk."
Not only that, but Smackdown: I Like Your Shoes
features all new legends; many previously unavailable
in WWE games. Choose from stars like Big Bully Busick,
the Goon, Craig DeGeorge, Sean Mooney, the Bodydonnas,
Zeus, Jamison, the kid who did the Roddy Piper impression
at King of the Ring '94, Matilda, and Jimmy Snuka. We
might get Hulk Hollywood Hogan, but no promises.
You get Snuka, though. You all like Snuka, right? Well
he's in there. So be happy and shut up.
Speaking of Mini-Games, SD: ILYS brings
the widest assortment of mini-games ever available in
any video game. With specific games for specific superstars,
you can take your choice from a number of them, including:
The Bob Holly "Capture the Rookie"
Game
Don't you hate young people? Well you can finally make
them pay for being so damn young. You take on the role
of Hardcore Bob Holly and stalk WWE newbies throughout
various environments. When you find them, you make them
pay like only Sparky Plugg can. Vroom, vroom!
Leisure Suit Johnny
You're John Heidenreich. You have two goals in life: Poetry
and Sex with Announcers. This mini-game gives you the
chance to enjoy both. Find Michael Cole, read him a poem,
and then get all up in that. Let Little Johnny out to
play and score big points to be used for purchasing items
in the Shopzone.
The Shopzone has been revamped to include many items
previously unavailable. Unlock alternate boots for your
superstars, additional eyebrows for Create-a-Sports-Entertainer
mode, and additional Legends such as Vincent J. McMahon
and Jess McMahon. Also available are all new weapons such
as: a flagpole, a dead baby, a plastic bottle of Simon
powder, and a Japanese strip club flier.
So rush out today and pick up WWE's Smackdown:
I Like Your Shoes. Because 10% of the population
can't be wrong! Act now or else you'll be forbidden from
purchasing another wrestling game until June 2010.
***
Sadly, I would probably buy that game. It's got to be
better than Legends of Wrestling. Speaking of Legends,
will tonight be the night that the legendary Ric Flair
steps up in Japan and finally takes out the thorn in Evolution's
side, Shawn Michaels? Can William Regal and Tajiri use
their half-home field advantage to defeat the World Tag
Team…er, uh, Champions La Resistance? Will the animosity
between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho be put to rest
in their submission match or will it just add fuel to
the fire? Does Edge have what it takes to capitalize on
his World Title Match and end the lifelong title reign
of Triple H? It all takes place tonight…well, it
actually took place last week. It was on TV tonight, though.
Tonight, the Land of the Rising Sun meets the Show of
the Overpushed Son. This brand is just like Sushi. Why?
Well, it's uncensored, uncut, uncooked, and smells like
dead fish. Basically, It's Raw!
Raw Theme Plays. They should show the lyrics
on the bottom of the screen and have Ric Flair's head
bounce on each one as it's sung.
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are in Japan everyone! It's
the first time that Raw has ever emanated from this area
and that means they don't have to use all those black
cloths to cover the empty seats. Domo arigato, Japan.
Eric Bischoff is here and he's got a message for everyone.
After each message, a translator translates. It's a competition
of strange hair between the two of them, with Eric sporting
the gray fuzz head and the translator apparently uses
the Ron Popeill Spray-Hair on his chin. After some pleasantries,
Bischoff-san starts announcing the matches. We have the
Battle of Legends between Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels!
(JG Note: I love hearing the sanitized Stamford Eric Bischoff
call Ric Flair a "Legend." It's like hearing
the high priest from the Satanic Church refer to God as
"the loving and caring Creator." I keep expecting
Bisch to puke when he says it.) Then we have Edge against
Triple H for the Triple H Championship. After that it's
Chris Benoit meeting Chris Jericho in a submission match!
Actually, not "after that." That match is happening…right
friggin' now!
Introducing first formerly of Edmonton, Alberta Canada,
then from Atlanta, Georgia, but now residing in Japan…Chris
Benoit!
His opponent was born in Manhasset, New York….lives
in Manitoba, Canada…but has friends who live in
the great country of Japan…Chris Jericho!
(1) Chris Benoit beat Chris Jericho in a Submission
Match Once again, they start off with the nose
pushing face-to-face thing. I still hate that. You should
never almost kiss a guy that you're going to fight. That's
just weird. This was a strange match to put on first,
but given the rest of the card, made sense in this slot.
Benoit and Jericho have great chemistry together and always
put on solid performances. This match was no exception.
There was a pretty good spot about halfway through. Both
men were fighting on the ring post. Chris B was perched
on one side of the corner. Chris J was on the other. They
traded punches and the Wolverine followed with a head
butt. They both fell to the floor. After going to a break,
we came back to witness Crips and Fozzy center-ring. We
started with various Crabs by Y2J+5. Benny Wa refused
to tap. The tables turn and then the Rabid One gets a
chance to do some damage. The audience applauds. JR explains
that the Japanese crowd watches quietly and shows respect
throughout the match. (JG Note: As opposed to fans in
America that chant "What" throughout the match;
fans in Canada that chant things about the Hart family
throughout the match; and fans in Puerto Rico that try
to kill each other throughout the match.) It gets pretty
intense as both men started exchanging punches instead
of counters. It didn't do Jericho any good. He was locked
in the Crippler Crossface, reached the ropes, and then
found himself in it again. The Toothless Wolverine turned
up the pressure and the King of Bling Bling became the
King of Tap Tap. After the bell, both men shook hands,
but you can tell from the looks in their eyes. They're
dead inside.
Still to come: Victoria, Maria, and Christy Hemme fight
for the World Title. Then Triple H meets Edge in an All
American Diva Fashion Show….or something like that.
I wasn't really listening, I had to go get a soda.
Commercial Break. Castrol GTX Startup - "Ahhhh."
That's their slogan? Ahhh? Am I supposed to drink it?
Is that what they're implying. Hey, now there's
a nuisance lawsuit waiting to happen. I'll be back. I'm
gonna go drink me some Castrol.
Recap of the Japanese fans awaiting Raw. A Japanese fan
holds up a sign calling for Vince McMahon to be named
Prime Minister. Upon closer inspection, the sign holder
appeared to be Shane McMahon squinting.
Triple H and Ric Flair are getting ready in the locker
room. Slick Ric is red in the face and loco in la cabeza.
Naitch talks about how Evolution runs the wrestling world.
They rule America. They rule Japan! Now tonight, Shawn
Michaels is going to pay homage to the butler of the greatest
wrestler alive. Then you're going to destroy Edge and
his World Title hopes. Yeah, Ric. That's all good, I reckon.
Something's bothering Hunter's flat ironed mind. He thinks
that maybe Batista shouldn't go to Smackdown after all.
Dave against Triple H would be epic. It's something that
Gameboy wants to do. Are you tripping, Trips? The Game
is told by the Dirtiest Player in Him that his reasoning
is whack. Think about, Champ. Think about it….
"We rule Raw. We rule Smackdown. Are you kiddin'?
It's the greatest idea of all time. Batista will beat
Bradshaw just like that. It's a no brainer. It's the greatest
idea you ever had. Don't second guess that. It's genius."
- Ric Flair, 9:26pm
Trip says he sees Ric's point. He'll relay the message
to Batista later tonight. Flair is so over come with…uh…emotion
that he gives the Game a really creepy hug.
Elsewhere in the arena, Captain Charisma, Christian,
and Captain Insane-Ass Goatee, Tyson Tomko, are walking
with a Japanese reporter. Christian tells him that he's
here for his Japanese Peeps a.k.a. "Jeeps."
I laughed out loud at that. However, my laughter wasn't
shared with the reporter. He was too enamored with the
vision he saw before him. He ignored the Charismatic Captain
so he could oggle Stacy Kiebler. No harm done, eh? The
CLB forgives the journalist and his wandering eye. He
must want to talk to Stacy. That's cool. Hey, Miss Hancock.
Turn around and answer some of this man's questions about
Christian. Sadly, it doesn't go the Canadian's way. Instead
of a Christian question, it's a Randy Orton question.
This angers Edge's little brother and he asks why the
reporter asked about Orton rather than him. The interviewer
replies that it was because he's "annoying."
Kiebs laughs and Sister Christian sees red. Randall has
never defeated the CLB. That means he's no Legend Killer.
Couple that with his fragile mental state lately and you
have a pretty played-out hero. (JG Note: Christian's next
T-Shirt should be "Christian: Randy Orton's Demotion.")
Stacy says that Ort could kick Mr. Christian's butt. He
replies that it will be Cowboy Bob's kid getting a butt-kicking
tonight in the ring. She leaves and Tyson asks if this
means that Chris will be fighting Mr. RKO. No way, Tomko.
You are. It's part of some master plan the former Brood
member has to get on the front page of the newspapers.
Hmmm. Maybe he'll shoot him. I'm sure he'll get plenty
of press if he guns down Randy on television. Is Christian
packing heat? We'll find out soon enough, but first….a
word from our sponsors.
Commercial Break. Triple H plays the role of Braveheart
in the new WrestleMania 21 commercial. In the ad, he tells
what appears to be a huge audience that he's the best
ever. The camera then reveals that there's no one there
except for Ric Flair. It's sort of like a Raw house show.
We return from our break to see Maven delivering a pre-match
promo. He's upset that he wasn't in the Royal Rumble.
It's because everyone knows that he would have won. He
would have taken the big gorilla Batista and tossed him
over the top rope. (JG Note: Who gets offended by being
called a gorilla? That's like calling someone a drip or
dipstick.) Some observations about Maven: When you're
delivering promos about pay-per-views that happened two
weeks ago, that's a bad sign. Also, when you deliver pre-match
promos that are longer than the following match that you
lose, that's not good either.
(2) Batista pinned Maven after a Powerbomb
WWE cracks me up sometimes. For so long, Maven was getting
pummeled by the company's top heels. Critics and fans
screamed from the hilltops "Turn Maven heel! It'll
save his career!" So WWE said, "You want us
to turn him heel? OK. He's a heel….now f**k you!"
If you had told me a few months ago that Mave would actually
be <i>lower</i> on the totem pole after embracing
the forces of evil, I'd have laughed at you. At least
he's being used to put over Batista as a monster. I suppose
it could be worse. He could be used to put over the Coach
as a monster. Good reaction to the Deacon. His victory
got a big pop and if people react to him like this now,
it'll be interesting to see how he gets cheered after
he turns. Power bomb - bam. Maven stinks. Batista rules.
Then suddenly, the Masked Mystery Video Tape Player Person
strikes again.
After the bell, a video of Big Show being interviewed
by Josh Matthews played on the Titan Tron. Show said that
Batista is "a big fish in a small Raw pond."
He also said that Tista would see what a seven foot, 470
pound great white shark looks like. (JG Note: Wasn't that
John Tenta? Batista can just watch an old WCW tape to
see that. Oh wait, I forgot. He doesn't watch video tapes.
The only time he watches videos is when they're played
on the Titantron.) DB runs from the ring and we pay some
bills.
Commercial Break. The Burger King commercial for the
Big Fish Sandwich follows the Big Show's I'm a Shark
promo. That's just funny. "It's Big. It's Fish.
It's Gooood." We-llllll, well it's the Big Show.
Dave Batista is trotting along backstage and he runs
into ATM Eric Bischoff. Hey, Bisch! Who the hell is playing
that Smackdown footage? (JG Note: Triple H) Every week,
someone (JG Note: Triple H) plays that footage. Now you
better find out who (JG Note: Triple H) it is! Relax,
Dave. Uncle Eric wants to find out who's been playing
the footage (JG Note: Triple H) too. He gives you his
word, he'll get to the bottom of this (JG Note: Triple
H). Now, switching gears, EB heard about your offer from
Teddy Long. Screw that Playa Hata, Davey. Raw is the number
one show. The Raw title is the number one title. You have
it all in the palm of your hands! You face the World Champion
at WrestleMania. Either you'll meet boring old Edge or….Triple
H! Come on, Deacon. Don't jump to Smackdown. Stick around.
Batty stops Bischoff and says that he has made his point.
Why thank you, Sunshine, I'd love another bag of
peanuts and some headphones for the in-flight movie. This
plane ride all the way to Japan has been rather long and
you've done a marvelous job of keeping us all quite content.
Bollocks. Now, I know that you're not allowed to accept
tips, so how about if I show my appreciation by....hmmm,
I don't know... peeing on you?
(3) Tajiri & William Regal defeated World
Tag Team Champions La Resistance to capture the titles
when Tajiri pinned Sylvan Grenier Tajiri and
Regal together can do a lot for the tag division. For
starters, the Japanese Buzzsaw has been put on auto-pilot
after his team with Rhyno was inexplicably tossed into
the trash. Meanwhile, William has nothing on the table
until Eugene returns. By pairing them, WWE not only fixes
the problem of two midcards with no direction, they play
into the history that they have with one another. Rather
than appearing to be a randomly paired duo, Will and Yoshi
feel like an established tag team considering that they
have teamed together before. Also, Willie works well with
a comedic partner and had some of his best moments alongside
Tajiri. As for La Resistance, something needs to be done
to give them a spark. I don't want to suggest splitting
them because I saw what happened when Renee Dupree left
the team and went to Smackdown. With high hopes, WWE sent
him on his way to singles stardom. He fought John Cena
then rejoined another tag team. It all seemed pointless.
Hopefully now that the Resisters have a team they can
feud with, they'll come off more like a credible heel
group. I say hopefully because the tag division constantly
looks like it's about to ramp up and then doesn't. It's
like the Women's Division. I'm just waiting for them to
institute a 24/7 rule at this point and totally kill it.
All that being true, the tag division was alive for one
night, at least. Tonight's finale got a great reaction.
It was the Hometown Buzzsaw spitting some of his green
phlegm onto Sylvan Grenier and then landing a crushing
kick to his head. As Gorilla Monsoon would say, "You
can count to a hundred." Also, "Will you be
serious?" and "You lie and he swears to it."
After the match, Tajiri said something over the microphone
in Japanese. I'm guessing it's Japanese. I only know that
I didn't understand it and the audience seemed to. Willie
Reegs and his Japanese Eugene run into the stands to hug
the crowd and each other. Nothing like having a sweaty
guy with green slime around his mouth running towards
your ringside seat looking for a hug, huh?
Commercial Break. I don't care if Taco Bells new Grilled
Stuffed Wrap Burrito-chirito-chellada Whatevers are greasy
or not. If I had an expensive collection of rookie baseball
cards and someone put a bag of food on them, I'd probably
kill him.
This year's Hall of Fame Inductees are: Paul Orndorff,
the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Vollkoff, Bob Orton, Jimmy Hart,
and Jim Powers. Just checking to see if you're paying
attention.
You Skew Bet! You Skew Bet! You Scew Bet!
(4) Shawn Michaels pinned Ric Flair after the
Sweet Chin Music This was another match that
was more about the status than the contest. Michaels versus
Flair is going to be big no matter what. It's two of wrestling's
biggest names squaring off. Shawn might no longer be 25
and Ric might no longer be 85, but the mere fact that
they're fighting makes the show memorable. It really rounded
out a pretty well planned show. With the opening submission
match, the Batista showcase, tag title switch, and then
the Legends match, WWE demonstrated the best way to lay
out a card. Both men did their trademark moves and sent
the crowd away happy. In the end, it was HBK and his Sweet
Chin Muzak that put Slick Ric out for the evening.
Commercial Break. See Saw
on February 15th. Sounds fun. Then we can play hopscotch.
Jerry Lawler is standing center-ring and it's time for
one of his sexy
parties. The King of Memphis tells the Jeeps that
they will be treated to a piece of "Western Culture."
It's the All-American Diva Fashion Show! We have the interviewer
Maria, who does fashion shows instead of interviews. We
have Victoria, who does fashion shows instead of wrestling.
And we have Christy Hemme, who does fashion shows for
$250,000. We're about to have ourselves a good ol' US
showing of female degradation. Yeehaw! I hope no one shows
up and ruins it.
Rejected Names for Simon Dean:
1. Remus Bob
2. Martin Lunde
3. Mike the Gimmick Boy
4. Fruity Pebbles
Simon Dean is in the House and he's got the patented
Simon System in his hand. Do you honestly think that WWE's
number one pitchman would miss the chance to preach to
an international audience? He cuts down the Japanese fans
and says that the women are far from slim. (JG Note: Right.
People in the crowd who don't speak English hear none
of this. To them, he's saying "Booo blahhh boo boo
blah cha cha blah blah.") Dino compares them to Sumo
wrestlers and raises the ire of a Sumo Champ at ringside.
He then calls the the Raw Divas, hired because they're
not fat, "fat." That makes sense. Maria's fat?
He might as well call her a midget too. It'll have the
same effect. The best part was that he called Christy
"Crusty." After cutting down the women, Dean
turns back to the audience, but is confronted by Lawler.
Jerry tells him that he has no right to talk to these
women as he does. That's cool, Kingfish. You're just mad.
Why? Well, according to SD Nova, it's because you're packing
a spare tire yourself. He gives us a 1993 flashback by
calling Jerald the "Burger King." Before he
can sell the expanding monarch a System, Simon is nailed
by a Christy Hemme low blow. He falls and the women run
around Lawler like he's Benny Hill. Oooo this calls for
a sexy party.
Commercial Break. 55 More Shopping Days Until WrestleMania
21. This year, I'm asking Vince for a toy train.
In the locker room, Ric Flair and Triple H attempt to
convince Batista that a jump to Smackdown would be in
his best interests. This could be your chance to make
history for Evolution, Deacon. Why not? Imagine if you
were WWE Champ and Hunter was the World Champ. Imagine
it. It would be huge! Just to reinforce the enormity,
Ric tells him that it would be bigger than DX and the
Horsemen. This is the biggest thing in history, man. You
got to do it! To their surprise, Dave doesn't agree. He
simply says that he'll think about it. H replies that
they have tonight to think about. He asks the Monster
if he knows what to do tonight in his title defense. Dave
replies that he does. Helmsley shows his happiness by
patting Batista's belly. Then they all walk away.
Edge is pissed, yo. He's being questioned by the Coach.
How about that title match, man? Well, Adam Copeland is
on Edge. Why? Well, once again he's being overshadowed.
Everyone's talking about Batista and his ish. They're
talking about Triple H and his title. Hell, even that
Braveheart
ad assumes that the Game is going to WrestleMania with
the title. Well, screw that! This is the E-Man's chance.
He's not going to blow it. Overlook him, if you will.
HBK did that at the Rumble and he got punked. Tonight
he's going to do the same. Hunter may overlook him, but
Edgy will take advantage of that and fly home with the
World Title.
Commercial Break. Napster says to "Do the Math."
We did. That's how the P2P things started. $20 for a ten
cent CD.
More Japanese wrestling fans show their love of WWE.
A bunch of them gather around Randy Orton and chant "R-K-O!"
Someone must have told them that R-K-O spells "Go
Back to America, Twirlie Boy."
(5) Randy Orton beat Tyson Tomko with a roll-up
Tomko has been on a steady Raw rise recently. Benefiting
from his partnership with Christian, Ty has been raised
up the card thanks to tag matches and other avenues that
helped hide his shortcomings while he got some experience.
The position he was in tonight, helping to further Randy's
gimmick, was his first singles chance to carry a situation
and he did a pretty good job. You can't help but view
the new Orton direction as a step backwards, but that's
how it goes sometimes. Randy's still young and if this
concussion gimmick takes off, he could return to the main
event fold with a more solid character. Shut up! It could
happen! Whatever. Halfway home, Christian shows up with
Stacy Kiebler in his clutches. This distracts RO and sets
him up for a vicious Tomko clothesline. Groggy, Orton
recovers and continues his attack with increasing violence.
He stumbles about and eventually gets the win with a roll-up.
After the bell, Blank Eyed Randy is ambushed by Christian.
Tyson holds him up for his Canadian boss to punch and
Unpretty. After the beating, Orton lays dazed, Kiebler
stares worried, and Team Christian takes off.
Up next: Val Venis's brother-in-law challenges Shane
McMahon's brother-in-law.
Commercial Break. Can Snickers make their commercials
any less about candy?
During the break, Japanese women were concerned about
Randy Orton.
Konichiwa. Welcome to Super Great Awesome Japanese
Family Hour Show. My name Kuni Shinjo. Here is WWE Champion
Triple-san.
Konichiwa, everyone. It's a pleasure to be in your
country, Kuni. One correction though, my name is Triple
H. I am the Game.
Oh! So sorry. You Nipple H! You the Gay!
No, no, no. The Game.
Ah yes. The Gay! You the Gay! It all about the Gay!
You that damn good gay! Gay over. You damn right you gay
over! Now is when you spit the fluid on people, Nipple
Gay! Go!
Oh man. No more of these foreign interviews.
You the Gay! You suck it!
(6) World Heavyweight Champion Triple H pinned
Edge after a Pedigree It's really weird. At times,
you forget that Raw is in Japan. It's not like when they
were in England and it looked like they were using video
tape from the 1920s. It looked pretty much like a normal
Raw, only with Japanese flag graphics and more fans. Then
the matches would start and the audience would react in
that way that they do. Silence for portions of the match
and then applause for what works. It's actually pretty
cool. I remember the first time I saw a Japanese wrestling
tape. I thought it was great. It made you realize that
wrestling really is an art form. It's open to so many
different interpretations. (JG Note: In other parts of
the world, a silent crowd during a match would inspire
at least 500 different people to scream out as loud as
possible. Seriously, if the audience went quiet for that
long in North America, there'd be a guy who would think
to himself "If I scream as loud as I can right now,
I'll definitely be heard on TV when I watch the tape later.
I'll scream! I won't scream anything in particular. I'll
just scream." The problem is that there's a whole
arena of other people thinking the same thing. So you
have everyone screaming incoherent gibberish. It's what
happens during the really bad Heat matches.) These two
did the back and forth to audience ooo's and ahh's. However,
it wasn't the type of thing that you felt really warranted
cheers. They seemed to be on first gear for a while and
seemed to be wrestling an overly methodical match to appease
the audience. It played out alright, but seemed slow at
many points. For WWE to have two heels, wrestling a mat-based
attack, face one another in a Japanese main event was
strange. There weren't too many Holy Sh*t moments and
even when something that could change the tide of the
match occurred, it was hard for people to know who should
be cheered. The obligatory ref bump went down when Edge
accidentally Speared Mike Chioda. He covered Hunter for
a prolonged count, but no one was there to count. It was
a good moment to give fuel to the E-Man's protests in
coming weeks. Ric Flair ran in and tasted a Spear as well.
Edge then turned to a steel chair and swung at the champ.
Hunt ducked and countered. They both fell to the mat and
crawled to retrieve the chair. Before either man could
get it, Batista appears and snatches it himself. Edgehead
leaves the ring and stands on the apron. Staring down
at the chair burglar, Adam gives some harsh talk. The
Cerebral Assassin comes up behind the angry Canadian and
pushes him…right into Dave. Tista falls and Helmsley
tosses his challenger back into the ring. He tries to
hit a Pedigree but is countered with a DDT. Copeland gets
up first and gets in position for a Spear. However, Batista
rushes in and nails a Spinebuster before his stablemate
can be splattered. Everyone's groggy. The ref comes to
life and so does the Game. He hits the Edgeman with a
Pedigree and we get a three count.
What a team. What a friendship. Evolution embrace in
the ring like real girlfriends. Batista even raises Hunter's
arm in the air. Rather than bask in the glory with Trips,
Batista trails off. He doesn't look at the audience, but
instead years for the title. He eyes the strap while H
celebrates. Suddenly, Helmsley turns his head and catches
him. It's a staredown with the belt in the background
as we fade to black.
All in all… Tonight's Raw served
a purpose. It was a memorable location with a strong pre-WrestleMania
backdrop. Regardless of what we saw tonight, we'll hear
the term "Raw from Japan" in future historic
Raw flashbacks for years to come. It was much more of
an important night for Raw as a whole than for one episode
alone.
The La Resistance tag title switch was done right. The
crowd was hot and would obviously react big for a title
change. The fact that the tag division has been lagging
was all but forgotten after hearing the Japanese fans
cheer for the team of Tajiri and William Regal. Now maybe
they can return to the States and start new. Maybe? Perhaps?
Hopefully?
The Simon Dean segment was one of the best filler Diva
segments that WWE has had in a while. Simon maybe a one-dimensional
gimmick, but Nova is squeezing everything possible out
of it. You have to respect the job that he's done. It
takes a lot to play a role that involves calling clearly
thin women "fat." Well, Lawler's not a clearly
thin woman, but you get my point.
They seemed to correct a lot of what I was whining about
last week regarding Triple H and Batista. Finally, Hunter
laid the cards on the table and told Dave to challenge
JBL so that he can retain his honor. It's the most logical
route to take with these two and adds more to a feud that
many people are already pretty sold on.
The main event was a bit of a let down, but featured
the big WrestleMania graphic moment that they have every
year. It's Andre with Hogan in a bear hug or Austin staring
the Rock down center ring. This year it's going to be
the finale of tonight's show. Dave Batista looking at
Triple H's World Title while holding up the Game's arm
was great. It capped off a historic Raw with a historic
moment.
I'll catch you all next week as we return to the U.S.
of A for more Raw. Strangely enough, I missed Gene Snitsky
this week.
