WWE Raw - 09/16/2002 Sep 17 - 10:40 am EDT
Recap by DrVenkman
Just a note, if you haven’t read Da-Met’s “It’s the Journey, stupid!”, I insist you stop reading this right now and go read that. It’s currently the best piece of work on WDB right now, but that’s just my opinion.
The reason my series (ohhhh yes, there is a chance this will be a series) of articles are called Men at Work is because at this point in time, I will primarily be doing “What Worked” and “What didn’t Work”, and of course that’s in regards to men (and women too) who are working in the ring. For a more detailed recap and analysis of the show, please read S_D’s Anger Management. For a less detailed recap and analysis of the show, read Boco_T’s MSPaint recap.
WHAT WORKED:
The post-intro promo with Triple H and RVD: Like most of the people reading this, I am not a fan of Trip’s slow paced, not to the point promos. However, unlike most of the people reading this, I’m a mark for any promo that involves a guy just getting really pissed off and yelling at the top of his lungs, and tonight was no different. RVD was also quite good, and the Water Spit of Doom mockery had me laughing.
Flair: Going back to my above statement of enjoying promos where people yell, Flair’s tirade on HHH about how he’s not done yet was good.
The Tag and Intercontinental title matches: I thought both matches were good for TV and well worked. I’m interested in seeing what happens with Jericho now that he actually has a title again (assuming he doesn’t go for an unprecedented 6 PPV losses in 7 months, dropping the IC title to Flair).
Rico: Rico vs. Flair was not a great match by any stretch, but it was still enjoyable, and it’s nice to see Rico get a push. I eagerly await Rico vs. RVD in the future.
IOW: With all the talk of WWE continuing HLA, I was wondering how it could have been done logically (since the first lesbians were destroyed... why would anyone else go on Raw for HLA?), let alone in a way that would be entertaining. Well, I quite enjoyed Stephanie’s protestor disguise, and Billy and Chuck’s (sporting street clothes, something I quietly predicted would become their new ring attire.. we’ll see on SmackDown) beat down on Eric was probably the one time I was actually excited for something those two did. Maybe that whole wedding thing lit a fire under their ass, because in the few spots they did against 3 Minutes, they looked good.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK
Regal vs. Kane: I like Regal... to an extent. I like Kane... to an extent. I don’t want to see them wrestling in a one on one match. I think with the confines of the 8 man this Sunday they’ll do fine, but one on one is an awful clash of styles. It also had no ending.. argh!
Booker T vs. Test: I will admit I enjoyed this match, but the totally, totally blown sidewalk slam spot at the beginning forces me to put it here. And they REPEATED THE SPOT. Not to totally rip off fellow Canadian Scott Keith, but I really hate watching someone blow a major spot, then repeat it right away. Regal / Kane had a what I believe was a blown Over the Top Rope spot, but Regal and Kane, with help from JR’s commentary, made the “three clotheslines to send the big man flying” spot seem planned.
Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H: I really wanted to like this match. Much like Booker / Test, this match was good when you look past the blown spot... except there wasn’t just one blown spot. Just about every offensive maneuver Jeff Hardy did was a blown spot. Jeff, it was a great run. You were involved in matches fans will always remember - TLC, Ladder matches, your match at InVasion against RVD stole the show... but it’s done. You either need more time off, or a rehab clinic, or something. You’ve lost it, man. You didn’t hit a single move outside of the Swanton last night, and even messed up the rail runner for the first time I think. If you’re “rush” of being a sports entertainer is over, if you don’t feel the need to try, then leave. I think some time off will do you good, hopefully refresh your passion for the business and your ability to hit your own trademark moves. I like the sleeper finish HHH sometimes uses, but a lot of people don’t. I think it will add some drama to future matches as it is now an established finisher instead of a rest hold that automatically results in the face powering out. The top rope rana in this match was pretty good, probably the only spot that looked good.. and even then, it looked kinda dangerous for Trip.
Verdict: This week, Raw WORKED. It was, for the most part, an entertaining 128 minutes that did a good job hyping the PPV.
Stephen “DrVenkman” Gray.
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