2008 Running Pro Wrestling Thread

HBK couldn't look at Flair until he got to the ring. That was one of the first things I noticed when he came out.

It was awesome to see the Horsemen and Steamboat in the ring with Flair.

As far as Y2J getting a special entrance, I don't know why he got that. Maybe Flair was instrumental in getting Chris his start way back...

 

Hell, he's got the original Goldy at home in a case.

 

Cool. I didn't know that, or forgot it if I once did.

 

Well, the belt was made just for him.

 

Or, his return. Which has been quite underwhelming and well under my expectations.

 

Anyone else notice Orton with tears streaming down his face?

Just an amazing ending. No one will ever again get that kind of sendoff. Maybe Undertaker's a year or whenever from now will be touching. Same for Michaels.

But they won't, nor should they, come close to the tribute Flair got tonight.

For everything else...

- I wouldn't mind seeing a Jericho/CM Punk feud for a while. Help build 'em both up somehow.

- The Batista staredown of HBK could lead to a decent feud, should Batista wind up on Raw post-draft.

- Show finally getting face pops? Great. Show vs. Khali? FOR GOD'S SAKE, NO. PLEASE.

- Cryme Time? ...Eh. I guess. Couldn't hurt, I s'pose.

 

I was reading another message board, and someone who just got back from the show said Undertaker, Vince and Stephanie McMahon came out after the show went off the air. The wrestlers parted down the aisle for Undertaker to come through. He hugged Flair, talked with him for a second, then dropped down to a knee for the classic "bow down to the power of the urn" pose. McMahon came in with no music, gave Flair a hug and raised his arm to all four sides of the ring. Flair got the microphone for a final thank you and delivered a final "Woo!" from the top of the ramp.

And if you don't think this is all finding its way onto a DVD some day, you're crazy.

 

Could Jericho have been used an inference for Benoit?

 

Malenko had more connection to Benoit than Jericho, really.

It doesn't seem to happen as often these days...but Vince, HHH, etc. got it exactly right this time.

DVR: Keep Until I Delete status.

 

Gutter and expendable said it pretty well. Hogan is almost always in business for himself. Any job he does, he expects it returned. If he's told it won't be returned, he usually won't do business. He's been on and off the WWE roster depending on whether he's getting along with Vince that week. Is he an enduring character and a great businessman? Sure, but he'll never command the respect Flair does, because Flair always puts the business first, while Hogan keeps himself on top and makes sure his buddy Brutus Beefcake has a job.

Plus, if you watched Flair wrestle a 60-minute draw, you'd leave thinking you just watched Sandy Koufax pitch a no-hitter. If Hogan tried it, it would be like Sandy Duncan taking the mound.

 

From top-to-bottom, I absolutely loved this Raw. And if you are on this thread often, I don't say that very much.

Orton/JBL/Matt Hardy promo was exciting and a good way to start off the show. Matt showing up out of nowhere was awesome and Orton/JBL displayed excellent micwork.

I'm a Cryme Time fan, so it was nice to see them returning. They are super over, charismatic, and solid in-ring workers. Nice additions to the tag division. Big Show as a face...I like it, and you knew they were going to eventually do the Battle of the Titans (Show vs. Khali) so we might as well get it out of the way at Backlash. Although that match will be nothing short of brutal to watch.

Santino was hilarious yet again tonight and what he said about the Divas rang so true that it prompted massive cheers from the Orlando crowd. Hopefully his feud with Maria is over at last and he moves on to bigger things, although I have enjoyed much of this.

Cool to see Batista vs. HBK being built up so slowly, with the first seeds planted tonight. I liked how they showed a closeup of Batista's disgusted face as Michaels entered the ring in the last segment.

Orton vs. Hardy was a good television main event. CM Punk vs. Jericho was entertaining, too. The only match I didn't care for was Rhodes/Holly vs. Kendrick/London. Didn't see the point of that at all.

What else can you say about the last segment? Legendary. Sometimes wrestling can move you and seeing the amount of respect by the locker room and hearing "thank you ric" chanted in unison almost brought me to tears. Just looking at the faces of the wrestlers, they knew they were a part of something special. Hell, Jericho looked like a kid on Christmas and Mickie James was sobbing...

 

I fucken forgot to set my DVR I'm hoping all of the final segment will show during the Saturday 2 a.m. Raw repeat.

Off-the-cuff fantasy booking, just for the fuck of it: Flair gets his big segment at the end, everyone's ready to say goodbye, he gets parting gifts ... then Orton comes out and hands him a suitcase, because he's leaving and he'll never come back. But C.M. Punk insists that Orton can't give him a suitcase because he's giving him a suitcase -- the Money in the Bank suitcase, which entitles the holder (active or otherwise) a title shot at the show of his choosing. He chooses Orton (duh) and Backlash, the next PPV and, as it happens, in Baltimore, an NWA stomping ground. Orton plays up the legend killer thing, Flair says he wants to go out a winner (since he's already lost to HBK, this is the only way he can have a match, so win or lose he's done). Flair wins at the PPV, says goodbye at the end of the show, then the title gets vacated in a tournament ending at Judgement Day.

But this is fine too.