Post-Raw Notes and Observations 2/12/2008

Raw was strong... strong and excellent in some ways. Yes, I still hate John Cena and I still hate Randy Orton and no, I don't hate the human beings John Cena and Randy Orton but the WWE products John Cena and Randy Orton. When I see Randy Orton on Raw - even though he is the WWE Champion - I think of Ted Danson's cameo in 'Saving Private Ryan'; unnecessary, momentum-killing, and utterly lame. When I see John Cena on Raw I think of Vin Diesel in 'XXX.' Bad analogies? Possibly. Bad wrestlers? Definitely.

Chris Jericho and JBL are picking up the pace. They're working out the rust. This will take them a little while as neither one of them has wrestled a regular schedule in years. I trust their talent enough to know that they will come around and I think that booking them to work with each other is the best way to go. JBL is such a fowl heel and Jericho is such a baby face and they both have such a winning career that the poor wrestling they have been displaying won't affect their standing with the audience. However, their match last night was the best yet. I believe this feud will lead right into Wrestlemania and I think the two of them will steal the show in Orlando.

The match of night and easily the best television match of the year thus far was Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy. I don't know why Shawn Michaels is still working but he is doing the right thing for the industry that he has made his living from. He is putting over the young, deserving stars and it was no different last night with Jeff Hardy. Jeff Hardy, on the other hand, needed a high-profile victory more than anybody else on the roster. He got f'd at the Royal Rumble ala John Cena. He had been groomed to win the WWE Championship and as soon as John Cena juked and jived his way to the ring at Madison Square Garden, Jeff Hardy was pushed to the back of the line behind Cena, HHH, Michaels, and hell, even Umaga... not really Umaga, but it wasn't fair!

But what is fair in today's WWE? Vince puts John Cena on top of the world because the little kids like him and he wants to market his product toward little kids, right? By the way, did anybody see Paul Burchill's new incest gimmick last night? Fucking McMahon... he's an enigma and quite frankly, I think he is insane.

The Michaels-Hardy match flowed effortlessly. Parts of the match were literally lines of poetry in motion. I didn't realize how much of Shawn Michael's style Jeff Hardy has used for his own until I saw them in the ring together. My respect for the Heartbreak Kid has grown immensely. He should and may take Hardy under his wing... not to teach him in-ring ability but to teach him charisma and how to speak to the audience. Jeff Hardy has the Triple H and the HBK seal-of-approval. If he can be patient, at some point one of three things will happen: 1. John Cena will really be hurt for 6 months to a year and Hardy will get his chance to shine or 2. Vince McMahon will be arrested or die or something and Triple H will be running the show and give Hardy the chance to shine or 3. The kids will become Internet marks and the bottom will fall out on John Cena and Hardy will get his chance to shine... OR, and I just came up with this so I guess I should have typed that at some point one of four things will happen but whatevie, Jeff Hardy will jump over to Smackdown... but I imagine I'd be bashing Batista every day instead of John Cena. Oh well...

Vince McMahon v. Finaly at Wrestlemania XXIV.