Ellerbusch's WWE RAW Examinations (7/19/2010)

First off, I hope everyone enjoyed the Money In The Bank pay-per-view last Sunday. I had a great time at one of my local blast arenas as I was decked out in my John Cena “Never Give Up” orange shirt and jean shorts.

Despite Cena’s loss to Sheamus and Nexus, I am still giving WWE’s MITB PPV an 8.5 rating out of 10. I thought the matches were solid all-around (excluding Layla vs. Kelly Kelly), and the excitement of the Money In The Bank ladder matches was terrific.

Since this is just my second article on Bleacher Report, I would personally like to thank everyone who checked out my “Ellerbusch’s Money In The Bank Predictions: WWE PPV (7/18/2010)” editorial.

Not only was I very pleased with the 2000+ reads, but I was able to correctly predict the results of six of the seven matches (86 percent).

The WWE Universe might have thought I was crazy, but when criticized against all odds, Kane turned out to be my best pick of the night. As posted days prior by me, “Kane will be your MITB winner.” No, I’m not a WWE Creative Team writer, I just had a notion that babyface Rey Mysterio was going to beat Jack Swagger as Swagger followed up the match frustrated and applied his gruesome ankle lock to Rey.

Kane went after Swagger, took him backstage, Kane’s music hits again, and the rest was history as Kane proceeded to capture the World Heavyweight Championship belt in a matter of just a few seconds against the injured Mysterio.

The only match I missed on the night was RAW’s MITB ladder match, although I was optimistic in my predictions that The Miz had a decent shot in winning. “The Miz could win MITB…I got that feeling he could sneak in and grab that briefcase while other superstars are not paying attention or something.”

The next WWE PPV is SummerSlam on Sunday August 15th in Los Angeles, California. I hope everyone keeps reading and enjoying my prediction articles because I was just one match away from being perfectly “awwwwwesome” (as the Miz would put it).

Starting with this July 19 episode of Monday Night RAW, I will be starting a new column on Bleacher Report called, “Ellerbusch’s WWE Raw Examinations.”

Basically anything that pop ups into my head during the two-hour long show, I will be posting in a bullet paragraph format.

This will not be like other RAW reviews you might have previously read. I would like to try to point out some of the more unnoticeable events during each RAW episode and offer some humorous comments and predictions along the way. I hope you enjoy my first installment of this and offer some feedback. Hope you all enjoyed WWE’s MITB PPV and RAW this week!

• Both introductions are aired (WWE and RAW) and one has to wonder why the WWE did away with Jim Ross’s commentary and replaced it with Michael Cole instead?
• Is every WWE PPV controversial? Michael Cole must not overuse catch phrases.
• Mark Henry vs. Wade Barrett? Seriously? Could Mark Henry be receiving an “Evan Bourne-like” push?
• Following a PPV, the WWE decides to name a No. 1 contender immediately for SummerSlam? Even failing to let Cena or Sheamus cut a promo? This is an outrageously stupid decision. Putting it aside, Orton vs. Jericho vs. Edge face off.
• I like how it seems Jericho and Edge are teaming up to take down the face in Randy Orton. Although why would two heels fight for the WWE Championship? Orton should win, but we’ll see.
• “Vintage Randy Orton”…I don’t think Michael Cole is following my advice.
• Commercial time…I can’t wait to get my hands on either a Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, or Rey Mysterio slurpee cup.
• Edge misses two spears in one match, however, this has been a great match with a bunch of near falls. And as I finish this sentence, Randy Orton RKO’s both Edge and Jericho. What a match!
• Randy Orton vs. Sheamus at SummerSlam. Except this time, Legacy won’t be there to spoil a title shot for Randy Orton much like they did at the Royal Rumble back in January.
• Not sure why this match wasn’t the main event. It had everything a quality PPV match could have produced
• Whoa...”right here right now”...Edge and Jericho cutting a pretty good promo.
• Nexus comes into the ring and I immediately notice that Michael Tarver has his Nexus “N” wristband back.
• I heard a rumor that a WWE star might team up with Nexus…looks like that man is Chris Jericho. Ok, maybe not. Jericho getting brutally beaten one on seven now.
• Where are the other RAW superstars when Jericho and Edge are helpless in the ring taking on Nexus
• Wow, that was a solid 40 minutes of a triple threat match and Nexus attack. I think WWE RAW’s ratings could be a little bit better this week. Some pretty exciting stuff happening right off the bat following the “controversial” (as Michael Cole would say it) MITB PPV.
• “You’re Either Nexus, Or You’re Against Us.” I like this slogan, but I still don’t like the name Nexus.
• Josh Matthews is starting to get corny and cornier as the weeks go on.
• Jerry “The King” Lawler has a sweet “King” shirt.
• John Cena’s scar between his eyes I think is fake. I sure don’t remember it last night when he left the ring after his loss to Sheamus/Nexus.
• Did John Cena basically just say he was going to join Nexus!? He DOES have Michael Tarver’s wristband. I can see him storing that wristband in his jean shorts pocket and then meeting Wade Barrett in the ring and possibly joining Nexus. Would this make Cena heel? Would bright orange Cena shirts still sell? Will the WWE stay in business with their biggest star John Cena turning heel?
• 52 minutes later we see Eve enter the ring happier than ever. Damn, I sure would hate to see how happy she was if she actually won her PPV match against Alicia Fox.
• Ted DiBiase entering the ring with Maryse. I love King’s comment!!!...“Maryse is better than Virgil.” Damn, that was a quick match. I thought Ted was hilarious on the mic. Then John Morrison comes in and has to break up that almost baseball umpire-like argument. Starship Pain barely was successful, but John Morrison walks out of the ring with the advantage heading into future weeks building up to SummerSlam. Watch for a Morrison and DiBiase feud continuing
• Can Sheamus be proud of winning two straight PPV matches with the assistance of Nexus or maybe it’s just “the luck of the Irish.”
• Sheamus is overrated. He is getting too quick of a push. But as I finish that sentence…it’s THE MIZ!!!
• Question: Is The Miz now a face? I hope so…he is amazing on the mic, one of the best trash talkers in awhile. The Miz using an Irish accent. I love this guy!!! He is sports entertainment!!!
• Is Sheamus scared of Evan Bourne? Doubt it.
• “Was there one of those smiley faces at the end of that email?” - King
• What the heck took Evan Bourne so long to enter the ring? Did the WWE do this on purpose since RAW’s anonymous GM announced this match without giving the superstars any notice ahead of time.
• Wow, I really like that WWE Shop commercial…and they have reduced prices! WOO!!! WOO!!! WOO!!! I wonder if they have Zack Ryder apparel.
• Why is The Miz stroking his briefcase? LOL
• Cruiserweight WWE Superstars: They are fast, can jump, and can surely kick as Evan Bourne just proved to us.
• The Miz clapping slowly…even if you’re not a WWE fan, The Miz is one funny guy.
• HOLY CRAP! The Miz is cashing in! But Sheamus has not risen yet from the wrestling mat. R-Truth’s music hits, but as Cole reminds us, the bell has not rung therefore the Miz will retain his briefcase for at least one more week.
• Was it just me or did anyone see green Hulk Hands in the stands behind King and Cole after The Miz’s interview with Josh Matthews backstage.
• LOL ALERT: In the SummerSlam Undertaker vs. Stone Cold match, they blurred out t-shirts and signs reading WWF.
• WTF Alert: Sheamus being laughed at by the Bella Twins and Gail Kim.
• As a Cena fan, I am getting nervous about the possibility of what Cena might say to Nexus. Let’s hope Cena does the right thing for the WWE Universe and the CeNation.
• YES! SANTINO!!!
• Santino’s finishing move was awesome as he dove on Zack Ryder while doing kind of like a Cena Marine salute.
• John Cena is in a new Gillette Fusion commercial. I like it…it’s pretty good.
• Mark Henry has new wrestling attire. Besides the band-aid near his left eye, WSM on the back of his wrestling suit is now in different text or something.
• Was it really that Henry was distracted from Nexus or the simple fact that he was on the ropes and is over 400 lbs? Either way, Wade Barrett picks up the win off a sketchy finishing move.
• “Nexus sucks more than Texas”…a sign I noticed while Tarver cut a promo.
• Cena joining Nexus will turn him heel, but I still think fans will love him. But that’s what I thought about Brett Favre and look what Packers fans think of him now going to the rival Minnesota Vikings.
• Is Cena’s team that he is talking about the A-Team? Quinton “Rampage” Jackson could probably take down Wade Barrett and Skip Sheffield.
• I’m calling it now….SummerSlam will end Team Nexus and we can all go back to normal shows and PPVs without having to worry about our favorite superstars being bum-rushed one on seven.
• Just one day after the MITB PPV…I am PUMPED for SummerSlam! Seven on seven…..GO TEAM RAW!!