The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
The May RAW Report Card!
The Kingfish Arnie Katz presents his April promotion report card for the good folks at WWE’s RAW.
RAW got a new WWE Champion and a new Women’s Champion at Backlash — and it looks like there are more shocks and surprises coming down the road as the promotionheads for Judgment Day.
Let’s examine how the Ra=AW
Talent Pool
The roster is fairly set at the moment, except for the absence of Jeff Hardy due to suspension and the absense of John Cena on the TV show due to making a movie.
Roddy Piper, now embroiled in a mid-card feud with Santino Marella and Carlito adds a good talker, though he is probably someone who should stayout of actual matches.
The shift to babyface by Mr. Kennedy is balanced bythe gradual move toward the heel column on the part of Chris Jericho.
Someone lit a fire under Cody Rhodes. He is starting to look like a man with a future.
Bringing up fresh talent from lorida Championship Wrestling is a great way to increase the talent pool. It doesn’t work so well if you use highly promising performers like DH Smith as fodder for John Bradshaw Layfield, as happened on the 5/5 RAW.
Grade: B
In-Ring Action
RAW has presented some hopeless matches, but none can compare tothe 14-on-3 handicap match that served as the main event on the 5/5 episode. This is an example of the kind of booking that deflates the entire promotion and causes fans to shake their head. The sight of those 14 guys waiting to get the tag was simply ludicrous.
Grade: B-
Dramatics
Cody Rhodes’ improved mic work comes at a very opportune time for RAW with John Cena not available. He’s going to have to back it up in the ring, of course, but he shows a little of his daddy’s power with the stick.
The problem with the Piper-Marella-Carlito program is that it really can’t lead to anything very entertaining once the talking stops and the fighting starts. This feud desperately needs someone to serve as Piper’s ring proxy – and that definitely doesn’t mean the clownish Cryme Time.
So far, at least, the bookers have spared us the pseudo-royal trappings, though calling him “General Manager and King of RAW” makes me Very Sad. The idea of feuding him against Mr. Kennedy looks very promising and has made Kennedy an insta-face. They might want to consider calling him “Ken Kennedy,” though.
The blackouts seem complete unmotivated. I’m sure they make Regal more hared, but they aren’t a very entertaining angle.
Announcing
I assume that Regal’s substitution of Mike Adamle for Jim Ross in certain matches is just an angle. Mike’s got a polished style, but he isn’t a pro wrestling play-by-play announcer at this time.
Grade: B+
Star Power
Roddy Piper gives RAW
Grade: B-
Overall
RAW continues to be a good show with some very serious, annoying flaws. The plotting is not very adroit, which makes the show seem somewhat aimless and arbitrary. The Regal feud with Kennedy may produce some good matches, but Regals claim that he is blacking out matches to get “respect” is too silly to make a dent with the fans.
Shawn Michaels’ cross-promotion feud with Smackdown’s Batista has moved past the initial awkwardness and is running very hot. Chris Jericho gets part of the credit for getting it rolling.
Grade: B
That’s it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising daily wrestling column.
– Arnie Katz
Crossfire4@cox.net
(5/8/08)
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