RAW
RAW #821 comes to you live from Spokane, Washington.
Edge/Vickie
Great stuff from Edge. Watch that kid be a murderer when he grows up, and they can use this tape to show why he did it. Vickie makes me want to pull my eyes out. Cena’s still lame, possibly because he times his taunts to his theme music. Good God…
Backstage
Shane challenge. WWE rarely does stuff like this anymore, but it worked well.
The Legacy & William Regal defeat Cryme Tyme and CM Punk
Good match. Good spots by CM Punk.
Backstage
Steph/Shane going at it again.
Jericho Promo
Jericho shredding Flair and Mickey Rourke. Roddy Pipper’s appearance was nice, and his promo was good too.
Backstage
Grisham with RKO. Another great Orton promo.
WrestleMania Rewind
‘Mania IX. You’ll probably remember this from that looking-up view of The Undertaker with the crow. Not one of my favourite PPV’s, but Ted DiBiase’s match was good.
Kane defeats Jamie Noble
In 13 seconds. Who the hell gave Noble mic time?
JBL/HBK
Great stuff by JBL. HBK enters, noticeably happier than usual. Great back and forth stuff from both guys. Next week – JBL vs. HBK, winner faces The Undertaker at WM25.
Rey Mysterio defeats Mike Knox
Rey got about zero offence in, and just reversed a mistake for the cover, which was what the announcers kept talking about. The match was actually very well done – slow paced at points, but I may have underrated Knox a little bit. His in-ring work isn’t as bad as Snitsky’s.
Melina defeats Beth Phoenix w/Team Glamarella to retain Women’s Championship
Good that the Women’s Championship was defended on RAW, bad that the match was so short. The match itself was good until the interference, which ruined the fight.
Backstage
Steph on the phone again, telling them to hurry here. Money says it’s Triple H.
RKO defeats Shane McMahon
The unsanctioned match was good. Both guys got some shots in, and Shane got punted in the head. Legacy interefered prior to that. After the punt, Steph ran out and gave Orton an earful, only to have him RKO her. Triple H runs down shortly after and everyone runs out. Triple H has a seething look on his face – one that I’ve never, ever seen him have in all his days in the WWE. Awesome.
Final Thoughts
A very good RAW coming off the last PPV before ‘Mania. Great promos, but the matches were too few. The big match of HBK and JBL next week to determine who faces The Undertaker at ‘Mania is fantastic. HBK is likely to come out on top, and Taker/HBK will present one of the greatest matches in WWE history, hands down.
High Point: RKO/Shane
Low Point: Beth/Melina
Final Score: 9
NBA
– The FAN590 speculates that with the acquisition of F Shawn Marion, the Raptors have increased their chances of getting G Steve Nash. Nash and Marion are good friends, and as reported here earlier, Marion is likely to re-sign once his contract expires. Could Kid Canada be headed to the T-Dot? (Thanks to my Toronto source for the find)
– According to ESPN.com, Tthe Suns are now said to be ready to stand pat with F Amare Stoudemire for the rest of the season now that coach Terry Porter has been fired and replaced with Alvin Gentry. Phoenix will now try to leave the core of their team intact for the rest of the season and see what Gentry, who plans on re-installing a running offense. This news could result in teams making better offers for Amare now, but it sounds like he’s probably not going to be moved.
– According to RealGM.com, the Blazers and Bucks have discussed a deal that would send F Richard Jefferson and G Luke Ridnour to Portland for F Travis Outlaw, G Sergio Rodriguez and F Raef LaFrentz. (Thanks to my source in Toronto for the find)
– The Kings agreed in principle to a trade with the Celtics on Monday night, acquiring G Sam Cassell and cash in exchange for a future second-round pick. The Celtics will now pay less luxury tax, though it’s possible they will sign another player to fill Cassell’s roster spot. The deal is expected to be finalized on Tuesday.
NHL
– According to the Detroit News, Red Wings’ GM Ken Holland said he will not be looking to acquire a goaltender at the NHL trade deadline in a few weeks time. G Chris Osgood owns a 18-5-7 record, but has a lackluster 3.29 GAA and .879 SV%, while G Ty Conklin has posted a 19-7-1 record, including six shutouts, with a 2.34 GAA and a .915 save percentage this campaign. The two have been tandem goalies all season long.
– Blackhawks’ F Patrick Sharp will likely miss at least three weeks with a knee injury. He has 23 goals and 38 points in 54 games.
MLB
– According to FOXSports.com, the Braves are close to re-signing LHP Tom Glavine to a one-year deal. The Braves’ latest proposal would give Glavine a chance to earn $4.5M this season.
NFL
– Bengals’ WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh told ESPN that there’s a “90-something percent chance” he’s leaving Cincinnati in free agency. Houshmandzadeh, 31, thinks Chad Ocho Cinco will be gone too.
– According to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the 49ers are looking hard into QB Mike Vick. If the team keeps QB Alex Smith though, Vick won’t be an option.