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INSIDE THE WRESTLER'S STUDIO
RAW is WAR

Hello, my fine-feathered readers! Welcome to another installment of Inside the Wrestler's Studio: The Monday Edition! Sorry. Just paying tribute to a sports announcer called Hacksaw out here in Los Angeles that I end up listening to every day due to my father being a fanatic of every sport but wrestling and soccer. Anyhow, let's get to the RAW breakdown. This was a good show that definitely had the feeling of fatigue coming off of a good PPV, but still featured strong performances. Fortunately, most of these performances were of the acting variety, so it was a fun show for me to watch. One little note that seems to have confused some readers. I am writing these assuming that you have seen the segments I'm talking about. For great descriptions of these segments that'll make you think you've seen them, check out CRZ's recaps. Let's go!



OBLIGATORY 20 MINUTE OPENING SEGMENT

This was a classic segment that will go down in history as one of Vince's best performances. Yeah. Right. This was a good segment, but it went on for WAY too long. I mean, come on, the build up was way too much for such a trivial matter as Vince wanting to get down on his wife. This segment should have been at least three minutes shorter. In any event, it was very well acted by both, but in particular The Rock. Rocky actually convinced me that he was just waiting for the moment to strike without saying a word and being in the corner of every shot. It was all in the facial expressions, especially that sly smile. Vince was not as good mainly because his character was stripped away. Vince is an over the top actor, but he's really not a subdued, moody one, and this was very clear tonight. He was wonderful in the part where he declared that he was going home to do it with his wife, but other than that, he was simply uninteresting to watch. One of the worst performances I've seen from Vince and one of the best from Rocky. Hmmm. In any event, good starting segment that ushered in the Rock's era and threw the McMahon era (for now) out.



VINCE LEAVES AND STEPHANIE POUTS

Well, this was nothing more than a rehashing of the segment when Vince left the show after flipping the bird to Stone Cold. However, the segment before this one was much worse than the Stone Cold one,(one of the best segments of all time IMO)so the pain that was displayed here wasn't as convincing. Also, it featured Stephanie, so it lost major points for that alone. Man, remember when Stephanie used to be really good at acting and used to not be aggravating? I know it doesn't seem possible, but there was a time. Oh well. Next segment.



HHH "ARRIVES" IN A LIMO AND FUMES

Once again, Stephanie was featured here, so it became almost unwatchable right off the bat. But this time, master thespians Road Dogg and X-Pac were present, so it became almost unbearable until HHH appeared. That was when it got really good. HHH is REALLY good at displaying anger; in fact, he's one of the best actors that can show anger I've ever seen anywhere. This segment was no exception, as you could really see him about to just lash out at everyone but keeping it in. Think about how over-the-top this about to burst angle could be, and then think about how HHH has played it so well that it's actually believable. Kudos to HHH.



JERICHO GOES OFF ON STEPH

Well, this was sickening. But because it's Jericho, it was definitely tolerable. Comparing Stephanie to roadkill is not exactly a comparison I'd make, but for Jericho's character, it's perfect. Jericho is an amazingly charismatic person, and that comes off in his great acting. This segment, like all of his, was just bristling with energy, and it was that wild energy that made this segment very entertaining. Funny segment that just deepened the feud between him and Steph.



A MONTAGE OF SHORT SEGMENTS THAT DIDN'T ACCOMPLISH A THING

I'm combining these shorts into one recap since none of them were really a full segment. These basically irritated the hell out of me since there was potential to set up a lot of things, especially Venis and Trish's relationship, but nothing happened. The only one that was even mildly entertaining was Latino Heat's, since Eddie has great timing and Chyna is a fine actress.



KURT ANGLE TALKS TO A COMMONER

Terrible, terrible segment that served no purpose than to pass time. I understand where they were trying to go with this comically, but that guy they got to play the commoner was horrid. If they were going for the thing where the guy just stared at Kurt like he was an idiot during his entire speech, it would have worked, but instead, the commoner just stared out into space and looked like a fool. Even Kurt rolled his eyes after the thing was over. Next segment. Please.



RETURNS, ANGER, AND BEATDOWNS, OH MY!

Well, if this wasn't one of the strangest mark out moments of all time, I don't know what was. Both HBK and Foley returning in the same segment?! Wow is all I can say. This was actually the best "too-long" segment I've ever seen due to the fact that it was really well-acted and just as well-written. The only thing that didn't need to happen was HBK returning. Come on, just Foley returning alone, interrupting HHH during a vent, would have been more than enough. There's only one reason I can see to the point of HBK. Since HBK destroyed the throne and never justified it, it's a possibility that the WWF is trying to set up a feud between Angle and HBK. The only reason I can see that happening is if HHH gets in his inevitable feud with Angle and needs some kind of interference. But I'm drifting from the subject. Foley was great and really funny. This was the only time I can truly say that we've seen the real Foley on screen and not one of his many manifestations. Great segment that really hyped up the main event beautifully and was a nice return for Foley.



LAWLER AND MALENKO BOTH GET OFFERS THAT NO MAN WOULD TURN DOWN

These segments were both the definition of a segment that is really dumb in terms of content and acting, but serves its purpose wonderfully and adds to a match. There are many of these in wrestling, but few hit the mark like these did. Both were just sexual innuendo segments, but they did feature some very funny acting from the men, especially Malenko. Also, Malenko's a pretty damn good pool player if one of his ho's didn't throw that shot in. Good segments that nicely set up a terrible match.



FOLEY AND EDGE/CHRISTIAN GET A ROOM

These segments were downright brilliant and the reason that I pay attention to these segments. The acting was perfect by both parties and it was wonderfully written. There were a lot of little things in these that were just wonderful, like Mick not knowing what the Facgime was and the whole Sodas Rule theme. You know there are going to be signs soon with Sodas Rule on them. Also, the little paper with Edge/Christian scrawled on it was genius. Great couple of segments.



FOLEY SCREWS EDGE/CHRISTIAN BECAUSE HE CAN

Once again, great acting. This was great mainly because Foley was so goofy when he brought them sodas that I almost fell out of my seat laughing. Edge and Christian played it very well, trying to act defiant but being extremely unconvincing. Great segment that enhanced all three of their characters immensely.



EDGE/CHRISTAIN GET MAD AT THE FANS AND GET BOOED FOR BEING MAD, NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE HEELS(HELL, KURT ANGLE GETS CHEERED AND HE'S A HEEL. REMEMBER, IT'S NOT ABOUT HOMETOWN HEAT ANYMORE, IT'S ABOUT INSULTING THE FANS BY NOT GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANT. FANS WANT HOMETOWN HEAT NOWADAYS.)

Sorry about that title. But it's true, it's true. OK, in any event, this was great. I have been waiting for a long time for someone to just not know where they are that night, and Christian delivered it beautifully. Edge was also great, being so frustrated that he forgot everything and came off as an idiotic snob. Also, facial expressions were great in this. It's amazing how far Edge and Christian have come with this gimmick and it's even more amazing how much farther it can go before it gets old. Excellent little pre-match segment.

The standout match for this show, in my opinion, was actually the Edge/Christian vs. Kane/UnderTaker match because it was perfectly booked. The match accomplished three major things, one of which was setup from earlier in the show. For one, it showed that Edge/Christian are far from invincible and will probably lose the belts very soon. Secondly, it threw out the tension that existed from King of the Ring between them. This was great to see, since there were so many things that could have spawned from KOR's ending, and it would have been too much to focus on all of them. Lastly, it showed that since the Acolytes, who had become number one contenders earlier in the night, are very similar to Kane/UT, and since Kane/UT beat down Edge/Christian, there's a great possibility that the Acolytes could win the belts in their championship matchup. See how great booking sets up so many great things. All wrestling matches should try to have multiple purposes, one of those being to entertain the hell out of the fans.



OK, that's bout it for this one. See ya on Friday with a SmackDown! recap. Til then, to steal a Chevy Chase line, "I'm Dmikester and you're not."

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