There are times when the WWF is clicking on all cylinders and this past Monday's Raw was one of those times. It was one of those shows that had a lot of good things and very few bad things. They delivered a main event that was hyped for several weeks, they brought back the great Mick Foley, they showcased eight of their superb tag teams, they debuted the lovely Trish Stratus but for yours truly the highlight of the night was seeing Chris Benoit wrestle Chris Jericho. Overall it was a superb Raw with a super hot crowd that was on the same level of that magical Dallas crowd in early February. In today's column I will take a look at Raw and other WWF happenings but there will be no R&R this week. I have decided to do the R&R every two or three weeks so you can look for another one of those in the future. Also, I have not seen Beyond the Mat yet but when I do I may (although probably not) write about it in a column. Here she blows...

Foley's Return Has Left Me With Mixed Emotions
I am having mixed emotions about the new WrestleMania main event. On one hand, I think it is great how they added a fourth person to the match but on the other hand I am sad to see Mick Foley back. Mick went to a lot of trouble to make everybody believe that he would retire for good. I thought he would be different from the likes of Hogan, Funk or Piper (who have combined to retire about 92,176 times) but after only four weeks Mick has returned. I know that he is not going to be wrestling regularly and I would be surprised to see him wrestling at the next PPV but why did he go out of his way to say he was leaving only to return at the next PPV?

I remember his interview on the TSN program Off the Record back in November. OTR is a Canadian show so I know a lot of you are unfamiliar with it but OTR is the type of show where all the guests, whether it is Steve Austin or Vince Carter, speak out truthfully about any subject that OTR's host Michael Landsberg brings up. When Mick was on the show he said that when he retired he would not come back like others have because he did not want to lie to his fans. I would have absolutely no problem with his return if he said something like "I need to spend time with my family" or "I need to re-evaluate my career" but to go on TV and radio to say that he would retire for good has bothered me. I don't think anybody would say no if they were given a chance to headline an event like WrestleMania but why did they do the retirement angle in the first place? If he was going to come back all along why did he say all that stuff about going out with your head held high? I guess he was just working all of us but I did not think Mick was the type of person to do such a thing.

I thought he was different, I thought he spoke the truth even when the WWF cameras were on but I guess I was wrong. I still like Mick Foley, I feel like I know him better than any other wrestler after reading his book and I still respect the man for everything he has done but the whole "retirement" thing has left a sour taste in my mouth. It happens all the time but in the end the status of such legends are not tarnished. Maybe that is why Shawn Michaels is my favourite of all time because when Shawn said he was retired (from the WWF) he meant it (I know Shawn is going to have one more match in TWA but he is done with the WWF). I guess we'll know more about it in the coming weeks but for now I am undecided about this whole situation. I am not mad yet I am not really happy either.

I just read some spoilers of Smackdown and learned that the WrestleMania main even will supposedly be Mick's last match ever whether he wins or loses. If he wins then he retires as champion with the WWF holding a World Title tournament at Backlash. I am bitter because I believed in Mick and I trusted him but like I said before, once I see him in the ring headlining WrestleMania I'll cheer him on just like everyone else. Nobody has given more to this business than Mick Foley and I still respect him as much as any man that has ever been in the business but I wish he never brought up the retirement subject until he REALLY meant it. Maybe I am making too big a deal about this whole thing but I would be more than happy to know what you all think about it. I think I am overreacting so maybe some of you can talk some sense into me.

The World Title Situation
I don't know about you but I think a Fatal Four Way Elimination (FFWE) match is much better than the Triple Threat match we saw on Monday's Raw. I remember the Unforgiven PPV (September '99) that had six wrestlers in one match. It was not a match that featured good workers but it turned out to be pretty good because each wrestler was able to stay fresh throughout the match. The best Four Way match I have ever seen took place at the February '97 PPV "Final Four" but I have written about that a lot in the past so I will just move on. This FFWE match will be bigger than the Unforgiven match because it is the main event for the biggest PPV, the world title is on the line and it is the (probable) last match of one of the greatest wrestlers ever. The chances of it being a great match is pretty high even with average workers like Rocky and Big Show taking part. I am looking forward to this match and with the possibility of Steve Austin appearing as guest commentator I think I will look forward to it even more. It should be a good match but I will miss the traditional one on one match for the world title that WrestleMania used to bring us. Oh well, that's what memories are for.

A Future PPV Main Event on Raw
What match am I talking about? Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit of course! When I read about that match being booked for Raw I was ecstatic because, as you all know, they are two of my favourite wrestlers with Jericho being number one. In preparation for this match, I popped in a tape of their match from Super J Cup '95 (it's a show that took place in Japan) which ended with a Benoit tombstone off the top rope! The J Cup match was superb and is truly one of the best matches I have ever seen anywhere. I did not expect the Raw match to be as good as their epic match from '95 but I was pleased with the effort of both guys. This three-way feud over the IC and Euro titles has been fantastic yet I know the best is yet to come. When you put three wrestlers like Chris Benoit (the best worker alive), Chris Jericho (very good worker, superb all around) and Kurt Angle (good worker, great character) in the ring at the same time you have the formula for a really special match. These three guys will be, along with The Rock and Triple H, the cornerstone for the WWF for the next five years. In my opinion, the best match at WrestleMania is this one with everything else playing second fiddle. Enjoy this feud now because we may never, e-e-e-e-e-ver see a feud like this a-gayne! (Sorry, I just had to do that!)

Booking the Kane & Rikishi vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac match
I usually avoid fantasy booking but I couldn't resist it in the case of this upcoming WrestleMania match. This is how I would book their match at 'Mania.

Kane & Rikishi enter the ring first awaiting DX. RD & X-Pac come down accompanied by Tori and Major League Baseball's all time leader in Hits, Pete Rose! Pete comes down wearing a DX shirt doing crotch chops while the camera pans over to several fans carrying a "Pete Rose = Hall of Famer" sign. Also in the crowd is MLB commissioner Bud Selig who conveniently has front row tickets.

Before the match starts Pete gets on the mic and says that he is there to get revenge on Kane for tombstoning him during the last two WrestleMania's. After about ten minutes in, DX is in control sending Rikishi to the outside while beating Kane in the corner. Kane is set up in the Bronco Buster position as X-Pac charges in on him but Rose jumps on the apron telling X-Pac to let HIM deliver the Bronco Buster. Rose heads into the ring, the ref is outside dealing with the fallen Rikishi who is now being stomped on by Road Dogg, charges into the corner but is stopped by Kane. The crowd erupts as Kane is set to chokeslam Rose but the Big Red Machine is clipped in the knee by X-Pac. X-Pac goes for the X-Factor and the pin but Rikishi manages makes the save. After giving a belly to belly suplex to Road Dogg, Rikishi delivers a superkick to X-Pac sending him crashing to the mat in the corner. Kane and Road Dogg fight on the outside as the ref looks over at them instead of the action in the ring. Rikishi sets X-Pac up for the Rikishi Drop but just before he is set to come down Rose cracks him in the head with a baseball bat. Rose yells out "HOMERUN!" as Rikishi crumbles to the mat. X-Pac covers Rikishi, puts his foot (the classic heel move) on the ropes and gets the victory. X-Pac leaves the ring as Pete laughs at Rikishi as the crowd boos the former Reds star mercifully.

As Pete leaves the ring he has words with commissioner Selig giving Kane enough time to get up and throw Rose back in the ring. Without hesitating Kane delivers a tombstone to Rose for the third straight year as Rikishi comes to his senses in the other corner. Kane drags Rose's carcass over to the corner, pointing to Rikishi leading to Rikishi delivering the Rikishi Drop onto Rose. The camera focuses in on Selig as the commissioner applauds the efforts of Rikishi and Kane. The crowd pops huge as Rose lays on the mat motionless just like he has done for the past two years. The heels win the match but the faces win the war giving the people what they want.

That is how I would book the match. Let me know what you thought about it via email and I may consider doing some fantasy booking in the future.

I am sure it confused a few of you who may not follow baseball (Go Blue Jays!). For those that don't follow baseball here's a quick rundown. The story is that Pete Rose was caught betting on baseball while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1989 (I think it was '89 but that is not important). Ever since he was caught gambling he has been banned from baseball (by the commissioner at the time) yet he has done everything in his power to be a part of the game again. Because of this banishment, Rose is not allowed in the Hall of Fame even though he is baseball's all-time leader in hits and clearly has the statistical figures to warrant a spot in the Hall. Commissioner Selig has said on numerous occasions that he will not reinstate Rose under any circumstances. This issue will probably never go away and if the WWF is smart they could make an angle out of this if Selig and Rose are willing to participate. Getting Selig and Rose to work cooperatively is almost like asking the WWF to do a joint PPV with another promotion so I wouldn't count on such a thing happening. However, I do think it would work perfectly.

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