theFRANCHISE

I should've known that they would've hyped up last night's show, only to pretty much deliver halfway. Sure, the show was a solid show overall, but it wasn't different from any other week's show, so the whole atmosphere of the 900th episode was moot. I sincerely hope Jericho's retirement stipulation is a swerve because I'd hate to see him leave too soon. He's had some of the best performances of his career during this most recent stint in WWE, both in the ring and on the mic. He's arguably the best all-around performer in the business right now, as he's been continually involved in the biggest angles and has looked strong in defeat while putting over younger guys. Jericho's contract negotiations are reportedly at a standstill, but at least there's a little bit of comfort in the knowledge that he'll either re-sign with WWE or go into other projects, rather than look to sign with a competing company like TNA.

For me, part of it is an appreciation for the athleticism of what they do in the ring. Predetermined or not, you can't fake gravity in front of an arena full of people, and a lot of what they do legitimately hurts. Falling on a stiff canvas with box springs and wooden boards underneath, hundreds of times a night will definitely leave you feeling sore in the morning. I also enjoy some of the storylines even when the acting is piss-poor. There are guys who are legitimately talented on the microphone and know how to get a rise out of the audience. Above all else, I enjoy the inner-workings of the business and how shows operate. It's amazing how much work goes into putting on a match, and it's almost an artform in itself in terms of technique and constructing the flow of a match, etc. I view matches as telling a physical story with a beginning, middle, and end, and I'm always intrigued by how they advance the storyline while also telling a story within the confines of the match.

Well, that's assuming that the crowd isn't made up of kids that don't know who he is or were even alive during his heyday. I remember feeling sad, listening to the crowd not singing along with his catchphrases during his taped appearance on the SmackDown 10th anniversary show. And the Rocky chants were very far and few in-between.

I'd love to see HBK make a cameo appearance, hawking merchandise and promoting his website. He still has a good relationship with Vince so it could happen. I could also see something unexpected like the Macho Man showing up to promote his new upcoming WWE action figure in a one-shot appearance.

I'm still holding out hope for The Rock to show up on the 900th edition of RAW!...and every special edition of every show that WWE puts on for that matter. Even though he's only done one special appearance thus far, still keeping the faith!!! I still expect Stone Cold and the usual suspects to show up. Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Hillbilly Jim, etc.

I'm thinking that there's more to the Serena firing than meets the eye. I suspect that it wasn't so much breaking kayfabe with her partying lifestyle, but perhaps some compromising or embarassing photos that surfaced and were taken AFTER she was placed in the angle. If she makes herself more visible than the male wrestlers, then that's definitely a problem, not just with breaking kayfabe, but in attracting unwanted attention to herself that could make the company look bad.

Part of it is so as to make the show as topical as possible and to allow them as much flexibility as possible when they go to edit the show down for whatever reason. On the contrary, I think the SES angle has been CM Punk's best work in WWE thus far. He's becoming almost like Chris Jericho, where he can be placed anywhere on the card and be booked to lose and still look like a huge star and a credible threat to the World Title. Punk can be placed in the main event or the opening match and not look out-of-place in either spot.

Daniel Bryan is making me dislike him more and more, mainly because he's placed in opposition of The Miz. Plus, I'm bothered by his use of the crossface; I liked it better when HBK was using it in defiance of Vince McMahon and as a tribute to Chris Benoit. Though Bryan has a nice variation on the armbar by putting an elevated grapevine on the arm, I just don't consider him "worthy" of using the move, as stupid as that sounds.

Miz's promo was amazing. His acting is much, much improved and he had the right amount of intensity without going over-the-top like, say, Cena does with half of his "intense" promos.

This is the most epic Rock tribute video I've ever seen; easily some of the best fan-editing I've seen for any wrestling-related tribute - YouTube

Well, minor, minor spoiler but Darren Young was kept off the second taping to sell his banishment so there probably won't be a mention of him tonight unless they taped a segment or something.

If they're to do it around Orton, I'd rather have his "Age of Orton" gas mask design rather than another snake-themed belt. Though, Austin's themed belt used on television was the Smoking Skull belt, the rattlesnake-themed one was only for retail because it was viewed as being too hokey.

I'd be fine with the old design for the WWE Undisputed Title back in 2002-2003. It's classic and classy. The spinner design just looks ridiculous on anyone but John Cena.

It's sad but true that the gift of gab is virtually 65-75% of what any wrestler needs to be successful in today's mainstream. It's almost to the point where I, myself, could be a mouthpiece for either WWE or TNA and be one of the most successful talents without any real wrestling skills or athletic ability whatsoever.

I also like how he said (not verbatim) that he'd want a main event built around a matchup between young guys like Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money in the main event and have the legends augment that main event by providing a build all show-long, rather than just put the match in the middle of the card and have no follow-up. I remember thinking back to the great episodes of WWF Raw is War during the Attitude Era and how the entire show would provide a slow build for an impromptu main event, or how there'd always be fresh faces placed in all different places on the card, with the most talented guys retaining their spot or advancing, while the filler got bumped down. Just because Terry Funk was a hardcore legend, that didn't mean he'd be competing for the WWF Title upon his debut as Chainsaw Charlie. Just because Dusty Rhodes was a legend, that didn't mean he'd have been rubbing elbows with an up-and-coming Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring and be put over Austin. Vince McMahon still has the formula for what works in mainstream wrestling, even if he has to update his gameplan and add a few wrinkles to adjust to the times. McMahon will never please everyone, but at least he has an eye to the future with how he's building around the younger guys now, as opposed to Bischoff and Hogan's antiquated "old-school" mindset.

Some of my less-astute wrestling-fan friends were convinced that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff would turn everything around for TNA -- I ended up being a prophet when I said that Hogan and Bischoff would gradually kill TNA. Becoming WCW-lite was probably the worst move in the history of mainstream professional wrestling. Yes, even worse than the "Fingerpoke of Doom," the Katie Vick necrophilia angle, or David Arquette becoming WCW Champion.

Well, lately, there's been a gradual shift back to more mature content while still remaining relatively PG or PG-13. I think blood will eventually be allowed back, but only at pay-per-views and only with capsules and no blading. I can understand the health concerns about blading, particularly with the risk for hepatitis, but I also can't see WWE remaining blood-free for more than another couple of years once these younger fans get older and start pursuing their inherent bloodlust.

*gasp* Noooooooooooooooo!!!

There was never really a stipulation made that either group would disband if they lost the match, it was just implied -- and a poor implication at that. Nexus won't be broken up because they didn't play up the finality of the moment on commentary. It was just implied that the balance of power would be shifted in favor of whoever won the match. Booking 101 dictates that, if you are to prolong any angle, you put over the guys who have the lesser heat compared to the opposition. Nexus is not nearly as over with the crowd compared to almost all of the members of Team WWE individually. Therefore, the right move would have been to put them over on a PPV, rather than wait until RAW tonight to give them their heat back. Furthermore, Cena surviving such a brutal assault makes Nexus look weak because they were unable to put him down in a big match, despite having done so for the past couple of months in random attacks. I'm all for the suspension of disbelief in storylines, but Cena surviving a DDT on the concrete (which has had other guys taken out on a stretcher in past stories) and then managing to roll away from a missed 450 splash only to get the pin at the speed of light, and then suddenly have the strength to slap on the STF less than a minute later, is ridiculous.

My only highlights were The Miz's promo, the Divas match (and post-match segment) and the World Heavyweight Title match, with the latter two surprising me with their quality. Everything else was a complete waste.

I'm so disappointed in that main event. Got all worked up for NOTHING. I can't believe it.

That was such a rushed finish, it's not even funny.

Never mind, Cena getting beat down like this is pointing to HHH coming in for the swerve...

Jericho hitting Cena by accident, Jericho playing up to the crowd as a face, Cena having never gotten tagged in, Slater getting the roll-up on Edge while he was arguing with Cena...all signs pointing to the Cena heel turn!!!!!

Yeah, but that'd be a lackluster ending and would be too obvious; after all, Cole already said that Bryan could be a plant on Team WWE by Nexus. That almost rules out that out as the swerve, if they go through with a swerve as hinted, anyway.