Randy Orton and Jerry Lawler have done to Michael Cole what fans have wanted to do for months.
I really, really, really do not like Michael Cole. I've always thought he was a poor announcer and should be relegated to backstage work, just so I don't have to listen to his drivel as often. He constantly is messing up, disrespecting Hall of Famers, and just annoying the hell out of everyone. I do not expect ever announcer to have the same caliber of skills as Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon, or Jerry Lawler. I do, however, believe that you should be able to correctly name the wrestlers and the moves they use in the ring. Hearing him say the same words over and over when he 'has received an e-mail from the Raw General Manager' is enough to make you want to rip your ears off. I know it's an angle, anything to get a rise out of fans, and it works very well. He just doesn't seem to mesh well with the other announcers on his team, maybe that will change and maybe not.
That being said, I am very glad that CM Punk is announcing, he is saying what every fan is thinking. He makes a great addition to the Monday Night Raw announce team. If we could only get Jim Ross behind the table again...
So, The Miz finally cashed in his MITB briefcase. Whoop-de-do. It was only a matter of time before this happened. It is refreshing to see someone different get the belt instead of the same rotation of top tier guys. His gimmick is entertaining, he can cut a pretty decent promo, and he has Alex Riley to use as a lap dog. His championship reign will probably be short lived, but it will be a good change of pace from what we are normally used to seeing. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out with the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania looming in the near future.
Now on to a few points about tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw...
Michael Cole came out and blah-blah-blahed. He got taken out by Randy Orton and was promptly replaced by Josh Matthews. Matthews is doing an incredible job behind the announcing desk with CM Punk and Lawler. It will be very intriguing to see if this is a somewhat permanent move or just a one night deal. Either way, he has a very promising commentating career.
Can I just say that I am so thankful that the Juan Cena character has not appeared on television (at least not yet)? I found it extremely gimmicky, stupid, weird, oddball, there are a plethora of words to describe it. I can understand their reasoning though, no Cena would cause a drop in their ratings. The Juan character is a way to work around the 'firing' of Cena while still keeping him on the television broadcasts. For the love of everything WWE, please keep that gimmick off of TV. Just keep letting John Cena have 'tickets' and taking down the Nexus one by one. This is a storyline that will come full circle probably somewhere between the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. The interaction between both Nexus and John Cena is really interesting to watch and is one of the most interesting angles that has occurred in a LONG time, especially during the PG era. When it is all said and done, I hope there isn't just a cut and dry ending to it. Maybe Wade and Cena can battle somewhere down the line and the other members of Nexus can have their own feuds with various other superstars. Only time will tell...
On a side note, I think breaking up the Hart Dynasty was a brilliant move. I was a little apprehensive at first, really taking a liking to the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith. I think it will be intriguing to see how these two superstars develop individually as opposed to a tag team. Hopefully they will one day get back together and tag team but for now, their rivalry will greater show off their abilities as individual performers.
And the show ends with an ultimatum. Will Wade hire Cena back? Will he take himself out of Nexus? Who knows?
