WWE Raw Hitlist: Vince McMahon's announcements, Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase Jr., JBL, Paul Burchill

WWE Raw Hits

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels: Another good match that managed to make up for the lack of hype it received throughout the show. I believe most fans see this feud as one of the premier happenings on Raw these days, yet WWE just kind of threw it out there and let the wrestlers do the work. I also enjoyed the post-match bit with Jericho pulling back instead of striking Michaels with a chair.

JBL and Umaga vs. John Cena and Jeff Hardy: I didn't mind Hardy doing the job in this match. JBL needs to look strong heading into his match against Cena, and this was portrayed as Hardy crashing and burning rather than him not being able to hang with JBL and Umaga. I was disappointed but not surprised that the Hardy vs. Umaga match took a backseat to Cena vs. JBL.

Paul Burchill attacks Mr. Kennedy: I dig the Burchill and Katie Lea combo and I think they're good, logical replacements for Regal in this storyline. Kennedy won't get the in-ring lesson he would have from working a program with Regal, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he and Burchill can do in the ring together.

Ted DiBiase introduces his son: Cool intro and a nice catchphrase with Jr. saying he's priceless. I love the idea of WWE featuring a stable of young wrestlers (click here if you missed the news item earlier today) and I hope it comes to fruition. Either way, it's nice to see a fresh act on Raw.

JBL sneaks in an escort joke: Why not? It got a chuckle out anyone who knows the Ashley Massaro story, yet it was ambiguous enough that those who aren't familiar with the story won't go searching to find the hidden meaning behind the joke. Honestly, I'm just impressed that Vince and the creative team haven't called in the Godfather yet.

WWE Raw Misses

Vince McMahon's announcements: After all that hype, Vince announced that he's giving away a million dollars. I know the ratings are down, but I didn't think it was so bad that the old man would resort to buying a better number. Oh, and he's holding a draft lottery. I like the way he snuck that in there before he made the announcement he really cared about. By the way, couldn't they have saved those announcements until next week when they won't have a pay-per-view to hype?

Overall show: There were plenty of minor hits on this show, but the overall broadcast left something to be desired. Last week's Raw had energy. WWE was in a hurry to hype the One Night Stand pay-per-view and they had to rush into the William Regal blowoff storyline. This week, it was all about a giveaway announcement that did nothing for this viewer and overshadowed the announcement I cared about. Worse yet, it took away from hyping the ONS pay-per-view. Odd decision. This wasn't a lousy show, but it's hard to give a thumbs up to a show that concluded with such a disappointing announcement. By the way, what part of this hasn't been done on television before? Is it because Vince is supposedly giving away his own money? Big deal.