Powell Editorials WWE Raw Hitlist: Chris Jericho and Batista, the hype for John Cena's return kicks off, Shawn Michaels goes crazy on Lance Cade By Jason Powell Oct 7, 2008 - 11:21 AM CLICK FOR BIO Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Dot Net Members received the first look at this article late last night and will be listening to a Member Exclusive Audio recap of Raw later today. To gain instant access for only $5 per month, visit the Dot Net Members' Signup Page. WWE Raw Hits Chris Jericho and Batista: Strong opening segment. Batista played off Jericho's mic work well by flashing his usual, effective facial expressions. Batista has a lot of momentum heading into his pay-per-view match with Jericho in that he's arguably the most popular wrestler on the Raw brand. His upcoming title match could do good business for WWE if they can make viewers believe there's a good chance they'll see a title change. John Cena videos: Great video footage of Cena's SummerSlam match with Batista. I loved the comments from Batista and the referee. I saw that match and it was good, not great. Yet after watching that video, I felt like it was one of the ages. Awesome work by the production team. That being said, those videos are ripe for a Dirt Shirt parody. Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio vs. Kane and Mark Henry: Really good action that had the live crowd buzzing while the babyface duo was on the offensive during the final minutes. And I really liked the way the heels pulled the rug out from under the Hardy and Mysterio at the last minute. Shawn Micahels vs. Lance Cade: My first thought was that this would have been a great time for Cade to score a clean pin while HBK was reeling from the ladder match the night before. However, the repeated chairshots, which were fairly tame in the sense that there were no direct shots to the head, were great and the live crowd responded accordingly. Overall show: This was an entertaining show and I got a kick out of Jericho trying to sabotage Batista and Shawn Michaels. I still don't understand why Mike Adamle would put Jericho in charge of Raw for the night and then show up just in time to essentially screw him over by making the special referee announcement, but it was entertaining if you were willing to turn your brain off and let the storyline play out. WWE Raw Misses Dueling Tag Team Commentators: There were a couple of funny lines, but for the most part it was just four guys talking over one another and taking away from the action in the ring. Granted, the "action" was nothing special (although I did enjoy Jillian's rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), but all the bickering was just too much and I couldn't make out half of what those four were saying. Kofi Kingston vs. Ted DiBiase: I have mixed emotions on this match. It looked like this was going to be a showcase for Kofi until he just stood there like a goof when while C.M. Punk fought with Cody Rhodes at ringside. This allowed DiBiase to attack Kofi from behind and hit his finisher for the win. Before that odd finish, I enjoyed the series of flashy moves that Kingston used during his offensive flurry. Ultimately, though, it didn't feel like this match did much for anyone because the heel needed a distraction to win and the babyface looked like a dope for taking his eye off the heel. BOOKMARK DOT NET AND ADD US TO YOUR RSS • HELP DOT NET: TAKE OUR ADVERTISER DEMO SURVEY CLICK TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Powell Editorials Latest Twelve Articles TNA Impact Hitlist: TNA announces the most ridiculous title match in company history, bringing back the briefcase fiasco match and the Turkey Bowl, four on-air authority figures WWE Raw Hitlist: John Morrison and The Miz pull off a big upset over Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio, Stephanie McMahon takes wrestler questions, C.M. Punk, Randy Orton, Manu, Cryme Tyme TNA Impact Hitlist: Main Event Mafia attacks Christian Cage, Mick Foley's speech, Motor City Machine Guns, Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles vs. Beer Money, Sting vs. Jay Lethal ECW Hitlist: Matt Hardy defends the ECW Title against Finlay, Jack Swagger and John Morrison and The Miz vs. Cryme Tyme and Tommy Dreamer, Matt Striker talks politics WWE Raw Hitlist: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, Stephanie McMahon delivers bad news to Batista, the end of the Honk-A-Meter, William Regal wins the Intercontinental Title TNA Turning Point Hitlist: Main Event Mafia clean sweep, Kurt Angle and Abyss, Scott Hall shows up, Beer Money vs. Motor City Machine Guns, Sting keeps the TNA Title, Kevin Nash vs. Samoa Joe