Powell Editorials WWE Raw Hitlist: C.M. Punk needs help from Batista to beat Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels vs. Batista, Johnny Knoxville segment, Hulk Haas, Jillian Hall, questionable pre-show hype decision By Jason Powell Oct 14, 2008 - 01:06 PM CLICK FOR BIO Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing WWE Raw Hits JBL vs. Haas Hogan: I'm getting a kick out of listening to JBL rag on the politicians for bailing out the rich. And I must admit that I enjoy Charlie Haas's impersonation gimmick in small doses. It's a sign that the gimmick is getting over as a fun undercard bit when the fans didn't boo the hell out of Haas when they thought they might be getting the real Hulkster. Jillian Hall: Her singing with John Morrison and The Miz was classic. Her act is a guilty pleasure and this was fun. That being said, the hits I'm giving this show are for undercard comedy segments that don't draw money. WWE Raw Misses C.M. Punk vs. Chris Jericho: Could they have possibly made Punk look weaker? He takes the Codebreaker and was pinned clean by Jericho, but Batista refused to count. Batista hit his finisher on Jericho. Punk, who didn't even get to follow up with his finisher, pinned Jericho. Essentially, this match showed that Punk isn't in Jericho's league and needed help from Batista to avoid being pinned and then needed his help to pin the champion. Johnny Knoxville segment: Do they realize that "Jackass" has run its course. Don't get me wrong, people will still rent the DVD when and if their next movie comes out, but Johnny Knoxville is at least five years past his peak popularity. He's a fading star, yet WWE is so desperate to attach themselves to Hollywood in any way that hyped his appearance as if he was a big celebrity. The skit was WWE comedy at its worst. Boogeyman? Tallywackers? Really? The only slight chuckle I got out of the entire segment was when Big Dick Johnson danced with Party Boy. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that. Shawn Micahels vs. Batista: Sloppy match. Most people expected the cheap finish when the heels were introduced as lumberjacks, but at least they delivered roughly 15 minutes before going to the finish. Unfortunately, the 15 minutes of wrestling was underwhelming by HBK standards. Overall show and lack of hype: This was one of the least entertaining editions of Raw in recent memory. Even if you ignore the Knoxville segment, this was still a lousy edition of Raw. I'm still baffled by the company's decision to hype meaningless matches rather than announce an attractive scenario in which Chris Jericho and Batista were picking opponents for one another. This show needed some buzz since it was going against both Monday Night Football and an MLB playoff game. Are Vince McMahon and the writers booking on the fly to such an extent that they can't even advertise stipulations involving the top wrestlers on the day of the show? Did they really think advertising Johnny Knoxville and a couple of meaningless tag matches would be enough to get people interested? 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 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 ECW Hitlist: The original ECW Title belt tossed in the trash, Jack Swagger and Tommy Dreamer, Matt Hardy vs. Bam Neely, Mark Henry vs. Finlay, Ricky Ortiz, Todd Grisham and Matt Striker