WWE Raw Hits

Triple H: He put over the team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a handicap match, which is exactly the finish they needed to go with. It doesn't sound like much, but let's not forget that John Cena plowed through Cody and Ted in a previous handicap match. Better yet, Hunter was back in smart ass mode last night with the great line about Batista always being hurt and Ric Flair signing autographs at the VFW. Hilarious. It's good to see The Game back on his, well, game. On the flip side, I didn't care for the way he downplayed his loss to Cody and Ted.

John Cena vs. The Miz: Yes, I hated the outcome because the deck was stacked against Cena and he overcame the odds yet again. There was so much working against Cena in this match that he could've put over Miz and not lost anything in the process. Obviously, though, they have something else in mind for The Miz given the stipulation that he's banned from Staples Center, SummerSlam, and the WWE Raw television show. Plus, the match was entertaining with all the outside interference, and the post-show with Jeremy Piven and Dr. Ken was fun.

Beth Phoenix and Jillian Hall vs. Mickie James and Gail Kim: It was a rare treat to see four divas who can actually work in the same ring together. For once, I didn't sit back and wait for blown spots.

Mark Henry vs. Chavo Guerrero: The Markswoggle line got over big with the live crowd and Chavo did a great job of selling the way the guest host screwed him over again this week. Bonus points for Chavo questioning Piven while both were serving as lumberjacks during the main event.

WWE Raw Misses

Jeremy Piven and Dr. Ken: I dig both guys, but they didn't fit well in the WWE universe. Most fans didn't seem to know Dr. Ken, and his over the top antics were greeted with silence from the live crowd. That said, I give both men credit for their big spots at the end of the show. Piven jumping off the top rope and Ken taking the inadvertent bump at ringside was a lot more than I expected them to do physically. Everyone is mocking Piven for the SummerFest line, but I thought he covered it nicely by mocking himself with the followup line about Miz being banned from SummerSlam and SummerFest "whatever that is." By the way, it will be interesting to see whether the wrestlers at ringside not protecting Ken sways future celebrity guest hosts from performing stunts.

Kofi Kingston vs. Big Show: Show's offense looks so much more believable than most guys. I love the way he threw knees at Kofi and worked him over in a realistic manner. Unfortunately, the finish was weak and predictable so no one will remember the match a week from now.

Carlito vs. Primo: The darker Carlito is a hit, but I didn't like the way they just gave away this match without building it up. Furthermore, they deserved more than just three minutes to tell their story.

Overall show: The first hour was atrocious. I enjoyed the second hour of the show much more, but I can't get over the fact that WWE did more to promote a movie they have no investment in rather than their biggest pay-per-view of the summer. What's worse is that WWE continues to make the celebrities look like bigger stars than their own wrestlers. For instance, Piven was backstage watching a preview of his own movie rather than the actual Raw show. Hell, even Triple H implied that HBK wasn't watching the show.

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