Monday, September 22 – 1:15 P.M. (CT)

-WWE Raw airs its 800th episode tonight from Cincinnati, Ohio. The three main questions I have going into the show involve Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and C.M. Punk.

-First and foremost, I am very curious to see how they hype the main event ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship between the champion Jericho and his challenger, Michaels. These two men carried the show for many weeks with their amazing microphone work. While the feud is still very personal, it is now about the title and thus, regular promos may seem like a downgrade from what they have given us in the past.

That being said, the physicality and brutality in their matches and segments has been out of this world as well. Normally, I would say promoting this match in this situation would be a challenge, but it is Jericho vs. Michaels. I have not been this interested in a championship match since Orton vs. Jeff Hardy at the Royal Rumble, in terms of intrigue and truly not knowing who will win. I am going to go see Righteous Kill because it stars the two best actors in the world, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. Jericho and Michaels are the DeNiro and Pacino of WWE. Solid hype or not, people will pay to see this match.

-Randy Orton has been a very pleasant surprise since his return to television. His promos have cut right to the bone and for the most part, he has been correct in his statements. Thus, he is actually getting a face reaction from the crowd. I like it when someone can act naturally and garner heat (face or heel) from the fans.

Steve Austin said multiple times in interviews that the best characters are those that are an amped version of the actual person and their personality. Orton looks very comfortable right now and is producing great TV with his segments. I hope he stays heel and leads the second generation faction. If a few fans cheer a heel, that is okay. If a heel is acting like a face to get pops, then he or she is not doing his or her job. People are cheering for Orton because they appreciate his brashness and honesty, not because he is playing for a pop. Austin became iconic doing the exact same thing.

-Finally, what happens next for C.M. Punk? Unlike many, I thought his championship reign was booked well, in the ring at least. Punk is someone who will have competitive matches with everyone and thus, he had competitive title defenses in which he won. However, I hate how the other wrestlers and announcers put Punk down and degraded the mere fact that he had the title. That was bullshit.

For those people who still think Punk was booked poorly in the ring during his run, just be glad it was not a repeat of how Rey Mysterio was booked during his title reign. Punk seems to be in a holding pattern right now. He had his "on the way out of the title picture" cage match with Jericho last week. It is obvious he is on his way to a program with Orton, but while Orton is hurt and not yet with the young guys, what is in store for Punk? Here is hoping they plant seeds of the feud between him and the faction vs. just having him wrestle random matches or worse, not appearing on television at all. He is a former world champion and probably a future one. Treat him like it!

-Jason Powell is in a good mood because his Vikings won yesterday. I thought they looked fantastic and as odd as it sounds, Gus Frerotte is the correct person to quarterback that team. Conversely, my mood is not so good because my Steelers looked like shit yesterday. My McBeams barely showed up. I lost by two points and Patrick Crayton was shut out completely vs. the Packers. On top of that, the person I look most forward to seeing at work, and she only works here on Mondays, is out today. My luck has to change soon, right?

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