Did anyone else notice this?

[Guest SoZe]

If it was reversed, and Batista opened the show, while HHH main evented, everyone would still be bitching. I agree that the new champ should have had a stronger presence, but it's not really like H was all over RAW last night. Dave most definately should have cut that promo short though.

[iggymcfly 0]

Yeah, I wasn't saying I minded HHH's presence at all; it was absolutely necessary if they were going to keep the feud going. I was just saying that somewhere in the midst of the 15 people that got mic time on Monday, Batista needed to cut a promo about being the champ.

 

Even using the 20 second block where Kane acted like he was about to make out with Randy Orton would have helped Batista's credibility a lot.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

If it was reversed, and Batista opened the show, while HHH main evented, everyone would still be bitching. I agree that the new champ should have had a stronger presence, but it's not really like H was all over RAW last night. Dave most definately should have cut that promo short though.

While nobody is arguing that Hunter should have been on Raw in some fashion, did he really have to open Raw and then walk out after the main event and steal the spotlight from the new champion ?

[Guest krazykat72]

While nobody is arguing that Hunter should have been on Raw in some fashion, did he really have to open Raw and then walk out after the main event and steal the spotlight from the new champion ?

He didn't steal the spotlight.

He was hyping up the PPV they're have in 3 weeks, where Batista will look even stronger after he beats him again.

Batista was just fine on RAW. He destroyed Orton in 5 minutes.

 

I don't know why everyone's so upset about him not getting on the mic. His character is far more of an "actions speak luder than words" one.

 

 

 

-Paul Jacobi-

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

The point was that the new champion should have been the one to open Raw. He's just won the 'World' Title, he is meant to be the new face of the brand, so it's him who should have opened the first Raw of his reign. Would it have done any harm to have Batista open Raw with a short promo that would have let him have all the spotlight, without having to share it with anyone else, or a match that had just happened ?

 

Not only that, the show really should have ended with the all the focus on Batista. He's meant to be the new face of Raw, so at least let the first Raw of his reign begin and end with him being the sole focus, and the former champion staying in the back.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

This should not a big deal. As soon as you know it, Batista will be a number one contender for the IC title after Jericho wins it for the 11th time.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

It is worth noting that Smackdown did a better job making Cena look good than RAW did making Batista look good.

[iggymcfly 0]

I was thinking about it again today. What they should have done is let HHH and Flair have a little backstage skit before the credits rolled, where HHH talked about how he had a plan to get the title back, etc. Then, after the credits, Batista could have come out, talked about how great it was to win the title, and say he knew HHH had a shot at Backlash, but tonight he was giving an open challenge to take on anyone on the roster.

 

Then, Orton could have come out and cut his promo setting up the match, and they could either leave the show the way it was, or have Trips come out after the main event and sledgehammer up Batista. I think that would actually be better, because it would show that HHH knew he needed to do something else to be able to beat Batista, and it would put more heat on the Backlash match than a crappy promo to lead off Raw.

[Guest Dazed]

The first month(s) of the HHH / Batista feud were masterful. There was so much subtlety on the part of Batista - deliberately getting himself sent backstage during a HHH match, something that happened and wasn't acknowledged by either Ross or Lawler. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but the implication was that he'd even outsmarted them, they should thought he'd gone mad.

 

After the Rumble, and moreso after the "official" face turn for Batista,the feud took a total turnaround. "HHH: You are good, but I am better". Over, and OVER and fucking over.

 

After HHH beat Benoit, he added Chris to the list of people he's "better than"; a hugely irritating trait where he wipes the slate of any jobs he's done against that person, and only keeps the last match, co-incidentally the one that he wins. Did Benoit get any mic time? Did he get a chance, as HHH so often does, to make his excuses? Did he get the opportunity to point out that he's beaten HHH repeatedly, and cleanly, and that one victory, while admirable, is nothing on what he achieved against HHH? Of course not. Slight tangent there

 

But the whole HHH / Batista feud was essentially that: "You're good, but not as good as me". It's all seen from HHH's perspective, because he's the one that gets all the mic time. Of the two times we've seen Batista since he won the title, HHH has interupted both times. Add on the two interview segments HHH was given himself, as well as the absolutely retarded squash of the Hurricane and Rosey, and you'll see we're given a very one sided feud.

 

Talking of the Hurricane, why not bring Ace Reporter Gregory Helms back, and have someone threaten to reveal the Hurricane's true identity? Inevitably, they'd fail, but hell, it'd make for Hurricane to do something better than being HHH's bitch whenever he's feeling a little sour.

 

Even now, after the title switch, it's still "You WERE good, but you're not as good as the Pedigree". Dave, crucially, was never hit with the Pedigree, but this isn't something that's brought up. Instead, HHH is doing the one thing a heel should never do, and he's telling the truth. The Pedigree is invincible. Who's kicked out of it? Foley; by mistake. The Rock; because of a miscue. Both of those were 5 years ago, and I'm struggling to think of more.

 

I don't think there can be any doubt that we need a break from HHH. I don't just mean pushing him down the card, I mean taking him off TV for a break, or throwing him on SmackDown. He's been the top heel since the end of '99, but has never reached the levels of overness that a top heel needs. Instead, he uses every cheap, shitty gimmick he can to justify his position, and overused some of them to the point of ridiculousness, with no sense of *when* it is appropriate. Just look at how many matches have ended with Flair interference / Sledgehammer / Low blow & Pedigree combo.

 

Sadly, the WWE is too caught up in the 90s mentality where we need to see everyone every week. We don't. Especially not HHH.

[iggymcfly 0]

Even now, after the title switch, it's still "You WERE good, but you're not as good as the Pedigree". Dave, crucially, was never hit with the Pedigree, but this isn't something that's brought up. Instead, HHH is doing the one thing a heel should never do, and he's telling the truth. The Pedigree is invincible. Who's kicked out of it? Foley; by mistake. The Rock; because of a miscue. Both of those were 5 years ago, and I'm struggling to think of more.

 

Actually, I'm almost certain they did that to set up Batista kicking out of the Pedigree at Backlash to try to make it more of an accomplishment when he does finally kick out of the Pedigree. Personally, I didn't like the promo because I thought it telegraphed the finish of their next PPV main event, but if you didn't figure that out from what HHH said, then the marks almost certainly didn't, so in the context of the WWE's primary fanbase, it was probably a good move after all.

 

Still though, I'm pretty sure they could have found something more substantial to buiild the rematch on than "HHH didn't think to use the Pedigree". I mean, he's used it for 99% of the clean victories he's gotten in the last five years. If anything, I think HHH should have tried to soften Batista up with sledgehammers, etc., thinking that he'd only be able to put down the animal if he wasn't at full strength to begin with.

[Guest Dazed]

HHH did try to use the Pedigree, but Dave powered out of it, proving that he is better than the move. Something HHH has forgotten already.