Riddle me this, Batman - if WWE is so concerned with democracy, why was someone declared “King”? Seriously, this week’s three hour mega Raw was a study in contrast. On one hand, there was the well-executed King of the Ring tourney supported by intense promos from Orton and his challengers, not to mention an all-star main event (except for Chavo, who wins the “One of these things is not like the other” participation ribbon). On the OTHER hand, there were the insipid, cringe-inducing segments involving the Presidential candidates and their dime-store doppelgangers. Just who were those cliché-laden speeches targeting? Anyone watching who is old enough to vote should have felt insulted by such condescending and redundant prattling. Hillary, excuse me, “Hill-Rod”, is a “devoted Hulkamainiac”? At least that would explain why she doesn’t know when she’s overstayed her welcome (it really is too easy sometimes). It was hard to tell who looked more comatose – the crowd or John McCain. And honestly, they could have attempted to find people who at least resembled the candidate they supposedly portrayed. Trying to determine the bigger tragedy between Trump vs. Rosie or the Obama/Clinton fiasco is like trying to decide which Olsen twin to choke first – there is no wrong answer. Credit where credit is due however for taking the usual parade of stereotypes up a notch; they managed to cover women, blacks, Samoans and they made the Brit a king (it would be a shame if that crown messes up Regal’s hair).You don’t need to be Karnack to see the tremendous potential of Regal as K.O.T.R. Not like he needs it, but this move not only instantly gives Regal more credibility as a top-tier heel, such an accolade doubly serves as a sort of lifetime achievement award for one of the most talented capital-W Wrestlers of the past two decades. Regal has been so effective in the role of G.M. as of late, let’s hope this amounts to more than just a costume change and he is given a real chance to shine. Also, the fact that CM Punk was put over clean against Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho on the same night should not go unnoticed. His detractors will call it another example of “sell merchandise, will travel”, but no one can dispute the fact that Punk has earned every bit of his recent success.
While the ratio of good ideas to bad ones was nearly 1:1, another positive aspect of Raw was the compelling tęte-ŕ-tęte between HBK and Batista. Thus far, this has been one of the most potent conflicts WWE has put together in some time and there doesn’t seem to be any reason why their feud can’t continue until Summerslam. Making the Backlash main event 4-way an elimination match is a smart decision as well. That one subtle change completely alters the structure and psychology of the match for the better. Ultimately, it’s just further proof that having Stephanie on maternity leave is truly a blessing in disguise.