WWE RAW IS WAR – 12/07/09

What I liked: Mark Cuban was an entertaining guest host. Aside from former professional wrestlers, the celebrities that make the most sense are the ones that are fans of the business. You could tell Mark is a huge fan of the business. He had a great time and did a great job as guest host… Legacy’s promo against Cuban was well done. They did a good job of playing up Orton and Cuban’s history… I really enjoyed the Kofi-Orton “match.” It made perfect storyline sense. Orton has a tainted victory over Kofi, and now Kofi has a tainted victory over Orton. Plus, as a bonus, Cuban got some revenge on Orton. This was a very strong segment… The segment (originally supposed to be a match) with DX and JeriShow was well done. I liked that DX was left laying, especially since they are probably going to be getting the belts at the PPV, or soon thereafter… The ending segment with Sheamus and Cena was good, with one notable exception – Cuban knocking Sheamus down to the mat. Other than that, the segment was enjoyable. Both men did a good job on the mic.

What I didn’t like: Cena vs. Carlito was yet another classic example of what is wrong with WWE. Carlito gave a great promo last week that touched on some very real public feelings about the state of WWE today. So what happens? He gets squashed by Cena. I’m not saying he should have pinned the champ, but would a countout win – or at least a very competitive loss – have really hurt Cena that much?... Maryse and Gail Kim’s match was far too short to comment on, but what I’d really like to know is who Gail Kim pisse off in WWE? She is one of the best female workers in the company and deserves better than this… The mixed tag with Hornswoggle and Chavo, and post-match with Chris Masters, was just horrible. I won’t waste anymore keystrokes on that horrible segment.

Take it or leave it: I like that Legacy is getting some ring time and some victories, but I feel bad for Primo and Evan Bourne. It’s never a good sign when WWE sticks you in one of those slapped-together tag team units… The Miz and Mark Henry are two solid competitors. They obviously cannot be expected to win all of their matches, but I hate how WWE is pushing (or not pushing) Henry (and MVP, for that matter). It was nice to see Miz get a clean win, however. Now that they are even at 1-1, will there be a rubber match at the PPV?

Overall thoughts: Considering the wretchedness usually found on Monday nights, this week’s show wasn’t too bad. Cuban was a great guest host, Orton and Kofi furthered their feud, JeriShow and DX had a good segment, and so did the champ and Sheamus.

ECW – 12/08/09

What I liked: The opening segment with Regal & Co. and Christian & Co. was effective. Everyone was great on the mic and it made for an entertaining segment. I like that ECW is slowly breaking apart Kozlov and Jackson, as opposed to a hotshot angle… It was nice to see Vance Archer finally get a victory over an established name. On the downside, it looks like Dreamer will be reverting back to pre-ECW Champion form. His feud with Ryder, however, should be entertaining… At first, I didn’t care much for this Burchill-mask angle. But it’s growing on me. I like that he’s using the name ‘The Ripper,’ a nod to his OVW stint… The main event was a good match, but the post-match with Christian and Shelton was even better. Their face-to-face shouting match on the ladder to close the show was well done.

What I didn’t like: The tag team squash didn’t do much for me. It also isn’t a good sign that, just by standing in the ring, I couldn’t tell which team was the jobbing team.

Take it or leave it: N/A

Overall thoughts: ECW has been very consistent, and this episode was no exception. I’d recommend checking it out.

WWE SUPERSTARS – 12/10/09

What I liked: It was nice to see Ziggler get another win. I hope he gets a sustained push soon. Also, I hope Finlay turns heel again real soon. He’s much more effective that way… I couldn’t believe me eyes when I saw Jesse & Jimmy Yang back on TV. I would have thought Jesse’s return would be saved for something with Festus (now Luke Gallows). I’m sure they’ll do an angle sometime down the line. It was also nice to see the Hart Dynasty wrestle (and win) against someone other than Cryme Tyme… Swagger and MVP had a really nice match. Too bad they can’t get this kind of attention on Raw.

What I didn’t like: Swagger’s lisp promo scared me. I sure hope WWE doesn’t plan on reducing his character to someone who struggles with a lisp.

Take it or leave it: N/A

Overall thoughts: All three matches are watchable. This was a good episode of Superstars.

WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN – 12/11/09

What I liked: Batista continues to be on fire since turning heel. His promo against Rey and the Undertaker was excellent… Punk & Gallows vs. Truth & Hardy was a good match. I really like the Punk-Gallows alliance. Their pre-match promo was also well done. I only hope that CM Punk returns to World Title status sometime in 2010… Knox’s promo against Kane backstage was effective. I’m a big fan of Knox and hope he gets a sustained push in 2010… JeriShow’s promo against DX for their upcoming match was solid and effective… The Morrison-McIntyre confrontation was entertaining. I’m not a big fan of heels playing the coward role all the time, but McIntyre already has a win over Morrison, so it’s not like he was portrayed as being scared. Great segment… Batista and Mysterio had another solid match, but the post-match stuff was even better. It was a perfect teaser for their match on Sunday.

What I didn’t like: Jericho vs. Escobar made no sense. The fans could care less about Escobar. He’s too new and was never properly established by WWE before turning heel… There is no reason for Kane to be beating Mike Knox every week. Kane should be in the role of putting over younger talent, not defeating them.

Take it or leave it: The women’s tag match was nothing special.

Overall thoughts: WWE had a really good week of programming this week and ended strong with another solid SmackDown show. I would watch the entire thing, skipping only the recaps and video packages.