Positively Raw 12.14.10: 2010 Slammy Edition

It was a night bigger and grander than both the Oscars and the Grammys combined on WWE Raw this week, as WWE and WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 presented to us the 2010 Slammy Awards! It was a night of mayhem, chaos, acceptance speeches, carnage, and build towards this Sunday’s TLC Pay-Per-View. In today’s edition of Positively Raw we look back at the highlights of the show in a column that is never negative, and always positive.

1. The 2010 Slammy Awards

Right from the get-go of this week’s episode there was a feeling in the atmosphere that this was to be a big show. WWE’s always fantastic production team had worked hard to give the show a different feel to normal, and in a way, it felt almost pay-per-view like. The titantron was not your regular TV tron, but rather, was an HD variation usually reserved for pay-per-views. Then there was the cheesy R & B music that was essentially the theme tune for the Slammys. The last time we heard music of that genre in WWE was for Wrestlemania, so the fact that they were playing it here added to the hype. Even little touches like the fact that at the very beginning of the show we had the voice-over telling us that ‘Now: WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 the videogame presents… The 2010 Slammy Awards’ gave the show that special show feel.

The Positive – Three hour episodes of Raw have become rather regular over the past couple of years. So much so that when another one is announced, it no longer seems like a big deal to anyone, even if it is given a theme. Therefore the fact that WWE went out of their way to make this look, sound, and feel like more than just a regular episode of Raw added plenty to differentiating this from the other 51 Raw episodes this year. A different set was expected for the Old-School episode last month, but not tonight, so props must be given once again to the production team for giving us a nice surprise.

2. The return of a former World Champion

The first award of the night was for Shocker of the year, and the presenter of the award was bit of a shocker in itself. None other than former WCW Champion David Arquette made his way out to the stage to a chorus of boos, and played a heel persona rather well. His night wasn’t confined to simply handing out awards though, as he found himself spending time with The Miz and Alex Riley, before being put in a handicap match, teaming with Riley to take on number one contender Randy Orton. After Orton pinned Riley, Miz and Arquette attempted to suplex Orton through a table, only for the Viper to fight back and powerbomb Arquette through the table.

The Positive – Okay, so I’m not saying that Arquette should have ever been champion in WCW, but the past cannot be rewritten, so WWE may as well make the most of it. Arquette being a ‘former champion’ fit nicely into the story of the night, being that both The Miz and Randy Orton were to face former world champions. David, being a wrestling fan, was also one of the better Raw guest hosts in that he seemed genuinely happy and comfortable to be out there performing, and of course, wasn’t afraid to get involved on a physical level. It was also a smart move by the WWE to team him up for the night with The Miz and Alex Riley, as many of the The Miz’s detractors online have compared The Awesome One to Arquette, so it makes sense on that level. It was also smart booking to have Orton put another of The Miz’s cohorts through a table for the second week running, so as to nicely build to their table match at the upcoming pay-per-view without giving anything away, as neither champion, nor challenger have been put through a table yet.

Now would also be a great point to mention how great it was that they actually managed to bring in Cayley, a.k.a. the scowling demon child from when The Miz won the WWE title. She pulled off her scary face again, before The Miz stole her award for himself, cementing the fact that he’s a jerk. I loved it!

3. Let them fight! Let them fight!

Last week, John Morrison interrupted Sheamus’s coronation ceremony to challenge the Celtic Warrior to a rubber match, to find out once and for all who was the better competitor. I was rather surprised to see the graphic appear during the show, advertising that match as happening tonight, as I assumed TLC would be the place to end the feud. It seemed WWE had us fooled though, as the match began , and both men began trading vicious punches, knocked the referee down, and refused to separate as per the referee’s orders. A double disqualification was declared, and before long that chiming sound that we all love to boo was heard, as the anonymous GM intervened to announce that on Sunday, Sheamus and Morrison would go one-on-one in ladder match to not only end their rivalry, but to determine the next number one contender to the WWE Championship.

The Positive – This has become one of the most heated rivalries in the WWE over the last few months, and a rivalry that has also created some pretty great matches. Since last week, I have been highly anticipating a final match between these two, and was excited about seeing this match on Raw. As soon as the double-DQ occurred though, I knew right away that TLC was going to be the place to see it, and in a ladder match no less, which should be no less than awesome. The high-flying abilities of Morrison, coupled with the strength and power of Sheamus should make for a brilliant ladder match. We then even got a preview of things to come, as Sheamus proceeded to set the ladder up in a bit of a bizarre fashion outside the ring, and went on to send Morrison flying over the ropes and onto it, showing off the kind of sick bumps that Morrison is willing to take. With the contract for a title match hanging up as the prize in this one, it also ensures that this match will indeed be the feud ender, and will set us up for our Royal Rumble title match, which I’m now predicting to be The Miz vs. John Morrison. It also ensures that Orton and Miz will be ending their rivalry for the time being after this Sunday.

4. Cena gets his groove back… and his job!

After walking out on a match with The Big Show, Wade Barrett had a decision to make regarding John Cena. Last week, the big question we were left with was whether Wade would hire Cena back, after his Nexus brethren threatened him with a mutiny. Well, Barrett called Cena down to the ring, and hired him back on two conditions: 1. That the two of them have a Chairs Match at TLC, and 2. That Cena faces David Otunga in a match to end Raw. It was a no brainer for Cena as not only would he get his job back, but he’d also get to lay his hands upon the two members of Nexus that he had not yet been able to get to. Nexus proceeded to beat down Cena, but at the end of the show, it was Cena that laid Otunga to waste with a steel chair, while Barrett looked on with a smirk in his face.

The Positive – After leading the revolt last week, David Otunga was more or less punished by Wade Barrett this week by being squashed by Cena in a match, and then further beat down afterwards. This suits Barrett well, and one would assume that Otunga is now either out of the Nexus, or due to do some major ass-kissing to get back into Barrett’s good books. Cena on the other hand must be happy to be hired again, and the internet must be happy that comments sections no longer need to be flooded with moans of WWE still advertising Cena despite him being fired. As for the chair match at TLC, I would expect Nexus to interfere, and also reckon that this could well be the end of the Cena/Nexus storyline. If Cena wins, one would have to question whether Barrett would be left with any credibility at all as the Nexus leader, and whether the group would go in a different direction. Whereas if Barrett wins, will again try to go after the WWE title? Or will Cena continue to attack. I’m intrigued to see where this is headed and if and how this all ends. Overall, WWE have given us a strong build up to their final pay-per-view of the year.

That’s all for this week folks. I’ll be back in 7 days with TLC fallout. Until then, have yourselves a great week, and remember to Stay Positive!