WWE Monday Night Raw 2/13/2012 - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

I have a love/hate relationship with Shawn Michaels. The guy's unquestionably a great worker, and I love the idea and story of a Texas shitkicker who just so happens to be one of the best ever at his very specific, very strange job, but oftentimes, for whatever reason, it just doesn't add up for me on the screen. That wasn't the case this week, as Shawn Michaels showed up to add some much needed gravity to the Triple H and Undertaker storyline.

As much as I loved that Taker/HHH match last year the whole notion that we need a follow-up is just kind of wrongheaded. It was a fun match, but not an instant classic in the way that first Taker/HBK was, and I think it suffers by comparison already, much less once you make the circumstances even more similar with an immediate follow-up. HBK was on fire this week though, perfectly setting things up for Triple H to come out and hammer home what this kinda-sorta-superfluous match is really all about. For the first time I find myself caring about this match, and it's largely due to Michaels' involvement (honorable mention to Undertaker giving himself an agony haircut).

What I really wish though is that Triple H would just turn heel already. You can tell he wants to, and he's said as much in interviews over the years, expressing a desire to be the bad guy again. A feud with the Undertaker would be the perfect way to get people against him, and would fit in much better with his new business-barbarian gimmick. Would it be similar to the Corporation? Sure. But what the balls is wrong with that?

Even when I was going nuts for crazy hobo-gimmicked R-Truth on a weekly basis, I was still never all that bonkers for the guy's in-ring work. I recognize the talent and skill involved, and I know a lot of fans pop for a barrel roll elbow and jumping kicks, but it's just not for me. None of that, however, stopped me from thoroughly enjoying Truth's match against Dolph Ziggler though.

It's not anything that anyone will be writing about at the end of the year, but this quickie contest did everything that it set out to do. It sold Dolph as an extremely talented, but overconfident, wrestler, while also putting over the skills of R-Truth, which during the go-home week to a pay-per-view event, is exactly as it should be.

In what was the night’s biggest shocker, the Divas match was even kind of decent, pitting Tamina “They Refer To Me With a Last Name Now” Snuka against Brie “They Like Me Slightly Better than Nikki” Bella. Neither of those two broads are blowing minds anywhere with their in-ring work, but Brie is a perfectly serviceable heel, especially with her identical twin on the outside to help garner heat, and I think that Tamina definitely has some potential. I absolutely love that brutal Samoan Drop she hits, and while I worry about how she lands on her knees, her Superfly Splash is pretty fun too.

Even Beth Phoenix on commentary worked for me during this match. The Glamazon wasn’t exactly captivating, but she did a great job of putting over her opponent, which is a Promocutting 101 type thing that too often goes ignored in WWE.

I hate the Cena/Kane/Eve/Ryder/Neckbrace stuff, largely because of all the squandered potential. I still dig seeing Cena and Kane fight one another but it should have been so much more, to say nothing of the way that WWE sees intent on getting everyone to change their minds about Zack Ryder. But all of the weird motiveless attacks on Cena's two favorite damsels in distress (Ryder and Eve, natch), and inexplicable flaming rings felt like they might have been worth it during the brief moment in which Cena was making out hard with a big-haired orange broad with her tits hanging out.

Since WWE started hiring former soap opera writers, I've been waiting and hoping for more romantic plots to get worked into storylines, so I'm thrilled to see it happening here. A love triangle is such an easy source of drama and bad feelings that I'm shocked it's taken WWE this long to work one in. I was even fine with Ryder's wacky sell to the whole thing, though it would have read as far more realistic if he was up for just watching the two of them. All is far from forgiven with this angle, but more on that in a moment...