Precap to Jan. 16, 2012 episode of Raw or, Raw from New York it’s Monday Night!

Lazy Monday

I touched on this briefly one the last precap, but I think it should be more defined. Razztopia called Raw a "poorly-written variety show". That is as spot on a description as I have ever heard. There is so much going on during Raw, and they are all going into so many different directions, that frankly each bit should be seen and enjoyed as individual skits. Part of the reason I do this format is to separate what I like from what I hate from what I love from what I don't care about.

And that separation absolutely needs to exist.

The Cena/Kane story line is so campy and over the top that it could easily turn people off. The same said with Brodus Clay. Punk/Johnny Ace is the complete opposite, where you have a super serious wrestler getting into it with authority. Then you have Jericho doing his emotional silent return. Each are absolutely brilliant in their own ways. One needs to separate the players and the style of the bits.

Pro wrestling fans get fed a lot of crap. There is no denying that. We are treated like bottom feeders by those in charge of entertaining us. Our intelligence is insulted on a weekly basis. Our money is taken and we never receive a word of thanks. It makes being a pro wrestling fan very hard.

This, however, is not one of those times.

For those of you who do not like the direction Raw is taking, I urge you to reconsider. As we turn the corner on the Royal Rumble and move towards the Granddaddy of Them All, things will be much more serious and focused again. Right now, though, is a unique and special moment. Pro wrestling should never take itself too seriously. And its fans should never take the product too seriously. There is so much going on that if you do not like one storyline, just wait till the next comes around. Don't hate the entire show because of one of the bits. If you don't like a single thing going on, well, I encourage you to have a little more fun with your wrestling.

The rest of the show after the jump

Jericho! Emotion! Silence!

This is the first week Jericho has fallen below the fold. Next week he is going to be below the Divas. Week after that I may not even have him in the precap at all. If he doesn't start talking I will never watch a single second of Y2J ever again. I will turn off my television. I will run next door and turn off my neighbors as well, just in case they are watching Raw. I am smarter than everyone else, and when I say he will speak that means he must say something or Jericho is a stupid idiot pants.

Seriously guys. Relax. The point of being a dick is to piss people off. Don't worry about what is going to happen next week. Just enjoy the absurdity of it all.

John Cean! Kane! Ryder! Eve! Horror!

WWE has switched movies on us. We went from the epic Star Wars franchise to the groan inducing generic 80's horror flick. This is a fun little story line that gives us plenty to laugh about, and it is aimed for the children instead of the smarks. My only real problem with the story is that it is opening and closing the show. I understand the need to have Cena front as center as much as possible, and it is not like I have a better idea where to place it. It's a miner annoyance, though. Expect more silliness to ensue tonight.

Punk! Ziggler! Big Johnny! WWE Championship!

The WWE Champion is starting to slide a bit down the card. Honestly, the only reason Punk is this high is because of Johnny Ace. Punk and Ziggler should be fighting over the US strap, a title that is being wasted on Ryder. I am not saying they are not or should not be main eventers. I am saying that this just does not have a face of the company feel to it. That is a problem that is going to stay until Wrestlemania XXVIII. However, this is still the best actual wrestling storyline on Raw. Punk will continue to rebel, Ziggler will continue to rise, and Johnny Ace will continue to be excellence personified.

R-Truth! Miz! Ricardo! La Cucaracha!

I love R-Truth. I love this feud. I love that Miz is trying to be this "mastermind" character that tries to make everyone to do his bidding, and it blows up in his face. I love the idea that Ricardo Rodriguez is trying to get some Bella tail while is boss is injured (I for one, wish him the best of luck on his endeavor). I love the hilarity of Ricardo playing the dozens on Truth, and Truth making Ricardo sing La Cucaracha. This is one of the stupidest things on the show, and I can't get enough of it.

Smackdown! On Raw!

Danielson and AJ sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First Bryan becomes champion, then AJ gets decked by Big Show at full speed, then the show closes with Big Show crying like a baby at the top of the entrance ramp. It started to look like a clean heel turn for Daniel Bryan, but the way he defended AJ was just pitch perfect. And of course Big Show is going to be upset. And Henry will come out on Friday and not care. Logically consistent characters. It is not that hard to do, and it makes the show a hundred times better.

Air Boom! Epico and Primo! Rosa! Rosa's Caboose! Tag Team Titles!

Air Boom lost their pennies during a house show yesterday (Sun., Jan. 15, 2012). It will be interesting to see if they treat it as cannon or pretend that it never happened. The general rule of thumb is that house shows are exhibition and are not official. If P&E show up on Raw with the titles, though, I guess that changes that. Although, the Air Boom hasn't really been on Raw recently, have they? Perhaps they will tape Smackdown with them as champions, and then have them actually win the titles at a house show, and finally Smackdown will air and everything will be consistent. Seems awfully confusing, but it is the WWE.

Divas! Perez Hilton! WTF!

You read that right, folks. WWE.com has an article up announcing that Perez Hilton will be on Raw. There is something so beautiful about how it is written, though.

"WWE Universe, don't miss Perez Hilton's special appearance on tonight's Raw SuperShow! He'll be the guest ring announcer for the Divas match."

Look at that. Not a Divas match. It doesn't tell what divas will be wrestling. It is the Divas match. Even the people who are paid to care about these types of things do not care about the Divas. This will be a train wreck, but luckily it will be short.

Hopefully this has gotten you prepared for the nights activities. Leave a comment about what you are looking forward to, make sure to follow the action @Cagesideseats and please join Geno, myself, and the whole Monday Night gang during the live blog here.