WWE RAW Review: 08/19/02

The 24-7 rule is dead! Let us run to the street for hours of singing and dancing! Actually, I was probably one of the only fans of that poor, maligned rule in the division nobody loved. It helped the hardcore belt to stand out, and probably helped to ensure it would outlast the European Title more than any flimsy trash can could. When Crash Holly held the gold, the rule was probably at its peak. While a lot of people really, really hated the idea, I thought it was just hysterical. Some poor janitor somewhere would try to pin him and collect their fifteen minutes of fame, and Crash would roll them up for three, turn ass and haul. With that said, the time was right to eliminate the rule, and ultimately I'm glad they did it. The ECW crew seems to be taking the division in the direction it's been destined for since their old playground closed up shop, and the first step towards making it legitimate is eliminating that golden rule. Tommy Dreamer's still the champ, Terri didn't make the run-in I was terrified she would, and all is well in that little world.

Jericho / Flair didn't really turn the corner like I was hoping it would, but their interaction was done well enough, and I'm still interested in seeing where they run with it Sunday. The Nature Boy is cutting promos like he's young again, and blading just as often. It makes me happy, especially since he's working with a guy that's been needing someone like this to play off of for years. Fozzy was a pretty large disappointment, though I wasn't expecting Mozart, and I wonder if the band was aware they'd be turning heel that night. Ah well... one of the dozens of guitarists was wearing an outfit that seemed to have come straight from Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail, so all is forgiven.

They tried to catch lightning in a bottle again last night with the six man tag, and it didn't really work out as well as last time. It was a solid match, but I'm really wondering how the UnAmericans will be taken seriously if the Undertaker can single handedly take them out with just his "soup bones" and a smile. And why the hell is Goldust an "American Hero"??

And then there was the main event. Not sure why, but I couldn't really pay attention to the match itself. Brock was used intelligently and consistently, especially in turning on Shawn Michaels in a blind rage. I really, really didn't see that coming, and I loved it. It was all good on my end until HBK took that first real bump, a clothesline from HHH, and spent the rest of the program holding his back. I hadn't been that concerned about his upcoming match until I saw that. Maybe he was just doing a good job, selling an injury everybody knows he has, but it didn't seem that way to me. Sunday could be bad...

Regardless, I found myself pretty well entertained by the show. Not quite as much as last week, but still a few steps above your average program. I'll give it a smiley face, but no gold star.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is poor and 10 is amazing...
Overall Score: 6.5