@MikeKillam — MikeKillam@gmail.com
This is going to be incredibly long, so please hang in there with me. I've got three hours of Raw, the impending and far-off future to talk about, and my thoughts on why weekly 3-hour Raw isn't such a terrible idea. I believe this is actually my longest article yet…
Raw 1,000 Review
Vince McMahon and His Merry Men
The first five minutes of this very special night started things off perfectly. The opening video package put WWE's biggest strength – their video production team – on display and provoked some pretty strong emotions right off the bat. To this day I still can't see a video of Eddie Guerrero or a clip of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair's retirement ceremony without tearing up a little…
Only Vince McMahon had the right and authority to kick off the 1,000th episode of a show that is truly his baby. In fact, he probably loved it more than he ever did Stephanie or Shane (the verdict is still out on Hunter). That being said, there is something inherently wrong with Vince introducing Degeneration X. It's the same reason Shawn Michaels didn't induct Bret Hart into the Hall of Fame, or why Jack Swagger isn't introduced by a guy wearing a giant "S" costume – your greatest rival should never be your biggest promoter.
The DX reunion was a great feel-good moment, but it started to drag about half-way through. I've had a decent amount of contact with Kipp (Billy Gunn), so any time he gets the call I'm more than happy to see him on my television screen. Great worker, great guy – a lot of talents in the back could learn a thing or two from the way he and D-O-Double-G carried themselves back in the day. Sean "X-Pac" Waltman didn't have a speaking part in this play; probably for the best.
That may very well be the last time we get to see a DX reunion in a WWE ring. That's a good thing. While I enjoyed this segment for the nostalgia (not to mention how well it put over the young Damien Sandow), these guys are getting too old and mean too much to wrestling's past to be dancing around, pushing WWE merch and telling people to "suck it".
