WWE Monday Night Raw at FedExForum last night was outstanding. Let me get the news out of the way, then I will talk about the show.
All the local breweries do a great job with their special events, but I have to admit Wiseacre’s are the most intriguing. On Saturday, October 29 they will host a Symfonic Fermentation Fair. It will be a celebration of all things fermented as well as the release of their Red Wine Barrel Aged American Wild Ale Symphonic. There will be entertainment from two Memphis Symphony troupes as well as The Drinking & Writing Theater from Chicago. Fermentation stations will feature goods from Porcellino’s, Miss Cordelia’s and Cordelia’s Table, Philip Ashley Chocolates, Metropolis Coffee Company, Bounty on Broad, and Bonnie Blue Farms. Tickets are $30 and include 6 beer pairings plus additional beer. Buy tickets here.
The Triple-A National Championship Game is tonight at AutoZone Park. You can buy tickets here and there are several good ticket packages you can choose. Personally, I would be all about that whole hog roast. The game will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network.
Rizzo’s Diner has announced a wine dinner with Athens and Corkscrew tomorrow night. I haven’t seen a menu but let’s face it, with Michael Patrick in the kitchen you know it’s going to be good.
Dokken comes to the New Daisy Friday, November 4 at 9 PM.
If any of my readers hang out at Slider Inn in Midtown, “Yazoo Cellar Man” Ivan Chester tweeted out that you might see some Yazoo folks there later today.
The fourth annual Deal Cancer Out poker tournament will happen on November 4 at Downtown Central BBQ. $45 buy-in includes door prizes and a BBQ buffet. Winner gets a 3-day trip to Las Vegas, with the top 5 finishers awarded prize packs, stuffed full of gift cards ranging in value from $350 (second place) down to $100 (fifth place). Teresa from River Rat Rounders will be running the game and it will be run like the World Series of Poker.
I think this is a positive sign: Memphis Animal Services is getting rid of breed listings. They hope this will encourage people to judge animals by their individual personalities and not on pre-conceived notions of the breed.
Well, blast it all! After spending $40 on a ticket to Farm Fest last week, the Memphis Farmers Market notified me today that I’m on the media list and would have had complimentary tickets waiting on me anyway. The Farmers Market loves me! I’ve been absent from the Market the last few weeks but will be there this Saturday before catching a ride out to BreakFest. Hey Squeal Street, if you need anything from the Market last minute, text me.
Okay, with the news done let’s move on to my thoughts about RAW:
Parts of the show I really liked:
- Chris Jericho. He got over with nothing more than a clipboard and a scarf and made the crowd totally get into what he was doing. Definitely the most entertaining segment of the show.
- The cruiserweights. That division is new to RAW and put on quite the spectacle as The Brian Kendrick won to earn a Cruiserweight Championship match at the PPV Sunday. However, the one I predict will be a breakout star is Rich Swann. Given the chance to let his personality show, I bet he would become a crowd favorite quickly.
- The second pre-show taping match for Superstars: Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth) completely fired up the crowd right before RAW with a very good tag team match. Badly needed after the match before (see below). WHAT’S UP!!!!
- The main-event cage match. Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens put on a good match. Post-match attack by Rusev and the save by Seth Rollins were good too. They teased a reunion between Rollins and Reigns as the show went dark at the end.
- Enzo and Cass. They didn’t do anything special but the crowd popped huge when their music came on.
- One of The Shining Stars doing Enzo’s shuffle on the ring apron, only to eat a boot from Big Cass. Good stuff.
- The women. Such a treat to see Bayley on the main roster.
- The fact that John Cena was not on the show. He’s exclusive to the Smackdown brand now. I respect the work Cena does in the ring and in the community, but as a wrestling fan he’s just not my favorite.
- The fact that, unlike the last live RAW I went to two years ago, there was not a match featuring a man in a bunny suit.
Parts I didn’t like:
- The pre-show match taping for Superstars: Darren Young (with Bob Backlund) beat Curtis Axel. Backlund’s crazy old guy gimmick is just annoying. As for Axel, he didn’t inherit any of the charisma his dad Mr. Perfect had. They could have played a lullaby and got the crowd more into it. This was the first match of the night and not a good way to start off.
- Mick Foley. The General Manager of RAW completely flubbed his lines and seemed to have little idea who the cruiserweights were – the very people he was introducing. I bet Vince McMahon ripped him a new one backstage after that segment. The usually-excellent Foley was terrible here.
Here’s a complete recap for those who missed the show last night.
WWE’s other brand, Smackdown Live, was announced for a show on January 17. If you like Cena, he’s one of the top stars on that show, along with A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, and Becky Lynch.
Thanks again to my friend Chicken Fried Steak Rodger for the use of the extra ticket. “Paul, you need to come with me for some Grizzlies games this season,” he told me. “The great thing about my seats is that they include an all-you-can-eat buffet and free beer.” AYE AYE, SIR! You just tell me when you want me to go!
That’s it for now. Getting through day 2 of a four-day work week, then will be out at the Blind Bear for happy hour. I finally got Burger Fest photos uploaded so there may be a post about that sometime soon.