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Matt's Monday Night RAW Recap - 5/4/2015

Fresh off Bad News Barrett becoming King of the Ring which means...something, it's time for another edition of RAW.

Last week saw a pretty decent show and a good tag match. Smackdown is also starting to be consistently good as well. Hopefully, this means WWE is starting to find their rhythm again. Rollins is good chicken shit heel which is gonna equal a good payoff when the belt is finally taken off of him.


Thankfully, Creative finally came to the logical conclusion that Roman Reigns was still doughy and needed some more baking -- and that's paid off. He's no longer getting booed out of the building and the fans seem to finally be getting behind him...though, whether that good will carries into an inevitable championship push remains to be seen.

We're a couple weeks from Payback with a pretty good main event set up for that card.

I think split-screening this is gonna be the idea for me tonight. Madison Bumgarner has a no-no going into the 4th inning...

Let's see where this goes...

We are LIVE(!!!) from Montreal, Quebec, Canada for Monday Night RAW!!!

JBL, Cole and Booker are the guys talking.

Randy Orton starts us off and gets a nice ovation and dim SUSPENSE LIGHTING. Cole gives us our first Kane reference at about 34 seconds in because, as everyone knows, HE is the REASON we have such a spectacular main event at Payback! Orton says that the name of the next PPV is fitting because he'll have "payback against Seth Rollins". At Payback, he'll be champion. There isn't anything Reigns or Rollins can do about it.

That brings out Reigns. He says that if anyone gets "payback", it will be HIM. Orton begs to differ by basically saying "nuh-uh", then reminds Reigns of how many championships he's won and how many Triple Threat Matches he's been in. He says that Reigns has "catching up" to do. Reigns says the last time HE checked, he beat Orton. He won't mind breaking Orton in half one more time. The crowd doesn't care and chants for an RKO.

The New Day appears. Orton dances to the theme. Xavier Woods says that they're the only "champions" out there right now. Woods says that Reigns and Orton are negative and nobody cares. Woods says this is a NEW DAY! Crowd: SUCKS!!! They joke around and preach positivity and tell Orton and Reigns to clap with them. But, there's one more thing: Kane has authorized a match between the New Day and Orton/Reigns. NOW!!!

Good opening here. New Day stole the show from the usual drab, "No, you" back-and-forth between the three top guys.

MATCH #1: WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston & Big E) vs. Roman Reigns & Randy Orton in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match (non-title)
Woods ends up in the ring with Reigns. Woods puts Reigns in a headlock but Reigns breaks and runs him over with a shoulderblock. Woods goes for a Leapfrog and ends up in a Samoan Drop. Orton tags in and stomps Woods in the stomach, then hits a suplex for two. Woods crawls for his corner but Orton yanks him back, stomping at him. Reigns tags in and stomps Woods in the head. Both wrestlers stomp at Woods' stomach, splitting his legs while they do it, almost in homage to the Sharpshooter. Orton tags back in and the stomping continues. Woods finally fights back and tags E who hits a nice belly to belly suplex on a distraction by Kofi. Kofi tags in and starts working over Orton. Two count. Woods gets back in the ring and applies a headlock. Orton breaks but Woods hits a dropkick for two. After the break, we learn that Big E took over by shoulderblocking Reigns to death. Kofi has Reigns in the ring and he dropkicks Reigns, getting two. Tag to E. Punch to the chest. E hits a suplex and a belly to belly and it's a two count. Tag to Woods who comes in with a flying legdrop. Two count. Reigns fights back but Woods hits a Swinging Neckbreaker. Two count. Tag to Kofi and he punches Reigns in the chest. It's more Reigns peril with Kofi putting on an armbar. Reigns breaks so Kofi tosses Reigns to the mat and we start all over again with Woods coming in with a headlock. Crowd loves this so much, they chant, "WE WANT RANDY". Reigns picks Woods up and just tosses him clear across the ring. Hot tags on both sides and Orton is all over Kofi, who comes back with a kick and flies at Orton. Orton hits a Powerslam in Stride and it's a spot-fest with everyone hitting their stuff. The ring clears and Orton hits the Elevated DDT. He calls for the RKO but Woods gets in to interfere. Orton hits the RKO on him -- then goes for Kofi. Reigns gets in and tries for a Spear on Kofi -- but hits Orton. E pulls Reigns out of the ring and Kofi gets the pin on Orton (something I don't think I have typed ever) at 13:14.
WINNERS: The New Day.
RATING: ***. Not a bad start to things and a good idea to arbitrarily book The New Day against WWE's top guys. New Day worked well here and it was nice to see them get a win without the usual "cheating heel" spot for a change. Still, while New Day is hitting on all cylinders, Reigns and Orton seemed to be mailing it in here.

And, fuck, it's HEEL KANE. He knows that Orton and Reigns hate one another so, hold on a second, playa: it's Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns in the main event tonight. Cole reminds us that OMG: THEY'RE IN THE TRIPLE THREAT SO THAT'S HUGE! Orton and Reigns leave the ring and stare at each other.

Backstage, New Day celebrates and they tell Kane (who's walking by) that they're so happy and tell him that they told him they would "win". Kane rolls his eyes and walks past them, running into Seth Rollins. Rollins shoots his mouth off at Kane, telling him that he's a spoiled kid. Triple H and Steph will return and punish Kane. But, now, it's FACEKANE. Kane says he wasn't much for being a kid. He didn't leave milk and cookies for Santa. He waited in the chimney with a blowtorch to "burn his chestnuts". He's making a match: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins. Also, J&J are banned from ringside. Seth is beside himself and, pretty much stating the obvious, says that there's "no point" to having that match since he already beat Ambrose. Kane tells him to complain some more and he'll make life real hard for Seth. Seth storms off.

Renee Young brings Ryback to the ring. He goes off, telling everyone he doesn't know why Bray's going after him while, somehow, killing a "GOLDBERG" chant. Then he lists about 110 injuries and obstacles he's been through. He just keeps coming out and yelling "FEED ME MORE". He says that talking time is done. It's now "feeding time".

That brings out Bray in his Backstage Boiler Room Set of Doom. Bray says that Ryback puts on a good front but that he's a scared little boy. He says that Ryback will lose everything he loves. In time, Ryback will fade away, too.

This feud isn't doing it for me. I kinda like Bray. I really don't care for Ryback. I mean, they had potential with a Bray/Bo link...but we're not seeing that.

MATCH #2: Cesaro & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya) vs. The Ascension (Konnor & Viktor)
Konnor and Viktor ambush Kidd in the corner. Quick clothesline. Two count. Viktor stomps at Kidd and tags in Konnor. Stomps. Two count. Tag to Viktor. Stomps. Two count. Headlock by Viktor as Natalya frowns, breaking every ounce of Botox forcing her to do otherwise. Konnor tags in and hits a suplex. Two count. Tag to Viktor and he hits a dropkick for two. Konnor tags in and misses an elbow drop, but tags in Vitkor. Kidd tags Cesaro and he levels both of the Ascension with HUGE boots and a seires of uppercuts to Viktor. Cesaro whips Viktor from post to post with Uppercut after Uppercut, totaling around 8 to 10, then hits a Gut Wrench. Konnor tries to save the day but Cesaro dumps him. Kidd takes out Konnor outside. Cesaro hits a Swing on Viktor. Kidd hits the dropkick to the head and we're done at 4:07.
WINNERS: Cesaro & Kidd
RATING: *1/2. Worth it for Cesaro having more worth than everyone else here. Speaking of: does The Ascension have anything left?

Seth Rollins is backstage. Renee Young comes out of nowhere like a Wallmaster in The Legend of Zelda to get his "thoughts" on the match coming up. Rollins calls Kane a moron. 

ON SMACKDOWN: Rollins won his match against Ambrose because of Kane, which Kane is gonna fix by barring everyone but himself from ringside.

Ambrose and Rollins hit the ring...but Kane's music interrupts things. Kane says that he's taking Rollins' sentiments to heart...so, if Ambrose wins the match tonight, Ambrose will be added to the main event at Payback. Crowd LOVES this.

Rollins goes on a temper tantrum. Ambrose interrupts and says he likes this idea. He asks if anyone here has an issue. Rollins grabs his mic and yells some more, telling Canada that they don't matter. Kane says that Rollins's thoughts don't matter. RING THE BELL, PAL.

MATCH #3: Dean Ambrose vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (non-title)
Ambrose tries to roll Rollins up but Rollins kicks out. After some chops, Rollins bails from the ring. Ambrose follows and it's a fight outside with Ambrose hitting the Rebound Clothesline and tossing Rollins back into the ring. Ambrose locks Rollins's up and kicks him in the back of the head. Ambrose hits a quick lariat and quick elbow drop for a one count. Suplex by Ambrose. One count. All this while the commentary team argue over this whole fucking stipulation. Rollins takes over, putting Ambrose in the corner, punching at him. Ambrose comes back, tossing Rollins into the corner and chopping him down like a tree when Rollins comes back. Rollins regains control with a knee to the gut and slam. He drops a knee to Ambrose's head and gets a one count. Ambrose manages to regain control and tosses Rollins out of the ring as we go to break.

As we come back, Rollins is in control with a chinlock on Ambrose. Ambrose hits a headbutt and tries to clothesline Rollins but Rollins trips him and he goes flying into the second turnbuckle. Rollins goes for a Springboard move but Ambrose moves and hits a Tornado DDT. Ambrose his some shots and slaps Rollins in the face, then hits lariats and a Bulldog. Ambrose goes to the top rope but Rollins moves and rolls out of the ring. Ambrose flings himself at Rollins and hits him. He tosses Rollins back in and it's a series of counters with Ambrose hitting an Inverted Sidewalk Slam. Rollins counters and comes back with an attempt at the Buckle Bomb. He can't hit it and Ambrose hits an elbow off the top rope for two.

Crowd is loving this and starts an OLE OLE OLE chant which JBL somehow links to Star Wars. Rollins drops Ambrose's neck on the top rope and hits a Springboard Kick to Ambrose's head. Two count. Rollins taunts Ambrose who slaps Rollins. Rollins superkicks Ambrose in the head. TWO COUNT. Rollins argues with the ref and then picks Ambrose up for the Buckle Bomb. Ambrose kicks out and it's a fist-fight with Ambrose clotheslining Rollins out of the ring. Ambrose misses a Rebound Clothesline and Rollins hits a Buckle Bomb, dropping Ambrose on the crowd barrier. Rollins gets back into the ring and the ref counts. He gets to nine -- and Ambrose breaks the count.

Rollins flies at Ambrose with everything he's got, stomping Ambrose in the corner and hitting a splash. Ambrose comes back with one of his own. Rollins hits an Enzuguri -- but Ambrose hits the Rebound Clothesline. J&J make their way down to the ring because fuck stipulations, they no longer matter. But Ambrose dumps both of them! Rollins grabs Ambrose but Ambrose elbows out and rolls Rollins up for the pin!
WINNER: Dean Ambrose at 16:31
RATING: ****. THIS is the push Ambrose needs. This is LONG overdue. What a match by both guys. Why weren't we doing THIS instead of having Ambrose jobbing to holograms and TV sets?

EARLIER TONIGHT: The New Day beat Roman Reigns and Randy Orton.

MOMENTS AGO: Ambrose beat Rollins.

AT PAYBACK: It's a Fatal 4-Way.

Rollins shows up at Kane's "office" and starts threatening to kick his ass. Face Kane says that Rollins just keeps lashing out...so, he could just add more people to Seth's match at Payback. Kane says that this is all about overcoming adversity. But worry not, Suddenly Heel Again Kane says, he has a plan...

Byron Saxton is backstage with Lana. Lana says that she doesn't know anything about the crowd loving her lately. Fandango shows up and tells her to "feel it". Rusev shows up and yells in Russian. Lana leaves with him. Rusev and Fandango are next. 

MATCH #4: Fandango vs. Rusev (w/ Lana)
Rusev kicks Fandango and knees him in the stomach, sending him outside. While out there, Fandango flirts with Lana...who, surprisingly, does the "Fandango". Rusev knocks Fandango down and screams at her, sending her back to the locker room. Fandango attacks Rusev and sends him into the ringpost. In the ring, Fandango hits quick dropkicks and punches Fandango in the corner before Rusev pushes him off. Superkick, Stomp, Accolade. Done at 2:12.
WINNER: Rusev via Accolade
RATING: n/a - squash match. Even still, I liked this match. Imagine WWE Creative actually advancing plotlines by humanizing Lana...so strange. I'm not used to this.

We get an ad for ESPN's E:60 WWE Special.

Cole takes us through audition videos for Tough Enough.

MATCH #5: R-Truth vs. Stardust
Stardust has a bag with him. Cole calls him Cody, so we're off to a great start here. Truth his a hard shoulderblock and tries for a suplex but Cody breaks and hits a reverse suplex instead. Star keeps lunging for the bag but Truth won't let him get to it. Truth tries to access it but Star attacks him and hits a legsweep. Crowd chants "CODY" as Star starts slugging away at Truth. Both men fly at each other and collide, hitting the mat. Truth comes back with dropkicks but the crowd couldn't care less. Truth hits a falling front suplex for two, then goes into Star's bag, only to find a bunch of plastic spiders, which prompts Cody to roll him up like we're in an Ambrose match for the win at 2:55.
WINNER: Stardust
RATING: DUD. First one of the night. Nobody was into this and this angle is lame as they come.

THIS THURSDAY AT SMACKDOWN: All the participants in the Fatal Four-Way will sign the contract for the main event. PLEASE LET THERE BE A SHIELD REUNION AT PAYBACK...

The Canadian fans welcome John Cena with the usual "John Cena sucks" chant. Cena: "I quit." The fans cheer. Cena talks about overcoming adversity and how he always does. He actually asks the crowd to stop their OLE chant -- but says that's not gonna happen. He asks the crowd if they'd quit. They say "NO". Cena asks some guy in a pink tank what he thinks and that dude holds up a sign that says "PUSH ZIGGLER" and glares at Cena like the Angry Miz Kid. TL;DR: Cena offers his usual challenge...and it is...

Bret Hart. Hart makes his way down. Hart says he's not fighting...he's here to introduce a great wrestler...and that brings out Heath Slater. Slater tries for the Foley Cheap Pop and can't even get that across. Slater enters the ring and Hart clocks him in the head. Hart introduces...

Sami Zayn!!!

MATCH #6: John Cena (champion) vs. Sami Zayn (challenger) for the WWE United States Championship
Zayn gets a MONSTROUS pop. Initial run around ends with Cena taking a dropkick and rolling out of the ring. Cena gets Move #3 twice and gets a two count. And, now, something's not right with Zayn's left shoulder and a trainer comes in to examine him. After about a minute, Zayn continues. The two raise their fists and, finally, Cena kicks Zayn in the corner, then hits Moves 1 through 3. He goes for the 5KS but Zayn rolls him up and gets two. Zayn gets up and hits a cross body, getting two. Cena rolls out of the ring, so Zayn hits a Flying 360 Splash into Cena's face. Back in the ring, Cena hits the STF. Zayn gets to the ropes and it's a break. Cena attacks him but Zayn hits the Koji Clutch! Cena counters with an AA but Zayn counters that with a German Suplex for two. Zayn charges Cena but Cena clothesline Zayn, then tries an AA. Zayn lands on his ass, not his back, then gets up and the two men run at each other. Both of them clothesline one another and roll out of the ring. Zayn runs at Cena, flies THROUGH the corner of the ring, grabs Cena, and hits a Tornado DDT! Back in the ring, Cena grabs Zayn and immediately hits an AA! 1...2...NO. Zayn kicks out. Zayn hits the Blue Thunderbomb AND NEARLY GETS THE PIN. The two men start trading shots and Cena hits the Springboard Stunner and AA to wrap this up at 10:43.
WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: John Cena via AA
RATING: ***1/2. A good debut for Zayn but the match just was really slightly above Cena/Ambrose, post-WM. I understand why Cena won and I understand why Zayn lost...but I see no reason why it couldn't have been reversed. The stipulation at Payback really overrides any title. It's about pride and guts, not so much gold. Either way, this was a really good match. We're being spoiled tonight.

The Bellas are backstage and run into The New Day who's lost their shit and celebrating at the top of their lungs, lifting E up in the air.

Renee Young is waiting for Sami Zayn -- but The New Day interrupts and goes nuts. The do the NEW DAY ROCKS chant. Cesaro, Kidd and Natalya shows up. Cesaro points out that the crowd thinks they suck. Natalya says TND only won because Roman and Orton hate one another. They fight over the New Day chant and New Day takes off.

Nikki and Brie come out to ringside...until Naomi shows up with WWE HALL OF FAMER JIMMY SNUKA'S DAUGHTER, Tamina Snuka and, together, they ambush the Bellas. Naomi and Tamina pick Brie up and bully her, slapping her around. Naomi grabs the mic and says that "family" is what they just witnessed. Nice to see that Tamina's gone from being AJ's valet to being Naomi's valet.

LAST TUESDAY AT KING OF THE RING: Barrett won the King of the Ring.

King Barrett makes his way down to the ring with his "king" costume from Party City. He says that he will "rule his kingdom with an iron fist" and people who don't obey will be the victim of a bullhammer. He says there are only four words everyone needs to know: "ALL HAIL KING BARRETT". 

MATCH #7: King Barrett & Sheamus vs. Neville & Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler and Barrett start things off. Sheamus distracts Ziggler and Barrett hits a cheap shot from behind. Barrett sets Ziggler on the top buckle and kicks him in the chest. He gets two. Ziggler comes back with a snap DDT and two count. Sheamus tries to get involved. Sheamus tries to get in the ring but Neville comes in. Stalemate and a break. After break, Sheamus has Ziggler in a side headlock. Ziggler fights out but ends up in the Irish Curse Backbreaker. Sheamus taunts Ziggler so Ziggler hauls off and Superkicks him. Hot tags on both ends. Neville ducks out of three moves, then hits a nice Hurricarana, tossing Barrett out of the ring. Neville splashes him outside, then tosses him back in and hits the Standing Shooting Star Press for two. Neville misses an attack. Barrett goes for the Bullhammer but misses. Neville hits an Enzuguri and German Suplex for two. Sheamus gets in the ring. Ziggler boots him out and the two fight near the barrier. Neville knocks Barrett down and goes for the Red Arrow but Sheamus distracts Neville. Neville kicks him and goes up top but comes down and hits the Bullhammer. Done at 8:38.
WINNER: Barrett & Sheamus
RATING: **. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. Nice to see Neville and Zayn getting some work tonight. Neville is supremely impressive and I can't wait to see him progress through the ranks.

We go straight from this to the main event -- which is a good thing, considering it's 4 minutes from the scheduled end of the show. Before we begin that, however, it's Kane, dressed for battle. Rollins follows behind him with J&J Security. Jamie Noble says he's the "special guest ring announcer" and says that Joey Mercury is the timekeeper. Kane is an "enforcer". Seth is a "guest commentator".

In the words of Dwight in Sin City: "And everything was going SO well..." 

MATCH #8: Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton
Seth: "I trust Kane." Cole: "You TRUST him now?!" Reigns and Orton bickers over current circumstances but finally start to brawl. Orton knocks Reigns to his knee but Reigns comes back, tossing Reigns into the corner. Orton comes back with a clothesline. Orton goes to pick Reigns up but Reigns hits a Samoan Drop. Reigns dumps Orton outside as Cole declares that he wants to see Buddy Rogers wrestle. This commentary is DEATH. Noble gets involved. Reigns clocks him. Orton clocks Reigns and tosses Reigns back in the ring. Reigns comes back with a quick clothesline but can't capitalize. Orton gets up and hits clotheslines. He tries a powerslam but Reigns stops himself on the charge. Orton hits a nice backbreaker and Reigns falls outside the ring ropes. Crowd is dead for all of this. Orton goes for the Elevated DDT but Reigns drops Orton's neck on the ropes and hits the Missile Dropkick. Reigns goes for the Superman Punch but misses. Reigns runs at Orton again and Orton hits the In-Stride Powerslam, followed by the Elevated DDT. He calls for the RKO but Reigns shoves him away and hits a Superman Punch. Orton rolls out of the ring. Reigns goes for a dive but Kane trips him and all four guys go to attack Orton. Ref calls for a bell but nobody's gonna ring it because Mercury doesn't care about his post anymore.
WINNER: Reigns by DQ,  presumably.
RATING: **. Eh. Barely passable. A shame, considering what we've seen tonight.

Post-match, the mudhole stomp continues until Ambrose comes out to save the day. The three Fatal 4-Way guys surround Rollins until Reigns hits a Spear, knocking him out. Reigns celebrates -- until Orton RKO's Reigns. Orton celebrates and Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds.
Ambrose celebrates and we go off the air.

OVERALL: WHAT. A. SHOW. Why can't Creative do this more often? Even the mediocre matches weren't as painful. This is the kind of show WWE needs to churn out on a regular basis. I will go ***1/4 here.

And here is the best of Monday Night Open Mic:










Er...that's it.

Comments

  1. Does anyone really feel that Cena holding the belt does ANYTHING for it?


    The match as good and all (so awesome seeing Zaynerico on the main show), but all I was thinking was "Cena is holding an open challenge for people to try and beat him". The US Title has very little to do with it.


    Don't get me wrong. I like the open challenge. I just think they could have the same net effect if Cena just held an open challenge for people to try and beat him (maybe as "proof" to Rusev that in the US, we don't back away from challengers) while the US Title was held by someone else.

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  2. I'm kinda still expecting Cena to drop the title at the hands of a fed-up Rusev. That would make the PPV match that much more intense.

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  3. I sincerely hope so. The pop he'd get would rival the entrance by Zayn tonight.

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  4. For last year's Fatal Fourway, they did Neville and Zayn vs. Kidd and Breeze.


    Zayn played Ricky Morton, Neville did his cool flippy shit and got the W, and Breeze ate the pin.


    Oh, and Tyson Kidd was there.

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  5. I hope that, unlike Mick Foley, he actually gets a serious top babyface run and the inside of his skull doesn't end up as a Jackson Pollack painting.

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  6. I honestly think that Triple H is just waiting for a lull in the card for him. Unlike Zayn and Neville, who can work with being "normal dudes" (Sami more than Adrian) Finn needs to be given the opportunity to take center stage.


    The dude is super charismatic in a way that none of the other call-ups are. He was always the "Mainstream American Wrestling" guy in Japan so they should play with that in his debut.


    Much the same that Brock Lesnar was the shit-talking WWE guy in UFC, but then turned into the hyper-legitimate UFC guy in WWE.


    You could even have a repeat of the Hideo Itami angle. Replace Itami with Neville and replace the Ascension with Barrett and Sheamus. Have Balor debut at a Raw and get the better of the big guys in a brawl, then have him debut the bodypaint at the PPV and give him the win. You have Brit and Irishmen vs. Brit and Irishmen and it plays off NXT history, Adrian's feud with the bullies and gives Balor an angle that already works (and to appease the NXT crowd, have Adrian say something like "I've seen Balor do this before, so why mess with a good thing?").

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  7. His appearance in WWE is overdue and it's just a matter of time and I like your take on the debut and angle, combining with Adrian...but wouldn't you want the body paint on TV? That would bring in some huge numbers, I'd think.

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  8. Wasn't that the same year the Jaguars made the AFC title game? The weirdest season ever; most expansion teams suck for their first several seasons, yet we damn near had an all-expansion Super Bowl.

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  9. Huge numbers as in ratings or.....I don't see someone's body paint being huge numbers in any way. Ppv buy, tv ratings, live gate, etc Reys mask was cool and helped get him over and made him a lot of money on merchandise but it never helped any "numbers"

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  10. We're talking a lucha mask which everyone's seen vs. a dude covered in body paint that makes him look like a man-eating beast thing. I think it would help bring aboard some casual fans. But, I don't know...Balor's gimmick is something unique.

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  11. I like Orton but also kinda hoping he gets removed from the match so we can get SHIELD EXPLODE.

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  12. I mean...A Shield reunion would be kick-ass and, probably ill-advised...but, dude...they'd be missing a frickin' GIMME if they didn't do something with the three of them.

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  13. El Generico almost never won singles matches.

    His own compilation Dvd started with like 6 consecutive losses.

    He's got experience in the role.

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  14. If Vince McMahon would have booked this, he would have brought in Mabel, just to piss off the fans...

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  15. Um....not seeing....it???

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  16. Couldn't they just splice in YouTube footage? They DO own it!

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  17. Sounds like a good show. Will definitely be checking out Sami's debut and Ambrose/Rollins.

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  18. Jason AntoniewiczMay 5, 2015 at 2:51 AM

    A number of WCW's themes came from other production music libraries. It wouldn't shock me if they decided not to re-license them in certain cases.

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  19. Crowd hate Cena.
    Crowd repeat his catchphrase.

    ... wrestling fans are idiots.

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  20. Of course it does.

    Cena's actually defending the belt weekly. Name the last IC/US champ who defended it bi-weekly. He's raised the prestige of the title exponentially, and done so while making everyone he faces look good. All the while having a storyline with Rusev that allows Cena to fulfil the WWE nonsense AND have great matches weekly.

    There's also the fact that he's clearly proud to have the title. He doesn't bury it, he acts like it means something. Dude gives no signs that he feels it's a demotion at all. And at this stage whoever beats him is going to get a monster pop and a big prestige boost.

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  21. Andrew BarbarashMay 5, 2015 at 3:52 AM

    I loved that Dean Ambrose got into the main event, he's got the goods and is organically over but sadly I just think he was added to the title match to eat the pin to protect Orton/Reigns and then be shoved back into midcard obscurity.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mabel dominating the WCW Title scene for years. Mabel headlining a major PPV against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Mabel seeing The Ultimate Warrior in the mirror.


    Fuck, now I'm sad. That would have been AMAZING.

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  23. Man, the US title segment and Rollins/Ambrose were so much fun. Clearly the two have worked together a lot, because that was probably the best match I've seen from Ambrose. He's getting a Nakamura vibe.

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  24. Sami Zayn on RAW. Best RAW ever or Best RAW ever?

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  25. Just watched the main event. A gun belonging to one of the cops fell out of his holster and onto the mat as he rolled into the ring.



    You no-sold the gigantic "We want Flair" chants. Where was he, anyway?

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  26. Banging the bats on the stairs was the best part about the closing sequence. Sounded like gunshots, just added to the pandemonium. So, so good.

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  27. The problem I have is that could have gone to anyone. Have Reigns if he's the next big thing. Have Wyatt to give the guy some direction. No need for lolcenawins running wild on the mid card brother.

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  28. Yeah basically R-truth and his WM push.

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  29. Haha, you said "Wyatt" and "Direction" in the same sentence. That error has been noted, sir.

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  30. Wrestling fans actually like Cena because they know how damn good he is. Its just cool to hate him.

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  31. Reason number 96 to like Zayn. His music stands out from all the arena-numetal anthems.

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  32. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:04 AM

    Absolutely.

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  33. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:06 AM

    Personally, I'd keep building to it.....and do Rollins/Reigns/Ambrose for the title at Summerslam.

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  34. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:08 AM

    Rusev isn't winning anything for awhile.

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  35. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:09 AM

    This post could not be more right. Sami's attractiveness is his fight and determination to win, and then come up short, and claw again.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:14 AM

    I might actually have to watch this show after work. And here I thought I probably wouldn't be watching a new Raw until at least the day after Sumerslam.

    ReplyDelete
  37. One of the best RAWs in a long time, loved it!


    My favourite part was the supremely in-form Randy Orton completely emasculating Roman Reigns in the opening segment. Reigns was STRUGGLING hard. I don't know what it's going to that guy to get even remotely comfortable on the mic

    ReplyDelete
  38. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:17 AM

    I haven't seen the segment yet, but I have watched Reigns on the mic, and I think they need to keep it short and sweet with him. They did that with Batista at first and he got increasingly better on the mic.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Stranger in the AlpsMay 5, 2015 at 6:20 AM

    Forget, Joe Gomez for just a second.


    What was with the heat for Nelson? I enjoyed their attempts at somewhat listenable power ballads.

    ReplyDelete
  40. That's the thing I don't get, it's been long enough now and Reigns hasn't improved one bit whereas Rollins went from truly terrible to the best promo in the company within a month. Reigns was wincing at his own mic work last night - that's how bad it was

    ReplyDelete
  41. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:23 AM

    I love Rollins, but it wasn't a month. And he was actually never terrible on the mic, they just gave him terrible things to say.


    I'm not saying Reigns will improve like Dave did. I'm just saying that when a guy is not comfortable on the mic, the less said, the better.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMay 5, 2015 at 6:24 AM

    Starting the 90-minute version of Hulu, looking forward to a good show, and with the Orton-Reigns-New Day interactions, I'm already amused.


    Randy Orton starting to dance to the New Day music was awesome. Xavier Woods wearing a tag title he never actually won amuses me as well. And Orton trying to get Reigns to clap! OK, first segment is a fucking win.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hey now. Roman wasn't built in a day.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Yeah I think Rollins just fully embraced his nasally, annoying voice and obviously as a heel it's more effective. He very quickly became more confident on the mic and can now talk comfortably non-stop, whereas Reigns can't say a single thing without looking like he's crapping himself. "You know that thing you just said? Yeah, it ain't going down like that!" Cringe central

    ReplyDelete
  45. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:33 AM

    I think it had to do with the fact that Ricky Nelson was their dad, so people thought they had an easy road to become stars. Not to mention the type of music they produced had a shelf life of 3 years.

    ReplyDelete
  46. They didn't want him to get a babyface reaction on the show, so they left him off.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:36 AM

    BOO THIS MAN!

    ReplyDelete
  48. This open-challenge Cena has been so awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Sami Zayn blowing out his shoulder by pumping up the crowd might be the dumbest injury ever. They should invent an award for that one.

    ReplyDelete
  50. But then what would Cena be doing? He'd be right back in the main event getting in the way of Rollins's momentum. This way Cena FINALLY has fresh match ups, adds prestige to a forgotten title, and actually makes the mid carders look pretty good because most of them have been hard-fought matches. Eventually someone's going to beat him and look massively strong as well

    ReplyDelete
  51. Not really. Cena's legitimacy and main event status make him holding the title mean something. Reigns/Wyatt have none of that credibility, nor a back catalogue of classic single matches.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 6:48 AM

    Did he really blow it out? Is it that bad?

    ReplyDelete
  53. The Randy Orton award?

    ReplyDelete
  54. What promo were you watching? Reigns more than held his own on the mic in that segment.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I'm not going to pretend like I'm not the biggest Reigns hater around but come on man, the crowd drowned out everything he was saying and even Orton couldn't help but troll him throughout. He was embarrassing out there

    ReplyDelete
  56. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMay 5, 2015 at 6:52 AM

    Alright, let's play my favorite game: What does Hulu cut from Raw this week? Nothing cut so far, New Day-Reigns/Orton and then the Kane-Rollins interactions - vital to the show - all stay in so far.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Good review (needed more flaming piles of dog crap though) sounds like a good show, regret that I missed it.

    ReplyDelete
  58. That is literally not what happened. He got his digs in on Orton and some funny lines. The crowd was actually going "Ohhhhhh" after them like it was a rap battle. It was a fun segment.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMay 5, 2015 at 6:54 AM

    And Renee's interview with Ryback stays in, too! They really like the first hour here on Hulu Plus.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMay 5, 2015 at 6:56 AM

    So, all Ryback had to do to get rid of the Goldberg chants was acknowledge them? Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Watch it again dude, Orton was masterful, Reigns was like a meek child. What funny lines are you referring to? I do remember "at Payback, I'M the one who's going to get Payback". A+ stuff there. The look on his face throughout the segment said it all

    ReplyDelete
  62. I have to give it up for The New Day. They were terrible as baby faces but the are killing at as heels. Fun stuff.

    Somehow I'd like to see Bo Dallas worked into the New Day gimmick.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Hasn't Reigns had the best match on three straight PPVs?

    ReplyDelete
  64. Yes it was. Living in Savannah, GA (essentially in between Charlotte and Jacksonville), I remember it being an even CRAZIER time than normal (you know, football being #1 in the South). Unfortunately my Falcons were still 2 years away from their Super Bowl run.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Yeah that's fair to say (though obviously that has nothing to do with his mic skills...). Let's not forget though that two of those opponents were Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan and the other match was gimmicked

    ReplyDelete
  66. Not that I had to because I know I'm right, but I just re-watched it on youtube for shits and giggles and none of what you said is evident.


    TIL Roman Reigns Truthers exist.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Probably just dislocated it and then it popped back in place.

    ReplyDelete
  68. You rewatched it and still think that Reigns held his own while Orton crapped all over him and the crowd chanted RKO non stop? What about those funny lines you mentioned - any examples?

    ReplyDelete
  69. "They don't fight for you" was a great line and immediately shut the crowd up and made them go "Ohhhhhhh". They were doing it all throughout the segment, the crowd was great last night.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 5, 2015 at 7:15 AM

    I hope so. That would really suck for him.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMay 5, 2015 at 7:15 AM

    Kane is the Eobard Thawne to Seth's Wally West/Barry Allen?

    ReplyDelete
  72. The genius of that line must be lost on me. I think most would agree there was a STARK difference between Orton and Reigns in that segment, with one guy mega comfortable and confident and the other so uncomfortable that he was cringing at his own delivery. Orton might as well have put him over his knee and spanked him like a little child

    ReplyDelete
  73. I loved the show-long celebration over what was essentially a cheap win. And for some reason, Big E enthusiastically yelling "KANE! WE DID IT!" was hilarious to me.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Now this sounds like what the post Mania Raw should've been. Hopefully this show isn't an anomaly and i remains consistently good.

    ReplyDelete
  75. The Sami Zayn match wasn't that good.

    ReplyDelete
  76. That was a real rumor back then. Probably wouldn't have had them same impact

    ReplyDelete
  77. Imagine all the homoeroticness that Bischoff had with Hogan, but replace it with Mabel.


    That's actually pretty funny, come to think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  78. DDP's theme and Public Enemy's themes, the only music changed on this show, were both written by Jimmy Hart specifically for them (PE even does the vocals for theirs). PE's theme is not dubbed over on the WCW PPVs on the Network, and WWE always left DDP's theme intact until the Network started.
    Hart also did the themes for Disco, Savage, and the Dungeon of Doom, all of which are on this episode.

    ReplyDelete
  79. I will not be part of a blog where we have to put aside joe gomez.

    ReplyDelete
  80. This might be the first Raw in years where the 90 minutes isn't enough good content!

    ReplyDelete
  81. He fucked up his shoulder pretty good before it even started and it was still at least ***.

    ReplyDelete
  82. I can't decide which New Day line is better - "POP, holding it down!" or "not only does Seth Rollins have your number, he's got it on speed dial!"

    ReplyDelete
  83. Maybe they're apologizing for the sloppy music edits.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Regardless of the status of a shoulder... it's an average match.


    I'm in the **1/2 range but I could maybe see ***. Minor gripe but I'm seeing ****+ as ratings for that thing, which is just craziness.

    ReplyDelete
  85. both those themes were knockoffs of actual songs, weren't they? Maybe they feel they're too close for legal comfort or something

    ReplyDelete
  86. Egads do I ever fucking hate King gimmicks. What a waste of a good talent. Can we just let that shit die already? Winning King of the Ring is a double edged sword, because it just means you'll be the eleventeenth asshole stuck wearing a stupid crown and cape.

    ReplyDelete
  87. If I watch Raw at all, it's on Hulu, and I have legit never seen Kidd and Cesaro together.

    ReplyDelete
  88. #notallwrestlingfans

    ReplyDelete
  89. Maybe BEST raw ever

    ReplyDelete
  90. DDP's theme was, yes. Like I said, though, WWE always left it intact on WCW footage until 2014 when the Network launched.

    ReplyDelete
  91. The Goldberg Limousine Window Punch Award?

    ReplyDelete
  92. I've seen that dude powerbombed through 4 ladders from 20 feet in the air and pop up like nothing was wrong. I used to wonder if he could even get hurt....

    ReplyDelete
  93. Orton punching the mat so hard he put himself out of action is much worse surely?

    ReplyDelete
  94. Oh I'm not complaining--I was just surprised. I suppose it's because Owens is from Quebec as well so that made me think of it. I know they've never done NXT crossovers before but it doesn't mean they never will/would, right?

    ReplyDelete
  95. They changed the expansion draft to ensure the Browns and Texans would suck in the beginning, which is a shame.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Glad someone else noticed that they're basically just doing Bo's gimmick. They're doing a great job with it, but it's the same damn thing.

    ReplyDelete
  97. He was awesome last night, got the audience to do a complete 180*.

    ReplyDelete
  98. WWE must have lost a lawsuit to Ini Kamoze. How does McDevitt still have a job?

    ReplyDelete
  99. Wow. I actually never knew Ricky was their dad.

    ReplyDelete
  100. I'm with you, it wasn't the Cena/Bryan clinic that it could have been.

    That said, it didn't have to be and want supposed to be. No doubt that the injury hampered it, but it was also only supposed to be a short match to give the "rookie" a bit of a rub, not a well-built PPV encounter. If he had won, it would have been pretty hard to keep the momentum going; basically "all down hill from here".

    ReplyDelete
  101. Probably. Although Nash supposedly tore a bicep while cutting a promo, and we know of Orton punching the mat and Vince tearing his quads.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Quiet, confident Reigns is awesome. Sassypants Reigns is quite the opposite.

    ReplyDelete
  103. It's great seeing tag teams actually get some development and backstage interactions.

    Even better to see the Tag Team Champions win a match against a cobbled-together team of singles guys, even if it wasn't exactly a dominant win. It's still a step in the right direction. :)

    And I actually think Ryback handled the crowd chants well - "If I ignore it, you won't stop..." - that got a big response.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Buying kamikazes at the bar with "Mean" Gene! Woo!

    ReplyDelete
  105. Vince tearing his quads at the Rumble is still No. 1 on my list.

    ReplyDelete
  106. WWE knows how to pick 'em as far as injuries are concerned.

    ReplyDelete
  107. um, excuse me, that's MEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAN WOOOOO BY GAWD Gene, to you, kind sir

    ReplyDelete
  108. AverageJoeEverymanMay 5, 2015 at 10:09 AM

    call her the Cocoa Banshee

    ReplyDelete
  109. Adam "Colorado" CurryMay 5, 2015 at 10:36 AM

    The Gus Ferotte award.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Buffalo HopscotchMay 5, 2015 at 10:54 AM

    We're in Charlotte and Flair didn't get insanely buried? What the heck?

    ReplyDelete
  111. Why do you need a main eventer to make the title mean something?

    ReplyDelete
  112. Ryback's underrated, interesting and unique look, interesting personality and can talk, not death as a worker and I think he can improve on that.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Gomez only got one segment? Horseshit.

    ReplyDelete
  114. JOE GOMEZ got referenced on Jericho's latest podcast, the one with Sheamus!

    ReplyDelete
  115. Wonderful ending to this show. You hit the nail on the head: "the kind of anarchy you don't get anymore." Wrestling, and specifically WWE, is missing this.

    ReplyDelete
  116. He's almost as obscure as Rock Star Gary on BoD RAW.

    ReplyDelete
  117. I wonder if maybe they are holdovers from 24/7? There is enough inconsistency that I'd bet there are two or more sets of 'rules' out there. Some of this stuff is a direct 24/7 port as it is, which is very annoying considering how often the rules have changed (muting the 'F' and the like).

    ReplyDelete
  118. Nope, nothing to do with Classics On Demand, as DDP's theme was never dubbed over on that.
    Whatever it was that changed in 2014 affects WWE Home Video now, too. On the 2012 NWO set, DDP/Savage from Halloween Havoc 1997 was included with DDP's theme intact. On the Savage set released last year, the same match is on it with "Self High Five" replaced just like on the Network.
    I noticed that the WCW themes WWE used to keep but now replace seem to all be Jimmy Hart knockoffs of real songs (except Jericho's heel theme, which is a Pearl Jam's Evenflow knockoff from a stock music library). The weird thing, though, is that Sid's 1999-2001 music sounds exactly like "China White" by the Scorpions (because that was the Skyscrapers' theme in 1989), yet it has survived WWE's purge of the ripoff songs.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Must be the same assholes who doubt El Dandy!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Sheamus mentioned staying at Gomez's house when he first got to FCW, and Jericho interjected that Gomez's house is apparently a common lodge for wrestlers in Florida, particularly newcomers. "They just go to Joe Gomez's house, for some reason."

    ReplyDelete
  121. Very interesting. Maybe just tightening up their protocols.

    ReplyDelete
  122. He was big enough to be the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th man.

    ReplyDelete
  123. What I caught from this show reiterates something that has been true for some time: The WWE can't write for faces. They don't know what a "good guy" is supposed to do.

    It seems like "go out there and smile!" is all the WWE thinks needs to happen for someone to be considered a face. (Except, of course, that most of their heels are smiling fools, too.)

    Cena often comes across as a bully. Ziggler, including his insert promo before this show's tag match, wrestles like a face but promos like a heel.

    Even Natalya (who knows if she's supposed to be a face or not at this point, but she was opposing the New Day who are clearly meant to be the heels), completely took me out of the Cesaro/Kidd vs New Day backstage segment when she started dancing to the "New Day Sucks" chant--although, that's a symptom of another WWE failing...they're shitty at co-opting things the fans do, almost always ruining a good, organic thing by forcing it on future crowds.

    And I'm still not sure they've got a handle on what Roman Reigns should be like when he's on the mic.

    Have the WWE EVER been good at writing for Faces?

    ReplyDelete
  124. Probably why Jesse had his voice removed again. I think once Hogan and Vince are on the outs again, Jesse will be welcomed back once again.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Nothing has changed with Jesse since 2004. His voice is left in anything that's not a WWE Home Video release or video game (WWE Network, YouTube, TV, Classics On Demand when it still existed).
    For WWE DVDs/Blu-rays, whether he is cut or not depends upon how big of a presence he will be. On last year's Warrior set, he was on commentary for around 10 or so matches, so he was included. When it's just, say, 3 matches are so, his voice will be removed.

    ReplyDelete
  126. Virgil's Gimmick TableMay 5, 2015 at 8:00 PM

    But he's ROYALTY!

    ReplyDelete
  127. I don't want the bodypaint for his debut because when he doesn't use it the week after it'll be a disappointment.


    Balor is awesome without the bodypaint, he doesn't need it to get over. Let people appreciate the awesomeness of normal Balor and save the the bodypaint for his PPV debut or his first serious feud or something like that. Build it up as a cool trick.


    Miz has his PPV coat, Undertaker had his WrestleMania tope...give Balor something different that he can amp up certain occasions with.

    ReplyDelete
  128. He's made for Raw, because losing constantly is a certainty for him.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Jonathan MeisnerMay 5, 2015 at 8:38 PM

    The Bill Gramatica Award.

    ReplyDelete
  130. The ramps are much longer in WWE. That's where the real injuries occur.

    ReplyDelete
  131. I hope you're right. I guess we won't really know how "elevated" it is until the person AFTER Cena holds it for a while and we see someone coming after their belt.

    To me, the problem is in your last sentence: 'And at this stage whoever beats him is going to get a monster pop and a big prestige boost.'



    The title wasn't really even in that sentence, and it doesn't change the meaning one bit (I know I'm picking, and it clearly isn't what you mean, but bear with). I just feel like "beating Cena" is the prize more than the title.


    Either way, it's a good start. I guess only time will tell.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Merch is most of WWE's income, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  133. It's a big part but not even ose to most of their income. Tv rights,I've gates, etc are much more.

    ReplyDelete
  134. Hah, freudian slip. But if beating Cena alone gave credibility, Tensai would be where Brock is.

    ReplyDelete
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