WWE Raw - September 11, 2012
Opening Segment - Solid opener featuring Punk & Bret Hart. While Punk is still getting a good amount of cheers, he's definitely drawing solid heat. The live crowd was very much behind Bret Hart last night and the fact that Punk interrupted him only put more heat on him. Bret Hart did his job well last night in that he didn't try to be the center of attention. He mostly just thanked the fans and briefly touched on the history of the Montreal Screwjob before Punk came out and put himself over as the best WWE Champion of all time and that he guaranteed victory at Night of Champions over John Cena. Punk didn't show a lot of fire, but I think he does very well as a condescending heel. Thumbs Up
1. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. The Miz & Antonio Cesaro - This was a decent match that showcased the mid-card champs. There wasn't anything particularly great about the match, but there was some fun action and it's good to see Cesaro getting some air time on Raw. Kofi continues to shine and be the energy of his team in my opinion and his stuff drew strong pops from the Montreal crowd. The end comes about the 8 minute mark with Kofi hitting Trouble in Paradise on Cesaro for the win. Again, nothing especially wonderful, but a decent match that gave some attention to the mid-card titles and gave Cesaro some time on television. **
Legal Deposition - This segment was pretty lousy and, if anything, all it did was make me dislike Sheamus. Sheamus behaved like a stereotypical Irish clown, the problem is that Sheamus just isn't a funny guy. The point of this was for Sheamus to "defend" the use of his Brogue Kick rather that come off like a horse's ass. Sheamus' stuff about being Irish & Jewish was brutally bad, he's just not got the chops to be a laid back & fun loving babyface. With his look & style, he'd be much better off being portrayed similarly to Randy Orton. Thumbs Down
2. Layla, Eve Torres & Kaitlyn vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya & Alicia Fox - The match was pretty much a throwaway, but it actually had some decent action while it lasted. The Diva matches have been better as of late as they devote the match to actually wrestling a match rather than the 30 second nonsense we're used to. Kaitlyn looked better here than she did last Monday though the girl still needs to work on running the ropes. Eve continued her current angle of being bubbly & supportive, so you know she's going to stab somebody in the back. The end comes when Eve tags herself in and hits Alicia Fox with her neckbreaker type finisher at the 2.5 minute mark. *
3. Randy Orton vs. CM Punk - This was a Rawactive match in which fans were given choices early on in the night whether Punk would face Brodus Clay, Jerry Lawler or Randy Orton. Thankfully, 75% chose Randy Orton. Orton & Punk put on a good solid match that showcased both of them well. I like that while WWE is making Punk a heel, they're not going the cowardly heel route. It wasn't as good as some of their matches in the past, but it was just a good solid match featuring good solid action. Orton hits the DDT on the ropes with Punk before Ziggler comes out to jump Orton from behind, ending the match a bit before the 14 minute mark. Punk & Ziggler double team Orton which causes Jerry Lawler to enter the ring and all four wrestlers start brawling before they go to commercial. **1/2
4. Randy Orton & Jerry The King Lawler vs. CM Punk & Dolph Ziggler - After coming back from commercial, we join this match in progress after AJ announced it during the commercial break. Ziggler looked good here and his antics got good responses from the live crowd. Lawler held up his own in the match and the WWE still portrayed him as someone that while courageous, he can't compete with guys like Ziggler & Punk. Lawler got in some shots on Ziggler before ultimately making the hot tag to Orton. During this match, Punk does good job of selling his general disinterest in this match as he's just sort of looking off to the side while looking bored. After a bit, Paul Heyman makes his way down to the ring and Punk jumps down from the apron to talk to him. Vickie screams that they're in the middle of the match while Punk & Heyman both ignore her and continue their talk. You can make out a little of what's said, which includes Punk & Heyman kind of insulting Montreal with Punk asking if there are any good resteraunts in town, with Heyman saying no. Punk also says something to the effect that the best thing about Montreal is leaving it. Vickie has a meltdown and screams her head off. With the camera angle, you can still see the match while watching what Punk & Heyman are up to. Heyman gets Punk's title and they start to walk out. Out of nowhere, Orton hits an RKO on Ziggler for the win at the 7 minute mark. The match was fun but it also accomplished several different things at once. It provided a good final pitch for Orton vs. Ziggler at NOC and given the way the match ended, it looks like Ziggler might be going over Orton this Sunday. Punk was also able to garner more great heat and continue the overall speculation as to what Heyman's ultimate role is going to be with Punk and how it might come into play this Sunday in Punk's match against Cena. The match was decent while it lasted and the overall storytelling for the match & segment was interesting. **
Kane & Daniel Bryan - There was a brief backstage segment featuring Kane & Bryan. They both met because they were told that they were wanted to be seen seperately in the office. As their tensions build, Dr. Shelby shows up which generates some laughs from the crowd. Kane & Bryan continue to show good chemistry together and Shelby tells them that he has a new exercise for them to try. An interesting little segment, nothing spectacular, just two guys doing very well in their current roles. Thumbs Up
5. Ryback vs. Heath Slater - Same story, different night when it comes to Ryback. It's time for WWE to either shit or get off the pot with this guy because it's getting extremely dull watching this guy wrestle two minute squash matches. Either put him in a feud or send him down to NXT or Superstars or something. NA
The Prime Time Players and AJ - While some people aren't crazy about these guys, I like them. They've got a lot of energy and with just a few tweaks, I think they can really be a couple of top heels. They do their routine with AJ telling them that they're annoying. AJ informs them that they're not #1 contenders for the tag titles as they haven't beaten "every team" and she informs them that their opponents are Kane & Daniel Bryan. It's an interesting dymanic as I like the idea of Bryan & Kane teaming up. It's good use for both of them right now. Nothing really good or bad about this segment, but it did its job in setting up a match. NA
6. Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. The Prime Time Players - This match was a lot better than I expected it to be. I figured it'd last about 2 minutes with Bryan & Kane either dominating these two or having a complete breakdown resulting in them losing. Bryan carried most of the match and did a great job of making Young & O'Neil look good. This match did more to ultimately make the PTPs look good than just about anything else they've been involved in. Bryan & Kane are both very over right now and are doing great in their roles in my eyes. The PTPs spend a good amount of time working Bryan over and they continued to tell a good story of the tension & mistrust between Bryan & Kane. Kane eventually manages to tag himself in after Bryan refuses to do so a few times and starts in on the PTPs. Late in the match, Bryan tags himself in with a big, taunting smile on his face before going over to the prone Young. Kane comes up behind him and spins him around. He picks Bryan up in a chokeslam and slams him down on top of Young before getting out of the ring. The ref makes the count as Bryan & Young are the two legal men and Bryan gets the three at the 8.5 minute mark. Bryan & Kane will now face Kofi & Truth at NOC for the tag titles. **1/4
Jerry Lawler Situation - At one point in Raw, the camera pans to Michael Cole with a solemn look on his face. He informs everyone that Jerry Lawler collapsed and fell out of his chair not long after his participation in his tag match with Orton. He explains that this isn't part of the show and that it's completely legit. He informs everyone with some updates throughout the night of Lawler's condition. Initially, he says that they rushed him back on a stretcher and they were performing CPR, which immediately let me know that something serious really was up. He'd inform everyone later that Lawler had been taken to the hospital and that he was responding to treatment, including breathing on his own though he was hooked up to oxygen. Commentary was silent throughout the last 40 minutes or so of the program and he said that they were doing that for Lawler's sake. We'd find out that Lawler legitimately suffered a heart attack via internet reports. Cole conducted himself very well here and treated the situation with the caution and respect it deserved. Thumbs Up
7. Tyson Kidd vs. Alberto Del Rio - This match was better than I expected. It was only about 3 minutes, but they packed in a good amount of action in the 3 minutes. The crowd was pretty silent here as some were wondering about Jerry Lawler and some just weren't into the match. Kidd got in some decent offense and even locked in the Sharpshooter for a bit. The crowd came alive at the prospect of a possible upset here. The fact that Kidd was able to keep Del Rio in the move for as long as he did made me think, just for a moment, that they might be throwing Kidd a bone. Del Rio eventually manages to get out of the move and mount some offense. He eventually locks in the Cross Armbar for the submission win. While it was a showcase match for Del Rio, it also got Kidd some airtime on Raw. *1/4
8. Sheamus vs. David Otunga - This match was exactly what we've seen a hundred times before. I don't know why WWE continues to give us 3 minute matches where Otunga is fed to the likes of Sheamus or John Cena or Randy Orton. It's not entertaining in the least and it's just flat out boring. There's only so many times you can see Otunga get mauled. This match was a piss break. NA
9. Rey Mysteiro vs. Cody Rhodes - While this match was brief, it was quite good while it lasted and felt like it went longer than it actually did. Mysterio & Rhodes packed in a good amount of action and they continue to work well together. Both got in a good amount of offense and Cody's antics drew some nice heat from the crowd. At one point, it looks like Mysterio is going for 619 but The Miz jumps up onto the apron only to be taken down by Mysterio. Cody comes up from behind and locks Mysterio in for CrossRhodes. Cody hits the move and gets the win at the 4.5 minute mark. As Miz comes in to kick on Mysterio, Rhodes suddenly grabs Miz and puts him in CrossRhodes. It was very surprising, just didn't see it coming. He then grabs the IC title and holds it up over his head before draping it over Miz. An interesting turn of events at the end of a short but fun match. **1/2
Bret Hart, John Cena & CM Punk - While some hated this segment, I enjoyed it. The WWE went the route of pushing some of the hot buttons of the IWC and judging by the two responses I've read in this thread thus far, it worked like a charm. Relax people. Just because Cena said that Punk's reign is "irrelevant" doesn't make it so. It was a great shot at Punk and his whole quest for "respect". Cena showed a lot of fire here and I'm glad that they've ultimately kept contact between the two generally at a minimum. Punk continued to put himself over and he really shines as this type of heel in my eyes. He put himself over as being better than Bret Hart, being better than The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, etc. Everything that Punk did & said throughout the night was designed to garner heat and it worked. Cena's comments towards Punk, not to mention Bret Hart punching him before Punk retreated from the ring, has the IWC in an uproar and it's perfect. If WWE does have Punk drop the belt this Sunday, then it'll really be a huge & unfortunate blow. I don't believe it'll happen, however, and this only serves to make the IWC want to see Cena get beaten even more. Once again, the WWE is playing the IWC like a fiddle and are doing it masterfully. Thumbs Up
Final Thoughts - Last night's show had a lot going on. Ultimately, it'll be remembered because of what happened to Jerry Lawler. Lawler's condition did put something of a damper on things, there's no way around that. The WWE handled it well though and they did it in a classy way. Overall, I thought it was a solid go home show that featured some good final hype for the ppv. It wasn't the strongest go home Raw, but I thought they made good use of their time. The two main promo segments came off well, especially the one closing the show, and did their job of further hyping the WWE Championship match at NOC. The second promo was great in my eyes because it pushed a lot of the hot buttons that some people have had regarding Punk's run. The WWE is manipulating internet fans and getting them to want to see Punk beat Cena all the more, which I think probably will happen this Sunday. Wrestling action on the show all in all was pretty decent. There were a few filler matches like Ryback vs. Slater and Sheamus vs. Otunga. Punk vs. Orton was a good solid match as was, surprisingly, the impromptu tag match afterward. The first half hour of the second hour was devoted to building heat on Punk and highlighing Orton vs. Ziggler. A good use of half an hour in my opinion. Kane & Daniel Bryan continue to be entertaining and I was surprised how much I enjoyed their match with the PTPs. Bryan & Kane winning & going onto NOC for a tag title shot is interesting, something I didn't really expect going into the show. Mysterio vs. Rhodes was also a surprisingly good match given the amount of time they had. It felt like a 9 minute match rather than a 4.5 minute one, and I mean that in a good way. Rhodes finally scoring a win was nice and I was surprised that he jumped Miz after the match was over. I'm guessing that we'll get Rhodes vs. Miz for the IC title. The opening bout featuring Kofi & Truth vs. Miz & Cesaro was decent. Nothing especially great, but it was a decent match that got Cesaro some air time on Raw. The segment featuring Sheamus defending the Brogue Kick was awful, just plain lousy, and was really the lowest point of the show in my eyes. All in all, I thought Raw was pretty solid last night, the Jerry Lawler situation notwithstanding.
Grade: B-
