WWE Raw - February 4, 2013
Opening Segment - More great stuff on the mic from CM Punk to start Raw off. Punk continues to put on, in my opinion, the most entertaining promos in wrestling right now. I also like how he constantly goes after the fans, especially in this one, while always making sure to put over the importance of the WWE Championship. Punk also took issue with Vince McMahon & his video of Paul Heyman interacting with Brad Maddox & The Shield. I thought his line about Heyman in the video being a CGI or actor Paul Giamatti was pretty funny. Booker T comes out, for some reason, and, after stumbling over his words a bit, informs CM Punk that he'll be part of a WWE Active match in which the fans will determine which former WM opponent he'll face on the show. The choices are Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton & Chris Jericho. Punk played up the voting aspect by insulting the fans and WWE did a great job of hyping this thing throughout the show. Fans would vote via the WWE App. Thumbs Up
1. Antonio Cesaro vs. Ryback - Antonio Cesaro frequently gets good matches out of Ryback and, all in all, this one wasn't any different. It wasn't a great match, but it was a pretty solid effort from both guys. I would have liked to have seen Cesaro get in some more of his signature moves on Ryback aside from the Very European Uppercut, but he got in a good amount of offense and he sold Ryback's offense well. Personally, I would have liked to have seen The Shield interfere in this match and have Ryback win via DQ rather than Cesaro losing clean. The WWE has protected Cesaro well during his matches with Ryback on Main Event, but I guess they figured Ryback needed a decisive win on Raw. After landing a couple of Meathook clotheslines, Ryback puts Cesaro in Shellshocked for the win at about the 10 minute mark. I know WWE is hoping for Ryback to be a top guy in the long term, but there are other guys they could use besides their mid-card champs to get the top guys over while still putting on good matches. **1/4
John Cena & Vickie Guerrero - This was a brief backstage segment in which Cena is watching a monitor backstage after having viewed a good Shield vignette. Vickie comes up to him and tells him that she heard a rumor that he's going to call out The Shield later tonight. Cena did a good job here in my eyes. I very much prefer Cena when he's more serious, that's when he does his best promo work in my opinion. There wasn't anything outstanding here, but it was a good segment that advertised what will probably be a hot segment for the show. Since they didn't say when it would happen, and that the commentators would hype the impending confrontation throughout the night, fans would have to keep glued to the show to see it go down. Thumbs Up
2. Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger - This was basically a Swagger showcase match to sort of reintroduce him to Raw. I really like the direction they're going with Swagger. He was all business out there. The new aggression & intensity he's showing is, in my opinion, what they should've been doing with him for years now. I also like how he didn't even allow Santino to get out of the gate with any of his comedy stuff. Santino started to do the power walk bit but was quickly stopped. Swagger decimates Santino in about 90 seconds before finishing him with the ankle lock, which he now calls the Patriot Act. The match was way too short to be ranked but, as I said, I like this direction they're going with Swagger so far. NA
3. Alberto Del Rio vs. Cody Rhodes - A surprisingly decent match while it lasted. I honestly figured that Del Rio would blow through Cody Rhodes like nothing since John Cena did last week without Rhodes getting in any offense whatsoever. The match was brief, but they packed in a good deal of action into the time they were given and had a nice back & forth match for a bit. There were a couple of good, believable near falls in the match, such as when Del Rio nailed Cody with his mini super kick and when Cody nailed Del Rio with the Beautiful Disaster. Del Rio eventually gets the upper hand and puts Cody in the Cross Armbar for the win. Del Rio addressed the fans afterward and pandered to them for a bit. It didn't really go over all that well but Del Rio is trying. Big Show appeared on the Titantron and informed Del Rio that he was in his hotel room. Show continues to do good promo work in my opinion. I like how he brushed off Del Rio's threats and his attack this past Friday by saying that he simply doesn't want to hurt Del Rio because, if he does, he won't be able to get his title back. It's a heel explanation but one that's logical. After all, if Show takes out Del Rio, something that the fans know Show is capable of doing, then Show won't have a chance to win his title back. He informs Del Rio that he'll face him but that he wants Del Rio to get up with Booker T and have a contract for a title match at Elimination Chamber drawn up. All in all, a decent little match and solid promo work from Show. **
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio - Very solid outing from Bryan & Mysterio. They didn't go all out here as I was hoping they would, but it was still an entertaining match. They worked well together and both wrestlers were able to put in a lot of offense on the other. Prior to this match, Kane & Bryan had a confrontation backstage in which they blame each other for ultimately losing the non title match to Mysterio & Sin Cara on SD! this past Friday. Bryan informed Kane that, no matter what, he didn't want him coming out there tonight. Mysterio got in much of his signature offense on Bryan with Bryan taking it well. Eventually Mysterio manages to hit the 619 and does up top to Drop the Dime on Bryan. At the last instant, however, Bryan moves out of the way and Rey goes splat. Bryan quickly capitalizes by putting Mysterio in the No Lock, forcing Mysterio to tap. Bryan scores the clean win about the 9 minute mark. I figured Mysterio would go over here, but I'm glad they gave Bryan the clean victory here. Suddenly, Mark Henry's music hits and he comes walking out to a pretty good pop. However, he's in full monster mode as he brushes aside Daniel Bryan as Bryan confronts him. Henry goes into the ring and begins to slaughter Mysterio. This is the Mark Henry that was dominating WWE in the second half of 2011 and was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. Henry goes for the Vader Bomb but Mysterio is able to slink out and manage some offense before Henry takes him down. Sin Cara comes out to help but ultimately eats the World's Strongest Slam. Mysterio eats the move as well eventually, while Henry talks smack to him and to the fans during the beatdown and as he's walking out. A good match from Bryan & Mysterio and a return from Mark Henry that made an impact. ***
Kane & Daniel Bryan - Kane is walking backstage when Bryan comes up to him and asks him why he wasn't out there to help him with Henry. Kane replies that Bryan told him not to come out and Bryan asked when did Kane ever listen to him? The segment got some laughs and showed some more of the surprisingly good chemistry they have together. Kane gets serious and informs Bryan that nothing is more powerful than their friendship. Bryan appears touched for a moment and asks Kane if he really means it, with Kane replying "Hell no", which the crowd pops for. He walks off with Bryan sulking. Nice little segment that keeps moving along towards the eventual implosion of Team Hell No. Thumbs Up
5. Kane vs. Sheamus - Pretty good big man match while it lasted. Kane & Sheamus went back & forth a lot with each getting in a good amount of offense. Kane looked strong here as it seemed that he had an answer for just about whatever Sheamus had to throw at him. There was a nice sequence towards the end of the match in which they countered each other's power move attempts before Kane ultimately manages to hit the DDT. As he's setting up for the chokeslam, Daniel Bryan runs out and gets on the apron. He provides a distraction and Kane winds up eating the Brogue Kick. Sheamus picks up the win at the 4 minute mark. Bryan shouts at Kane that he's sorry but has a big grin on his face. **
MizTV - I thought MizTV was an overall fun segment last night. Paul Heyman continues to do some of the best mic work of his career. His bickering with The Miz felt a little flat at first but it picked up after Heyman really got rolling, especially with Heyman feigning concern over Vince McMahon. Miz accuses Heyman of setting up Lesnar's attack on Vince last week, only for Vickie Guerrero to interrupt them. She comes into the ring and says that what happened wasn't Heyman's fault, but she blamed herself. She informs everyone that she "signed" Brock Lesnar to a new deal last Monday. She was keeping it quiet and wanted it to be a surprise as she wanted to impress Vince in the hopes that he'd make her permanent GM of Raw. Vickie started to cry for a bit & Heyman comforted her. I laughed my ass off when Paul Heyman suggested that everyone pray for Vince, especially when he started to pray. Miz interrupted and blasted both of them for being slimy bottom feeders. Brock Lesnar's music hit soon after and he comes out to a big pop. Vickie & Heyman clear the ring but Miz stands his ground. He & Lesnar have a stare down before Miz shoves Lesnar once Lesnar gets too close. Lesnar loses it and waffles Miz with a clothesline. He then tosses Miz roughly out of the ring before he starts throwing furniture out afterward. Miz gets back into the ring after a bit and attacks Lesnar, landing a few good shots before Lesnar gains the upper hand and delivers the F5. Heyman tries to call Lesnar off as he stands over a prone Miz. Lesnar leaves with Heyman and I like the idea of Vickie being responsible for Lesnar being back. It takes the storyline in the direction of Lesnar being this beast that's taking initiative on his own rather than being the monster puppet that's being controlled. To me, it makes Lesnar seem all the more dangerous. Thumbs Up
6. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton - I don't know what happened as the satellite went on the fritz. I do know that Barrett lost again, which is unfortunate. Can't WWE find two guys to put over top guys other than their mid-card champs? NA
7. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk - This was an excellent outing from these two just as I was hoping it'd be. WWE did a good job of hyping this match throughout the show. If they put this sort of effort into it, I wouldn't mind seeing a WWE Active match on Raw each week. The match felt like a big deal and both men wrestled it like it was a big deal. The match was pretty much an ideal tv match that had good set up, a couple of really over stars going at it, some great athleticism, good storytelling, both guys looking strong and a strong finish. There was a pretty vocal "this is awesome" chant during this match and both men worked hard. Both Punk & Jericho locked in their signature submission holds on the other at various times. They sold the moves well and built up the drama of potentially tapping out before each was able to reach the ropes. Late in the match, Jericho goes for the Walls again but Punk is able to twist out of it and sent Jericho crashing into a turnbuckle. Punk grabs Jericho and tosses him through the turnbuckles so that his shoulder collides with the ring post. Jericho pulls himself out only for Punk to hoist him up and deliver the GTS for the clean win at the 15 minute mark. Again, Jericho excels in a situation where he lost but doesn't lose any steam whatsoever and Punk gains a big win on television over a top rated opponent. ***3/4
Bruno Sammartion HOF Announcement - WWE did a great job of hyping this announcement throughout the show. I was legitimately surprised at how much mainstream attention this garnered. They were talking about this on ESPN and even on CBS earlier in the day. The video was another well done WWE piece. When WWE takes its lineage seriously, such as it does with these HOF videos, it really does a second to none job at hyping it. The live crowd responded big time and it got a good pop rather than the polite applause that makes up most HOF induction videos. There was a pretty vocal "Bruno" chant going on. This is a real father in the cap of Triple H and I have a feeling that he's worked his ass off to get Bruno to join up finally. This is shaping up to be the biggest HOF class in WWE history thus far. Mick Foley & Trish Stratus are both beloved by fans all over while Sammartino & Bob Backlund are the two longest reigning champions in WWE history. I'd say that Triple H is the one mainly responsible for putting this HOF class together thus far and, because of that, WWE is making this year feel like an especially big deal. Thumbs Up
Big Show & Alberto Del Rio - Big Show is in his hotel room having just finished dinner when the courier with the contract finally shows up. The courier tries to tell Show something but Show keeps interrupting him. Show signs the contract and opens the door only for Del Rio to attack. Del Rio pulls Show out into the hall and they begin fighting. Show soon gains the upper hand, including delivering what looked like a kick to the nuts. Del Rio went down and sold Show's attack well. Show beats Del Rio down for a bit before breaking a small table in the hall and rips off one of the legs. Del Rio pops up and sprays a fire extinguisher in Show's face before slamming the extinguisher into him. I think Del Rio was supposed to hit show with it while under the cover of the white spray so that it'd look like he hit Show in the head. However, you can clearly see that Del Rio hits him in the shoulder and Show is "knocked out". While the timing wasn't great, it was a solid segment. I'm enjoying this feud more than Show vs. Sheamus because of Del Rio believe it or not. He's taking this feud more personally and more seriously than Sheamus did and it shows. Thumbs Up
John Cena Confronts The Shield - Back in the ring, Brad Maddox is standing in the ring and sort of tells his story of how he was lured in by Paul Heyman as someone who was taken advantage of. Maddox eventually calls himself the "hero" of the story and calls out The Shield. The Shield comes out and make their way down towards the ring. Both Rollins & Ambrose do some brief, but good work on the mic before they quickly decimate Brad Maddox. John Cena's music hits and The Shield stands ready in the ring. Cena doesn't come out on stage but rather he comes out through the crowd like The Shield does. Seconds after, Ryback's music hits and he comes down through the crowd. After that, Sheamus' music hits and he comes out the same way. The Shield leave the ring and are about to head back up the ramp but several wrestlers come out on stage to block them including Randy Orton, Kane, Daniel Bryan and some others. The Shield get back in the ring and are surrounded. Cena, Ryback & Sheamus circle the ring before climbing in. All six men start to brawl and it's a pretty even fight all in all. The Shield eventually get out of the ring and head out with the three babyfaces standing in the ring. I like how this brawl went down as it kept The Shield looking strong while ultimately handing them their first "loss". They didn't look like they were scurrying out of the ring but rather they just decided to leave after fighting the faces to a standstill. I'm also glad that they didn't go the route of having the other wrestlers come to join in and help beat The Shield down so they could all take turns decimating them. Thumbs Up
Final Thoughts - I thought last night's Raw was really strong overall. I didn't see much on the show to complain about. I wasn't wild about Cesaro & Barrett losing clean to put over a couple of the top guys, but that's really it. I thought the promo segments on the show were really well done and entertaining. I was expecting a couple of good promo segments and WWE delivered. Wrestling action on the show was strong overall with Bryan vs. Mysterio & Punk vs. Jericho both being highly entertaining, especially the latter. The WWE made Punk vs. Jericho feel important by hyping it consistently throughout the show. Ryback vs. Cesaro was pretty good. I didn't get to see Orton vs. Barrett due to technical issues. Del Rio vs. Rhodes was surprisingly decent while it lasted as was Sheamus vs. Kane. The MizTV segment was well done overally. They didn't give too much away in this one segment, which works for me. Even though I'm not high on Miz's current character, I did like that he didn't back down from Lesnar and was willing to take the fight to him. I also like the direction WWE is going with Jack Swagger and wish they'd have done it sooner. Mark Henry made his return and made a big impact in doing so. The brawl at the end of the show was well executed in my eyes. It gave The Shield their first "set back" if you want to call it that without causing them to lose any heat. Next week, I expect they'll announce some sort of six man tag match between Cena, Sheamus & Ryback against The Shield. The Bruno Sammartino HOF announcement felt like a big deal and WWE hyped it that way. I can't say I'm a huge Sammartino fan, but he deserves to be in the HOF and I'm glad that, for whatever reason, things have been patched up enough to where he's finally agreed to take his rightful place.
Grade: A-
