Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread | Page 144 | WrestleZone Forums

Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter raymond27913
  • Start date Start date

Grade tonight's RAW.

  • A

  • B

  • C

  • D

  • F

Results are only viewable after voting.
Raw- 6/17/13

The Good

Opening Segment

Nice to see Del Rio get some real heat from the crowd during his first promo as a heel WHC. Del Rio wearing another fancy suit put him back on the level of the rich and snobbish aristocrat, showing everyone else he's above the average man. And using Ziggler's MITB cash-in as motivation for the heel turn made perfect sense. I also thought Ricardo repeating his long-winded announcement of Del Rio's name was a nice touch. Ricardo wasn't playing to the crowd. Instead, he was being obnoxious to the point, where you wished he would just shut the fuck up. HOPEFULLY, Del Rio will be able maintain his new found momentum this time.

The signs of Punk's face turn could be seen during the promo with Del Rio, with Punk slamming Del Rio for taking advantage of Ziggler's concussion at Payback. The strong positive reaction from the crowd helped, and Punk did a good job of being visibly annoyed by Heyman's interruptions.

Brock Lesnar returns to F5 CM Punk

I lost it when Lesnar's music hit. I guess I was just excited to see him in the ring with someone besides Triple H for the first time in months. WWE pulling the trigger on Punk/Lesnar quick was a surprise, because I thought they would draw it out longer. It'll be interesting to see Lesnar's motivations for the F5 on Punk in the coming weeks. Was Lesnar offended by Punk mentioning his name with Punk saying "he's not Brock Lesnar" and unlike Lesnar, he doesn't need Heyman's help? Or did Heyman send Lesnar to the ring to attack Punk, because Heyman was pissed about Punk pushing him to the side. Either way, you just know Heyman will act like a weasel until the timing is right, so he can hide behind Lesnar, as he does his dirty work for him. I still have some doubts about the size difference between Lesnar and Punk, but I'm looking forward to the promos between Heyman and Punk, because you know Heyman will do all the talking for Lesnar.

Christian's return

Good surprise, and solid comeback match for Christian. I don't expect Ziggler to win back the WHC anytime soon, so Christian could be a chaser in the WHC picture, and a challenger for Del Rio as the seasoned veteran.

Mark Henry's retirement speech

Wonderful acting job from Henry. Henry had the entire crowd eating out of the palm of his hands, and he had me going word for word. The tears, the mentioning of his family, and career accolades. The cryptic tweets fooled me, Henry is coming to the end of the line, so it's believable he would retire, when you consider his age, and all the injuries he's racked up over the years. In a lot of ways, this segment reminded me of Edge's retirement speech on Raw a few years ago. It seemingly came out of nowhere, caught you off guard, and you thought it might be work. I have no shame in saying Henry had me fooled 100% until the World's Strongest Slam hit.

Ziggler's post-match attack on Dolph Ziggler

Dolph's face turn is coming full circle quickly. The live crowd erupted, when Ziggler came out to attack Del Rio. And Ricardo trying to pull Ziggler off of Del Rio brought a few chuckles out of me.

CM Punk VS Alberto Del Rio

Good follow up for Punk after his match with Jericho, and Punk continues to look sharp in the ring upon his return. And Del Rio was able to draw more heat out of the crowd by taking breaks during the match, and ultimately walking away from Punk for the count out.

The so-so, thumbs in the middle stuff

Randy Orton VS Daniel Byran

Sudden ending, and I was expecting more from this, but it looks like Bryan was legit hurt. Orton's sportsmanship at the end came off as a sign of Orton breaking character to me, so maybe these two will go at it again in the future somewhere down the line.

The McMahons and Triple H backstage segments

The power struggle storyline between the three headed monster of Vince, Triple H, and Stephanie is still in its early stages, so I won't be to quick to judge right now. Throughout the night, Vince and Triple H tortured Vickie for The Shield's actions, and Christian's return. Stephanie involving herself by putting her arm around, and subliminally telling Vickie who the real boss is caught me off guard, and in the end, you have to wonder if Stephanie will side with her father or husband, because you just know this is going to come down to a one on one feud between Vince and Triple H.

Antonio Cesaro & Zeb Coulter

Glad to see WWE isn't giving up on Cesaro by attaching with a heat magnet like Coulter. Still early, but Cesaro could use the boost, because he's been wading in and out of relevancy since he lost the US Championship.

The Bad

Sin Cara VS Curtis Axel

I know it's a nitpicky complaint, but Cara's lighting during his matches annoys the shit out of me. Uninteresting squash match, and instant channel changer for me.

Stephanie McMahon/AJ confrontation

Stephanie's presence took too much attention away form Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn should've been the first one to confront AJ, not Stephanie. Yeah, I get Stephanie is an ideal choice for the strong female, especially after AJ bragged about no woman in the back being able to measure up to or challenge her. And Stephanie scolding Kaitlyn for interrupting her was so unnecessary. Yeah, select Divas coming out the back to stand by Kaitlyn's side for unity was something different, but the whole message of female unity against other catty women tearing into and stabbing each other in the back was undermined by Stephanie's overbearing presence.

Sheamus VS Rhode Scholars

Enough already. It's to the point where this feud isn't doing anything for Sheamus, Sandow, or Cody Rhodes.

Slater VS Jericho and Kane VS Ambrose didn't bother me at all. I could've done without either match, but I didn't pay too much attention to both matches.

Grade: A
 
Another excellent Raw, great mix of good in-ring action and some quality promos.

I thought Bryan's promo that opened the show was good, especially the Hobbit line, and the crowd responded well. I think the self effacing humour was a smart move to steer away from the whinier "weak link" stuff. Orton then kept his short and sweet and they went at it with the match getting thrown out. At first it seemed like they would end up wrestling at MITB but then there was a good little backstage segment between Brickie and Bryan where she agrees to Bryan vs Orton happening later in the night.

Not sure about the McMahon's angle on this show, Vince seemingly disparaging Bryan, Triple H going the opposite direction, Steph announcing the Raw MITB participants, I guess these will be little seeds that have pay-offs.

The first full in-ring action of the night was a decent tag match but did anyone think Rhodes Scholars were going to beat Sheamus and Christian? The miscommunication between Rhodes and Sandow makes me wonder if a face turn (Cody) and feud may be on the cards.

AJ delivered on the mic again and I couldn't help but laugh at the muscle suit she wore to mock Kaitlyn, AJ and Big E play off each other really well. Hopefully WWE can get a female face over to maximize how good AJ is as a heel.

Jericho vs Del Rio was a very good match, great back and forth and the fact Ricardo got Bertie DQ'd before he could tap just drove home the heel turn as Ricardo was actually over as a face. The run-in by Dolph was expected and I'm glad he gave Y2J a receipt for the Codebreaker on SD. I honestly thought they were setting a WHC triple threat up for MITB but apparently not as a backstage segment later on between Y2J and Ryback set up a singles match between the 2 for MITB.

Speaking of Ryback, the last match you really want when coming back off a big loss is one with Khali, this was about as good as you'd expect with the muscly comic book monster selling well for Khali's limited offense. Things were salvaged a bit with the finish, that was some display of power by Ryback as Khali is a heavy and cumbersome guy to walk about with on your shoulders.

I thought Cena's promo on last weeks events with Mark Henry was fantastic. I loved how he emphasized the importance of the WWE title, citing the limited amount of guys have held it and putting over how it will drive a man to do anything to possess it. I also thought it was good the way he called out Henry on making a mockery of the real retirement speeches and tarnishing any future ones with his charade, yet bringing it back around to the notion that the WWE title will drive a man to go to any lengths. It really was a smart and well structured promo.

Henry's rebuttal later on was also great despite the ignorant "What!?" chants. I liked how he made no excuses, he's the bad guy and he wants you to know it, he's not only a monster but he's a smart, well dressed and highly confident monster whose actions are calculated. I especially liked the puppets part with the little hand gesture. He stayed the course and got his promo over strong despite the annoying chant.

I'm not sure the exact point at which the Usos won the #1 contenders match for the tag titles but I could have sworn they won a #1 contenders match the other week. At any rate it was a solid enough match and the stare-down with The Shield was simple but effective. I like The Usos and I think they'll be a good fit against Rollins & Reigns.

The Punk and Heyman promo was pure gold, they played it risky by having Punk not make the simple face choices but fortunately he is over enough to ride it and this gives the angle more depth. I liked Punk going through the actual real history between him and Heyman and also addressing the size difference with Brock while showing no fear.

Heyman.....if you can ever use the word beautiful in the same sentence as him it's this promo. The way he flipped Punk's history lesson on him to ask Punk to trust he had nothing to do with Brock's attack and offering up a perfectly rational reason as to why it happened, along with asking him not to drop him just because the fans want him to was masterful, and while the initial reaction to Punk staying loyal was not positive I think it will make the pay-off all the more satisfying down the line.

Punk vs Darren Young was a bit flat, personally I'd have given Titus the chance to work with Punk. Punk got the crowd going by the end but Titus was so sloppy on the run-in before Axel came out for the save much to Punk's chagrin. Heyman then compounded this by telling Punk that he'd gotten him and Axel a match with the PTP next week. Logically what Heyman said was right about Axel helping, but the side eye he shot Punk after their locker-room argument just lets you know he's up to something devious.

The Bryan vs Orton Street Fight main event was right up there with the HBK vs Edge street fight from 2005. Absolutely brilliant match with both guys giving it everything and a red hot crowd. The match was intense and physical and I loved the way they incorporated their signature stuff in fresh ways that took advantage of the stip. The finish using the kendo stick to apply more pressure to the No-Lock was great and you don't get many bigger wins than making Randy Orton tap out in the middle of the ring.

I liked the post-match handshake as it kind of fit with the mini feud, but I wonder if tapping out will be used to turn Orton heel as it affects his psyche, just something about his facials as he walked from the ring made me wonder.
The show going off air with Bryan and the crowd chanting Yes! was a great sight.

I honestly can't remember the last time I enjoyed back to back Raw's as much as I did these last two. I think the fact that both weeks, feuds that didn't feature Cena actually closed the show is a positive thing. I like Cena so don't take it the wrong way, his segments on both shows were good, but adding more variety to the main event scene and elevating a number of guys to create a main event pool will only benefit the show long term.

Also there are a number of hot angles right now with a number of guys at the top and in the mid-card with good, focused directions that makes it easy to get engaged, hell even the Divas are getting better booking!
 
Good promo from Bryan to open the show. He's the most over guy in the business right now. I enjoyed the interaction with Orton. It should be all about the physicality with these two. They are both great in the ring and can tell a good story. 4/5

Not the best tag team match but not the worst either. With Sheamus you always know he'll win, and adding Christian just sealed it. There's was no way Rhodes Scholars would be victorius here. Sheamus continues to bury everyone. The guy can't lose, for some reason. It's a shame Cody has become a joke. He's solid in the ring and can put on fantastic matches. Rhodes vs. Christian at No Way Out last year was a match of the year candidate. Also saddens me to se someone like Sandow, who's good in the ring, amazing on the mic and can actually get himself over, be handfed to Sheamus. WWE needs main event talent, and Sandow should be a main eventer. Sheamus doesn't connect with anyone, he's stale, has never had a good feud since turning face and quite frankly has become an Irish version of Cena. Decent match, predictable ending. 2/5

No one cares about Kaitlyn and Aksana but AJ cut a great old school promo. You don't see these kind of storylines that often anymore and I'm liking it. This is shaping up to be a good divas feud. AJ is one of the best heels atm, male or female.

Jericho vs. Del Rio was great. I enjoyed the match from start to finish. Del Rio's character is terrible but he's amazing in the ring. I've never seen a bad match with Del Rio, add Jericho and you'll get some great stuff. They are two of the best in-ring performers in the company. The finish was predictable but I'm liking this new Dolph Ziggler. He's a face now but should NOT be booked like every other face. He's a showoff and should stand alone. The minute they turn him into a typical babyface is the minute they ruin a great character and simply amazing wrestler. I see great things for DZ in the future. Great match, predictable but good ending. 4/5

Ryback vs. Khali. Yeah, says it all. Why is Khali still employed? 1/5

Another typical Cena-overcoming-all-odds-promo. We've seen it a thousand times. This guy is the most boring thing going on right now. How can repeat the same shit for 8 years? Jesus christ, retire already. 1/5

Mark Henry cut a solid promo. He's great on the mic and original. He's a monster and makes sure everybody knows it. But why no interaction between the champ and the challenger? Never did understand the whole two seperate promos business they do sometimes. Henry and Cena need to interact, especially after last week. We all know Cena will win at MITB, so book Henry as the dominant guy leading up to this match. 3/5

Usos are number one contenders...again? They're a decent team but for the Shield to go from facing legit main eventers to the Usos...really? It's a huge step down for them and I was afraid this was going to happen when they won the titles back at ER. Shield is one of the best things going right now. Also we should've seen some interaction with them and Triple H. Did everyone forget about last week? 2/5

CM Punk and Paul Heyman = gold, as we all knew. Nothing more to say here, they told a great story. 5/5

Punk vs. Young was "meh". I understand he needed to face someone in a tag team but PTP have been booked terribly this last year and we have no reason to care for them at all, which is sad since they have a lot of potential. Axel getting involved was great. We need a Punk vs. Axel match sooner rather than later. 3/5

Bryan vs. Orton was solid. Good finish to a mediocre Raw. Bryan is the best wrestler in the business. Keep his momentum going and don't feed him to Cena. I can only pray. 4/5.

Overall rating: 2,5/5
 
I really enjoyed this weeks SD, Sheamus vs Sandow was a great opener and even though he lost I actually think the nature of the match gave Sandow a boost.

Kane vs Orton was good but kind of overshadowed by all of the focus on Bryan at ringside, the finish did make me concerned that they are edging towards a Bryan heel turn though.

Kaityln's attempt to reverse the AJ segment from Raw came off really weak despite AJ selling it like it was the biggest insult she'd ever received.

I still can't buy Miz as a face but I like the simple build of this IC title feud between him and Axel, there was something very reminiscent of an old Prime Time Wrestling segment about the Miz TV showdown between the two.

The Shield vs Christian & The Usos was flat out fun and I think the right team won just like when Bryan tapped Rollins out for their first defeat, they have had 8 months undefeated and Bryan got great momentum off the win. Christian is just back and the Usos are now getting some spotlight and this win gave all three momentum, Christian pinning Ambrose I suspect will lead to the 2 wrestling for the US title at Summerslam.

The loss didn't hurt The Shield, it gave a rub to 3 faces who needed it, and that speaks to how well The Shield have been booked.

The final segment was one we've seen many times before, the celebration reworking of the classic Flair/Steamboat segment from 89 that Dusty booked. It's tried and tested I guess and built solid momentum for Dolph's face push.
 
Another quality Raw in my view, I'm liking the investment of the booking in multiple angles, there's practically no wasted segments at the moment, everything has some purpose. I am particularly liking the way they are weaving little conflicts within the two MITB matches.

I'm not a fan of Champion vs Champion matches just randomly happening, to me they should be something special with a strong build up to a PPV showdown. Having said that I thought the way they promoted Cena vs Del Rio all night with the videos of legendary holders of both titles was brilliant and managed to give the match a bigger feel.

The McMahon angle continues to be weird, Vince's dislike of Bryan and Steph's dislike of AJ are at least interesting sub plots, but all 3 power brokers come off as heels and it's turning poor Vickie face in my eyes!

I thought the opening promo segment was strong, Bryan was mega over and it was perhaps the most comfortable I've seen him on the mic. I also thought Orton was good and to me really seems refocused. Punk got another big reaction and interestingly he was the only guy Bryan didn't have the crowd support against. Overall a good segment that promoted the Raw MITB well.

Ziggler's run out against 3MB was low key but his post match stuff reminded me of a young HBK.

AJ's promo on Kaitlyn was solid but this feud is ready to come out of the oven, it doesn't really need anything else before being served at the PPV.

Jericho was entertaining on commentary for the Ryback vs Miz match which was ok, however I'm at a loss in understanding the new direction for Ryback, I mean a 300lb monster booked as a whiny pussy heel?

Sheamus vs Fandango, The Shield vs The Usos & Christian, Kane vs Orton w/ Bryan as the ref and Cesaro vs Cody were all solid matches that served as good build up for their respective MITB matches, the latter perhaps teasing a potential Rhodes and Sandow split and feud.

Punk and Axel vs the PTP was a pretty decent tag match that continued to mine the distrust enveloping the Punk and Heyman friendship, while also serving as a good outlet to showcase Axel. The crowd were into it as well which is good for the 3 guys not called CM Punk.

Mark Henry cut another stellar promo despite getting the dreaded "What!?" chant, his mic work is some of the best in the business right now and combined with the video package shown earlier in the program he feels like a legit threat to Cena.

Cena vs Del Rio was a good main event, I thought the submission counter sequence they did was especially neat. The finish with Ziggler and Henry involved worked just fine and overall I thought Del Rio and the WHC came out of it elevated despite the loss. Henry playing the monster bully and Cena showing wary caution post-match was simple but effective.

The fact the show went off air with yet another promo for the Wyatt's debut next week suggests something big is planned, they wont just come out in segment two and have a squash match with 3MB.
 
Raw Hits and Misses for 7/1/2013​

Raw Hits:​

John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio: WWE did a lot of things right with regards to this match, especially in terms of the hype for the match itself. Vickie opening the show putting over the importance of the match with regards to the legacy of it was an outstanding start, and the short packages throughout the night(however incorrect they were with regards to the WHC) were outstanding. Seeing Hogan, Flair, Thesz, Rodgers, Sting and more really made the titles feel important, and the champion vs. champion match itself.

As for the match itself, give it 5-10 minutes more and it's a match that could certainly have been a PPV match. Del Rio looked as smooth and reliable in the ring as I've seen him in some time, and Cena was his usual rock solid self. The counter from the AA to the cross-arm breaker to the STF was absolutely outstanding, and the rest of the match was paced beautifully with the two looking like equals to one another. The WHC has been presented for so long as a minor league title, so it was refreshing to see it's lineage and it's champion both stand toe to toe with the WWE Championship and it's champion. I could have done without the "interference", but it gave Del Rio a nice out in the loss. ***1/4

The Shield vs. Christian and The Usos: The match on Smackdown was better, and this was simply a way for the Shield to get their win back, which I'm generally not a fan of. However, it worked here because the Shield should be a team, as they've been presented, that rarely loses. Their two losses made sense To a team with the red-hot Daniel Bryan, and a team consisting of twins that should have chemistry similar to their own. The match here was nothing special in and of itself, but Ambrose really stood out, especially in his mocking of Christian. I'm looking forward to the eventual individual feud between the two of them. Rollins hitting the flying enzeguri with Christian countering into the Killswitch and then attempting the sunset flip before Rollins hung him up and Ambrose rolled him up for the pin was an outstanding finishing sequence in a good six man tag match. **1/2.

Wyatt Family Vignettes: I've seen Bray's work in NXT, along with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, and I've been fairy impressed with the overall gimmick. WWE has done a heckuva job hyping them as a HUGE deal and making their debut next week feel extremely important, a game-changer, if you will. It's lofty expectations to live up to, granted, as I don't know where another heel stable even fits at this point. But the hype for them has been incredible and well-done, so it has me anxiously awaiting their debut.

Curtis Axel and CM Punk vs. The Prime Time Players: Again, this was pure storyline advancement rather then a match in and of itself. Axel serves as a nice surrogate for Lesnar until the eventual Punk/Lesnar feud at Summerslam and Heymans compete turn on Punk. His refusal to tag in Punk last night furthers the issue between Heyman and Punk in a slow-burn fashion, which is nice to see. WWE too often rushes to climaxes to set up matches, so its nice to see them taking a slow pace to this, even if where they're going is obvious. *1/2

Mark Henry promo: Short and straight-forward. Henry has done what's been asked of him in order to maintain the status quo, and it's gotten him nowhere. So he's doing things his way, and he's now got a WWE Championship match. Henry was excellent as well when he and Cena came face to face to end the show, feigning attacks on Cena, and Cena did a great job of feigning fear. I look forward to what hopefully is face-to-face promos between the two on Raw next week.

Raw Misses:​

Overall Show: This was a poor episode of Raw. There was some decent storyline advancement, and one would think that a show with so much wrestling would be a good one. However, the matches were too short to mean anything, and the crowd seemed incredibly dead for anything other then John Cena or CM Punk. Heel vs. heel matches are confusing, even if it is a set-up for Money In The Bank, and Dolph Ziggler still hasn't given us a moment to define himself as a babyface. The Jericho/Ryback feud is a complete bust right now, and while there's finally a story in the women's division, the matches are too short to matter. I normally enjoy three hour Raws, but this one was laborious to sit through minus a few exceptions. C-.

Randy Orton vs Kane(w Daniel Bryan as referee): There was storyline development here, but I'm not sure where they're going. The Orton/Bryan issue seemed settled last week, but they continued it both in the opening segment and in this match. As for the match, it was quite disjointed due to the DQ and then the restart. I liked Kane using the same logic as Bryan in not wanting to take the win by cheap means, be it DQ or a fast count. Bryan's logic of "handing" Kane a victory was heelish, but he's been on the fence for some time now, so it fits with his character. Orton loses nothing as he was well on his way to victory before Bryan interfered, and he got his comeuppance when Orton RKO'd him after the match. I suppose they were attempting to further issues heading into Money In The Bank, but it really didn't work for me in any way. *3/4

Dolph Ziggler vs. Jinder Mahal: This would have been the perfect spot for Ziggler to cut a promo defining himself as a babyface, rather then giving him a squash match against someone who doesn't matter in the slightest. There's very little heat on the Del Rio/Ziggler WHC match, and it's because while Del Rio has solidified his turn, Ziggler has done nothing to differentiate himself from his heel character. A win over Jinder Mahal doesn't do that.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Cody Rhodes: Colter's veiled homophobic comments before the match were bad enough as is, but pitting two heels against one another is just downright stupid. Yes, they're trying to hype the "All-Heel" Money In The Bank ladder match, but a two minute match between two heels doesn't accomplish that whatsoever. Cody hasn't won anything in so long that he's impossible to take serious as a contender, and Cesaro proved that by virtually squashing him here. Waste.of.time.

The Miz vs. Ryback: And I thought 'Ryback Rules' was bad. This is far worse. They've transformed Ryback from a man who beats 2-3 men in 2 minutes, and has squashed Miz countless times, into a coward. I don't mind Miz getting offense in on Ryback, but for Ryback to wave off the match because of an 'injury' takes even more away from his dominant aura. He can't 'hang' ten minutes with the Miz after going through Three Stages of Hell with John Cena, and we're supposed to take him seriously? Terrible booking. 1/2*

Fandango vs. Sheamus: The best part of this match was Fandango's entrance, ergo, Summer Rae. Outside of that, it was directionless, much like both characters. Both are in Money In The Bank matches, but having them fight for 10 minutes then have Fandango walk out(again) makes for yet another worthless match. Sheamus has been stuck in that spot of wrestling meaningless matches for so long that it's hard to care about him right now as well. *

McMahon Family Drama: They've done a great job doing one thing: Making Vickie Guerrero, once the most hated woman in the company, look sympathetic. HHH, Vince, and Stephanie ALL come across as bullies rather then bosses, and it's hard to side with any of them. Moreso, there doesn't seem to be a real direction for this program. Perhaps next week's 'performance evaluation' of Vickie will give this some direction, but I'm not optimistic.
 
WWE Raw - July 8, 2013

Opening Segment - Initially, I wasn't all that crazy about this opener. It wasn't bad but it wasn't especially good either. However, I would have thought it horrific if the WWE had already devoted tons of television time to Vickie being caught in the middle of the McMahon power struggle rather than just a few minutes here and there. As the night would progress though, I took another look at it and it ultimately did it's job of kind of setting the stage for the night. Vickie continues to get great heat and her announcement of the matches for the night had me excited for the show. Thumbs In The Middle

1. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus - This was an excellent match all around, especially to truly kick off the show. It wasn't as good as some of the matches they had last year, but it was pretty damn close in my opinion. There was a lot of physical, back & forth action with each wrestler taking most of the signature offense of the other. One thing I also liked here was that they neither wrestler was able to connect with or hook in his finisher on the other. Having everything thrown at you and still managing to come back can add some great drama, but that needs to be used sparingly. The hot crowd definitely helped the match as well because, as has been the case for the past couple of months, they were eating up anything and everything Bryan was doing. Sheamus, while an over babyface himself, found himself in the situation of really not being the fan favorite. Even women and kids in the audience were giving more support for him than Sheamus. The ending of the match comes about with Sheamus countering Bryan's attempt to put him in the Yes/No Lock into a Texas Cloverleaf. Bryan started to fight the hold, pushing himself up off the mat, and gathered some momentum to swing himself through Sheamus' legs. Sheamus was off balance and Bryan rolled him up in a small package to pick up the clean win at the 14.5 minute mark. Sheamus sold disbelief for a while, as well as the fatigue caused by the match, before ultimately shaking Bryan's hand before leaving Bryan to celebrate. Great work all around from both wrestlers and it was also great to see Bryan not only score another clean win over a big star, but to see him finally score a decisive win over Sheamus. ***1/2

Backstage Segment - There was a brief segment backstage featuring Ziggler interacting with AJ. Ziggler isn't pleased that AJ ditched in on Raw and at SD! but AJ flirts with him to get back in his good graces. WWE seems to definitely have Ziggler in the role of a tweener right now, but I see AJ ultimately costing Ziggler the match against Del Rio as a means of truly breaking them up. Maybe AJ purposely leaves Ziggler for Del Rio, turning on him during the match instead of an accident. Nice little segment that sets up some possibilities. With Ricardo gone, Del Rio could use someone with some real charisma in his corner and AJ could fill the role. Thumbs Up

2. The Shield vs. Tons of Funk - A surprisingly solid match, far more than I was expecting. I'm sure some will take this as another sign of WWE losing interest in The Shield but, as I alluded to in the thread I started, this is what tag champs are supposed to do. Clay & Tensai got in a good amount of offense against Rollins & Reigns and the crowd really got into the match once they realized that they were actually getting a genuine match rather than a 2 minute squash job. All in all, this may be the best effort I've seen from Tons of Funk, it was definitely the best reaction they've had since teaming up. The end comes with Roman Reigns making a blind tag to Rollins before Rollins launches himself over the top rope to take out Clay on the floor. As Tensai turns around, he heats the spear from Reigns, allowing them to score the win at the 7 minute mark. A decisive win for The Shield in a match that simultaneously made Tons of Funk look pretty damn good. [B]**1/4[/B]

RVD & Wyatt Videos - WWE did an excellent job in really hyping RVD's return to MITB by highlighting his past successes in the company during ladder matches. His return feels like a big deal, but it remains to be seen whether or not he starts phoning it in once he arrives. The vignettes of the "reporter" from WWE.com visiting the Wyatt compound continued the eerie feeling & mood generated by the group. I thought WWE also did a good job of hyping their debut, especially during commercials. If I've seen the Raw commercial on USA over the course of the past week advertising their debut once, I've seen it a hundred times. Thumbs Up

John Cena & Mark Henry - This was another quality promo segment from Cena & Henry. The closest thing Cena came to making a joke was the Snickers line but he worked it in as an insult followed immediately by a threat. The crowd gave Henry the "What?" treatment about halfway through, thanks a lot for that crap btw Stone Cold, but they simmered down after a bit. Henry's not a dynamo on the mic, at least not when he's being more calm rather than a rampaging bear, but he still does good work. His attack on Cena was a nice touch and WWE has done a really good job of making him come off as a threat who can genuinely intimidate Cena to some degree. It's HIGHLY unlikely that Henry wins this Sunday, but this doesn't feel like a placeholder feud for Cena. It wouldn't bug me at all to see Henry get a run with the title, but only if WWE planned for it to be a long & significant one. Thumbs Up

3. Curtis Axel vs. Chris Jericho - I've got some mixed feelings here. Generally speaking, I thought the match was really good with both Axel & Jericho getting in a good amount of offense on the other. Axel, at least to me, looks like someone who has really improved a lot in the ring since his return to WWE. Both wrestlers worked hard and put up a quality 11.5 minute wrestling match. There were even a couple of really nice near falls from Axel, such as when he hit the neckbreaker and the Perfect Plex a little bit later on. The end comes after Axel has been knocked outside of the ring. The Miz is on guest commentary and they start to jawbone a little bit with Heyman pleading for Axel to get back in the ring before he's counted out. Axel does so at the count of 9 but Jericho comes up to him and hits him with the Codebreaker and picks up the clean win. I'm not crazy about Jericho picking up the pinfall here personally because it's much too much like the pattern we've seen with Wade Barrett losing so many nontitle matches while he was IC champ. If tonight was just something to ultimately give Jericho a little momentum heading into his match rather than a prelude of Axel jobbing out to bigger stars in nontitle matches, then I can live with it. The ending aside, it was still an enjoyable match. **3/4

Backstage Segment - There was a brief segment backstage featuring all the WHC MITB match competitors. It was brief but kinda entertaining. Fandango got a nice pop when he popped up on the screen and the crowd popped again when Barrett popped him with the Bull Hammer, after Fandango was interrupted several times while trying to say his name. Cesaro & Swagger shared a stare down with Team Rhodes Scholars. Nothing great here, but a brief and fun little segment. NA

4. Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio - I'm not really sure what happened here, satellite lost its signal for a bit and when it came back in, it showed Ziggler walking backwards up the ramp looking disheveled. I'm guessing he interfered or something but I didn't see what happened. NA

Vickie Guerrero Performance Evaluation - This segment went on for longer than it really need to but, personally, I enjoyed it for the most part. What I enjoyed most of all was watching Vince & Triple H tear into each other in a passive aggressive manner. Listening to Triple H, whose Golden Girls quip was genuinely funny, go after Vince while using a lot of the IWC's favorite complaints about Vince was a nice touch. I'm sure Trips scored some points among some net fans and the live crowd did a lot in making the segment worth watching. They popped when they were supposed to and booed when they should have booed. Vince wanted to keep Vickie, Trips wanted to let her go and Steph was in the middle. I don't know if they've altered her part in this angle to where she's no longer a third party vying for power and is trying to be a voice of reason, but she tore into Vickie a little bit herself. Ultimately though, she left it up to the WWE fans who voted on the App to decide Vicki's fate. The result was 75% to 25% in favor of "Fail" rather than "Pass" and Vickie was fired. The crowd popped and started the " na na na na, hey hey" song as Vickie through tantrum. Vince got some great heat when he stood up for Vickie and told the audience that they'd "failed" and then he appointed Brad Maddox as the new GM of Raw. Maddox sold shock and the crowd, again, booed. I'm not sure what role this will ultimately play. Later on in the night, as Vince was consoling Vickie, Maddox came to thank Vince for the opportunity and Vickie went apeshit on him. Finally, again later in the night, Vickie is shown walking down a hall carrying a box of her personal effects when she runs into Ryback. Ryback gently sets the box down and gives her a hug before telling her she deserves better. I'm guessing that they just set up an angle in which Vickie is going to be Ryback's manager. Nothing overly spectacular here but, frankly, much more entertaining as a whole than I was expecting. Thumbs Up

5. Kane vs. Christian - A solid outing from these two, but the crowd was pretty flat for it. By this time, I'm sure fatigue is setting in as this was easily the least vocal the Baltimore fans had been all night. That being said, Kane & Christian put out a pretty solid match that ultimately did it's job of filling some air time and giving some more hype to the WWE Championship MITB match. The ending comes with Kane delivering a chokeslam to Christian at the 8 minute mark for the clean win. Nothing spectacular here, just an overall solid showing that would have been better had the crowd been into it. **1/4

The Wyatt Family - Personally, I really enjoyed the debut of the Wyatts. I thought the entrance was really cool and steeped in something that is very, very much underrated in pro wrestling, especially among a good number of internet fans: simplicity. I like that they came out with Wyatt carrying a lantern and all the lights were off with their eerie music playing. Considering that these guys are supposed to live in a compound with no electricity out in the middle of the Florida swamps, the simple entrance is perfectly logical. Wyatt sat down in his rocking chair while Rowan and Harper entered the ring to attack Kane. Rowan & Harper are a couple of really big guys, you're able to get a real sense of that when they were in there with Kane. Kane, real name Glen Jacobs, is genuinely about 6'8" or 6'9" and right around 300 pounds. My brother was visiting last night, watching the show with me and the first thing out of his mouth was: "Kane, I'd get out if I were you. With two hillbillies as big and hairy as those two comin' out, we might have us a Deliverance moment." We didn't quite get a Deliverance moment, a definitive lack of forced male on male sodomy is definitely a good thing, they did give a solid beatdown to Kane. The crowd oohed & ahhed when they were supposed to, such as when Harper & Rowan used the steps on Kane. I'm wondering if this means he's not in the MITB match this Sunday. Wyatt strolled up and kneeled in front of Kane and did his thing for a bit. Again, I enjoyed the debut. It was simple and didn't give too much away on one night. I could have done without the "Husky Harris" chant from the smarks. My my, how original. :disappointed: Thumbs Up

6. AJ Lee & Alicia Fox vs. Kaitlyn & Layla - The match hadn't been started for too long before the action broke down with Kaitlyn going after AJ. Kaitlyn showed a lot of fire and I do like that aspect, it's certainly much better than what we've seen with her. She was all over AJ like a rabid weasel on Viagra. Not much to say about the match, Layla & Alicia Fox were doing pretty decently, though I do wish Layla would stop using that roundhouse kick because it looks awful. Still, some good last minute hype for their rematch. NA

7. CM Punk vs. Randy Orton - A very good back & forth match from these two to close out the show. The crowd was pretty split, generally speaking, with most of the guys chanting for Punk while the gals & kids were chanting for Orton. While this match wasn't quite on the level of Bryan vs. Sheamus, it was still a strong match. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we've seen these two go at it in a few years. The match told a good story of two old rivals that, while respectful of each other, don't seem to get along. The second half of the match was very well done and the live crowd was digging it the whole time. The ending comes with Orton going for an RKO but Punk counters with a roundhouse kick. He sells the effects of the match, as Orton sells the kick, before Orton staggers up to his feet. Punk attempts the GTS for the third time, I think, but manages to connect with it this time. He covers Orton and scores the clean win a little past the 13.5 minute mark. The post match attack from Daniel Bryan was a surprise, and the fact that other participants from the WWE Championship MITB match didn't come out to make it a big, wild brawl was also a surprise. Bryan tosses CM Punk into the ring post before pulling out a ladder from under the ring. He rams Orton with it before climbing up to the top and removing the briefcase. Bryan celebrates along with the crowd to close the show. ***1/4

Final Thoughts - I thought last night's Raw was an excellent show that featured a lot of great wrestling action, great overall hype for the MITB ppv, strong storytelling and a memorable debut for the Wyatt Family. Bryan vs. Sheamus was the match of the night, followed closely by Punk vs. Orton. It was good to see these two guys score clean wins over old rivals that always seemed to have their number. The tag match was surprisingly good and I'm more convinced than ever that WWE is going to build the tag team picture in the long run. I was disappointed by the ending of Axel vs. Jericho because it's too similar to what we've seen WWE do with Wade Barrett. Hopefully, they're not taking Axel down that road. The match itself, however, was really solid. The job evaluation segment was better than I was expecting, though nothing we haven't really seen before. The Wyatt Family debut was really well done in my eyes. I liked the subtly of it and that they didn't give too much away. Hopefully, they'll have a strong follow up promo segment on Raw next week. All in all, a really good show heading into the ppv.

Grade: A-
 
The performance evaluation was hilarious with a lot of the credit going to Vickie's hysterical acting. Although, I'm sure WWE will find some way to bring her back through a loophole or technicality in the storylines, or just because there's no one else to be GM on Raw or Smackdown. Brad Maddox as the replacement? I don't get or see the appeal in this guy. I hardly ever watched FCW or NXT, so maybe I'm missing something. But his act as this clueless schmuck isn't funny or the least bit entertaining.

The Wyatt Family debut was phenomenal. The camera angle panning around Bray sitting in the rocking chair and holding the lantern in the dark was just great. Crowd went nuts, and destroying Kane was something to remember for this debut. The Wyatt Family feels like something different, and I wonder if they'll have Bray speak in tongues during more video promos, or possibly on the mic. The moment of Bray standing over Kane after the attack was soured by the idiotic, jackass smarks chanting "HUSKY HARRIS! HUSKY HARRIS!", BUT they didn't ruin the segment for me. More recently, I remember someone shouting "Johnny Curtis!" at Fandango on a Raw during the build to Wrestlemania 29. I don't understand what these people get out of chanting the names of former characters, but oh well.

Something else to take away from The Wyatt Family debut is the lack of Daniel Byran. You have to think it'll be mentioned in the coming weeks or at MITB. Bryan not coming out to make the save during such a brutal attack could finally be the breaking point for what's left of Kane/Bryan relationship.

Two high quality matches with Sheamus VS Bryan and Punk VS Orton in the main event, but Orton coming out and announcing he would cash-in the briefcase on Cena at MITB during the backstage promo makes me think he won't win on Sunday. It's too obvious, and there would be no shock factor at all, if Orton actually won. Plus, Bryan standing tall over Orton and Punk was a good way to close out the show.

Good go home show, and looking forward to MITB.
 
I usually do my little Raw reviews directly after the show but didn't get a chance to last night, so I'm just going to stick a quick overview.

Job evaluation

Vickie kicked the night off with a solid promo that set up big matches that she hoped would save her job. The review itself had some entertaining stuff but was very long. I don't consider myself a contrary fan but I couldn't help but feel Vickie has done nothing for weeks but book good matches so why sack her? Triple H and Steph came off as smug even though I know Vince is the heel in this angle, and I thought he was hilarious after they left and he chastised the fans and comforted Vickie.

Wyatt Family debut

I thought this was handled really well, the creepy POV reporter footage all led up to a great entrance and what seems the start of an ideal first angle for them with an attack on Kane. There's a Raven vibe about this which is fine with me and I'm sure they'll work past any more occurrences of the smarky Husky Harris chants.

Cena & Henry face to face

I thought the mic work was good here, I like the way Cena sold the notion that he was just a little nervous of Henry and in turn Mark came off as he should, a tank sized monster heel who is supremely confident. I even liked the little set up of the notion that Cena can't lift Henry for the AA, yes we all know he can and has but I still liked the added layer.

Del Rio/Ziggler build

I thought Dolph's promo backstage with AJ was really good but I didn't feel like him cutting a promo during Del Rio's match worked, it came off awkwardly and the crowd seemed unsure what to make of it.

Jericho vs Axel w/Miz on commentary

It was a decent match and I think Axel is progressing well, but I couldn't help think a simple Ryback/Axel vs Y2J/Miz tag with grabbing a flash pin on Axel would have been a better way to promote both feuds and not job the IC champion out in a nothing TV match.

Rollins & Reigns vs Tons of Funk

I expected a squash but got a an entertaining and competitive tag match. I really like the cohesiveness of Rollins and Reigns, it's a classic combination of high flyer and powerhouse, Reigns spear for the win look crunching.

The All-star MITB singles matches

Bryan vs Sheamus was a fantastic match, two guys at the top of their game having a physical battle that saw Bryan pick up another big win and added to his growing list of awesome Raw matches in the last 2 months. Kane vs Christian was a bit flat but it wasn't helped by coming after the evaluation segment that I think zapped the crowd. Punk vs Orton was a good main event and saw the 3rd clean finish of the night with Punk defeating Orton via the GTS.

I guess a mass brawl between the participants seemed likely but with RVD not there and Kane selling the Wyatt attack I think just having Bryan come out and take out Orton and Punk worked fine. The WWE really are putting him front and center going into this Sunday which only raises more questions.

I've enjoyed these last 4 Raw's leading to MITB more than any wrestling I've watched in years, the booking is logical, the angles fresh, the promos strong and the match quality high. Long may it continue!
 
Raw Hits and Misses for 7/8/13​

Raw Hits:​

The Wyatt Family Debut: On a go home show, this generally wouldn't be worthy of the ''top spot" when it comes to hits, but the debut was one that actually lived up to the hype. We've had our Sin Cara's and Tensai's that have been lackluster in their debuts, but this was as impactful as they come. Bray Wyatt may top Fandango in his 'dedication' to his character, and him shining the lantern while the lights went out and just sitting in the rocking chair as Aaron Rowan and Luke Harper destroyed Kane, then posing over him in a Christlike fashion, was magnificent. While it's hard to see what plans lie ahead for them with heels holding the tag titles, it doesn't damper my enthusiasm for next week's appearance in the slightest. Well done.

Cena/Henry confrontation: Speaking of men who have their characters down, Mark Henry has become a master of his. Henry's desperation, including acknowledging he sold out his family, was beautifully put. Cena played his role wonderfully as well, acknowledging Henry's lengths, but also noting that a loss could define his career as much as a win with the "Seventeen years-gone!" line. I've appreciated the physicality, or lack there-of, since Henry's initial attack on Cena, and felt giving any away last night was a small mistake to an excellent build to what is a high-stakes match.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan: Another Raw, another huge win for Daniel Bryan over a top star. I can't remember, for the life of me, the last time Sheamus lost a one-on-one match clean. This was excellent from the get-go and never let up, and was refreshing to see one man go over another clean heading into the PPV. More importantly, Bryan benefits even more with the win, and Sheamus loses nothing losing to a small package and the hottest entity in the company right now in Daniel Bryan. my only hope is that they go all the way with Bryan, whether it be him winning MITB, or him challenging Cena, assuming he's still champion, at Summerslam for the WWE Title. He's more over then anyone in the company right now, so pulling the trigger on elevating him to the top, even for a short time, seems the right thing to do. Excellent match, reminiscent of their 2/3 falls match at Extreme Rules last year. ***1/2

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton: Another solid TV match, and fitting for the main event for ikely the two stars with the most longevity in main event situations in Punk and Orton. Again, it was, while surprising, great to see another clean finish to a very good main event. Punk and Orton showed they have great chemistry together during their 2011 feud, and they still have it. It was a nice touch with Puk avoiding the belly-to-belly by not bouncing off the ropes like everyone else does, and executing a swinging neckbreaker of his own. I expected to see Paul Heyman here at some point to further their storyline, but I was pleasantly surprised at the clean finish. Very solid main event. ***

Chris Jericho vs. Curtis Axel: I'm becoming more fond of Axel, at least from an-in-ring standpoint, every time I see him wrestle. It doesn't hurt to have a pro like Jericho out there to lead the match, but Axel acquitted himself well against Jericho. He loses nothing in the loss, as it was a distraction from Miz that lead to the codebreaker and the loss, which I believe was Axel's first since becoming a Paul Heyman guy. It makes him look slightly vulnerable heading into a match he'lll win on Sunday, but he loses nothing because of the Miz distraction. Solid TV match. **3/4.

RVD hype: There were, at least, 5 videos hyping RVD's return at the PPV, which makes him come across as a major star, especially with his MITB win, and his title victory over Cena. RVD comes in not yet even showing his face, yet still seeming a credible threat to win the match rather than an afterthought. Great hype for his return.

Vickie and Ryback: This is intriguing. Ryback, as Jericho has pointed out, ha shown a 'softer side', and his comforting of VIckie could only mean one thing, seemingly, and that's we will see her step in as his manger/mouthpiece. This could mean great things for Ryback.

Overall Show Yeah, this was fun stuff. An awesome debut by the Wyatt family, continued great hype for the Cena/Henry match, and three matches, all with clean endings, between six of the seven men in the 'All-Star's' ladder match. The hype for the seventh man, RVD, was phenomenal, and he comes into the match and familiar confines looking like a huge star. There was little filler on the show, and most of that served a purpose in plugging the PPV as well. This was as focused as a go-home show as I've seen in a long time, with the perfect capper to a great night being Daniel Bryan taking out Punk AND Orton to grab the briefcase for an excellent visual. A-

Raw Misses:​

McMahon power trip angle: Haven't we seen this before? This was nothing but a 15 minute angle to assert the McMahon's dominance over the WWE, and once again, embarrass Vickie Guerrero. Using a fan poll to decide her fate did her in from the start, and HHH lambasting her for not being good at her job after weeks of praising her seemed like a hypocritical power trip. Who, exactly, are we supposed to be liking here? Appointing Brad Maddox as GM is an intriguing angle, and I'm sure this story is far from over. I just don't like the way they're going there, especially last night. Perhaps, based on backstage interaction, Vickie will become Ryback's manager and do the talking for him, which is a positive from this.

Kane vs. Christian: As compared to the two other "All Star" matches, this was slow, sluggish, and short. Neither man seemed entirely motivated for the match, and the ending was abrupt when it finally seemed like they were getting a flow going. It's two characters WWE seemed to have no plans for last night, as neither will be winning MITB, so they just threw them out there to perform, which they did not do well. *1/4

Tons of Funk vs. The Shield: This match was far too competitive for the Shield, who have lost far too much momentum in a short time. This could all change if Dean Ambrose wins the MITB briefcase, but right now, Rollins and Reigns are competing on the free pre-show rather then the PPV. The match was fine, but the Shield are losing their dominant aura and seemingly some of their prominence. Wrestling a jobber/afterthought team like Tons of Funk should be a dominating match in favor of the Shield.

AJ Lee and Alicia vs. Kaitlyn and Layla: Since Lawler mentioned Layla's "mean girl" days in LayCool, it seems a heel turn isn't far away. But this was a mess. You had the Bellas on commentary, taking completely away from the match, and a No/Contest/DQ, which was never announced. That's how little WWE cares about the female division. AJ and Kaitlyn are trying, but it seems their wheels are being cut out from under them. 1/4*
 
Another good Smackdown this week book-ended by two quality matches; Bryan vs Christian and Orton vs Sheamus. The final visual of Orton on the ladder holding the case worked well, especially with Orton's mannerisms selling the moment before he actually climbed up.

On top of this the show had another couple of solid matches in Jericho vs Axel and Ryback vs Miz, I liked how Ryback won the match, finally he does something that has a successful outcome after all the recent failure.

Dolph's prankster stuff dressed as Sin Cara to get to Del Rio was fun and another simple but effective piece of development in his face turn.

The standout segment of the show though was The AJ and Kaitlyn contract signing. AJ is pure gold on the mic, her "Hulk Smash" line was hilariously delivered and Kaitlyn did pretty well with her promo as well, turning the mind games on AJ. The fight that broke out was great, from Kaitlyn driving AJ across the ring with the table, to laying that slap in stiff on Big E, to AJ selling the spear like death. WWE really have did their utmost to make this Divas title feud matter.
 
Smackdown was pretty good this week, however, it did feel more like Monday Night Raw became a 5 hour long show. The focus on the Smackdown MiTB Match was so small, it kinda became insignificant to me. We know that the WWE Title is the most important one in the business, but it would've been nice to 1) Hear about the Smackdown match some more & 2) Get something more from Del Rio.

Matches though, were pretty good. Bryan/Christian was enjoyable, as was Sheamus/Orton. Seeing Orton & Bryan both holding the briefcase at the ends of Raw/SD makes me feel like that they'll be the two men on top of the ladder before one of them wins it. Having the focus on just two of the guys was kinda strange to see, in my eyes. However, I still think that the "All-Stars" match is going to be brilliant. I think there's gonna be some great moments, but in the end, I am actually kinda looking forward to see the SD MiTB, because of who's in it. Ambrose is going to make the match a thousand dollars, Cesaro should pull out some beautiful moments, along with Fandango/Sandow/Rhodes.

The Del Rio vs Sin Cara bit worked, it was great. However, here's the way I'm looking at things. The focus on Ziggler/Del Rio & the fact there wasn't anything from Del Rio talking about people cashing in means that there isn't any chance that anyone will cash that briefcase in tomorrow, or anytime soon. Ziggler vs Del Rio seems to be a feud that's going to carry on for a while.

Overall, a good SD though.
 
The show was good but it really bugged me that on the Smackdown show the focus was mainly on the RAW MITB. Raw already had all of the MITB competitors fighting each other so I would think smackdown would follow suit but instead they get one match with that involved all of the competitors being in the same area and that's it. Why did Raw get the opening and final match while Smackdown got one match in the middle. Then end with the visual of Orton holding the SMACKDOWN MITB Briefcase in victory is just dumb. Why not let the young guys get their shine.
 
Raw Hits and Misses for 7/15/13

Raw Hits: ​

CM Punk, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar attacks: I've been a wrestling fan for a long time, but for the life of me, I can't remember a better verbal exchange between two men. Heyman going into the history of he and Punk and how without Heyman, there would be no 'Best In The World' was brilliant. In another brilliant heel move, he went over the top with the 'We Were The Best In The World', and how Punk took that away and made it personal. For a moment, I thought they went too far with Punk having no family, but it put even more heat on Heyman and set up Punk's brilliant response. His tone, facials, and delivery were perfect as he vowed to destroy everything in Heyman's life until he got to Heyman, and Heyman's response was simplistic but brilliant: Bringing out Brock Lesnar for an awesome brawl where Brock looked like a destroyer, with Punk looking like someone who truly is the most determined S.O.B. in the world at the same time. Absolutely brilliant segment and one of the best I've ever seen.

John Cena picks Daniel Bryan: This will obviously tie into the McMahon family drama, with Cena in the middle once again, but this is the perfect example of the WWE listening to exactly what the fans want to see. Bryan has been on fire, and him losing the MITB match was actually the right choice, as it set him up for a straight match with John Cena instead. The segment itself felt unnecessary, with Cena running through candidates just to shoot them down. However, it was worth it with Cena picking Bryan after the crowd's ringing endorsement, and the reaction to Bryan being picked and emerging personally made it worth the wait. This match will sell.

Wyatt Family, Week Two: Well, color me intrigued. R-Truth just felt thrown out there, but it made sense in the context of Bray coming out. Bray is mesmerizing and convincing in his role, and while it was obvious an attack on Truth was coming, Bray's delivery was so convincing it sucks you in. The follow-up with Kane should be entertaining, with him perhaps as a brainwashed follower. So far, they've lived up to the immense hype they received.

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho: I remember reading in Jericho's book about how his first TV match was supposed to be against RVD, but they botched so many spots Paul Heyman wouldn't air it. My goodness, how far they've come. The two showed excellent command of the ring and knowledge of one another from bell to bell, and this was an excellent return to Raw for RVD. Jericho continues to be one of the best sellers in the business and go-to-guys for putting people over, and that was on full display. An excellent main event to see if you didn't. ***1/2.

Mark Henry and The Shield: If the plan is to turn Henry babyface, this was the way to do it. It worked in several ways, as the Shield haven't attacked someone in some time, and doing so to Mark Henry gives them heat back they've lost. Henry putting Cena over and acknowledging he fell short while silencing the crowd's 'You Tapped Out' chants were awesome, and he showed great fire and courage in defending himself, and likely got the most offense in of anyone has in a Shield attack. A possible turn for Henry and The Shield get their heat back. This works.

Ziggler dumps AJ: This needed to happen before AJ interfered in one of Ziggler's matches again. They have been moving in this direction since Payback, and Ziggler delivered perfectly. AJ's "Kiss of Death" and Langston's attack on Ziggler sets up a Summerslam match. This gives Ziggler a chance to be built up as a babyface rather then throwing the title back on him.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio: With Del Rio getting the victory due to AJ's interference and Langston's attack following, this felt off the blow-off to the feud, and it was good to see Del Rio get a pinfall victory. These two truly found a nice chemistry in the ring together, and it would be nice to see them revisit the two of them in the future. The fameasser off the second rope was sick, and the two really bumped around once again after bumping hard the night before. Kudos to both men for another good match. ***

Randy Orton vs. Fandango: Fandango hung with Orton for fifteen minutes and looked really solid here. The crowd was somewhat distracting with the Summer Rae chants, but the match itself was a good free TV match. As compared to Sandow's match, this is what you do. Continue to build up the man with the briefcase so that when he does cash in, he is seen as a credible champion. Fandango continues to improve in the ring, and Orton continues to expand his offense and look incredibly crisp while doing so. Good chemistry and a good match. **1/2.

Cody Rhodes attacks Damien Sandow: Short and sweet. Sandow losing bothers me, but he shrugged it off nicely by immediately getting the mic and reminding the crowd who has the MITB briefcase. The crowd's response for Cody's attack on Sandow continues the turn for Cody that began last night, and should set up another nice PPV match.
The Usos vs. Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger: This was fine. The Usos continue to momentum they built leading up to the PPV and looking excellent in defeat at Money In the Bank with a nice little win over Colter's guys. Not much here, but if the Usos continue to win and look good, they could become a meaningful tag team. Call it a step in the right direction.
*1/2.

Brie Bella vs. Naomi: This gets a hit alone for the high cross body that ended the match from Naomi to Brie. It was Kofi Kingston-esque in height and elevation, and the rest of the match was solid as well. It's a good hook along with the promos for the Divas TV show, while not my cup of tea, WWE has done a nice job of promoting. *

Overall Show: I'm sold on Summerslam already. We've got Cena and Bryan and Punk and Lesnar that can be penciled in as automatics, with Sandow vs. Cody and Ziggler vs. Langston likely as well. The Heyman/Punk exchange was easily the best exchange verbally I've seen in perhaps years, and Lesnar's attack alone following sold me. RVD and Jericho had an excellent TV main event, and a nice welcome back to Raw for RVD. Henry and The Shield was an interesting development, and it made Henry look courageous and strong while giving the Shield some much needed heat back. I can't praise the Wyatt Family enough, and Orton/Fandango, Usos/'We The People' Ziggler/Del Rio and even Brie/Naomi had meaningful matches that furthered storylines and built feuds. There's also an air of unpredictability with the McMahon's and Brad Maddox, and those who say WWE doesn't listen to the people didn't see Cena pick Bryan for what should be one heck of a main event. This was my favorite Raw in a long time, and virtually everything on the show was good to great. A overall.

Raw Misses:​

Damien Sandow vs. Christian:I can pick up the logic, as it was the same they used last night. Sandow sold the entire MITB match, and only strode in to win at the end. So, why does he need to win non-title matches as long as he has the briefcase? Well, for one, I need a reason to care about a potential champion. If he continues to lose but then one day cashes in and becomes World Champion, it devalues the championship by making the champion look completely unworthy. Yes, he's a heel, but that doesn't mean he should lack credibility. A bad start towards giving him some against a treading water Christian by losing in three minutes. *1/4.
 
Another good episode of Raw, a lot of banged up guys out there tonight but the match quality and angle building was strong.

The opening segment was an odd one, Maddox with a drum roll, Cena having some fun, Maddox telling Cena he can choose his opponent for Summerslam Randy being up front about looking to cash in on a weakened Cena and then.....Fandango?

This odd collective sees us end up with Orton vs Fandango in what was a longish match in which Fandango got in way more offense and counters than I expected before falling to the RKO.

The Shield taking out Mark Henry I'm guessing was a face turn for the big man, I'm not really sure why as he's a great monster heel but the powerbomb on his massive frame looked good.

Dolph dumping AJ prior to his WHC rematch meant we knew where things were heading but that didn't spoil the quality of the match or the finish, with AJ popping up like the chick from The Ring. Big E then taking out Dolph as AJ gives him a goodbye kiss sets things up for what I think will be one of the best angles going into Summerslam.

R Truth popped out next but was only there to serve as the next victim of the Wyatt's. Bray was brilliant here, first with his promo about heroes, and then with how he welcomed Truth to attack him with the chair, he very much reminds me of Raven mixed with a character from Justified. His final line was to tell Kane to "Follow the Buzzards."

The Usos vs The Real Americans was short and a bit uneventful, my guess is these two teams will trade wins over the coming weeks.

Christian vs Sandow was ok, I missed Sandow's promo if there was one. The streak of guys winning MITB and then losing matches seems to be being kept alive. Cody's run-in afterwards got a great response and I like the potential for the feud between him and Sandow.

Naomi vs Brie Bella was ok I guess, Naomi is an exciting athlete and I wouldn't mind seeing her as AJ's next challenger.

Heyman and Punk's mic segment was pure gold, just two of the very best promo guys ever delivering, Punk's anger came across so well and Heyman sweats on cue! The brawl that followed between Punk and Lesnar was fantastic, it was done exactly as it should be, Punk fighting from underneath against the beast who overpowers him, they barely need another segment to sell this one but they have another month to go to Summerslam.

RVD vs Y2J may have been the longest match of the year on Raw, three full segments. RVD is clearly slower than he was but both guys worked hard and the crowd were very much into it. I'm guessing Y2J heads off on tour now and that job to RVD was like passing the "Vet who puts guys over" torch.

The final segment where Cena had to pick his challenger was risky on WWE's part, sure we all thought the fans would choose Bryan but in this day and age you just never know when a crowd, especially one in New York, might just screw your plans up. Thankfully they didn't and the noise in the building when Cena chose Bryan was incredible, the shot of him doing the YES! chant in Cena's face as the entire arena joined him was quite a sight, great moment.

Good wrestling, storyline progression and a couple of big new storylines started, can't ask for much more than that.
 
In my opinion, last night's Raw was the best of the year so far. Everything just seemed to click, or at least almost everything did. My only complaint really involved Sandow losing to Christian last night. They had a decent match but I don't really see the point of Sandow losing. Cody Rhodes attacking him was a nice touch and Rhodes has that fire back that we haven't seen in a while.

The opening segment of Raw was different but it worked. Maddox didn't act like a sniveling geek, Fandango got a great response, Orton & Cena interacting very well albeit briefly and, surprisingly, Fandango gave Orton a good 3 star match in my opinion. If this had been a year or so ago, they'd have had Orton squash Fandango in about 2 or 3 minutes in order to make him look totally dominant.

The Shield getting back to their M.O. in terms of Henry worked for me. They haven't left anybody laying in a while and we may have just seen a face/tweener turn for Henry.

Ziggler dumping AJ came about in a straightforward manner. It wasn't drawn out or anything, which worked for me. Even though it did kinda sorta give away the ending of his match with Del Rio, it makes sense. It didn't hurt their match, however, as it was a strong 3.25 outing. Ziggler took some pretty wild bumps during the match but that's something that's gotten him noticed. The ending was better than simply having AJ run and cost Ziggler the match. Big E damn near too Ziggler's head off after Ziggler managed to fend off AJ's attack and the kiss goodbye was a good final touch. I'm guessing Ziggler is out of the WHC hunt for just a bit until he settles things with AJ & Big E.

I wasn't all that crazy when R-Truth came out and did his thing but that changed when The Wyatt Family came out. Truth suffered another beat down and it's hard to get over how big Harper & Rowan looked compared to Truth. Wyatt's first promo on Raw was fantastic. I've watched a few documentaries made on various "cults" and their leaders and Wyatt most definitely gives off that vibe with his presence, his mannerisms and by what he says. Even though he got the annoying "What?" treatment at first, even the hardest of hardcore smarks soon settled down and got caught up in what he was saying. Pushing Rowan & Harper out of the way when Truth grabs a chair and sort of offering himself up was another great moment for Wyatt. It had Truth totally off his game and it made me wonder if, somehow, Truth was about to be brainwashed somehow into being made into a disciple. The little kiss on Truth's head before he delivered his finisher just sealed the deal. Wyatt is so damn good in his character and Rowan & Harper are the idea followers.

Things kinda slowed down over the next 20 minutes or so with the tag match, Christian vs. Sandow & the Diva match. All were pretty solid in my eyes, it was nice to see The Usos get such a good, strong response and the Divas weren't booed out of the building. Naomi is extremely athletic and she won over the crowd, her picking up a clean win was a nice touch too.

The Punk & Heyman segment was phenomenal. These two are quite possibly the best in wrestling on the mic, their segments just deliver time and time again. The brawl between Punk & Lesnar was also great and went hand in hand with the story being told. Punk wasn't at "100%", which is actually true when you take into account the stitches he's got in his head, and they played that angle during the brawl. Lesnar overpowering Punk in the way he did looked believable and fit in with Heyman's claim of "CM Punk can't beat Brock Lesnar". Punk sold Lesnar's offense and just taking it right to Lesnar the way he did was exactly the way to go.

RVD vs. Chris Jericho was a strong 3.75 match and was, in my opinion, the best match RVD has had in many, many years. Definitely a crowd pleaser in which both men worked extremely hard. Van Dam isn't as fast as he used to be, but in the two appearances he's made thus far, he looks like he has something that we haven't seen from him in a really long time: he looks inspired. He worked his ass off at MITB and did so against Jericho last night. I figured that Jericho would lose, which makes sense when you consider this is RVD's first match on WWE television in over 6 years.

Cena's choice ultimately did a good job of drawing things out to a point where you kinda sorta thought Cena MIGHT choose someone else. You were hoping that Cena would choose a specific guy and dragging it out by asking the fans to sorta "vote" based on their response to a lot of top guys only had you chomping at the bit. When Cena announced that he'd face Daniel Bryan; the place came unglued. Bryan came out to a massive pop and doing his "Yes!" bit face to face with Cena while Cena held up the title was a great moment. I was pleased to see that Cena didn't try to cut some sort of joke, didn't try to make some wiseass remark and allowed Bryan to bask in the glory of a hot crowd.

Last night featured great wrestling, exciting progression or beginning of very interesting storylines, generated a ton of buzz, had a white hot crowd and some fantastic promo segments. It was an A+ show in my mind and if you just didn't like the show last night, then it's time to stop watching wrestling altogether because NOTHING is going to interest you.
 
Decent show again this week, great to see Vickie back in charge and taking no prisoners. :D

The Shield and The Usos/Henry angle is fun but I just can't see it making the Summerslam card, it's got pre-show written all over it. Ziggler vs Swagger was short but solid and Dolph's post-match promo sending AJ loopy was fun.

I don't know why they bumped Bryan vs Barrett to SD if it was just going to be a squash, the finish was slick though.

I loved Sandow's promo, it hit all the right notes and Cody's actions spoke louder than words, although I think he needs to cut a promo soon. This feud is ideal for Cody and Sandow to really elevate each other.

Heyman's promo telling Punk to stay down was the usual gold and I'm curious about the earnest reaction of disgust by The Miz, not sure where that might lead.

The IC title match that the segment went straight into between Axel and Jericho was very good, giving Axel another strong win. Not sure what the point of Ryback's post-match beating was as it didn't feature anything that would write Y2J off TV.

The main event between Orton and Del Rio was top quality, just some great wrestling from both guys, however I'll never agree with jobbing the World Heavyweight Champion out clean in non-title TV matches that have no meaning. I just hope the result might lead to a WHC match between the two at Summerslam.
 
I enjoyed Raw yet again, the opening segment was a a little low key but it was the first true piece of the puzzle as regards Maddox becoming Vince's puppet. I thought Cena's promo was good and set things up well.

Sheamus vs Del Rio was a good match that went back and forth, I really liked how they worked in Sheamus' real injury and used it for a finish that made Del Rio look like a great heel.

The Shield and Mark Henry segment was pretty much a reworking of the segment from Smackdown, not a huge fan of Henry as a face and I am not sure how they drag this looming six man tag out until Summerslam.

Titus O'Neill and Darren Young had good outings in singles matches this week and the theme of both was they lost due to inexperience against Christian and Ziggler respectively. I think this was deliberate and will be the prelude to them getting a new manager, I'm gonna guess at Teddy Long Playa!

The short but fun interaction between Dolph and Big E after his match has me really intrigued to see them face off at Sumerslam, the speed and agility on show sparked.

The Total Divas segment was brutal but it was nice to hear a good response for Natalya. I guess Eva Marie has caught managements eye but the promo and slap didn't really come off very convincingly.

Cody vs Fandango unfortunately came off as dead air and Cole's lack of logic in trying to push Cody as a wronged man on commentary made him look silly. Still, Sandow was great and the actual match was better than the reaction it got, I really think Cody needs to cut a promo soon though to get his side of things revved up a bit.

Punk's promo was pretty much the perfect promo to lay out his feud with Brock, it covered everything and as usual was articulated with the passion and authenticity that sets him apart. Heyman's response was quality as you'd expect and the way he kept talking to an off screen Brock Lesnar that you never saw had me expecting Brock to show up. I'm glad we have Punk vs Lesnar booked for Summerslam now, no need to drag it out.

RVD vs Barrett was pretty sluggish in my view, RVD's style is hard to maintain as you get older and I think it's showing.

Daniel Bryan's gauntlet was an incredible 40 minute wrestling segment, I was shocked at how long they gave it. The Swagger and Ryback matches that book-ended it were good but the middle match with Cesaro was brilliant, one of the best matches this year and hopefully a sign that Cesaro will be getting a push going forward.

I had no issue with the ending, this isn't just a Daniel Bryan angle so Cena coming out after Ryback put Bryan through a table worked fine, and I liked how Cena stood back and gave a look of concern as Bryan celebrated and got a standing ovation, it was good, subtle selling of the challenger by Cena.

Loving Raw right now, for me WWE is on a hot streak as we head to Summerslam.
 
While not as good as last week's show, which would have been pretty close to impossible, last night's Raw was another high quality outing with great hype for the two announced SummerSlam matches.

The contract signing felt kinda weird but I also liked that it wasn't your formulaic brawl that's been done to death. I like how Cena put Bryan over, but I hope that Bryan won't be as passive going forward as he was last night.

Sheamus vs. Del Rio was a strong 3.25 star match in my eyes that had some damn good storytelling and wrestling going on. Sheamus' leg looked awful and the way Del Rio kept going after it was not only logical, but it gives Sheamus protection for losing clean to Del Rio.

The Booker T & Teddy Long thing seems kinda pointless since neither of them is GM.

Christian vs. Titus O'Neil was a solid 2.25 star 5 minute match. Christian made Titus look like a beast and I like how the format has changed. Not all that long ago, this match would have probably gone 2 minutes or so with Titus getting in almost completely basic offense. I would have liked to have seen Titus come out with a win, but still an enjoyable match.

The brawl between The Shield and Mark Henry & The Usos was pretty basic, but the logical next step towards what I'm guessing will be a six man tag match for SummerSlam. The Usos are getting good responses from live crowds and I'm happy to see that WWE is sticking with them. I doubt they'll be the ones to take the titles from The Shield, but at least they're being used in a relevant way.

The segment with Cena & Bryan backstage did its job of building future tension between the two. Without anyone saying it, the tone of the whole bit seemed almost like Bryan is Cena's "little buddy" that he's watching out for. Bryan telling Cena not to come down during his match also hints that he'll almost certainly do so at some point.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Darren Young was also about 2.25 stars and, again, Darren Young got in a lot of offense. I thought he looked better against Ziggler than he did with Punk and the very close & believable near fall Young scored was a nice touch. The live crowd was very much into Ziggler and I liked how he's sort of incorporating his "show off" character as a babyface. It kind of puts me a little in mind of Shawn Michaels as Michaels always had that big of cockiness about him even when he was a babyface.

The Miz TV segment didn't do anything for me, but it wasn't the train wreck that I thought would drag on. I don't really know much about what happened as I went for a bottle of water. Total Divas just doesn't interest me, but I understand that WWE has to hype the show.

Cody Rhodes vs. Fandango was an okay match, though I never really got into it. I thought Sandow was terrific on commentary and used the time well to hype what has to be an upcoming match against Cody at SummerSlam. I'm also wondering why it's always the WHC MITB case that gets all banged up and dented. Discrimination!!!!!!!!!! Somebody paint it black and call Al Sharpton.

CM Punk & Paul Heyman delivered another fantastic verbal segment and the match between Punk & Lesnar is now official. I really like Punk's intensity and aggression. We all know that Punk can be a great, cocky smartass whether he's a heel or a face, but it felt really fresh to see him in this sort of character set. Just solid gold stuff all around, especially Punk ragging on the via satellite bit.

Rob Van Dam vs. Wade Barrett was decent while it lasted. It was kinda hard to get into because poor ol' Wade Barrett is now officially a jobber to the stars.

As we've seen several times over the past few months, Daniel Bryan stole the show inside the ring. His first match of the gauntlet was against Jack Swagger. It was only went about 5 minutes or so, but it was a very good 2.5 star 5 minute match. His 20+ minute match with Cesaro was outstanding, a genuine match of the year candidate in my opinion with these two just tearing the shit out of each other. Great, believable near falls, intense back & forth action. The segment of Cesaro just ramming those Very European Uppercuts on Bryan was fantastic and they looked brutal. The ending of Bryan being tossed up so Cesaro could land the uppercut again only for Bryan to seamlessly roll Cesaro up into a perfect looking small package was great. Easily a 4+ star match. Ryback was Bryan's 3rd opponent and was at least 3.25 stars in my opinion. Bryan made Ryback look like a beast while Bryan himself looked like one as he just kept coming back at Ryback. The match ending in a DQ win for Bryan after Ryback powerbombed him through the table was logical in my opinion. After all, Bryan had just gone through about 30 minutes of combined action from Cesaro & Swagger, so pulling out a clean pinfall win over Ryback to boot would have probably had some people starting with "Super Bryan" complaints. Cena came out to help Bryan post match, so I guess he actually did do what Bryan said, but he still came out there.

Raw is being taped tonight as they're heading overseas and the announced main events are Cena vs. Ryback in a tables match and Bryan vs. Kane. Vince made his presence known at the end of the show as he suggested the match to Maddox backstage.

All in all, a very good show. I could have done without the Divas segment and the Booker T/Teddy Long Drama, but there was great build for SummerSlam, strong storyline progression for several feuds and great wrestling. I was disappointed that The Wyatt Family wasn't on last night's show, and I find myself wondering if MAYBE they'll make themselves known somehow when Kane has his match against Bryan. All in all, a B+ in my opinion.
 
Jack-Hammer said:
I could have done without the Divas segment
Click to expand...

While I understand why you're saying this, still, one of the best parts of the show happened during that segment ;)

Overall a very good show. I wonder what happened to Big Show. I figured he was going to be the 3rd opponent for Bryan. The current report says his knee isn't fully healed.

As for Ryback being the 3rd opponent, I didn't have a problem with that. It was clear the 3rd man should be someone massive. After DB took such a beating in the first 2 matches it made the most sense. The match did a great job of putting both DB and Ryback over. And I'm liking the change of direction for Ryback's character, set up first by his earlier promo. I wonder if that powerbomb spot was a botch. Maybe Ryback wasn't sure mid-move if he had it right and just threw him way away from it. Would've been a cool spot to see him turn DB's knees off the apron straight into a table powerbomb. Still cool none the less.
 
I didn't mind this weeks raw but fail to see the point of the Long/Booker segment. Neither are GM, Long isn't a wrestler and Booker is pretty much retired so it's not like they are building to a match. Can't see where this is leading.

Daniel Bryan is white hot at the minute I guess it's inevitable Orton will screw him at S/Slam but I really feel he deserves a decent title run (Punk v Bryan at Mania anybody?).

I was surprised at the Wyatt family and Orton missing the show. The Wyatt's intrigue me but I don't give a crap about Orton. Was still surprised though.

Is Brad Maddox retired?

Not a bad Raw this week.
 
The one thing I noticed the most from this show was the E was a bit more lenient with the language compared to how they had been.

Punk got bleeped for saying Bitch last week, but it slid last night. Also Vince saying Damn was a bit out of the ordinary.

I wonder if we will continue to see some subtle language allowed to slide by, or if it was just a one time thing.
 
Strong promo work from Punk again, I loved his interaction with Fandango, simple but effective and sets up a potential match between them on Raw.

I also dug the Dolph and AJ segment, good stuff from both of them, I wonder when Big E is gonna verbalize though.

In-ring was solid, Christian vs Swagger and Orton vs Sandow being the two best matches. I also really dug the way Del Rio won his match, along with the way he beat Sheamus on Raw I think this has been a good week for Del Rio in building him as a smart heel champion.

The Rhodes/Sandow angle that ran throughout the show was pretty good and Sandow's reactions at the end were gold. I'm struggling to buy Cody as a face though, he just looks like Bill Paxton's character from True Lies with that 'stache.

Speaking of Sandow, I want him to get a boat and crew and set out on a voyage to find his briefcase, there's potential gold with Captain Sandow aboard the Intellectual Saviour!
 
WWE has been showing some more leniency over the last year or so with the whole PG thing. Aside from that they are running with more adult story lines as well. Could be they are changing their target audience bit by bit. Cross my fingers they do. If you look at the talent that's been pushed lately it's not as kiddy friendly, so i have high hopes WWE is going to return to be a more adult show...
 
I didn't feel this weeks Raw was as strong as the last 5 or 6 but it was ok.

I know most weren't a fan of the Bryan and Vince promo but I thought it was solid, Vince was obnoxious and overbearing and Bryan countered that well by being likable, defiant and confident in his response.

The Shield vs Henry & The Usos was a solid six man tag but I really don't feel this feud is doing anything for The Shield right now, they need to move on to something fresh.

The AJ vs Kaitlyn match showcased some neat offense from AJ, she's so much smaller than everyone she faces that having her craft arm based offense to set up for the Black Widow is a smart idea and she really is a pretty accomplished little worker.

The Big E vs Dolph match that the aforementioned match went straight into was fun, Dolph and Big E have a similar in-ring chemistry to HBK and The Bulldog in my view and I hope they get the chance to have a longer match at Summerslam.

Del Rio vs Christian was MOTN and continued a strong run of TV matches from Bertie while also having a surprise outcome that hopefully sees Christian get the WHC shot at Summerslam, he's certainly been on a winning streak.

Heyman waddling away from Punk was hilarious, that barricade thwarted him better than it did the fan who attacked Orton in South Africa. I'm guessing Punk vs Axel will happen on next weeks Raw.

Bryan vs Kane was decent but not great, the after match attack by The Wyatt's showed Kane using some smarts, but this is another angle that's treading water, hopefully next week sees it move forward.

Cena vs Ryback surprisingly bored me, it just felt so stagy and at times came off goofy. I was surprised as I actually enjoyed their two PPV matches for the most part.

I know this was a taped Raw and WWE's schedule has been insane over the last week, so I don't think they did a bad job with what felt like a holding pattern Raw.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Live Discussion: RAW 29/10/07
24 25 26
Replies
632
Views
38K
EtherBoo
E
A
  • Locked
Live Discussion: RAW 22/10/07
14 15 16
Replies
382
Views
26K
BooCocky
B
P
WWE Cyber Sunday Prediction Contest
Replies
24
Views
2K
wrestling247
W
M
Next RAW Brand Champions
Replies
4
Views
968
Banes
B
A
[OFFICIAL] NXT Aftermath, Review, and Ratings Thread
15 16 17
Replies
418
Views
113K
The People's Peep
T

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 0 (members: 0, guests: 0)

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 5,838 (members: 0, guests: 5,838)

Forum statistics

Threads
174,846
Messages
3,300,837
Members
21,727
Latest member
alvarosamaniego

Share this page

Back
Top