Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[@smarkmouth]

I don't know if you've noticed this, but despite having a PPV what feels like every other week, WWE LOVES to throw away what could potentially be great, money making, PPV quality matches on free TV, only to give us the same rehash over and over and expect us to pay $50 for it. Add to that the fact that anyone under 6'5" or that can't deliver amazing promos they feel is filler and this match likely never would've made it to PPV anyway.

Oh, yeah, I agree. I just prefer to give WWE the benefit of the doubt sometime. This may not be WWE's standard PPV match, but it deserves some build up, which I think this error has provided.

Also, keep in mind, Bourne and Sin Cara are on different shows (I know, that doesn't really matter either), and the next PPV is Money in the Bank. Presumably, both men will be involved in the ladder match, hence delaying a one on one encounter.

It's a possible PPV match, but yeah, most likely another TV match. I'd just throw some hype on it.

So, we have our match next week! It's a shame, this could have been a solid opportunity to make a nice midcard feud that doesn't eat up too much air time.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

My Smackdown Review, please check it out: http://youtu.be/TN7oksFhH0Y

as for today's smackdown, all the matches were great except for the jinder mahal vs yoshi tatsu matc because never started and neither the great khali or jinder mahal appeal to me. AND wade barret vs ezekiel jackson it wasnt bad but it wasnt good either

good matches from sin cara vs ted dibiase and the main event tag team

great matches from christian vs kane and daniel bryan vs cody rhodes

MARK F'N HENRY has really steped up lately and i would like to see him involved in the world title picture soon! he dominated tonight!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Monday Night Raw - June 27, 2011

Opening Segment - I thought the opener was pretty solid generally though I have mixed feelings about it. It was nice to see HBK again but it didn't really have a special feel about it. But I didn't really expect it to since there've been a lot of returning legends that've popped up over the course of this year. Punk was gold on the mic, as usual, and his interaction with HBK was solid. The little hint of Shawn's past with drugs & booze was a nice little touch. However, I wish Otunga & McGuillicutty hadn't been laid out via Sweet Chin Music. I know it gave the fans a little feel good moment but I wish that the young talent wouldn't get punked out whenever a legend pops up for a visit. The Raw GM announces that Punk will have a match and Booker T spins the Raw Roulette wheel. I like Booker as the "MC" as he's got charisma and it just beats having the Divas hanging out back there playing Vanna White. The first match is a Mystery Opponent match and Kane just happens to be standing there. Yeah, it felt kinda cheap and lazy. The segment was alright but a few things could've been tweaked without any real effort to make it better. Thumbs In The Middle

Kane vs. CM Punk - I was disappointed here as I was expecting a bit more. There was some good back and forth action and Punk did a good job of selling Kane's moves. I was just hoping for more than a 5 minute outing between the two. I've seen them against each other in the past over on SmackDown! and they've produced some very good quality matches. I was disappointed also in the count out finish with Punk walking away. However, I honestly did have a feeling that we'd see more of Punk later in the night. Kane gets the win via count out. It was ok while it lasted but not nearly as good as it could have been or I was hoping. *1/2

Sin Cara vs. Evan Bourne - This was an excellent 5 minute match between the two. I wish it would've gone longer but we were given a nice treat I thought and a good sampling of what these two could do if they were given 15 minutes at a ppv at some point. It was a good back and forth match though I don't think it was all that crisp at times. There were a few moments when they seemed kinda hesitant and I wouldn't be surprised if the language barrier is to blame. Bourne looked good here and held his own against Sin Cara. The fans were into the match from bell to bell and both guys looked good. Sin Cara ultimately gets the win after hitting that headscissor face plant thing that he does after Bourne misses Air Bourne. Even though I was hoping it'd be longer, they worked their asses off for the time they had and both of them looked good so it's hard to complain. ***

Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler - This was a Raw Roulette match that began ultimately with Booker T & Kofi backstage. Vickie comes back there and spins the wheel herself with the wheel landing on Player's Choice. Kofi jokingly congragulates Vickie on a good spin and decides that she's banned from ringside, which was the option that actually got the most votes in the "Power to the People" Raw last week but was screwed up due to the technical problems. The match in and of itself wasn't as good as we've seen from them before, but it was still a very solid 7 minute match between two guys that just flat out work well together. Ziggler got some great heat for himself over the course of the match and both of them sold each other's moves really well. Kofi ultimately gets the win as Ziggler tries to throw Kofi over the top rope and turns his attention back to the crowd. Kofi bounces off and hit Trouble in Paradise for the win. Not as good as they've had before like I said, but a good solid television match. **1/2

The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio - Booker T is back at the Roulette with Maryse and damn she looks good. Del Rio comes back and talks to Booker for a bit before he begins flirting with Maryse. He asks Maryse to spin the wheel for him and she flirts with him in her golddigger sorta way but he storms off after the Routlette lands on Steel Cage. The match itself was alright and told a good story but it definitely should've been longer. Cage matches that last 5 minutes generally don't do it for me. I like that Show didn't spend the match just dominating Del Rio as Del Rio got in a lot of good offense on Show. Mark Henry slowly made his way down to the ring to some great heat and just sort of prowled around the ringside area for a bit talking trash. Henry eventually rips the cage door off and makes his way inside the ring, allowing Del Rio to crawl out of the cage and get the win. The aftermath was awesome with Henry ramming Big Show against one of the cage walls and causing it to collapse. The crowd really popped and a pretty good "Holy shit" chant broke out while Henry was talking trash to Show & the fans. Great intensity lately from Mark Henry. The WWE should've done this with him 10 years ago. The match was decent for what it was, though the real story was Henry laying out Show again. **

Kelly Kelly vs. Nikki Bella - Too short to mean anything and it just really sucked that the Raw Roulette made this a Submission Match. It lasted about 90 seconds with Kelly winning after putting Nikki in the Boston Crab. I will say, however, that Kelly did a great job of selling the Fujiwara armbar that Nikki had on her for a little while. A waste of a match and a stipulation. N/A

Rey Mysterio & Alex Riley vs. The Miz & Jack Swagger - This was a Tornado Match with all of them in the ring simultaneously. Great match here with a super hot crowd hanging onto everything that happened from start to finish. I was a little surprised to see how well Swagger & Miz worked together. I thought they meshed quite well and seemed to have pretty good chemistry together. Everyone looked strong in the match and Riley seems to be getting over pretty well. He hit a particularly cool spot after leaping onto the top rope and hip tossing Miz to the center of the ring. There was great action all around with some fun near falls. The match ends at the 12 minute mark with Riley hitting Swagger with an impaler DDT then Mysterio hitting the splash off the top for the win. Great match all around and it did a good job of highlighting 4 of the 8 guys that'll be in the Raw MITB match. ***1/2

John Cena vs. R-Truth - The Raw Roulette made this a Tables Match. The match was kinda short at 5.5 minutes and the action was alright. However, I kept looking for CM Punk to ultimately make his presence felt. I just knew he'd wind up walking out there at some point and he ultimately did. He pulls a table out of the way just before John Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment on Truth. Punk jumps in and he and Cena go at it for a few seconds before Truth comes out of nowhere and hits a helluva spear on Cena, driving him through a table set up in the corner for the win. **1/4

CM Punk Promo - I'm surprised that the site hasn't crashed what with all the buzz surrounding this amazing worked shoot Punk cut last night on Raw. Punk masterfully pushed all the hot buttons of the IWC in his promo last night and has generated the kind of buzz that's very rarely seen in wrestling. Punk mentioning Paul Heyman, New Japan Pro Wrestling & Ring of Honor were nice touches designed to really grab the attention of internet fans. While more average fans might not necessarily be aware of everything surrounding Punk's comments, Punk was able to convince lots of fans last night that it was a legit shoot, whether they're internet fans or not. It was a worked shoot, however, as Punk could have easily gotten into more controversial areas if he truly intended to shoot on WWE. You know, bringing up stuff like that supposed sexual stuff between Randy Savage & Stephanie McMahon, saying that he could show up in TNA Wrestling on Spike and hyped their product over WWE's, could've brought up all the drug problems and scandals in WWE's past, etc. Punk stayed within safe boundaries last night but he has the credibility and intelligence to make his comments sound downright scathing. For instance, John Laurinatis is a yes man. He's the WWE's bad cop that does Vince's dirty work and he gets paid a shitload of money to do it. His name being brought up in a heel promo isn't hurtful to him, it probably gave him a great chuckle. At any rate, Punk's has gotten lots of people interested in this angle and ultimately wondering what's gonna happen. Is Punk really going? Was he ever really gonna go? Were his whole comments on Twitter about being frustrated and leaving all just part of a set up for this angle? Has he signed another deal in secret? Could he possibly win at MITB and, if he does, what'll happen next? If WWE doesn't screw up the payoff, this could be the most brilliant angle wrestling has had in a very, very long time. Thumbs Up

Overall Show - Overall, I thought Raw was a great show last night. It was a wrestling heavy show that featured altogether solid wrestling content. Kane vs. Punk was a little disappointing and could've been better. Sin Cara vs. Evan Bourne was a great, energetic match that gave us a sample of what they could do if really given enough time. Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler was another solid match in their long standing feud. The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio could've been better but it told a good story, Del Rio got in some good offense and got the win. Mark Henry knocking Show throught he cage was a great bump and Henry's intensity is very believable. Mark Henry is someone that looks genuinely intimidating and the fact that he's legitimately one of the physically strongest men on the planet just makes it credible. The Tornado Tag Match between Rey Mysterio & Alex Riley vs. The Miz & Jack Swagger was great and the overall best match of the night. John Cena vs. R-Truth was ok, nothing overly special, but it's nice to see Truth get a win over Cena. Cena has rotten luck in Table Matches. He's lost one to Sheamus, Randy Orton & now Truth. It was also nice seeing HBK & Diamond Dallas Page on the show last night even if it didn't feel particularly special. The highlight of the night was, of course, CM Punk's worked shoot. It was masterfully done and has got everybody talking about it. Punk showed last night why he might be the overall best young wrestler in the world right now. I'm sure that lots of us have read all the spoilers for next week's taped Raw and know what's gonna happen. I read a little myself but managed to resist temptation. At any rate, I can't wait for the show next week. While the Raw Roulette doesn't have all that much impact, I was so glad that we didn't see some idiotic wastes of time like a Pillow Fight Match or a Song & Dance Contest as they were both options on the wheel.

Grade: A-

 

[LittleJimmy]

the overall show was good, not great, but good.
The tornado tag team match was fun to watch, they should really do more of those.
Sin Cara vs Evan Bourne was good but should 've been longer. Am I the only one who thought Cara botched the finish? It didn't look like Bourne was suppose to land that way.
Cena vs Truth wasn't great but served it's purpose.
And of course, there is Punk's promo. Not going to go into detail, but it was AWSOME!!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! - July 1, 2011

Christian & Teddy Long Part I - The show started off with a brief segment in Teddy Long's office with Christian coming in with a contract for his title shot against Orton at MITB. I thought it did a pretty decent job of showing tension between them when Teddy Long sort of hinted that he might wind up giving Mark Henry a shot at the title at MITB or making a triple threat match as Henry did pin the WHC last week in a tag match. Long banned Christian from ringside during this match, again causing a little bit of friction. It was short, to the point and did what it was supposed to. Thumbs Up

Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry - The match in and of itself was ok while it lasted though it was nothing ultimately to write home about. However, the match did a good job of putting over Henry as an intense monster heel that could be viewed as a legit, serious threat to the WHC. Even if Henry never gets a shot at the title, his credibility is at an all time high. Henry & Orton wind up outside when Big Show's music hits. Henry stands waiting for Show to come down but he never does. He turns around and Orton hits an RKO before ducking back inside as the ref reaches the count of 9. Henry is counted out around the 5 minute mark, giving Orton the win. Afterward, Mark Henry makes his way over to the production area where they pyro goes off and the music plays. Henry's intensity is at an all time high and the man is literally very intimidating. He destroys the equipment at the audio engineer table before grabbing the guy and throwing him about 10 feet over some other equipment, presumably onto some sort of mat that was placed back there that we couldn't see, before heading into the back. The match itself wasn't all that great as far as action goes, but it did make Henry look formidable and the stuff afterward showed off his new intensity nicely. *1/4

Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase - Great back and forth match between these two. It was a nice novelty with them coming out to no music or anything since Henry took out all the music equipment temporarily. They had lots of matches over the course of Bryan's run as United States Champion on Raw but this was probably the best I've seen from them. The crowd was pretty hot for the match, they particularly responded to Bryan's stiff kicks and the few high spots he pulled off. DiBiase hasn't looked as good as he did in this match in a very, very long time and I thought he might wind up getting a win after he rammed Bryan's back into the ring post and them rammed him back against the security railing. Bryan did a good job of selling the shoulder injury before mounting a good comeback. I also thought the match told a good story of DiBiase being on this journey to get his career back on track, which the commentators put over quite a bit as well, and his taunting of Bryan was a nice added touch as it goes along with Cody's stance of Bryan being a "common man". Bryan ultimately winds up getting the win a little past the 13 minute mark after putting DiBiase into a guillotine choke, forcing him to tap. Bryan is a great submission wrestler and it was nice to see him win with something other than the LaBell Lock and I hope they make it a habit of him winning with different submission moves. Great effort here. ***1/2

Christian & Teddy Long Part II - After Henry's loss, Christian is backstage with the contract looking pleased with himself. Long says that "word on the street" is that Christian was seen coming out of the production truck, indicating he's the one that played Show's music and distracted Mark Henry. Nice little inference there on Christian being an intelligent heel. The segment went a little further in enhancing the tension between the two as Long made a match for Christian against Sin Cara. Again, short, sweet and to the point. Thumbs Up

Rajin Singh Interview - This was an interesting little inset interview they did featuring Singh talking about Jinder Mahal. The footage they showed included some of Khali in India surrounded by people as well as a few snips from his work in some movies while also showing footage of Sing, Mahal & Khali together. We were exposed to a little bit of the culture in India with the angle of Mahal being Singh's brother in law and gave a little insight into the caste & social structure that's still alive in India. Singh did a good job of basically making Mahal sound like an elitist bastard that has a lot of influence and respect from a cultural & social perspective. It adds another layer to Mahal and I'm glad that WWE kept this simple. They didn't try to delve too much into the caste/social structure of India, which is really pretty complex, and they did this tastefully. Thumbs Up

Christian vs. Sin Cara - Overall, I thought this was a very good match with lots of good action here. However, I think Sin Cara needs to put a little more work into his spots and really needs to work on his communication skills as there were a few times he looked pretty sloppy. Still, they worked well together and Christian did a good job covering for the few botches Sin Cara made here and there. There was some good back and forth stuff going on and Sin Cara hit all the crowd pleasing spots while Christian's style added a very nice, all around stability. I expected the match to end with Christian being DQ'd or counted out but I was surprised, pleasantly, to see Christian pick up a clean win here. Christian hits a spear on Sin Cara for the pin a little before the 12 minute mark, handing Sin Cara his first loss in the WWE. Cara had to lose at some point and losing to the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, and one of the best overall wrestlers in the business today in my opinion, won't hurt Sin Cara at all. Very good effort even if it was a little sloppy here and there. ***

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Cody Rhodes - Even though the match was short, I thought it was very solid for the time it was given. Ezekiel Jackson looked like a powerhouse, which he is, and Rhodes looked like an opportunistic heel but an opportunistic heel that's also a threat. Zeke hit some power moves but Cody also got in some good offense of his own. I was pleased that it wasn't just some 2 minute spectacle of Zeke just throwing Cody around like a ragdoll before DiBiase interferred and got him DQ'd or something along those lines. DiBiase did get up on the apron but Zeke rammed him up into the ringpost. The distraction allowed Cody Rhodes to hit the Beautiful Disaster to Zeke's back, stunning him long enough to hit Cross Rhodes for the win. I was surprised to see Cody get the win here and I'm all for him going after the IC title. He had a nice, brief feud with Daniel Bryan that had both of them come out looking good and now having him go after his first mid-card title is the next logical step. **1/4

Kane vs. Wade Barrett - I thought this was a very good big man match, certainly better than I expected. Barrett used a lot of MMA style kicks and punches during the match and that's something that goes along very well with his legit background as a bare knuckle fighter. It's an aspect of his life that gets talked about a lot by commentators and I think it just makes Barrett seem more brutal. Overall, there was some good back and forth action here and Barrett looked strong throughout the match, holding his own with Kane. Kane his most of his big moves and it was a nice change to see him try to hit Barrett with the Tombstone. Kane usually only breaks out that move when he really, really wants to finish a guy that's giving him a rough time. Barrett's Black Hole/Bossman Slam looks good and I wish he'd make that his finisher instead of Wasteland. It looks more impressive and has a much greater impact. Kane is ultimately able to get the win at the 12 minute mark after hitting Barrett with the chokeslam. Very good match to show off two competitors in the SmackDown! MITB match. ***

World Heavyweight Championship Contract Signing - I thought this was a helluva segment to close the show with and I'm so glad that they shook things up a little rather than going for the traditional formula that we see every company use when it comes to signing contracts inside the ring. I thought Christian was great on the mic, he's just so much more intense and comes across so much better as a heel. He sounded and looked like someone obssessed with not only being champ but proving to everyone that he can beat Randy Orton when it counts. Orton was solid but I thought he could've used a little more intensity here. I thought the pen not working was a nice touch as it gave a little bit of extra time for Sheamus to come up through the crowd. Sheamus looked like a bast as he laid out both Orton & Christian. He went to Orton first and was beating him up before turning his attention to Christian and nailed him with the Brogue Kick. He then did the same to Orton before screaming that he'd tear his head off with his bear hands. He then turned to Christian and said something to the effect that if Christian put his hands on him again "I'll break ya', fella!!!" I'm glad they did that cuz it just doesn't feel right with Sheamus talking smack to someone if he doesn't call them fella at least once. Given the history of Orton's punt, Sheamus coming back so quickly made him look like a downright beast. Thumbs Up

Overall Show - I thought last night's episode of SmackDown! was fantastic. There was no real filler on the show and everything that took place actually had a reason for it. The opening match wasn't that hot but it made Henry look like a beast and the post match stuff only furthered the image of this new, intense Mark Henry. They also did a good job of playing up the tension between Christian & Teddy Long without trying to do too much. Sometimes, less is more. The inset interview with Ranjin Singh talking about Jinder was interested and was also well done without trying to do too much or go too deep into a complex situation as far as India's culturual social system goes. Overall, I thought the wrestling action on the show was great. Daniel Bryan and Ted DiBiase put on a great back and forth match, Christian vs. Sin Cara was a lot of fun and it was nice seeing Christian be the one to give Cara his first defeat, I thought Cody Rhodes' match against Big Zeke was a good, solid 5 minute match with Cody getting an unexpected pinfall victory and putting him in the IC title picture and Kane vs. Wade Barrett was a great big man match. The contract signing was very well done with some great work from Christian on the mic. Sheamus showing up and laying everyone out was a great way to end it. I'm glad they didn't have Orton do something as tired and predictable as laying out Christian's "attorney" with an RKO. From top to bottom, just a damn good episode that had everyhing running on all cylinders.

Grade: A

 

[Yesiamaduck]

Just as you thought the end of this Raw couldn't come close to last weeks they delivered! It was an intense promo which once again smashed the 4th wall so to speak, it feels like the WWE at the moment has snapped it's self out of the rut and dream world to face reality for a bit... the last 2 ppvs bombed and it's nice to see the WWE taking notice for a change! As far as match quality is concerned both the triple threat match and riley vs miz matches were really strong tv matches... the tag match was a bit crappy but it appears that Ryder is finally being put into a storyline, a storyline which could build and center around the tag belts, which lets face it need some TLC.. the tag division seems to be improving as of late and this looks like another step in the right direction. The only bit of the show that truly stunk though was the ziggler segment, just no, o and the Swagger Slaughter thing! Overall enjoyable show which started and ended on a high, great work from Cena tonight although he did stray into corny territory a few times but on a whole did great in adding believability and intensity to the storyline & in not such a black & white kind of way. B+

 

[WWEIsLife2]

Not a bad RAW tonight despite it being Taped but that didn't bother me at all. The Cena/Vince stuff was really well done and I can't wait to see what happens at MITB. I liked the Triple Threat Match and Miz/A-Ry Match as well. Looking forward to Next Week from Boston for the final push toward the PPV.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Monday Night Raw - July 4, 2011

Opening Segment - I thought this was a very good effort from John Cena rallying what had to be a tired Las Vegas crowd. Whenever Cena comes out in a serious mode and mind set, he's capable of delivering some damn fine promos and he showed that again tonight. Considering that this is Independence Day, I thought Cena touching on the whole Freedom of Speech thing was a perfect touch. After all, the whole angle of Punk's "indefinite suspension" does seem to hinge on him saying things he "shouldn't say". Bringing up what happened with Daniel Bryan and WWE collecting certain signs fans have brought to shows before is a great way of using legit, controversial subjects to further this angle. Cena seemed like a stand up kinda guy here, the ultimate babyface fighting champion and I think that's what was needed here on this particularly show with this particular angle. I look forward to his confrontation with Vince, which I'm guessing'll probably take place at the end of the show. Thumbs Up

Kelly Kelly & Eve Torres vs. The Bella Twins - Not bad for a Divas match, all things considered. The match actually got a pretty good response from the Vegas crowd and Kelly Kelly is definitely the most over Diva on the roster. Was it a classic? Hell no, but it was decent filler with four hot girls that put on a decent 3 minute women's match. Kelly Kelly winds up getting the win on one of the Bellas. *

David Otunga & Michael McGullicutty vs. Santino Marella & Vladimir Koslov - I thought this was a pretty solid 5 minute tag match. Ultimately nothing to write home about but Otunga & McGuillicutty looked better here than they have at any other point since they won the tag titles. Nothing particularly stood out about the match other than a noticable improvement of those two. Santino did some of his goofy stuff but I was glad to see the tag champs pull out a clean pinfall win. McGuillicutty hit the running neckbreaker to get the win about the 4.5 minute mark. *3/4

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Jack Swagger - Far too short to mean anything. This had filler written all over it when Slaughter was challenged by Swagger back in the locker room. With it being the 4th of July, I guess it was kinda nice seeing Slaughter and this is a little bone the WWE threw him. Still, pretty useless filler overall with Swagger beating Slaughter in a little over a minute. N/A

Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth - Excellent triple threat match in my opinion. I know WWE has done a lot of them recently, but I have no real problem with that right now because they've been doing them so well. All three of them worked quite well together, the match is given a good amount of time, all of the wrestlers are able to show what they've got and all of them are involved in the match instead of having it be mostly a singles match with one guy out of the match. Lots of energy and a few good spots here and there. The fact that they don't try to go overboard on high spots is another good thing in my view. As I said earlier, the Vegas crowd had to be tired but they were into the match from top to bottom. Rey hits the 619 on Truth and then the splash from the top rope, only for Del Rio to run in and break the count by locking Rey in the armbar submission. Rey taps out at the 14 minute mark to give Del Rio the win and he's the "new #1 contender" for the WWE Championship. ***1/4

Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero - Overall, I thought this was a really solid promo segment for a few reasons. Yes, we all knew that Vickie was going to wind up getting pushed into the cake. Harmless, if predictable, fun. Vickie continues to generate more heat than anybody in wrestling. She excels in her role and this segment didn't have the camp that I thought it would. Ziggler did a good job on the mic and I thought also did a good job of hyping the WWE United States Championship and how important it is to him. Kofi's presence ultimately led to Vickie getting pushed into the cake twice. Predictable, but we still all kinda liked it. Even though the segment did have some comedy about it, they were able to keep the focus on the mid-card title. Kofi & Ziggler have given us a lot of good matches over the course of the past year or so but it's time for this feud to end soon. Ziggler needs to move onto a fresh challenger and Kofi needs to climb further up the ladder I think. Thumbs Up

The Miz vs. Alex Riley - Good, competitive match from The Miz and A-Ry. They used the match to tell a good story and I thought Cole & Lawler did a good job of further hyping that story on commentary, at least when Lawler wasn't trying to tell a joke. I thought they delivered a good, solid back & forth match that made both guys look good when it was all said and done. Riley winds up scoring a surprise pinfall with the backslide at the 10 minute mark for the win. Miz, however, quickly gets his heat back as he delivers a quality post match beatdown to Riley. Miz showed really great intensity during the beating and his facial expressions worked like a charm. Miz really did look like an ego maniac that was frustrated and embarassed to have been beaten by someone that used to work for him. **3/4

John Cena & Vince McMahon - While this promo segment didn't have the fire that Punk had last week, and I don't really see how it could have, I thought it was a great follow up to what happened. Vince comes out being his usual, ego-maniacal self and says he did the right thing by firing Punk. After Cena comes out, we saw Vince's master of the universe persona fade a bit and be replaced by a real person to some degree. Vince is someone that's worried about being embarassed and some of the embarassment that's happened to him, whether it's been his own fault or not, is something that's really stuck with him. I thought Vince voicing his concern that Cena wouldn't beat Punk and that Punk would walk out with the WWE Championship added a logical sense of realism to the segment. After all, we have seen that happen back during the Monday Night Wars. Even though we know it can't happen that way now, it's what suspension of disbelief is all about. Vince actually came out and called WWE a "wrestling company" so I'm hoping that people will finally quit harping on that stuff as WWE is always going to be a wrestling company. Cena basically quitting with Vince refused to reinstate Punk was a nice tease and Vince going off his rocker was classic Mr. McMahon stuff. Vince told Cena that he'd fire him if he lost to Punk at MITB, so this adds another little twist to this story. Overall, I thought it was a great follow up to the Punk angle with a good sense of realism and logic tossed in. Thumbs Up

Overall Show - I thought Raw was a very solid show overall. Of course, what everyone wanted to know about was what would be the follow up to the CM Punk angle. That was the main theme of the night and I thought they did a good job of putting emphasis on that as well as hyping the MITB ppv in and of itself. The opening promo with Cena was really good I thought. Cena can deliver on the mic when he wants to at will. He doesn't always behave in a way that we all like, but his promo tonight definitely delivered. The rest of the 1st hour kinda dragged a little. The Divas match was a little above average but nothing to be concerned over. The tag team match was solid, again nothing special, but it's nice that Otunga & McGuillicutty got a clean win and that the tag team scene is actually showing some signs of life. The stuff with Swagger & Slaughter was pure filler. The triple threat match between Mysterio, Del Rio & R-Truth was a great match and Miz vs. Alex Riley was a very solid, competitive 10 minute match. The Cena & McMahon segment worked very well in my view as a logical progression of the angle involving CM Punk's suspension regarding his comments last Monday. They didn't try to go over the top and touched on some subjects that we here on the WZ forums have touched on as well. Vince's display of insecurity over possibly having Punk walk out as WWE Champion isn't a realistic happening, as we know with how things are set up these days, but it's logical when you suspend your disbelief like a fan is supposed to. McMahon reinstated Punk but told Cena that he'd be fired if he lost to Punk. This adds a new twist to the match and it opens up some more possibilities for what might ultimately go down. It also makes me wonder how they might follow up with Alberto Del Rio. After all, with Punk reinstated, he's no longer "#1 contender".

Grade: B

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Everything involving the Punk storyline was interesting. Pissed me the fuck off how they mess with Punk, but it was interesting. Everything else was such garbage. It was a good way to contrast interesting storylines and WWE's product from the last 4 years. The live RAW should be good.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

I'm not much for hating, but I thought the matches on the show were particularly more boring than usual. *Sigh* Maybe WWE will stop with the 1 move per minute selling and speed up the competition a little bit like Impact Wrestling does.

I enjoyed the opening and final segments and they made the show worth watching.

Starting to like Dolph Ziggler more and more every week... I liked him before.. but now I'm starting to like him as a top dawg in the WWE.

I liked the random Zack Ryder appearance.. he actually got a pretty big pop. Looks like he might be looking for a partner and going after the Tag Team Titles?

 

[HorsemenNo4]

Pretty good RAW this week. Once again, CM Punk stole the show. Right now, he's gold.

I wonder if Drew McIntyre got hurt though. He missed the padding during the Big Show/Henry stunt and the referee threw up the X at the end. Maybe that was for show, but I think he may have gotten hurt. I really hope he's okay because I was hoping for a push, even a minor one on RAW.

The match results were pretty typical. Kelly Kelly wins but gets beat up, Nexus loses, Big Show has a no contest and everyone in the MITB match is involved in a match (except Mysterio and Del Rio). It was all predictable but set things up for the PPV.

 

[XXJJ]

Amazing mic work by Punk. This is the perfect time to turn Cena heel.

Punk is carrying Raw right now. Everything else was boring tonight.

LMAO what a botch by Mark Henry. I dont think he was suppose to be flying off the stage. Poor Drew I dont know where he landed.

Bella Twins made me laugh. They said Kelly was "malnurtured" instead of "malnourished". Way too complicated. They should of just called her a ring rat ****e like Orton did.

Watching Cena attempt a dropkick was funny too. That was really bad looking. Stick to throwing shoulder blocks and 5 knuckle shuffles.

 

[Yesiamaduck]

Did I enjoy this Raw? No, not really... besides the fact CM Punk carried this entire show on his back and made it worth watching the was nothing of note here at all. CM Punk was outstanding tonight and has probably out done his previous promo tonight when he confronted McMahon, it was a masterclass and the entire audience was hanging on every word with a COLT COBANA chant starting and a very audible one at that.
McMahon didn't have as much input as I would of liked but did a decent job and apart from the few times Cena tried to be funny he did a decent job also, but the corny sctick didn't and doesn't belong anywhere near this storyline so sort it out Cena.

John Cena Vs Mike McGuillicuty *however it spelt* & David Otunga
This was a terrible match, it was slow and clumsy the whole way threw, Cena hit a nice leg drop and the was 1 good double team maneuverer but other then that I can't remember anything else other then a GOD awful looking STF by Cena. Rubbish & totally pointless and went on for what seemed like a good 30minutes but it was more around the 10minute mark. 1/4*

Kelly Kelly Vs Melina
Terrible match, to be expected... beat down afters and Eve comes down and remains totally irrelevant to everything and anything despite being involved with everything and anything in the divas division, she's not over and she probably never will be over so get over it. Dud

The MITB Promo, pretty rubbish from what I recall... even the up to now R-Truth didn't seem all that convincing in this promo & seems even more cartoonish then ever before. It's still kind of funny but I hope they don't dilute his character any further it'll only hurt him. The Miz was good enough whilst not being spectacular and the same can be said for Swagger, Bourne and Kingston contributed nothing as did Riley who just ran out. Alberto Del Rio was decent but as usual with all these types of promos they feel forced and far fetched. Del Rio complains about no longer being no 1 contender and the GM agrees, so he sets up a 6 man tag team match, why? I HAVE NO IDEA! Makes no sense at all

R-Truth, Swagger & Miz Vs Riley, Bourne & Kingston
This match was the match of the night but was still pretty dull and I'm getting incredibly bored of 'book a tag match where opponents from the next ppv face each other heel vs face style' it's getting really old and is really lazy & is taking away tv time they could use to develop feuds in a meaningful way as opposed to this ineffective heat builder... soo much so an incredibly audible 'We Want Ryder' chant breaks out... not good during a match with such a 'stacked' billing, honestly do you remember any of these tag matches EVER adding anything to the build of any ppv? I mean recently of course, the match it's self was alright for a tv match but felt clumsy and unfocused, Del Rio comes out and owns everyone with a ladder after Alex Riley picks up the win. Both Del Rio and Riley are favs IMHO *3/4

The Big Show Vs Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler
May I just say that the promo that set this match up was fucking appaling and for all the good WWE seems to be doing with story archs recently this really dragged it back down to late 2009/early 2010s level with authority. Nothing of note really Big Show owns with unconvincing offence, Ziggler hides, Show unconvincingly beats on McIntyre, Mark Henry pushes show off the side onto 'ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT UNDER A BLANKET' which for some reason gets a 'holy shit' chant and they're concerned for show and henry but not McIntyre who appears he may of genuinely got hurt in the process. This did no favours for McIntyre and Ziggler and the same could of been acieved if Show was attacked on route to a match. Totally over-bloated and shameful misuse of talent DUD

What a fucking crap show, full of botches, nothing good here at all besides the Cena/Punk/McMahon angle & a total missed opportunity at building anything for the MITB show beyond the generic, dull and predictable. Talent got totally misused here, the tag team champions jobbing to Cena, WHY!?!??!?! Why the hell was the big show in a handicap match against 2 of the more promising members of the WWEs undercard WHY!?!?!??!?! WHY THE FUCK is eve being shoe horned into every conceivable storyline the diva division gets... WHY WHY WHY. This show was just a whole bunch of WHY and was saved exclusively by the strength of CM punks performance & McMahons entrance. 4/10

 

[TheCanadianBadassJB]

all i can say, is that WWE better resign punk and do it quick! he continues to steal the show night in and night out! he can get a pop-n-chant going for ice cream bars for god sakes!

Cena can also take the ball and run with it in terms of an on screen frinedship and/or fued with cena. tons of potenteial there

i also noticed vince pointed to a zack ryder sign on his way down the ramp. that gave me a chuckle

i sure hope drews ok. i wonder if we'll ever find out what happened to him

 

[WATCHMEN51]

Del Rio comes out and owns everyone with a ladder

I don't know if you noticed this as well, but after Del Rio finished dispatching the all MITB participants he threw the ladder with quite a bit of force at The Miz. It appeared that he let the ladder go to late, which caused Alberto to throw it low. The Miz had to react and protect himself, cause the ladder was heading right for his hips and upper thighs, and it hit him quite hard right on the lower arm and wrist. Although I camera crew cut-away quick from Miz's facial reaction, you could still see he was in a incredible amount of pain. From what little they showed of Miz in the aftermath, and from were the ladder hit, The Miz could very well have a broken wrist or possible sprain. Hopefully it's not, for I'm certain The Miz was to be one of the key components in the Raw MITB ladder match. Anyway I was wondering if you saw that little bit as well?

As for the rest of the show, I didn't really care for the rest of the matches. I totally agree with your take on CM Punk's/VKM/Cena's promos, as they were pure ratings gold. I just hope the equate to ppv buys this Sunday.

After what we all witnessed tonight, I think Punk has already re-signed, but I still think he will take a month off and show-up again after SummerSlam. I think this because, of the vibe I got from Vince, something in the way he was acting just gave me the feeling that Punk will still be on the wwe roster.

 

[stuck2001]

Decent show tonight, but just that, decent. I like when WWE uses the show before a PPV to really, really hype up the upcoming card and tonight just felt like everything fell flat. Maybe that was only because it's all relative to how great the Punk/Cena angle is turning out to be.

A few thoughts though:

-So...where exactly is Kofi from now? As best as I can remember, they still announce him being from Ghana, his tights are sort of Jamaican, but tonight he was completely American on the mic. No accent whatsoever. Just jumped out at me as being pretty much disconnected from what I've seen from him in the past.

-Maybe a set up for a Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler feud with Dolph tagging Drew in and then hiding while he got destroyed by Show? I think they'd run a decent feud and Drew's style would be a nice change from the Kofi/Dolph stuff we've seen.

-I'm a huge Bourne fan, I think he's crazy entertaining in the ring (though he pretty much reacts like he's been broken in half like a rag doll from every move he takes), but he can't seem to find himself on the mic and I'm not sure WWE really knows what to do with him or where to put him. Without a "high-flyer" division, it's hard for him to make a solid run against the rest of the roster.

-When are the Bella Twins going to turn on each other? We all see this coming, right?

-Is anyone else confused by how we're supposed to take Michael Cole nowadays? I feel like half the show he's making really logical points and doing a decent job of calling the match. I mean, sure, he's still sarcastic and rude to King and Booker, but I find myself agreeing with his logic most of the time. I even feel like half the time the other announces aren't sure if they are supposed to agree with him or hate him. It's making for a weird dynamic where they are laughing and buddy buddy, then hate each other.

-Finally, and this just occurred to me the other day....you know who has been really, really, really uncharacteristically quiet about the whole CM Punk thing? Chris Jericho. I think he tweeted one thing about it, but I haven't seen him piping up at all. CM Punk's doing the "I'm the best wrestler in the world" angle, Jericho had the "I'm the best in the world at what I do" angle...rumors about Jericho coming back...might be decent timing. Just a thought.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Don't really have time for an in-depth review.

Overall, Raw was pretty solid last night. I'm not surprised that most people just thought it was ok and all that because, generally speaking, nothing else was supposed to matter besides the Punk/McMahon/Cena angle. Everyone knew that given what happened last week and those are the segments that everyone was ultimately looking forward to.

The wrestling action overall was kind of ho-hum but I'd be lying if I said I expected otherwise. Last night was the go home Raw to MITB and they wanted to do whatever they could to completely lock interest in the Cena vs. Punk match. Mission accomplished. I'm not a fan of handicap matches but the one with Cena against Otunga & McGuillicutty was a lot better than I thought. They controled the vast majority of the match and looked solid against Cena. I was expecting Cena to just mow through these guys in about 2 minutes or so. I'm not that crazy that they decided to use the tag champs in this way. Cena got the win at the 10 minute mark and I'd give it 2.5 stars. The Divas match was standard filler. Kelly Kelly's tights seem to be smaller and smaller each week, the girl's just insanely hot. The Divas Title match will mostly be filler on the MITB ppv but I thought Kelly & The Bellas have done a decent job with the feud, given the time they've gotten. Big Show vs. McIntyre & Ziggler didn't really get started. I'm glad they didn't feed Ziggler to Show although I thought it was poor use of McIntyre. The spot with Mark Henry was cool and this is actually a match I'm looking forward too. The 6 man tag match was a fun tv match and I thought it was a nice final push. People love the MITB matches and they didn't try to ram it down everyone's throat. Fun action with all 6 guys getting a chance to show their stuff. Riley got the win at the 11 minute mark. I give ie 2.75 stars. Alberto Del Rio did a good job at using the ladder and the crowd was hot for the ladder shots.

As I said, however, last night was all about the WWE Championship situation. The opening segment was great, Punk bringing the megaphone was a very nice little touch. Punk's came across as so smooth that he made Keith Stone from the Keystone Light commercials seem like a bumbling doofas, to steal Punk's description of Triple H. Cena did very well in his supporting role and it just set things up nicely for later on. The contract negotiation segment was pretty long but it held my attention the entire time. A little note to TNA: Last night with Punk, McMahon & Cena is how you properly pull off a 20+ minute promo segment. Punk was brilliant in his role and some people in the audience were genuinely unsure of who they should cheer of the two. Punk came across as a rebel, which is always a fun character to be, with Vince as the egomaniacal control freak. Cena also did extremely well here and they succeeded in keeping interest for their match high as well as keeping us wondering exactly what's ultimately going to happen with Punk.

Most of the show was decent. It couldn't stand up to the Punk segments but, then again, they weren't supposed to and I can't really think of anything that could have realistically taken place that would have stolen the show from the Punk segments. I can't wait until MITB and I gave the show overall a B-.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Another solid effort from Smackdown tonight, but for the first time in quite a while the main event really didn't seem to deliver. Here's my shortened version of a breakdown.

The opening segment was very good. Finally we're starting to see this feud get a little personal and that would be the one thing I have felt it's been lacking thus far. The little backstage bits Christian was doing were kind of corny but I still liked them a bit. Hopefully we get another solid match out of them come MITB and they can go their separate ways, or else it's going to go south in a hurry.

We have a few good little matches. Zeke gets a nice win over Dibiase under his belt, Sin Cara gets a huge win over Sheamus while Wade Barrett remains relevant, and we seal the deal on the Slabriel split, which I kind of think was a bit premature. Now what are the Usos going to do every week? However, I'm glad they seem to be nipping any potential feud between these 2 in the bud early. No one cares, and it's not going to help anyone. Also, if Slater ever gets near a mic again I swear I will choke a puppy.

DB and Rhodes put on another sweet little match as this program has been fun to watch. Eventually something is going to have to be added to the mix though because they can only just wrestle each other one on one so many times before it gets stale. Still, an awesome TV match.

Women's wrestling still fucking sucks, don't care who it is at this point.

The main event match was pretty meh, but it served more to further an angle than anything. I'm starting to think it's fairly possible that Kane gets involved in their match now after Orton put that beating on him. I doubt that they're just going to let that go now.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this weeks show. They built up everything nicely for the PPV and the whole card, top to bottom, looks fucking stacked at this point.

I give it a B+.

 

[Yesiamaduck]

I won't go into a fully blown review this time as the was very little to touch on other then what I'm about to discuss. The tournament threw a couple decent semi's and a lot of sub-par quaters.

But wow, the ending! Raw has been on a real hot streak on terms of closing segments as of late... no one knew what was going to go down tonight and with cena/mcmahon fire and Punk will he be there or wont he going down the WWE threw a curveball at us and it was Vince who got relieve of his duties & what started up being a 'hell yeah' type affair actually ended up really quite emotional as a character I've grown up with is apparently saying his good byes, the nah nah nahhh chants quickly turned into 'Thank You Vince' and it was just superb.

Up until the ending once again it was a fairly meh raw, though one heavy on the wrestling, and I was terrified it was going to drop the ball after an awesome MITB ppv but it delivered the good at the end, now next weeks Raw is must see TV as we now get to see what the HHH era will bring.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

So after the hottest angle in a while with tons of mainstream coverage, they follow up with...pulling out the wrestling match main even for the title we were promised, and we got a corny promo from Cena and terrible, terrible acting from Vince and HHH? Wow.

The tournament was solid and fun throughout the night, and the stories sold about Rey having to overcome no recovery and Miz' injury were great. But that ending was abominable. Cena thanked Punk...for beating him, taking his title, and probably costing him his job. Makes total sense. Cena is so much better than this character they've given him, it's annoying. It's ok for him to have a little edge, even if he's the hero to kids.

That ending forces me to take a very good, B+ Raw and give it an F. That's how terrible I thought it was.

I'll leave it at this: Look at me. LOOK AT ME! I love you Pop. *tears*

 

[BigSexy The IndyKiller]

I almost shit myself when Cena used the Hogan quote. That to my knowledge is the first time TNA has been mentioned on WWE programming. And with Cena threatening to do it, it was great. But then Trips came out and blew that out of the water relieving Vince of his duties. For a second, I expected Trips to crack a smile when he made up the ramp to look back at Vince. Overall, I loved the ending. Never saw it coming.

 

[Dylan McGowan]

Just a small review

I'm truely blatantly furious upon how John Cena was not fired. Truely furious, I knew it would never happen from the moment that stipulation was made, they should have added another inch of realism to the storyline and made it as soon as CM Punk leaves Chicago with the WWE Championship that John Cena had been fired. Yes, yes ... John Cena brings money to the business but does he give an amazing performance in the ring? Not in my eyes

John Cena rant over. RAW was great tonight except I had spotted very many botches throughout the matches (Not saying I wouldn't botch if I was a wrestler) However i'm very happy to see Triple H return but this time taking over Vince McMahon's role in the industry.

I was expecting more from RAW this week including the fire segment of John Cena. I can see a very dreadful future for the WWE and another reign from John Cena with the new WWE Championship. Horrendous

 

[gioacchini6]

There will BE no new WWE champion now. Why do you think that match got "pushed off" until next week? Triple H is obviously going to "re-sign" CM Punk now. He just criticized Vince for making questionable decisions as of late, and as of late, all of Vince's decisions have been related to CM Punk. Let's not make this into rocket science people. Punk is back in the fold as champ, new era led by Triple H and CM Punk.

 

[The_Awesome_One]

not bad RAW. The part that i loved the most was Miz finally overcoming his losing streak and now he is in the main event next week against mysterio for the new WWE title. It's gonna be an awesome match with hopefully the end result being Miz holding up that title victorious. Let the most see WWE champion return next week, unless Riley gets involved and helps rey win. that would suck. I was kinda hoping Cena would have been fired or just had a little break so someone else could step up for a while. But it was good to see HHH return

 

[Mr_Ratings]

Raws wrestling tonight was good.... Everything else was real pathetic! The storyline became all about Vince and Cena. Which I knew that was gonna happen. They did their best to bury Punks momentum aside from a lil "Hey thanks for the match from the posterboy".

Tonight was supposed to be about Punk and what he's gonna do with the title. But the "Tournament" and the "Cena firing turning into Vince firing" ruined it. Took all the deserved spotlight off CM Punk.

The chant shouldve been "Fuck you Vince"

Btw I laughed out loud when HHH said "I love you POPS!!!" .... That had a real Timmy and Lassie "I love you boy" hahaha pathetic for a company that portrays itself as a WRESTLING show!