Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[George Steele's Barber]

RAW IS STEPHANIE!

Two really good Raw in a row. The wrestling was terrific. I'm happy to see matchups like Orton and RVD. Can't believe what a WWE fan boy I must be since I didn't give a shit about RVD in TNA but in WWE he becomes one of my favorite performers again. Stephanie made MizTV not suck the life out of the show. I ff'd through the Divas match. I like the Wyatt/PTP match. Titus has a presence about him, him squaring off with Reigns was chilling. The handicap match still doesn't make much sense coming from HHH but it was still fun and pretty well done. Ryder is back in the main event.

Punk was terrific and Heyman was even better. Punk's kick to a standing Ryback's head looked good live. Crowd was hot most of the night without being too smarky. I want more HHH and Stephanie Show. Big Show's punch was quick and to the point, didn't have to suffer through blubbering. WWE has kept me on my toes and me guessing lately. Terrific stuff, I haven't watched a significant part of MNF at all this year.

 

[ThePhenomLives]

Pretty awful RAW imo.

The opening segment didn't establish ANYTHING, it only set up the main event. D

Kofi vs Del Rio. Solid match but we knew the result. Too predictable, and we've seen them wrestle a thousand times over the past year. Give me something fresh. C

Wyatts vs PTP was good. I enjoyed it and the booking made sense, which was a rare thing last night. B

MizTV was okay. Stephanie did a good job. Don't care for either Big Show or the Miz though, neither did the crowd. Big Show seems to have switched from face to heel he's now a combination of both. C

Orton vs RVD was a decent match but again, we knew neither guy would lose since they both have championship matches coming up. Randy beat the sh*t out of RVD which made sense, but seeing the latter in the main event later kind of ruined everything. Are we really going to buy him being able to wrestle an hour later...? B-

Fandango vs Santino. Who cares about Santino, honestly? He's a comedy act, not a guy you take seriously. It's amazing how much Fandango has fallen since his debut. Summer Rae is hot and kind of make this match worth it. C

CM Punk promo was awesome, as usual. Heyman was gold. Solid A.

Divas match...who cares. D

Main event. Probably the worst booking decision I've seen in a while. So the faces are 11 vs 3? What? Right after Summerslam Orton was standing tall every week, now it's Bryan. Same, repetetive ending every Raw. The Shield continue to lose week in and week out. Is it 3 or 4 big defeats in the last week? And where was Randy Orton after all this? Is this feud Orton vs Bryan? Doesn't seem so. Bryan vs Triple H? Maybe. Bryan vs the Shield? Who knows. It's a mess. Horrible ending to a mediocre Raw. D

Overall C-

 

[The Eighties]

Some good stuff on this weeks show, I like how Steph and Triple H are continuing to try and blur the lines as regards to their intentions, I think the way they've evolved from just having Bryan punished every week is working well and it's hard to tell exactly when and how they will pull the rug out from under the faces.

Sticking with Steph her dressing down of The Miz felt pretty accurate and for the second week in a row her delivery was spot on. I thought it was interesting that unlike in previous weeks Big Show didn't hesitate to knock Miz out when Steph gave him the order.

Orton vs RVD was once again a good match, these 2 haven't missed a beat against each other since RVD's return and I thought the continuation of Randy Orton's return to his old ways was really well executed, Orton's little laugh before giving RVD that turnbuckle DDT was great!

Punk's promo built nicely off his Chicago roots and then Heyman coming out singing on that OAP scooter was glorious! These two are just cutting some of the best promos in this angle that I've seen. The brawl that followed was pretty good from the standpoint of Punk's fire backs, but Ryback and Axel looked a little awkward, this is the sort of wild melee The Shield do so well.

The Shield's promo, more specifically Ambrose was great, they are the best booked heels in a long time, and I thought Rollins brought great intensity in his part.

The Rhodes brothers attacking The Shield before the main event was good and made complete sense after what happened to their father, I just wish Dustin hadn't worn face paint as they are supposedly not employed so why come in character? but that's a minor nitpick as I like where that segments seems to be leading.

The main event was just flat out fun, odd in the sense it was reverse booking with the heels as underdogs, but it worked due to everything The Shield have done. They came out of it looking really strong as Reigns went into Beast-mode and Rollins fought like a heel Ricky Morton. The whole momentum switch for Bryan is a good choice as we head towards Battleground.

 

[Blade]

The opening segment didn't establish ANYTHING, it only set up the main event. D

All the opening segment did was set up the main event.

Did you just start watching wrestling yesterday? That's literally all the opening segment ever does. A few people go out to the ring, there's usually some insults exchanged, then an authority figure sets up a main event based around the situation in the ring.

Seriously, literally every episode of Raw and Smackdown that happens, except in the very rare case, when they start off with a match.

Main event. Probably the worst booking decision I've seen in a while. So the faces are 11 vs 3? What? Right after Summerslam Orton was standing tall every week, now it's Bryan. Same, repetetive ending every Raw. The Shield continue to lose week in and week out. Is it 3 or 4 big defeats in the last week? And where was Randy Orton after all this? Is this feud Orton vs Bryan? Doesn't seem so. Bryan vs Triple H? Maybe. Bryan vs the Shield? Who knows. It's a mess. Horrible ending to a mediocre Raw. D

Wow, I don't even know where to begin right here.

Orton stands tall for three weeks in a row and it's repetitive? And now Bryan is standing tall three weeks in a row and it's repetitive. Again, I ask, did you start watching wrestling yesterday? Do you not remember the days where the nWo stood tall over the opponents to close Nitro for like 100 weeks straight?

Now, it may be a little subtle for you, but do try to keep up. Just look at the bigger picture here. Triple H keeps putting the Shield in these situations where they get hurt or beaten or whatever. As these start to build up, the Shield will grow disgruntled. As the Shield grow disgruntled, the crowd will start to get behind them. As the crowd starts to get behind them, the Shield become either full-on faces or move into a more tweener role where they're only out for themselves. Either way, it gives the faction new life before they get boring.

Also, the fact that the Shield, 3 men, were against 11 men and managed to take out half the team is quite incredible and asserts them as utter badasses. Because 11 is a bigger number than 3. Check my work, the maths holds up.

The 11 on 3 was a great match, very entertaining. It puts the Shield over as the badasses they are while also giving them a reason to be pissed at Triple H.

It's a simple rise and fall storyline, the rise and fall of the New Corporation. The locker room start to get behind Bryan, that's how the fall starts. Then Cody and Goldust start attacking Corporation members. Maybe the Big Show decides to quit instead of being Steph's bitch. Then perhaps, the final nail in the coffin, the Shield turns on Triple H and Steph and go rogue. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out, rushed as it may end up.

 

[Klinz]

Also, the fact that the Shield, 3 men, were against 11 men and managed to take out half the team is quite incredible and asserts them as utter badasses. Because 11 is a bigger number than 3. Check my work, the maths holds up.

The 11 on 3 was a great match, very entertaining. It puts the Shield over as the badasses they are while also giving them a reason to be pissed at Triple H.

It's a simple rise and fall storyline, the rise and fall of the New Corporation. The locker room start to get behind Bryan, that's how the fall starts. Then Cody and Goldust start attacking Corporation members. Maybe the Big Show decides to quit instead of being Steph's bitch. Then perhaps, the final nail in the coffin, the Shield turns on Triple H and Steph and go rogue. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out, rushed as it may end up.

Gotta agree with all this right here. I was very dubious of the 11 vs 3 going in but it was a really entertaining match. The Shield came out looking strong, Bryan finished on top, all the other guys who got eliminated like RVD, Kofi etc were protected due to the fact they were injured prior to the match.

 

[The Eighties]

I think the 11 vs 3 match worked for two reasons. Firstly The Shield have made their name on attacking faces and using the numbers game, so this was comeuppance.

The second reason I think will come into play long term in the storyline, right now Triple H is trying to come off as fair and The Shield were the sacrifice by him to prove his point. Now we all know that he's being disingenuous and that will come out, at which point they'll play it as The Shield being good soldiers and doing the match for Triple H as it's "What best for business" which Ambrose even said in the Shield promo on Monday.

 

[The Eighties]

I thought the opening promo between Miz and Triple H was pretty good, Triple H was in full on smug mode but with some home truths, and Miz's rape face was working overtime, he was eying Trips up like he was a Sorority girl.

The PTP vs The Real Americans was a decent tag match, of the face teams currently on the roster I'd say the PTP are the best. I like how Zeb tried to circumvent the fact fans have started doing the "We the People!" line. Cesaro was impressive as always.

The Shield continue to be the workhorses of the WWE, their six man tag against Dolph, Kofi and RVD was the in-ring highlight of the show, I love the way they trash talk their opponents, especially Reigns, the finish was neat as well.

Heyman's promo was...ah you know how this goes, he honestly should charge for promo classes backstage, he's a master.

Orton vs Miz was a good main event from a storyline perspective more so than a match quality perspective. I liked how Triple H restarted the match after Orton got DQ'd under the pretense that he didn't want the Miz robbed of his "opportunity" as Orton grinned an evil grin before finishing off an already injured Miz, who still wasn't getting much crowd support.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Average show last night. What stood out to me was the Orton/Bryan program. I really like the personal route there taking with this feud. You can't just run the same stuff over and over so their feud is evolving and is now getting personal. It also made sense at the end of the show for Orton to get the upper hand since Bryan was too wild with Orton's personal attacks getting the best of him.

The Big Show stuff is decent, but they really need something to change it up a little. Stephanie calling out Show's performance as a man was priceless though.

What the hell was up with the Matadors? Whoever had the idea for the little bull needs to be fired. I remember thinking that their finishing move was going to be their only saving grace and it looked cool, but the impact was average. So I fear for these guys moving forward.

The Punk faking knee thing was a good idea but poorly executed. Having everyone stand around for like 5 minutes came off bad. It should have been Ryback going for the quick attack once Punk fell only to have Punk get the upper hand.

 

[The Eighties]

I thought it was a bit of a lackluster Raw for a go home show but it's hard for creative when you put two PPV's in one month.

I thought the best stuff was the Punk and Heyman angle that ran throughout the show. Biloxi was very pro Punk and it made things work despite some awkward moments. His promo that opened the show was strong and I enjoyed the match with Big E. The knee injury stuff lingered a bit but I thought that made Heyman and Ryback look smart. When Punk launched at them with the kendo stick the crowd popped huge and I thought it was pretty much the moment of the night.

The Rhodes family segment with Triple H was a bit too one sided on the mic but overall worked and put some great heat on The Shield. Triple H has been jawing off on everyone lately about not cutting it or being draws, I'm waiting for someone to shred him.

Big Show's promo was hilarious but at least it was progression....only for him to go back to crying an hour later.

The Shield vs Ziggler & The Usos provided probably the best match of the night, we've seen it before but it had plenty of action and the win gave The Shield more momentum heading into Battleground.

The Orton and Bryan promo showdown was decent and the brawl was really well done with Randy continuing his return to his ruthless former self. I'm not liking the involvement of the Bella twin at all though, I just don't think her or the other one elicit any empathy and aren't really over, so adding her to Bryan does nothing for him, in fact it has the opposite effect.

 

[The Eighties]

I thought this was a lackluster show to lead into Battleground.

So much focus on the Big Show and he isn't even wrestling on the PPV this Sunday. I think they need to get to the point, I mean now Triple H literally owns his home? Fans didn't buy this angle with HBK and I don't think they are buying it now.

Although it was short I enjoyed Kofi vs Big E and the promo after the match from Bray Wyatt, it was really well shot.

Dolph vs Bertie was easily the best thing on the show, an excellent match yet again between the two and with Sandow sitting at ringside I don't see why Ziggler had to job out clean yet again, the way WWE treat him is bizarre.

 

[JustB]

I thought this was a lackluster show to lead into Battleground.

So much focus on the Big Show and he isn't even wrestling on the PPV this Sunday. I think they need to get to the point, I mean now Triple H literally owns his home? Fans didn't buy this angle with HBK and I don't think they are buying it now.

Although it was short I enjoyed Kofi vs Big E and the promo after the match from Bray Wyatt, it was really well shot.

Dolph vs Bertie was easily the best thing on the show, an excellent match yet again between the two and with Sandow sitting at ringside I don't see why Ziggler had to job out clean yet again, the way WWE treat him is bizarre.

I love how they just completely made up their own laws as to how mortgages actually work lol. Apparently now if someone owes money on their house and misses a payment, you're allowed to legally step in and pay their loan then all of a sudden you own the property like it's a game of Monopoly or something. I guess when you market to kids, you can completely bull$hit about things kids aren't familiar with haha

Another point that absolutely drove me insane about SD was Cole/JBL during the Del Rio and Ziggler match. Them pestering Sandow about when he was gonna cash it in, and the WHOLE time every time Del Rio got knocked down they'd say "GO CASH IT IN NOW! HE'S DOWN!". Ummm Cole, that's not how it works. You can't just start your own match within a match and pin someone. I think they got it confused with the Crash Holly 24/7 rule

 

[The Eighties]

A lot of filler this week so I'm gonna stick to the story points.

The Punk/Heyman angle went precisely nowhere, in fact Punk's almost flippant promo suggested that they had nothing except he'd wrestle Ryback again at HIAC even though he has no reason to. I just hope they come up with a stip as their match at Battleground was pretty dull.

The tag match that followed was ok, I thought Axel looked good on offense and Punk got the fans going with the hot tag. I'm sure him handing the pin to Truth will figure in somewhere in the rumoured Truth heel turn.

The vote for which HOF'er would ref the HIAC match idea was good and allowed those into the app stuff to get involved. I'm guessing Foley wasn't one of the choices as they wanted to be 100% certain that HBK would get the vote, which makes sense as the storyline is enhanced with him due to his connection to all the players involved.

I thought the backstage segment between Bertie and Vickie was funny and played well by both. As for the Cena announcement, eh, I think this might be very short term due to him wanting to be involved in helping the Breast Cancer fight. The beating Del Rio gave Ricardo looked pretty stiff, I imagine this was done to take him off TV until Rey returns.

I thought the Ziggler vs Sandow match was pretty good, both guys showed a lot of fire and the finish was slick, it was good to see Sandow frustrated at the end as opposed to just getting the mic and announcing that he's still the MITB holder.

The Miz/Wyatt's segment was simple but worked in setting up a fresh feud for both guys, now hopefully they get some mic time to really develop it.

Orton vs Kofi was a solid match but the best thing was the intense post-match brawl between Bryan and Orton, Bryan came at him like a ball of fire and it upped the ante a bit between the two.

As for the Big Show angle that started and ended Raw, I think it worked purely and simply due to the final moment. Steph was in full on (hot)bitch mode when she fired a Big Show who had reached his breaking point which set things up nicely.

The six man tag main event was good with plenty of action and Triple H making a sneaky powerplay......then a guy who is fired comes out in full ring gear to his entrance music which made zero sense. Then he has a stare-down and brawl with the Shield that took so long I was wondering if Bryan, Cody and Goldust were dead on the outside.

However as nonsensical as a lot of it was the moment where Big Show went Incredible Hulk on The Shield and then hit Triple H with one of the best looking KO punches I've seen made it worth it. Raw going off air with Bryan leading the YES! chants standing over a fallen Triple H was a great visual, hopefully it leads to something between them ring-wise after Triple H vs Show is done.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

The overall show was nothing special, but the show hit it out the park when it comes to its main event feud which features Orton/Bryan/Show/Trips/Steph and in supporting roles Shield and Cody. Last night was a smart logical progression for all parties involved and gave us the beginning of the payoff for Show and HHH.

 

[Shutdaphuckup_Revived]

the show was okay as a whole

but as i said, triple h stole the show with how he sold the KO punch!

the best part! that alongside rosa mendes open legs d=

 

[Jstrike]

i give it a major A.
im expecting alot next week i want the ppv halfway full before the day of the ppv.
i want build up for the ppv! i want rhodes family to be involved!
and i wanna see more of the angry mcmahons!
monday night raw was good. but i'm more anxious to see more now.
so raw better step up their game!

 

[LSN80]

Raw Hits and Misses for 10/7/13​

Raw Hits:​

Opening Segment: Although I hated the end of the Battleground PPV, it worked somewhat because Big Show didn't go back to being a sniveling coward last night. Rather, he stood in Stephanie's face and essentially laughed as she berated him. Later in the show, when the heels were beating down Bryan, he fought off the entire Shield, then knocked out HHH. Show is best as a giant, and Stephanie is best as cold, demeaning heel. Both were exactly that last night, which made the opening segment work.

Damien Sandow vs. Dolph Ziggler: I didn't care for their match at Battleground on the pre-show, but felt this one was much better. Sandow looked competent in the ring and controlled much of the match, which made him look credible despite the loss. Unlike at the PPV, this simply looked like Dolph out-quicked Sandow for just a moment after being dominated, and picked up a win. Just as the Battleground match did neither man any favors, this one was beneficial to both. Sandow looked credible in controlling the offense, Ziggler like a resilient babyface who withstood Sandow's onslaught to pull out a win. Good match, now just keep these two apart for awhile. **1/2.

HBK voted referee for Bryan/Orton Hell In A Cell: As soon as his music hit, it was a lock who was going to win the vote, but that didn't hurt this whatsoever. In fact, I liked the hook of Brad Maddox announcing three Hall of Famer's as the options, but having each spread out through the show. Having each "make their case" was fun as well, and Shawn's reasoning was the best, in that he can separate personal from professional while outlining his history with Bryan, HHH and Randy Orton each. Easily the best choice of the three, and this will sell some PPV's as well.

Punk/Heyman segment: While none of these will ever be bad, I believe, this was a weaker segment than most, as the feud appears to be on its last legs. They've gotten four great months from it, however, and I love hearing Heyman call himself the "Best In The World", because seeing Punk destroy him will make for such a fun moment the more pompous Heyman becomes. Punk's willingness to fight right away is much more in line with his character as well. While I don't mind and possibly prefer him as a heel, having him be the heel who runs from fights, as he did both Cena and Ryback last year, simply doesn't fit him. He's not the prototypical wrestler, so why have him be one like every other one, heel or face?

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton: Match of the night and the best way to use Kofi if he'ss not going to win: Put him in matches with top heels, let him look good in a long match, then fall in the end. I also like, as they've done with Del Rio, is made Orton into a heel who can win, rather then positioning him as one who needs to cheat to get ahead. These two have always worked well together since they had Kofi's first "true feud" together in 2009, and this was no exception. Orton's hit the RKO out of mid-air on many occasions, but seeing him hit the powerslam while Kofi was leaping was a thing of beauty. I'd like them to use Kofi better, as he's an exceptional talent who's essentially loved universally, but if he's not going to get pushed this is still a fine use of him. **3/4.

Bryan attacks Orton post-match: I'm sure opinions are mixed on this, as some will feel Orton did nothing to Bryan this week to provoke him, and Bryan is a face who cheapshotted Orton. Personally, I liked it, as Orton laid Bryan out close to ten shows in a row by sneak attacks or hanicap beatdowns. He attacked him viciously as Raw went off the air last week, and has been hitting on Bryan's fiancee Brie incessantly. Bryan, like Punk, isn't a prototypical face whos going to 'fight fair' when he's been wronged, as he certainly has been by Orton for some time. Not much focus was given to the WWE Championship outside of the Hall of Famer promos as to who should referee the HIAC match, so this worked for me.

Vickie announces John Cena's return: Easily the biggest development of the evening, and a huge hook for viewers to buy the PPV. Cena's return is obviously far sooner than expected, and I expected a swerve of some kind, but seeing Cena confirm it makes it obvious he's healed far sooner than anyone could have expected. This is a huge item both for the PPV and for the future of the World Heavyweight Championship. If anyone can bring back relevance to the championship, it's Cena. Whether it be him winning it or having an actual feud over the title, Cena just challenging for the WHC brings major relevance to a title that hasn't meant much in some time. It could also lead to the unification of the titles as well, which would be a good move after doing away with the Brand Split. This is a positive in every way.

The Shield vs. The RHodes Dynasty and Daniel Bryan: A minor hit, but the usual strong chemistry between The Shield and Bryan, as well as a continuation of the Shield/RHodes feud. HHH changing the end of the match to No-DQ was blatantly evil and ruthless, which is more in line to his best self than the passive-aggressive HHH we've seen recently. It allowed for Orton to sneak in and hit the RKO, predictably, but it also set-up Big Show's return and knocking out of HHH without hesitation. Decent match and a strong angle to close the show. **1/4.

Overall Show: Oddly, outside of the focus on the WWE Championship being less than usual, this show built extremely well towards Hell In A Cell. Both having HBK as the guest referee along with the return of John Cena, as was Big Show's firing that lead to his re-emergence at show's end to knock out HHH. The PPV has the nice problem of having more matches likely then needed that can certainly fit inside the Cell, with Punk/Heyman's Guys, HHH and Big Show seems headed that way, and of course, Bryan and Orton. There were a couple of solid matches on the show as well, although nothing of the typical high quality that we get one a show of. Overall, a slightly above average show. C+.

Raw Misses:​

6 Divas Tag: They forwent having the Divas Champion on the show for this? JoJo and Eva Marie are nowhere near ready for Raw, and it showed here. At least Natalya got the submission victory for her team, rather then insulting us that JoJo and Eva Marie have the ability to beat anyone at this juncture. A sloppy match featuring women who are faces simply because they're catty towards one another on a reality show. 1/2.*

Los Matadores vs. 3MB: Two weeks in and I've already lost interest in the Los Matadores. Mainly, because I've been given no reason to cheer or boo them, but wrestling 3MB in short squash matches does nothing for them. They make it seem as though Los Matadores and The Real Americans are headed for a feud, and based on their current dance partners, it can't come soon enough. 1/2*

CM Punk/R-Truth vs. Ryback/Curtis Axel: They're likely building towards Punk and Ryback inside the Cell, which should end the feud, but why is Axel/Truth continuing? The match was forgettable and slow, much like their individual matches the night before. Further, Punk had fought for four months, this entire feud by himself, and as the feud is winding down, they give him a tag partner in Truth? Why not follow the feud through to the end like it started, with Punk on his own? Ryback already doesn't seem like a threat to Punk, so why not have the heels win to get some heat on them? Oh, so R-Truth can get another IC Title shot. *3/4.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Ricardo Rodriguez: What was the point of this? I know it was to set-up Vickie' announcement of Del Rio defending against Cena, partly, but they couldn't use an actual wrestler for Del Rio to get rolled up by, then beat-down afterwards? I find a beat-down of a (mostly) non-wrestler like Ricardo Rodriguez to be far less effective or impressive than an actual wrestler, and Del Rio is going to need all the building up he can get to seem like a threat to John Cena.

Fandango vs. Zach Ryder: Two men stuck in the lower mid-card wrestling for 3 minutes does nothing for either man. Ryder hasn't meant anything in a long time, and a win, even a virtual squash, does nothing for Fandango. His stock has dropped almost as much as Ryder's since his Wrestlemania victory over Chris Jericho. Nothing here at all. 3/4*

Real Americans vs. Santino Marella/Great Khali: I gave a hit to the match at Battleground, but a miss here. The hit the first night was for the giant swing Cesaro gave to Khali, but it's less impressive two nights in a row, especially with the same otherwise terrible match. 1/2*

MizTV w the Wyatt Family: There's been little to no follow-up to Big Show knocking Miz out, and suddenly Miz is the next target of the Wyatt's, and he escaped, then stared them down? Face or not, Miz looks dumb for not running away immediately, and I'm convinced WWE creative doesn't know what to do with the Wyatt's right now. So instead, they stumble around in mini-feuds that amount to little, leaving less interest in them as time goes on.

 

[The Eighties]

I love how they just completely made up their own laws as to how mortgages actually work lol. Apparently now if someone owes money on their house and misses a payment, you're allowed to legally step in and pay their loan then all of a sudden you own the property like it's a game of Monopoly or something. I guess when you market to kids, you can completely bull$hit about things kids aren't familiar with haha

Another point that absolutely drove me insane about SD was Cole/JBL during the Del Rio and Ziggler match. Them pestering Sandow about when he was gonna cash it in, and the WHOLE time every time Del Rio got knocked down they'd say "GO CASH IT IN NOW! HE'S DOWN!". Ummm Cole, that's not how it works. You can't just start your own match within a match and pin someone. I think they got it confused with the Crash Holly 24/7 rule

Apparently they got the idea from CM Punk paying off Joey Mercury's mortgage, then skewed it to Triple H buying the debt which of course is not legal, but then pro wrestling has never sweated little things like legalities, I mean attempted murder on national TV is no big deal in WWE.

I'm surprised JBL didn't object to the stupidity of that, however this week he suddenly doesn't want Heyman being called a manager despite months of him calling Heyman the greatest manager of all time. I guess no one is safe from the backstage uncertainty these days.

 

[The Eighties]

This weeks show was pretty flat due to most of the roster being in Dubai for the tour.

I thought the opening segment between Bertie and Vickie was great, Vickie really excelled here and it all led to a decent match between ADR and Sandow. I guess this was the start of the rumoured Sandow face turn.

The best thing on the show was The Rhodes vs The Wyatt's tag team main event, Cody continues his upward momentum; picking up the win for his team, and Goldust really does look in the best shape of his career, all round a good tag match.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Last night's show was another strong effort as WWE has done a good job of arrainging the right guys in the main event spot and showcasing them properly. Guys like Trips, Orton, Bryan, Rhodes', Shield, Punk, Heyman and Del Rio are all putting on strong performances in the ring and on the mic. Not sure if it was just an accident or intentional, but I thought Trips pushing Goldust out of the ring when he stormed in angry after the main event came off looking great and gives them a few possible directions to go in with Trips/Shield/Rhodes' moving forward.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Raw
St. Louis, Missouri
Scottrade Center
October 14, 2013​

Thumbs Up​

Opening Segment - Solid work overall from HBK and Randy Orton. It was simple, no frills and straight to the point. I expected HBK to milk it a bit by pandering to the crowd, but I'm glad it didn't go down that way really. It would've been nice to see Bryan come out here as well, but they're probably saving that for next week's go home show. The tension between Orton & HBK was sold nicely and it ultimately was enough to make me wonder if Michaels might screw Bryan over. After all, he's still Triple H's best friend, even said so himself, so there's a chance of him going the route of a sell out. The Miz coming up from behind to attack Orton was a nice touch and this new aggressive side to Miz is a refreshing change.

The Miz vs. Randy Orton - Not a great match, but a pretty decent TV match with both guys looking well. Even though Orton is the hometown boy, the live crowd started warming up to Miz. The ending was enough to protect Orton while still giving The Miz a way out. Even though I doubt Orton would have tapped to the Figure Four, having Orton look as though he needed the distraction provided by the Wyatt Family in front of his hometown helped Miz save some face. Orton lands the RKO for the win. Bray Wyatt cut a promo afterward and I expected him to sick Harper & Rowan on Miz as he was helpless in the ring but it didn't happen. Wyatt's still great to listen to and even if he's out of action for a bit because of his leg injury, he can still cut fun promos. **1/4

Triple H & Stephanie McMahon - Good mic work here from Stephanie & Trips and it's nice to see Triple H ultimately come out and acknowledge himself as "the bad guy" in all this. Like a true sociopath, he laid the blame for the role he's forced to play at the feet of everyone else, especially the fans. I would have liked to have seen Bryan cut a promo, but at least he came out and led the crowd in a mocking Yes! chant. Del Rio's attack from behind was a surprise as I was expecting Orton.

R-Truth vs. Ryback - This match wouldn't have interested me ordinarily but I enjoy the frantic aspect of Beat the Clock challenge matches. Truth mocking Ryback in the beginning by ducking out of the ring and making him chase after him in order to eat up some time on the clock was a fun little touch. You knew that Ryback was gonna score the win, that was a given. The winner of Beat the Clock challenge gets to name the stipulation for the Punk vs. Ryback match at HIAC. Ryback ultimately scores the win at 5 minutes 44 seconds after hitting Shell Shocked. **1/4

Tons of Funk vs. The Real Americans - I honestly enjoyed this match. I thought it'd be a couple minutes of nonsense but it was honestly a pretty good 6 minute match. In a brief dual screen promo, Coulter addressed Los Matadores so it looks like we're definitely getting that feud. Swagger & Cesaro do make a good team in my opinion and the crowd got into this match once they saw that it was gonna be an actual match rather than a bunch of silliness. The end comes shortly after Antonio Cesaro his the gut wrench suplex on Brodus Clay before ultimately putting him in the Neutralizer for the clean win. Cesaro really is impressively strong as he was holding Clay at a really awkward angle when it comes to the gut wrench and lifted his dead weight off the mat. Post match, they managed to take out Tensai and called for the Cesaro Swing, which the crowd popped big for. Cesaro didn't get very many rotations, however, as it looked to me as if he simply didn't have a good enough grip on Tensai's legs. **1/2

Brie Bella vs. Tamina Snuka - Nobody was more surprised than I was to see that Brie Bella worked a pretty good 5 minute match. Brie has honestly improved inside the ring and hit some good offense and sold Tamina's offense well. Tamina has zero personality, but she looked good in the ring. AJ being out there at ringside while "talking" to her championship worked out as it keeps the crazy chick aspect going but it's not over the top as it was. This was actually a pretty competitive match, much more so than I was expecting to be honest. The ending came with Tamina charging out of the corner and nails Brie with a running boot. She beats Brie down for a bit by hitting a Samoan Drop and a Shoulderbreaker before ultimately delivering the Superfly from the top rope. AJ comes in to mock Brie for a bit before ultimately putting her in the Black Widow, screaming for her to tap before the refs finally manage to break it up and Nikki runs out to check on Brie. **1/4

CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel - A lot of energy and a good pace was in this match. Again, as with Ryback vs. Truth, you knew that Punk was gonna pick up the win here but he & Axel still worked an entertaining match. Still, I wish they'd give Axel his own feud because it's getting old watching him job out to the main eventer. The match told a good story that the commentators reinforced with Axel going for the win against Punk rather than staying away from him so the clock could run down. Punk ultimately manages to score the win via the GTS with 11 seconds left on the clock. Heyman walks back up the ramp frustrated & angry before Punk addresses him. Punk announced that he's taking a page from Heyman's playbook and that there will be a handicap tag match, only it'll be Ryback teaming with Heyman against him and that the match will be inside the Hell in a Cell structure. I was hoping that Punk would pick having the match inside the Cell as having just one HIAC match just doesn't feel right at the HIAC ppv. **1/2

Daniel Bryan vs. Alberto Del Rio - This was a great 17 minute match between Bryan & Del Rio with WWE ultimately doing a great job of protecting both men while making both of them look strong. Each guy saw a lot of action with Del Rio ultimately being able to weather the storm of Bryan's multiple flurries before regaining the moment. Bryan kept managing to come back from Del Rio's punishment and it looked like the match could go either way. When Bryan has the upper hand, Orton appears on the Titantron and addresses Bryan as he goes into the training room where Brie is being checked over. Orton slithers into the room with a slow, menacing walk and turns to shut the door slowly all while giving Bryan this sinister look. When the door shuts, the Bellas start to scream. As Bryan looks on Del Rio rolls him up for a schoolboy for a great near fall. He works him over for another minute or so before going for the Cross Armbreaker. Bryan counters the move and nails him with a roundhouse kick to the head before dashing out of the ring to head back to the training room. Bryan is ultimately counted out as he opens the room to see that the Bella Twins are okay. Bryan asks where Orton is, only they said they didn't know. Orton comes up from behind Bryan, he'd left the room at some point prior to Bryan's arrival, through the open door and attacks him. The trainer, the refs & Brie intervene and keep Orton from continuing the attack. ***1/2

The Shield vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust for the WWE Tag Team Championship - A few minutes prior to this match, Triple H was backstage with The Shield and informed them that the match would now be under no disqualification and for them to "finish it" before they left. I was initially surprised that this match was going on as the main event but it clicked that they wanted to close the show on a high note in which the fans were given a happy moment. The match was very entertaining and the crowd definitely got into it once Ambrose started sticking his nose into things. Cody & Goldust showed a lot of heart by ultimately being able to weather the storm of the 3 on 2 advantage multiple times. Towards the end of the match, it looked like it was anybody's ballgame and the crowd popped huge for some reason. Eventually, the reason was shown as Big Show came out through the crowd dressed in street clothes and climbed the barrier. Show ultimately hit Ambrose & Rollins with the KO punch as Roman Reigns was in the ring looking at Show. Cody Rhodes attempts to hit the Beautiful Disaster kick but Reigns ducks and loses his footing so that he falls up against the middle ropes. Big Show reaches out and nails Reigns with the KO punch. Cody makes the cover and scores the 3 at the 19.5 minute match. Cody Rhodes & Goldust are the new WWE Tag Team Champions and become only the 4th team of legit brothers to win tag titles in the history of WWE. Show climbs back over the barricade and up into the crowd and leads the crowd into a big Yes chant. Triple H comes into the ring trying to kick at Cody & Goldust snortin' & snottin' all over the place. A hot ending to a hot main event. ***1/2

Thumbs Down​

Santino Marella vs. Fandango - Really just more of the same. We've seen them go at it a couple of times, I think, I know at least once for certain. Santino did his usual bit and all. It was fine for what it was, which was filler. Fandango scored the win via a roll up after Summer Rae jumped up on the apron. *1/4

Los Matadores vs. 3MB - This makes the third time these teams have faced off and, again, it was just more of the same. The live crowds are warming up to Los Matadores and I'll give them credit for working hard at the gimmick. The fans enjoy the antics of Torrito but, as I said, it's just the same thing we've seen in two other matches prior to this one between these teams. NA

Final Thoughts​

I thought last night's Raw was an entertaining outing. Aside from Santino vs. Fandango and Los Matadores vs. 3MB, I enjoyed what was on the show last night. While not all time classics, I was glad to see the Divas and The Real Americans actually get to work a couple of decent matches, especially the Divas as Brie Bella honestly has improved quite a bit. I also thought it was a nice touch that WWE didn't shove the App down our throats 750,000 times last night as they've been doing. I get that they're just hyping the product, but enough's enough. Overall wrestling action on the show was good last night. I enjoy the Beat the Clock challenges as it keeps the pace of the match up. You don't see any rest holds or submission attempts, thereby keeping the energy level up. The final 40 minutes or so of the show featured two great matches with Bryan vs. Del Rio and The Shield vs. The Rhodes Brothers. They did a good job of protecting both Bryan & Del Rio last night in a great match and the tag title main event ended on a happy moment with The Shield's 5 month run as tag champs coming to an end via Triple H's no DQ stipulation backfiring on him thanks to Big Show. The promo segments of the show were solid. Nothing ultimately spectacular there but good work from all involved. I'm hoping to see Orton, Bryan & HBK all in the ring at the same time for next week's go home show and I also think it's a wise move for WWE to keep Cena off television until he returns at HIAC. It'll probably result in some additional buys and it could help with the ratings for people tuning in the next night on Raw for the aftermath.

Grade: B+

 

[The Eighties]

I wasn't feeling very well during last night's Raw so I drifted out of a lot of the stuff, especially during the first hour.

The opening promo with HBK and then the sparring between him and Orton as pretty good and set the stage for the main event nicely as we head to HIAC.

The Wyatt's costing Miz the match was hopefully a sign that Bray is not too badly hurt after his injury at the weekend house show. The promo he cut was one of his best so far as it was more focused and The Miz is an ideal stepping stone on Bray's mission.

There was a lot of filler from this point to the point Triple H and Steph came out. I thought their promo was great, Triple H brought the intensity and I liked how they still tried to twist it as if they were being hard done to by the fans and wrestlers. Steph saying Triple is the WWE and ran the attitude era with an iron fist certainly lays some interesting groundwork going forward.

The stuff with Punk and Heyman has lost some of it's intensity since NOC and I just don't give a shit about Ryback at all, but the beat the clock challenge where the winner got to pick the stip for their match at the PPV was a solid idea that was well executed, and I thought the fire in Punk's post=match promo as well as the stip he chose and Heyman's selling of it gave the angle one last push towards what could (maybe should) be it's conclusion next Sunday.

Bray vs Bertie was a solid match although I need to watch again as I was kinda drifting. The stuff with Orton distracting Bryan by stalking Brie in the trainers room worked well to add more personal conflict to the WWE tile match. At first I thought Orton's beat down on Bryan was a bit tame after last weeks brawl, but thinking about ti today I guess the idea was more Orton getting into Bryan's head than hurting him physically.

The main event was fantastic, an excellent match full of action and drama with a great finish. I love the fact a Tag Team Title match closed the show, that will have done the titles the world of good, hopefully this is built on as opposed to being a one off, and the division returns to prominence in the WWE.

I was hoping for a Ziggler run-in to go after Amrose (Love how he grabbed the chair and tried to cut off show instead of being a chickenshit ) but I guess they had to filter in Show vs Triple H which worked fine.

Honestly I wish it was The Rhodes and Big Show vs The Shield inside a Cell at the PPV, that could be epic!

 

[The Eighties]

That was a sweet KO punch that Show hit on Maddox!

I enjoyed SD this week, Wyatt's vs Kofi/Miz and The Real Americans vs The Usos were both good tag matches that kept the division building on the back of the big Tag Title main event on Raw.

I thought Punk vs Big E was really good and so was the post match promo between Punk and Heyman, Big E stepping up worked out quite well and hopefully will be the start of a push for him, most likely going after the IC title.

I thought Bertie's promo was one of the best he has cut, arrogant and confident with a clear gameplan in mind and an attempt to get into Cena's head, I also like how he questioned Cena stepping straight into a WHC match.

Bryan's promo at the start and Orton's just before the main vent were both solid. The big money promos need to come at the contract signing on Monday.

The 6 man tag main event was another all action extravaganza, The Shield's delivery of consistent top quality matches when put in these big TV main event situations is so impressive.

 

[The Eighties]

I thought this was an excellent go home show with strong promo work and some really good matches.

The opening promo with Steph, Triple H and Big Show was good and I loved some of Big Show's lines, especially the one that pissed Steph off!

Bryan vs Ambrose was the first match of the night and was a really good showing for both guys, lots of counters and back and forth action before Bryan slickly countered a roll up attempt into the YES!-Lock for the win.

CM Punk was up next with a promo for his match with Ryback and Heyman inside the Cell, he was intense but measured and set out his goal of defining this rivalry with what he does inside that Cell.

Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler was another very enjoyable match that saw Dolph get in more offense than I expected, he looked every bit the feisty babyface as he attacked Orton with a rally of punches and dropkicks, before falling to a slick and uniquely delivered RKO.

The brief backstage segment with Triple H, HBK and Steph was funny and just dropped another little piece of the puzzle in there with HBK telling Triple H that nobody thought he could be the top guy in back in the day, which got a great sneer from Trips.

The Wyatt's vs The Miz & Kofi was a solid tag team match, Harper is an impressive worker and is carrying the load for his team. The Wyatt's win and then after the post-match beat down Bray cuts a promo about leading Miz to the gates of hell, I'm not a fan of The Miz but I think this is the best angle he's had since turning face.

The impromptu tag match that saw Punk & Big E face Ryback & Axel was another decent tag team offering, all 4 guys got their moments and Big E got the win for his team which has set up an IC title match for the HIAC pre-show. Punk chasing Heyman out the arena and then celebrating with the fans was a fun way to end the segment.

The Real Americans vs Tonnes of Funk was filler like the Santino stuff and the Bellas tag I skipped earlier in the night, but Zeb's post match unveiling of the bullwhip that he's gonna use on El Torito was effective.

The Usos vs The Shield for the #1 contender spot was another good tag team match with the Rhodes boys on commentary. I don't know if someone told JBL to try and rattle Cody but he really went at him. I think the match eventually breaking down into a mass brawl leading to a triple threat tag team title match at HIAC was what we all expected, but it was well executed and it's great to see 3 teams competing in an actual feud over the tag championships.

I thought the contract signing was one of the best ones WWE have done, the promos from Bryan, Triple H and HBK were all really well delivered and brought up some biting points. I hope the Bryan/Triple H exchange is foreshadowing a Mania match between the two. The actual ending with Big Show arriving in the big rig and Bryan getting one up on Orton with the running knee before heading off to celebrate on the rig with the Giant was great.

Top to bottom the best Raw since the build up to Summerslam IMO and a really strong go home show.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

I found it interesting that Bryan, Punk and Orton were all featured in the 1st hour. That's something you usually don't see. Raw was effective in including The Usos in the Rhodes/Shield story. Even if they don't win the titles, they are now on par with the other two teams. It seems as though WWE is building towards a story where Big Show has a backer as he wouldn't be able to do what he has been doing since being fired. Most would point to Vince. Whoever it is the opportunity is there for a good payoff.

Highlight of the night goes to Trips for his comments to Bryan after both guys signed the contract. Because Trips has been around forever, sometimes we forget just how great he is at being a heel and delivering promos.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Yeah that stupid thread complaining about the ending segment is just that, stupid. I thought the ending segment was greatly executed. The promos by DB, Orton, HHH and HBK were all well done. They did a good job of setting up the "what if" with HBK since he's friends with HHH but believes in DB. Show interrupting was done very well. I'm not sure if there was supposed to be any significance to him driving a semi

My only concern is with DB getting the upper hand last night, that he won't win at HIAC. He really should. It's been too long at this point and the storyline hasn't exactly gone smoothly.