WWE Raw
Omaha, Nebraska
Century Link Center
February 3, 2014
Thumbs Up
Opening Segment - I thought the opening to the show was well done overall. It didn't drag on unnecessarily and was to the point. Orton seemed to have more fire than usual, I'm thinking it had a lot to do with him going out there to make himself heard over the CM Punk chants that everybody knew was coming. Frankly, it worked. A CM Punk chant did start up a few times over the course of the segment, but very quickly lost steam both times. Stephanie & Trips addressing Orton's paranoia worked and is setting Orton up for an eventual fall. Trips leading a "Yes!" chant was a fun little moment, though I'm sure will confirmed as being sarcastic in the weeks to come. Making the main event Bryan vs. Orton was a good move on WWE's part as it'll help quell some of the CM Punk sentiments.
1. Big E Langston, Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston vs. The Shield - A good 12 minute match that goes along the lines of a lot of Shield six man tag matches. During the course of the match, there was a nice little shout out to the IWC, in a manner of speaking, as both Cole & JBL seemed to voice the sentiment that Ambrose should defend his title more often. The match told a good little story in regards to The Shield's situation of still being a solid unit while showing that the egos of Ambrose & Reigns are chipping away at the foundation of the group. The end comes after Reigns hits Big E with the Superman Punch and is setting up for the spear. Ambrose tags himself in, this is after everything's broken down, and hits Big E with the Headlock Driver for the win. Reigns & Ambrose jaw back & forth for a bit with Rollins managing to get in between to play peacemaker again. After the match, The Wyatt Family appears on the screen with Bray cutting another good promo.
***
2. Christian vs. Jack Swagger - This was a rematch from SmackDown! this past Friday and I thought it was another enjoyable match. It only went about 6 minutes but, to me, it felt like it was a lot more than that because they packed in a lot of action into those minutes. Generally speaking, I thought it had more energy than their last match, maybe it was the notion of Swagger feeling as though he had something to prove. Christian looked smooth last night and appeared healthy & well rested. There was another attempt at a CM Punk chant during the match but, again, it lost steam very quickly. The end comes via a nice ending sequence with Christian leaping off the second rope and catching Swagger in a Sunset Flip for the win while Zeb Coulter sells his frustration outside while Cesaro stands looking somber with his arms crossed, shaking his head from side to side.
**3/4
3. The New Age Outlaws vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust for the WWE Tag Team Champions - An entertaining match between these two teams. I liked the notion of the rules being changed in this match as the stipulation of tag team cage matches being won via escape didn't make much sense to me. After all, if one guy escapes, that leaves his partner in the ring alone to be beaten down. I also like that it was more of a traditional tag team match with the partners having to be tagged in, that way all four guys aren't running around all over the place. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind that sort of thing in cage matches, but it's a nice little change that makes the action easier to follow. When this match was announced last week, I knew it was being done, in large part, so that Cody could do the moonsault off the top of the cage. Rhodes did it and it looked great, all in all, until Road Dogg failed to properly catch & brace him. Cody sold the effects of the move really well, though he probably didn't have to sell too much. Smacking into that mat from that height with little or no break in momentum's gonna smart. As Road Dogg is laid out, Cody struggles over towards him looking for the cover. Unbeknownst to him, Billy Gunn is the legal man and he suddenly hits the Fameasser to pick up the win about the 17 minute mark. Good match and win for the tag champs.
***1/4
8. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan - This was a great match in my eyes and both wrestlers really worked hard to deliver a fun, entertaining main event. The booking, all in all, pretty much kept Bryan & Orton on an even level with each of them doing some "damage" to one another and controlling a good portion of the action. Bryan focused his attention on Orton's left leg throughout the match, which Orton sold really well. Eventually, Orton is able to "injure" Bryan's right arm and spends a time controlling the match afterward. The second half of the match was more of a back & forth match and there were a couple of nice near falls here & there. Both Orton & Bryan sold the effects of the moves really well. Late in the match, after Orton & Bryan have been going at it for maybe 25 minutes or so, Kane comes out to ringside and Bryan attacks him, dropkicking him through the ropes. Orton tries to attack but Bryan pulls the tope rope downward and Orton flies over. Bryan then does the "Flying Goat" dive through the ropes and takes both of them out. He tosses Orton into the ring with Kane trying to attack again, only for Bryan to trip him and causing him to crash into the stairs. Bryan crawls back into the ring, keeping his eye on Kane to make sure he's down. Orton spins him around and goes for the RKO, only to be shoved off, Orton misses a clothesline and Bryan comes charging out of the corner with the running knee for the clean win about the 28 minute mark. Orton & Kane gang up on Bryan afterward and manage to get the upper hand, allowing Kane to chokeslam Bryan before setting off his pyro. Not as strong as their TV match late last year, but one that gave a strong finish for Bryan that had to make fans happy.
***3/4
Thumbs In The Middle
5. Sheamus vs. Curtis Axel - This match was okay, nothing particularly special, but it was better than the glorified squash that I was expecting. Both guys got in a good deal of offense which, again, was a little surprising as I expected Sheamus to have little trouble with Axel. Still, all in all, you had to know how the match was gonna end. The fans were into Sheamus and it seems that his absence has made him grow fonder in their eyes. My big complaint about Sheamus is his inconsistent selling of an "injured" body part, namely his surgically repaired shoulder in this instance. Sheamus winds up scoring the win via the Brogue Kick about the 7.5 minute mark.
**1/4
Promo Segment - Believe it or not, I thought the promo segment with Del Rio & Batista was pretty decent. It wasn't mind blowing by any stretch, but I liked Del Rio's intensity and Batista didn't get a chance to say much, which is a good thing. I don't have any real interest in this feud, we all know how it's going to end anyhow, but Del Rio's comments towards Batista about being there for the past four years while Batista was "sitting on(his)couch" waiting for his movie agent to call and stating that just because Batista's famous doesn't mean he's champion resonated with me. It got a decent little pop from the live crowd, it's a sentiment that quite a few people share when it comes to guys who haven't been in WWE in years that come back and are immediately booked in a top spot. Del Rio sucker punched Batista out of nowhere and beats him down for a bit before Batista rallies and sends him packing.
6. Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth & Xavier Woods. vs. The Wyatt Family - I can't say I was overly thrilled by this match. It would've been much more entertaining had The Family's opponents been Ziggler along with The Usos as they're a relevant team. Still, it was kind of fun seeing The Wyatt Family's unorthodox offense. Bray Wyatt looks especially vicious in there and it still comes as a bit of a surprise because we're not used to seeing it. Ziggler looked good for the time he was in there, but it just wasn't enough. The Wyatt Family score the win after Bray hits Sister Abigail's Kiss about the 6 minute mark. The Shield cut a promo on the big screen afterward, essentially saying that Wyatt's mystical mumbo jumbo doesn't frighten them. Nice work all in all and helped make the segment feel like it had some purpose.
**
7. Naomi vs. Aksana - A decent little Diva's match. Nothing particularly extraordinary but, again, it's a far cry better from what Diva matches used to be. There's at least some degree of purpose to them now, such as using this match to highlight Naomi's athleticism while using AJ on commentary to further her feud with Naomi. Naomi is wickedly athletic and it makes her stand out among the Divas. She's not a gal that's afraid of taking a bump. She scores the win about the 5 minute mark after hitting a split legged moonsault.
**
Thumbs Down
Dance Off - I hate these segments, I really do. We don't get them a fraction as much as we used to, but that doesn't keep them from sucking any less when we do. This was also a piss poor way to introduce Emma to the broader WWE audience, in my opinion. I'm glad she's finally on the main roster, but it's a really underwhelming introduction. That's especially true when you take into about that hardly anyone in the arena had a clue who she is.
4. Zack Ryder vs. Titus O'Neil - I thought this was the only completely pointless match on the card. It did nothing more than take up 3 minutes of air time and, to top it off, it just didn't make any sense. Why would Miz come out to the commentator's table and interrupt things for a moment instead of Darren Young? Young was left laying this past Friday by someone he considered a "brother", yet Miz is out there bitching that he's not booked to appear on Raw. Titus looked dominant but, then again, it's Zack Ryder so there's not much to be impressed by.
*
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed most of last night's show. It didn't have the same level of frantic energy as the past several episodes have, but I knew that things were going to have to simmer down some eventually. If I had to judge by the reaction of the crowd, I'd say they felt along the same lines as I did because, otherwise, I think the entire show would have been bombarded by endless chants for CM Punk. There was a small handful of chants that broke out over the course of the show, but none of them were overwhelmingly loud nor did they have any staying power. With the exception of the Titus O'Neil vs. Zack Ryder match and the dance off segment, I thought the show came off well. The highlight of the night was the main event with Daniel Bryan finally getting a clean, untainted victory over Randy Orton. The hype for the Elimination Chamber ppv was solid as well. Before the end of the week, I expect that Batista vs. Del Rio will be announced for the show. Raw wasn't as hot as it has been but, as I said, things have to cool down and take on a semblance of normalcy at some point before things pick back up as we get closer to the ppv.
Grade: B
