WWE RAW - 23/3/15: Hits & Misses from the go-home show to Wrestlemania 31

The go home show for Monday Night Raw was certainly a mixed bag. It had good moments, like having Sting kick off Monday Night Raw, and it had its bad moments, like the confrontation between Lesnar and Reigns, which didnt even turn physical!The WWE did its best to sell us on the match card for The Showcase of The Immortals, but unfortunatley came up short in quite a few places. Read through to see the hits, the misses, and the craziest moments from this weeks edition of Monday Night Raw!

#1 Hit & Miss - Sting kicks off Raw

This opening segment had to be one of the best in a long time. The second Sting arrived, the crowd was simply electric. Sting started out talking about how great it was to finally kick off Monday Night Raw, and a little bit about The Monday Night Wars. He then told the crowd that he wanted to take Triple H down at WrestleMania on Sunday. That of course prompted Stephanie McMahon to make her entrance and have a war of words with The Stinger. She went on about how Sting must be intimidated now that he’s a small Mino in a large ocean, comparing WWE to WCW, and also compared Sting’s loyalty to WCW to that of a dog.

Sting gave a big woo to the crowd while Stephanie was speaking, angering her and making her slap Sting. The slap fell short as Sting grabbed McMahon’s hands before the slap could land. This forced Triple H to come to the ring to challenge Sting six nights before WrestleMania. Triple H got out his signature sledgehammer, while Sting got his trusty black bat out for combat. The confrontation ended prematurely thought, as Triple H retreated from ringside. While I have to admit, that had me glued to my television screen for the duration of the segment, I can’t help but feel like WWE failed to sweeten the pot with this match. They could have announced it as a No DQ match, allowing Triple H and Sting to use their signature weapons during their match on Sunday, or even have Sting make a stipulation, that if Triple H loses on Sunday, The Authority will be forced to disband.

Isn’t that what Sting came to WWE to do in the first place? Unless WWE is planning another showdown after WrestleMania between these two, I can’t see a reason why this stipulation wasn’t added to the match. Great segment but, unfortunately poor story telling on WWE’s part. In my opinion anyways. Who knows? Maybe seeing these two living legends do battle will be enough for The WWE Universe come Sunday.

#2 Miss - Stardust and Luke Harper versus Ambrose and Truth:

Why have Truth win? Ok, it does put another confusing spin on the story that is sure to throw some fans off, but why have Truth win? When was the last time Truth even won a match? When was the last time Truth even competed in a match? I don’t doubt Truth as a competitor, but up until now, I thought the winner of Sunday’s match would be Ziggler!

Unfortunately, he wasn’t even in the match, and wasn’t even on commentary. It would of have been great to see Ziggler or even Bryan come out and look strong before Mania, but I guess WWE decided that confusing fans was the best option. Having Ambrose and Truth dance after the match was awesome to see though!

#3 Hit - Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins and J&J Security

I loved the teases in this one. Orton almost got his hands on Rollins so many times, it was cringe worthy. The game of cat and mouse between Orton and Rollins was just so fun to watch, especially when Rollins tried to hit Orton with a curb stomp, while Orton was preparing for The RKO.

Seeing Jamie Noble get a little offense on Orton was cool to see too. I can’t remember the last time I saw him with the upper hand on anyone. Orton ends up picking up the win with a RKO to Noble. I can’t wait for this match at WrestleMania 31!

#4 Hit - Paige vs Nikki Bella

Not that great of a match. The pace was too slow and Nikki could have waited a bit longer before kicking out of The Rampage, but the match served its purpose. AJ Lee got involved when the fight spilled out to ringside, and accidently hit Paige when she went to check to see if Lee was ok. This of course ended with an elbow to the face and rack attack by Nikki for the win. Paige and AJ got into it after the match, obviously playing into The Bella Twins trap.

It will be interesting to see how these two are able to coexist on Sunday, but I have to admit. The WWE gave the Divas time, gave them a decent storyline, and picked the right Divas to perform it to perfection. Sunday’s match between these divas won’t be a filler, but will finally be fulfilling to watch.

#5 Miss - Snoop dog segment

Don’t get me wrong, they used Snoop Dog perfectly for this segment, but while doing that, they also kind of turned AxelMania into a joke. Snoop dog started the segment talking about his previous experiences with WrestleMania, before Axel interrupted him. Axel soon went on about how Axel Mania was running wild, until Hulk Hogan made a surprise return and interrupted Axel. Snoop and Hogan did some signature Hogan taunts for the crowd, which The WWE Universe seemed to love.

Finally, Axel ripped off his shirt and tried to attack Hogan. Hogan responded by landing a punch on Axel and then handing him over to Snoop Dog, who threw him out of the ring. Again, great guest spot by WWE. It had me emotionally invested from beginning to end, but the way they make AxelMania look like a joke was just unsettling to me. Fans were actually chanting for AxelMani for weeks now. If anything, The WWE could have had Hogan and Snoop endorse AxelMania for The Andre “The Giant”, Memorial battle Royal. Instead, they just made fun of him, and then have a celebrity guest toss him out of the ring. That should be great for Axel’s already dying career. When will WWE learn?

#6 Hit - Rusev versus Jack Swagger

The match wasn’t that great. Swagger was dismantled by Rusev pretty easily. Locking in the Accolade for the submission victory. Rusev kept The Accolade locked in, to bait Cena to Swaggers aid. Cena was then destroyed by Rusev, getting thrown into the barricade, getting thrown over the announce table, getting face slammed onto the announce table, and then finishing it up with an Accolade until Cena passed out.

I wish Cena would have hit a little more offense, but the segment achieved its purpose of making Rusev look unstoppable. He not only destroyed Cena, but made him pass out yet again to The Accolade. The segment was cringe worthy, but for all the right reasons. Maybe Rusev really can retain at WrestleMania.

#7 Hit - Bray Wyatt segment

I really don’t want to admit it, but Wyatt pulled off that segment perfectly. For week’s I’ve been saying that The Undertaker needed to make a appearance in order to make this feud awesome, but all it took was one awesome, bone-chilling, and downright scary promo from Bray Wyatt.

He teased an Undertaker appearance, having the lights go off and on, and even had a lighting sound effect for good measure. I take back everything I said. Bray Wyatt did carry this feud, and he can become the new face of fear at WrestleMania 31.

#8 Hit - Dolph Ziggler versus Daniel Bryan

Why couldn’t this match headline WrestleMania? It was brilliantly paced, had great spots by both Bryan and Ziggler, and even featured a nasty clothesline by Ziggler into the timekeeper’s area. Ziggler won the match with a surprise super kick and a quick Zig-Zag on Bryan for the three count, but Ambrose, who was voted Special Guest referee by The WWE Universe, got the final word with dirty deeds on Ziggler.

A fight ensued as Ambrose then went for a ladder under the ring, and all seven participants in Sundays IC ladder match ran to the ring to get in on the action. By the end of it, all the competitors were laid out, after Ambrose and Stardust fell off the ladder.

#9 Miss - Brock Lesner/Roman Reigns confrontation

That was almost laughable. Sure, Heyman was spot on with his with promo, amped up the storyline a little bit, and got a few pot shots in at Reigns expense, but the reaction that The WWE Universe gave Reign’s just ruined the whole thing. That had to be the biggest boo chant a WWE Universe has given an underdog competitor ever. Why in the hell did they have Reigns take the title out of Lesnar’s hand in the first place? I thought the heel was supposed to attack first? Reigns came out of this looking weak, and it just proves that WWE backed the wrong pony.

The WWE now have two options. 1, Put the title on Reigns and watch more people leave WWE in droves, or have Rollins cash in and at least salvage WrestleMania a tiny bit. I hope they don’t go through with backing Reigns. It’s a mistake. It’s a costly mistake, and it will not end well for The Sports entertainment giant. No one wants to see this! So why In the hell is WWE shoving it down our throats? At this point, I have more faith in the IC ladder match stealing the show, then this piece of garbage. Monday night Raw was a mixed Monday this week, with Reigns and Lesnar’s segment just coming up as one big stinker!