RAW Retort – Maddox and Ref Stripes mean problems

The WWE had a lot to prove with this episode of RAW, being the go home to SummerSlam. The WWE has been building this PPV to be the biggest so far this year. They’ve spent serious time building these storylines and feuds, and they’ve been panning out better than the Road To WrestleMania.

After MITB being such a strong PPV, the fans are expecting so much more from SummerSlam, being one of the big four. Personally, I think that there were some really strong moments on this episode of RAW, but I’m not sure it was the best overall show they could have given us.

RAW starting with a strong match was a great plan, but it’s a match we saw on Smackdown just days before. They did throw a great swerve into the match with Maddox as the Special Guest Ref, but at the end of it all, it really was Bryan and Barrett who made the match great.

I have been such a Bryan cheerleader for so long, but Bryan really is the whole package as a WWE Superstar. Bryan has the three key things that make a great Superstar, but he’s taken each of those three things to a whole new level and continues to do so each week.

It used to be the case that you needed to be a big, muscled guy to be a Superstar, but now it’s more important to have an interesting and sometimes unusual look. Bryan had an interesting look when he came into the WWE, but with the longer hair and that shaggy beard, he’s developed his look into someone totally different and very unusual compared to most of the rest of the Superstars.

Then there’s the ability to talk and charisma. When Bryan first came into the WWE, I didn’t think he’d be able to cut it charisma-wise. I love Bryan, but he just didn’t have the charisma I expected a WWE Superstar needed when I watched him as the American Dragon in ROH. Bryan’s charisma has grown and changed at such a jaw dropping rate since he came to the WWE, and even more so since he joined up with Kane to for Team Hell No.

It was all of those things that made his Miz TV segment something to scream from the rooftops about. I know Cena is great on mic, and I know Bryan has grown by leaps and bounds, but Miz TV was a jaw dropping experience this week. Cena said it correctly when he said Miz TV is usually a train wreck, but he and Bryan took the ‘show’ to a whole new level.

I am almost willing to say that Miz TV was the segment of the night. In a show with Punk playing games with Brock and Heyman physically, and Heyman on mic, I’m willing to say that Cena and Bryan stole the show, and did so in a huge way. I love that Triple H and Orton finished off the segment because it tied everything together in a strong way going into SummerSlam.

It was shocking to see that it was Punk, Heyman and Brock who ended RAW, when I really don’t see them being the main event of SummerSlam, but they surely ended RAW with a bang, and with Brock – someone who will bring in the paying viewers. They did a solid job ending RAW, but I think it will be Bryan and Cena who’ll steal SummerSlam.

The great Khali

From good to bad, there were some rather crappy matches on this episode. Wait, there really was only one bad match on the card, and sadly two of the best Divas were in it.

I cannot say much for Khali. Khali is a lovely man, and his chemistry with Natalya and Hornswoggle is endearing, but his ring work isn’t very good. As much as I want to see Natalya in the ring, she works so well backstage with Khali on mic. Their vignettes are so cute, funny, and endearing, and I think Khali should be kept doing that more than working the ring.

At least most of the match was the Divas, and they were able to show some solid skills. The big problem came with the ending. The ref really messed up. It’s usually the wrestlers who botch, but that ref missed the ending, and when Natalya stepped up to have her arm raised, as she was obviously scripted to do, the ref looked confused, as if he didn’t know how to handle things.

It was Natalya and AJ who stepped up, re-finished the match for the ref to see AJ tap out. It was Natalya and AJ who made it work, and not the ref. I’m willing to bet that McMahon verbally let that ref know how badly he messed up.

I’m not sure about how well R-Truth and Fandango would have worked the ring, but from that little bit of them dancing, then the way the fought in the Battle Royal, it looked as though we’re seeing a feud in the making. They could be a solid feud, and could help both of them move forward.

And speaking of solid feuds, while Kane and O’Neil weren’t great in the ring together, O’Neil has stepped things up recently, and Kane’s feud with Bray is stellar! Their growing chemistry is great, but even better is the use of their characters in this storyline. Kane and Bray are so similar in so many ways, and I think that’s what’s making this feud so off the hizzle. I cannot wait to see what goes down with them at SummerSlam.

Damien Sandow and Randy Orton

Beyond Bryan and Barrett, there were a number of other strong matches on RAW. Sandow and Orton really tore things up. I know it’s not the first time they’ve faced off recently, but they’re doing a great job helping each other look good, and helping push Sandow’s feud with Cody forward without putting them in the ring together.

I think Sandow and Cody are going to be great when they start working the ring together, but I’m glad they’re not pushing the issue too quickly. Orton looked solid, and he needs that going into SummerSlam with all those questions hanging over his head.

ADR and Kofi looked solid in the ring, and it was nice to see ADR work the ring and not spend all of the time working over his opponent’s left arm. Kofi came off looking solid, even though he lost in the end.

All that being said, after the backstage segment with Christian coming off that lovely video about his career, it makes me wonder if Christian is walking into his last big run in the WWE. I don’t want it to be Christian’s last run, but I do want to see him win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from ADR this weekend.

Christian as WHC would be great to see, especially if Sandow started teasing that he was going to cash in his MITB contract. Sandow working with both Cody and taunting Christian could really build to something interesting and fun.

As much as I love McMahon, I wasn’t thrilled with McMahon in the ring with Maddox. It was too contrived, and while I know Maddox is McMahon’s puppet right now, I didn’t think it was handled very wonderfully in this segment.

In reality, it was Triple H who brought the segment back from the brink of destruction. The fans love Triple H as much as, if not more than, ever before. I love the way he works against his father-in-law. He’s flip, and glib, and works the fans almost as hard as he works McMahon. In some ways he’s as strong on mic as he’s ever been, even when he was working HBK hard in DX. It was lovely, and I can’t wait to see more. That’s one feud I really hope doesn’t end at SummerSlam, and I don’t think it will.

Zeb can be annoying on mic, but that means he’s doing his job. Zeb is great with this character, but then he’s been great with every character he’s had. The way he’s built a platform for his wrestlers to work from, so they barely have to speak, he’s doing exactly what a manager should be doing.

Both Cesaro and Swagger really need a mouthpiece, and it seems to be working well for them. What is also working wonderfully well is the Usos’ performance in the ring. Something really seems to have clicked for those two boys, and they’re looking fantastic in all that they do. I want to see them facing Reigns and Rollins for the Tag Team Championships again as they’re not yet done after all they showed us at the last pay-per-view. These boys are following in their father’s footsteps and doing it in a fantastic way.

The Shield, as always, were solid on mic. They talked about the older wrestlers who needed to step aside for them, so it was obvious to me that it would be someone older and more iconic winning the 20 Man #1 Contender Battle Royal.

I wasn’t at all surprised when it came down to Henry and RVD in the end. I knew that Henry and Ambrose wouldn’t be a solid SummerSlam match, so it had to be RVD, but how could RVD eliminate Henry? He did a great job of it, and made it look good in the process.

I further loved the fist bump between Henry and RVD, but Bryan returning to fight The Shield by RVD’s side showed true heart. Even better than that was Big Show‘s return to stand by both of them against The Shield. I’m thrilled that Big Show is back, and while he looked like a face here, there’s a lot of questions that need to be answered.

Either way, I thought it was all handled wonderfully, and I’m glad to see both big men in what appears to be roles as faces.

In my other writing about wrestling, I am very open about who I am, and why certain things mean so much to me. Tonight Cena had me in tears when he was talking about Dakota, the Make-A-Wish child he met earlier in the day.

When I was eight years old I spent a year on a pediatrics ward with other very ill children. I lost a number of friends that year, and almost passed away myself. I remember that it was the little things that meant so much, that made us so happy.

The tiniest touches of home, the fun little things we were able to do when we were not force to be stuck in bed. It was really hard, and right at the start of Make-A-Wish. I was able to do more than most of the kids there, so when fun things came up, I passed them along as much as possible.

And then there’s my daughter Ellie who I adopted as a teenager, but when she was four years old she almost died of cancer. Make-A-Wish sent her to Disney World. She went to Disney Land and Disney World other times in her life, but that trip means the most to her for so many reasons.

There might be times that I don’t like Cena’s character in the WWE, but there’s rarely a time that I don’t adore the man he is. I respect him for all the work he does with children, especially ill children through Make-A-Wish.

It’s obvious that Cena is using his celebrity to do great things, but it’s also obvious that he learned that somewhere. That somewhere I completely believe is his parents.

John Cena Sr. is one of the kindest, sweetest, and most honest men I have ever met. There’s no question in my mind that John Cena learned a lot about being a man from John Cena Sr., and it’s great to see that Cena is continuing by teaching all of our children how to be a good person.