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Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the live review of Monday Night RAW!
RAW kicked off with Stephanie and Triple H coming down to the ring, as the crowd booed them heavily. A “You suck” chant began as Triple H cracked a joke. Stephanie took the microphone and said tonight, we finally get the verdict regarding the status of the WWE World Heavyweight championship, as the doctor who operated on Daniel Bryan said that Bryan will not be able to compete at the Money in the Bank PPV. Stephanie then mocked Bryan as the crowd booed her, and Triple H took the mic and said this wasn’t a “Daniel Bryan fanclub”. Triple H said that we need a fighting champion who can defend the title at shows. Stephanie then made the announcement of stripping Daniel Bryan of the title as the fans let out a chorus of boos and “No” chants.
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Stephanie said this was best for business, and said Bryan was ignoring her. Stephanie gave her condolences to Bryan and his “ungrateful” wife, as both of them mocked her intelligence. Stephanie then announced a ladder match at the Money in the Bank PPV for the WWE World Heavyweight championship. She then introduced the first entrant, who was Alberto Del Rio. Triple H then introduced the second entrant, who was Randy Orton as the crowd jeered the decision. Triple H guaranteed that at the Money in the Bank PPV, we will crown a new WWE World Heavyweight champion. Triple H called Bryan’s victory at WrestleMania as “fluke”, and said Bryan wasn’t a WWE World Heavyweight champion material.
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Triple H said Bryan wasn’t in the building, and mocked the fans. Then he turned towards his feud with The Shield, and mocked the fans again. He said “Adapt or perish” numerous times, and said Seth Rollins adapted, while the other two hadn’t. WWE then showed what happened last week, as Seth Rollins turned on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Triple H then said that he believed in Seth Rollins, and called out Ambrose and Reigns. He made a 6 man tag team match later in the night, with Ambrose and Reigns taking on the Wyatt Family, with a partner of their choosing. Triple H then mocked no one would partner with them, and said The Shield will perish tonight!
Analysis: Reports came in earlier in the show that Daniel Bryan’s recovery has been taking more time than anticipated, and sadly, his arm has been growing weaker instead of improving. Bryan will take more time off, and the WWE wouldn’t want to risk his health and safety by bringing him back sooner than required. This is the best thing to do for now, and we’ll now see who will be crowned the new WWE World Heavyweight champion at the next PPV.
Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier for WWE World Heavyweight championship:
Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett
Sheamus came out to a mixed reaction and BNB followed to a good reception. BNB cut a promo about winning the WWE World Heavyweight championship and not relinquishing the title. Both men locked in the middle as Sheamus shoved BNB off. The crowd started a “Bad News Barrett” chant as Sheamus took BNB down and drilled him with knees. BNB turned the tables and worked on Sheamus in the corner. Sheamus went for the battering ram but BNB drilled him with a right to send him outside, and came down on him. Back in the ring, Sheamus turned the tables and connected with the battering ram. Sheamus brought BNB back into the ring with a suplex and covered him for a near fall. Sheamus missed with a knee from the top, as Sheamus took BNB out of the ring with a crossbody as both men were sent flying to the outside, as WWE went into commercial.
Back from the commercial and BNB was in control, and dropped Sheamus with a spinning suplex for a near fall. BNB went for an elbow drop, but Sheamus got his knees up. Sheamus came back with some axe handles, but BNB stopped him with a big boot. Sheamus connected with the Irish Curse backbreaker for a near fall. Barrett caught Sheamus with the Winds of Change for a two count! Sheamus connected with a spinning backbreaker for a near fall. The fans were firmly behind BNB as Sheamus signaled for the Brogue Kick. BNB ducked the kick but Sheamus kicked him to the outside. Sheamus went to the top and came down with a crossbody, but BNB ducked as Sheamus was sent crashing into the barricades. Sheamus made it back into the ring as BNB connected with the Wasteland for another near fall! BNB readied himself for the Bull Hammer but Sheamus countered it into the White Noise for a near fall! Both men punched each other as Barrett went for a headbutt. BNB kicked Sheamus’ shoulder and sent him into the steel post. Sheamus connected with the Brogue Kick out of nowhere to pick up the victory.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: *** ¾
Analysis: That was a great brawl between two solid workers, but the outcome should’ve been different. Although it looked like a last ditch effort on Sheamus’ part, BNB deserved to be in the ladder match at MiTB PPV, since he is rumored to get a big push. Anyway, Sheamus qualifies to be in the ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight championship with this victory, and the bout itself was fantastic.
Luke Harper then cut a promo about people misunderstanding them, and that he had some urges. Bray Wyatt then appeared and said he too had urges. He said The Shield thought that they were the strongest force in the WWE, but Bray said they were mistaken. He said tonight, The Shield will find it out, and said that the Wyatts won’t disintegrate. Rowan then told the fans to follow the buzzards.
Back from commercial, Lana made her way out, and compared Obama with Putin, and called Obama weak, as the crowd chanted “USA”. WWE then showed the leaked work – out clip of Obama’s, as Lana called him a girly man. She then put over Vladimir Putin, and said Putin would crush Obama. She put Russia over, as Roberts brought out Rusev. Rusev said something in Russian, and said he was the super athlete.
Rusev (With Lana) vs. Zack Ryder
Rusev dominated the opening of the match with headbutts and clubby blows. Ryder tried to make a comeback but Rusev dropped him with a big superkick. Rusev stomped on Ryder and put him in the camel clutch to get the victory. Rusev refused to let go for some time as Lana came in and gave him his medal.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: ½ *
Analysis: Your basic squash match, and poor Zack Ryder is relegated to no music and jobbing to others once again. Ryder’s tale is a sad one, but Rusev keeps his impressive run going.
Goldust and R – Truth vs. RybAxel
RybAxel double team R – Truth in the corner as both men dropped him with a suplex for a near fall. Ryback and Curtis took turns, working tandem, but R – Truth managed to escape and tagged in Goldust. Goldust worked on Axel and dropped him with a powerslam, and came down on both men with a turning crossbody. The action got out of control as Ryback dumped R – Truth to the outside, and Goldust delivered a spinebuster to Ryback. Axel managed to take advantage of the distraction and rolled Goldust up to pick up the victory.
Winner: RybAxel
Rating: *
Analysis: That was a short match which furthered the angle between the Rhodes brothers. I don’t know why WWE is waiting to pull the trigger on their feud, but I’m guessing they’ll wait till SummerSlam. Anyway, RybAxel picked up another victory over Goldust and his partner.
Backstage, Layla was talking to her make – up artist before Summer Rae poured white liquid all over her and beat her down. Layla begged Summer to stop and started crying.
3 MB were inside the ring, as Slater talked about The Shield. Ambrose and Reigns interrupted Slater as 3 MB waiting in the ring. Both factions brawled as The Shield got the better of 3 MB. Ambrose and Reigns dumped Mahal and Drew over the barricades as Slater tried to escape, but Reigns caught him with a spear on top of the ramp.
Ambrose took the mic and talked about The Shield being the most dominant faction in the history of sports entertainment. He talked about a ‘cancer’ in the faction – Seth Rollins. He talked about Seth backstabbing his brothers and selling – out to Authority. Ambrose then threatened Seth, and called him a scum. He said they were waiting to see what Seth was going to say later in the night, and said Triple H’s words were going to come out of Seth’s mouth, and said that they were going to beat him down.
Roman then took the mic and looked upset. Seth was shown backstage watching their promo. Roman said you don’t stab your brothers in the back, and then talked about Orton and Triple H. He threatened Randy Orton and Triple H, and mocked Triple H. He said they were going to have their own Game of Thrones, and asked them to believe that.
Analysis: That was a fantastic promo, and Ambrose was amazing as always. Roman has really come into his own as well, and this feud will be fantastic. I can’t wait to see how this feud unfolds.
The WWE Tag Team champions, The Usos made their way out first followed by Fandango with Layla, and his partner, Damien Sandow, who did an “interpretive dance”.
Fandango and Sandow vs. The Usos
Fandango started things off with Jimmy as Jimmy dropped Fandango with an inverted Atomic drop and a right as Fandango made a tag to Sandow. The crowd started a huge “Let’s go Sandow” as Sandow worked over Jimmy. Sandow showed off, which let Jimmy connect with a superkick and made a tag to Jey came down with a huge splash to pick up the victory.
Winner (s): The Usos
Rating: ½ *
Analysis: It’s even painful to see what WWE is doing with Sandow, who was the winner of the MiTB ladder match last year. Sadly, his fall from grace has been anything but impressive. You can’t help but feel sad for the former intellectual savior.
Xavier Woods vs. Bo Dallas
Bo Dallas cut a promo about Bryan being stripped, and told Bryan to Bo – lieve and make a triumphant return.
Both men locked up as Bo locked in a side headlock. Xavier took him down and mocked Dallas. Bo came back with a knee to the gut and showed off. Bo worked on Xavier’s shoulder as Xavier tried to make his comeback. The crowd started a “CM Punk” chant as Bo took Xavier down as he was coming down from the top rope. Bo connected with the running Bo – dog to pick up the victory.
Winner: Bo Dallas
Rating: ½ *
Analysis: It was your usual Bo Dallas match. And we wonder why WWE hasn’t been getting good ratings.
Post match, Bo shook Xavier’s hand and told him to keep bo – lieving.
Back from the commercial, and Heyman was in the ring as he talked about Brock Lesnar conquering The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. He plugged in Lesnar being from University of Minnesota, and said Lesnar had the idea of doing something. He said they wanted to celebrate Lesnar’s victory tonight, and led to the fans believing that Lesnar was on RAW! He introduced Cesaro for his match.
Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier for WWE World Heavyweight championship:
Cesaro (With Heyman) vs. RVD
RVD started things off with a huge heel kick for a one count as the crowd chanted “We want Lesnar”. Cesaro brought RVD down with a shoulder block, but RVD came back with a monkey flip. RVD came down with a thrust kick from the top rope as RVD came down on Cesaro on the outside with a top rope plancha as WWE went into commercial.
Back from commercial as Cesaro was in control, with a side headlock. Van Dam dropped Cesaro with a spinning heel kick for a one kick. Cesaro picked RVD and threw him with a fall away slam! On the outside, Cesaro worked over RVD and brought him back inside the ring. Cesaro connected with an uppercut and double foot stomp for a nearfall. Cesaro tried to keep RVD down, but RVD came back with the split legged moonsault for a nearfall. Cesaro stopped RVD with a big uppercut and a double underhook powerbomb for a nearfall. RVD rolled Cesaro up for a nearfall and RVD followed it up with the rolling thunder for another nearfall! Cesaro crotched RVD near the turnbuckles and worked over him. Cesaro connected with the Neutralizer to pick up the victory.
Winner: Cesaro
Rating: ** ¾
Analysis: This match wasn’t as great as their previous bouts, but it saw the right result with Cesaro qualifying for the ladder match. My bet is on Cesaro to win the WWE World Heavyweight championship, which will lead to some great matches with the likes of Bryan and Lesnar. This is what Cesaro had to tweet after the match.
Back from commercial, and Cole introduced us to Seth Rollins who came out to his new theme music (Not a fan of it). The crowd booed him before he even spoke, and stopped Cole and said he didn’t understand what the big deal was about. He said he did what was best for business, his business. He said he created The Shield, and said he could destroy what he had built. He said that he was the architect. He called Dean a lunatic, and found himself in a ditch. He called Roman Reigns a golden boy, and said he had anger like no other, but they needed Seth to keep them under control. He said they owe him their success.
Seth was asked about The Shield being a team, but Seth said they lost to Wyatt Family. He then said they conquered the world and beat Evolution at Payback. He said he learnt from Evolution that to be successful, you have to evolve and adapt, as the crowd started a huge “You sold out” chant. He said he bought in to the evolution of Seth Rollins. He talked about people saying he backstabbed his brothers, but he said to him, they were just business partners. He said he severed a business relationship; he talked about the past two years, and told everyone to believe in Seth Rollins. Seth plugged in Ambrose saying that they will beat him down, and called out The Shield.
Ambrose and Reigns made their way out, but the lights went out as Harper and Rowan were in the ring. All four started brawling as Seth tried to get a cheap shot in, but Ambrose and Reigns cornered him. Bray then made the save as Rollins ran out of the arena. John Cena came out to make the save as the Wyatts retreated.
Paige vs. Alicia Fox (With Aksana)
Both divas locked up as Fox threw Paige outside. Paige then slapped Alicia and Aksana, but Fox threw her against the announcer’s table. Back in the ring, Fox locked Paige in a chinlock and connected with a Northernlights Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. Fox worked on Paige as the fans got behind Paige. Paige rolled Fox out of nowhere for a nearfall as Fox took Paige down with a clothesline. Fox connected with a tilt – a – whirl backbreaker for a nearfall. Fox went for a running backbreaker but Paige dropped her with head scissors and out of the ring. Back inside the ring, Paige worked over Fox with vicious clotheslines and rolled her up for a nearfall. Fox tripped Paige from the top, but Paige tripped Fox into Aksana and locked her in the PTO to pick up the victory.
Winner: Paige
Rating: *
Analysis: Paige needs a new contender for the title, someone who can put on a solid match with her.
Post match, Aksana tried to help Fox to her feet, but Fox dropped her and unloaded on her. She took some water bottles and popcorn from the fans and showered Aksana with them. She then apologized to her and stuffed her mouth with popcorn and acted crazy.
Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger (With Zeb)
Santino dropped Jack and connected with another hip toss. Zeb slapped Jack a couple of times, which brought the aggression out of Jack. He unloaded on Santino and planted him in the middle of the ring. Swagger missed with a shoulder in the corner, but Swagger connected with the gut wrench powerbomb to pick up the victory.
Winner: Jack Swagger
Rating: ½ *
Analysis: The bout was apparently made because Santino got offended he was on Zeb’s deportation list. If that’s WWE’s logic, then I have nothing to one – up that.
Backstage, Cody confronted his brother and told him that he had a new partner for Goldust next week. He said he was something Goldust had never seen before, and he would magnify his magnificence.
Stephanie and Triple H were then shown celebrating their success. Stephanie talked about Cena interrupting her last week and getting involved with The Shield this week. Triple H told her to forget about him, and enjoy their success. Vickie brought champagne for the power couple, but sneezed on them. Stephanie slapped the champagne from Vickie and told her to get out, or that she would fire her again.
John Cena, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns vs. The Wyatt Family
Ambrose and Reigns made their way out first followed by Cena. The Wyatts then came down to the ring as the “Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks” chant start. Ambrose started things off with Rowan, which saw some good back and forth action, as Ambrose took Harper and Rowan down. Reigns then made the tag and unloaded on Rowan, and tagged Ambrose back in. Harper came in and put the lid on Ambrose as the Wyatts then controlled the tempo of the match, working over Dean Ambrose as WWE went into commercial.
Back from commercial and Ambrose tried to make a comeback, but Bray stopped him in his tracks. More back and forth action as the Wyatts work over Ambrose, but he knocked Harper down and tagged in Cena, who unloaded on Rowan with his usual moves. Cena came down with the five knuckle shuffle on Bray and Harper as Rowan knocked him down. Bray then made his way into the ring but Cena dropped him with a dropkick. The end of the bout saw Rowan shoving Cena into Bray’s Sister Abigail, but Reigns came back with the Superman punch on Bray. Reigns tossed Rowan onto the floor as Ambrose nailed a huge suicide dive on both Bray and Rowan. Harper then nailed a superkick on Reigns for a nearfall. Reigns then decked Harper with a spear to pick up the victory for his team.
Winner (s): Cena, Ambrose and Reigns
Rating: ***
Post – match, Rollins and Triple H came out and stared down Ambrose and Reigns as Cena and The Shield celebrated their victory.
Analysis: That was a decent main event, but the ending was predictable. That is the problem with Cena’s involvement, which hasn’t been great for TV, especially in the past few weeks. We’ll have to wait and see how the feud unfolds between Ambrose/Reigns and Rollins/Evolution.
Over – all rating of the show: ** ¾ (Out of 5 stars)
Everything felt stretched out, except for a few matches. Some of the things on the show wouldn’t have even made the cut during the mid 2000s when WWE had depth in their roster, and the characters were interesting. WWE hasn’t given the fans a reason to watch their episodes, which has been reflecting in their ratings. Anyway, that does it for this week’s live review. Hope you’re enjoyed the show.
