It was odd watching Daniel Bryan come out to fight Randy Orton in the middle of Raw when it clearly seemed like the main event. Daniel Bryan has been main event-ing Raw on a consistent basis. So after watching The Shield take down Kane, the question arose- what’s going to happen in the final few minutes of Raw. Who’s going to end the show? It was Bryan indeed. And Triple H. And Stephanie McMahon.
What has made Raw watchable over the past one year has been the inclusion of more wrestling matches and great interactions in the main event of the show. The Championship Ascension ceremony, the tag team matches involving the Shield or the Wyatt Family, Cody Rhodes and Goldust or CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the Authority’s attacks on Bryan- all of them have ended Raw on a high note. The last Raw episode was all that and more. It was big statement moving forward to Wrestlemania and showcased that Mr. Helmsley means business. This was the best Triple H has been on the mic in ages and he’s using all the Internet lexicon to his advantage.
In one of the most merciless beatdowns of the PG Era, Triple H and Stephanie led a picture of atrocious behavior. They exhibited every heel trait from the book. And they did it quite well too. Too well, maybe. Triple H crushed Bryan but Bryan should be credited for the way he sold everything that was thrown at him and for everything he was thrown at.
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Triple H was arguably the star of the show. Not only did he have ample time in the ring, he was the best on the mic, besides Bray Wyatt of course. Triple brought the show to quite a standstill for a splitsecond when he announced that his victory against Daniel Bryan will guarantee the COO a place in the main event for Orton’s titles. The mentor wants to go against his protégés. His build up to that exclamation point was spectacular so much so that the audience cheered this announcement. How come a monster heel, who’s going to go against the most popular superstar, get such a reaction? Because he was just that darn good on the mic.
The final segment of the night saw him talk a mouthful about himself and shockingly a bit about Bryan’s credibility as well. Bryan did not speak a single word. The only words to come out of his mouth were the howls he let out following the beating he got at the hands of the COO.
Raw again ended on a strong note, building the Triple and Bryan feud into something that is getting too interesting. They’ve certainly built it up to a must-watch. Triple H has turned into a full fledged heel which is essential because it makes the audience want to see him get beat down even more. He’s pulling off the best heel moves in the WWE, right now and setting a great example for future heels.
And this segment would really have been incomplete without Stephanie McMahon. She was vicious and conniving. She was fearless and made people want to see her run scared for once and for all. The smirk on her face, the shout-outs to her husband and her ostentatious proud demeanor all added so much to the segment. It is difficult to hate them. They aren’t even cool enough to be cheered. You have buy tickets to boo them out of the arena which they call theirs.
To WWE’s credit, lately they’ve left the best for last and the main event has mostly always came out as the best moment of the night. Daniel Bryan has been a part of most of them, so has the Shield and so was CM Punk.
It is nice to see the Authority finally adding to that trend and not overdoing their weighty portions of the show.