WWE RAW Coverage: Wyatt’s vs. The Shield? Not Quite

The UK crowd had a ball and the card was huge, but don’t let the atmosphere fool you.

This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW wasn’t passable, but it paled in comparison to the last few shows.

It all started off with a bang, as the Big Show Chokeslammed Randy Orton through the announce table and was more sedated the rest of the way until, for a short period, The Wyatt Family and The Shield squared off. The crowd went bananas, but soon enough it was over and what could have been amazing was merely a mirage.

Most of the in-ring action was passable. In spite of some solid build up between Orton and Show and an appearance from Paul Heyman, this week was mainly a feeling out process. Between Kane’s new role and no real heat in several title divisions, the show was boring at times. With only a few matches revealed of Survivor Series, the WWE is still putting the pieces together for its fall pay per view mega event.

This week proved the company has some work to do this month.

Matches:

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust: An athletic match that continues to prove the Rhodes brothers are an effective team. Although the match ran a few minutes too long, Orton sold a ton for both Cody and Goldust. After the brothers double Clotheslined Orton out of the ring, the WWE Champion was counted out after he refused to get back in the ring. After the bell, Big Show hit the ring and decimated Orton and finished him off with a Chokeslam through the announce table. Talk about payback.

Los Matadores and Santino vs. Heath Slater, Drew MacIntyre and Jinder Mahal: A joke of a match that ends with a Marella Cobra.

Damien Sandow vs. Kofi Kingston: Good match with plenty of offense. Kingston tried several times to earn the pin, but Sandow ultimately won with the Full Nelson/Urinage Slam.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel: A technical showcase between two top workers. Ziggler was in control for most of the match, but Axel worked over the former World Champion on the outside. Once back in the ring, Ziggler hit his trademark DDT and the Fameasser, but couldn’t get the win. Even after a top rope X-Factor, Ziggler still couldn’t pin Axel. Ziggler then went for the Zig-Zag, but Axel countered into his modified Neckbreaker for the surprising win.

Brie Bella w/Nikki Bella vs. Tamina Snuka w/Divas Champion AJ Lee: A poorly-executed match that ended after a Snuka top rope Splash. Post-match, Brie Bella hit both Lee and Snuka with dropkicks.

Fandango w/Summer Rae vs. Tyson Kidd w/Nattie Niedhart: This could have been an epic, but instead was a quick, but fast-paced encounter. In a surprising twist, Fandango countered a Hurricanrana into a Rollup for the win.

World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro w/Zeb Colter: A fantastic TV match with plenty of near-falls and offense. Cesaro stole the show with two beautiful European Uppercuts on Cena. The World heavyweight Champion spiced up his offense as well with a nice diving Powerbomb and ultimately won via submission with an STF on Swagger. After the match, Alberto Del Rio beat on Cena with a chair until Big E. Langston made the save.

Ryback vs. R-Truth: A complete snoozer. The crowd fell asleep during this one. R-Truth rolled up Ryback after he missed the Meathook Clothesline.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Big E. Langston: Del Rio used his signature kick-based and submission offense, but Langton’s Shoulder Blocks and Clotheslines evened things up. The fact that Langston could hang with Del Rio says a lot about the youngster’s future, but he couldn’t the win. Del Rio earned the submission victory via the Arm Bar after he countered the Big Ending.

United States Champion Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan: Punk and Bryan were the aggressors and had definite chemistry, but Reigns kept The Shield in the match with his superior strength and striking ability. Punk nailed Reigns with the GTS and then locked Ambrose in the Anaconda Vice before The Wyatt Family interrupted and the match was thrown out.