WWE RAW Coverage: The Shield Retreats

Quick, but action-packed matches, the return of Mark Henry and an interesting MizTv segment with Vikki Guerrero and Paul Heyman highlighted an interesting episode of RAW.

John Cena and Brad Maddox’s situation with The Shield also made for some thought-provoking TV. Against the odds, the WWE’s franchise player let the three tough rookies know he wasn’t about to let them get away with the beating they gave him a week ago. In the end however, the climax was a stinker. With no finality The Shield ran away with nothing getting accomplished. It was a big tease.

This was just the tip of the iceberg though as a plethora of other angles were given time on the show this week.

CM Punk has made a living in professional wrestling as the guy who gets people to drink the “koolaide.” After last week’s developments with Paul Heyman, it appears the shoe is on the other foot now. While his promo was annoying and whiney, it paved the way for a match with Chris Jericho.

But the announcement of Bruno Sammartino’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, in Madison Square Garden of all places, made the show special. After from Andre the Giant, there is no one who deserves to be in the HOF more than Sammartino. One of the sport’s first “mega stars,” Sammartino’s inclusion in the WWE HOF gives the club a legitimacy it severely lacked.

Matches:

United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Ryback (Non-Title): Cesaro worked hard to make the green Ryback look presentable. A terribly executed leg drop proved Ryback still lacks polish. After he was nearly counted out, Ryback finally sold a bit for Cesaro. That didn’t last long as Ryback hit a pair of Meathook Clotheslines and the Shellshock for the win.

Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella: Swagger made quick work of Marella with a Swagger Bomb and the Ankle Lock.

World Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Cody Rhodes: Good match where Rhodes proved he could hang with Del Rio. The Cross-Arm Bar was the equalizer though as Rhodes tapped quickly.

WWE Tag Team Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio: A fun, high-flying encounter with two of the company’s most exciting workers. Although the action went back and forth for a while, Bryan eventually got the win the No Lock. After the match, Mark Henry made his return and took out Bryan, Mysterio and Sin Cara.

Sheamus vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Kane: The two monsters traded power moves and countered finishers, but a distraction from Daniel Bryan allowed Sheamus to hit Kane with the Brogue Kick for the win.

Randy Orton vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (Non-Title): A back and forth match that Orton ultimately dominated. Barrett used his signature maneuvers at the right time and got back in the match, but it wasn’t enough. Orton won with the RKO.

Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk: One of the best matches on RAW this year. Jericho was the aggressor early on. With chops and aerial maneuvers, Jericho proved he could still push a quick pace. Punk was always a big move away from regaining control. However, Jericho, with a Bulldog and a bevy of counters, stayed in the driver’s seat. Punk’s corner knee seemed to change the tone, but Jericho dodged the top rope Elbow and hit the Lionsault. Punk then nailed Jericho with a kick and nearly got the pin. Jericho also managed to escape an Anaconda Vice. Soon enough Jericho got Punk in the Walls of Jericho, but Punk escaped to the ropes. Punk then hit Jericho with the GTS for the win.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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