Ten minutes in and Triple H nailed Paul Heyman with the Pedigree.
If you thought it was a sign of excitement to come, well, you would be right. A mammoth card with plenty of action, this week’s RAW was fun, even if it didn’t develop enough storyline.
A Ryback and Mick Foley promo to end RAW?
Not going to get it done creative. Not even close.
Thank the WWE gods for The Shield, a steel chair and John Cena. That at least spiced things up a tad.
The England fans were energetic and the big fight atmosphere was apparent. The WWE definitely delivered in terms of match quality, but with only a few weeks before Extreme Rules, the drama needs to be turned up a few notches next week.
Or else a usually weak PPV will be thinner than Gillberg during a potato famine.
Matches:
Antonio Cesaro vs. R Truth: After some back and forth, the match nearly ended after a Reverse Michinoku Driver from Truth, but after a weird transition, Truth hit an imperfect version of his Complete Shot finisher for the quick and unexpected win.
Brodus Clay w/ Tensai, Cameron and Naomi vs. Damien Sandow w/Cody Rhodes: Sandow was surprisingly solid against the much larger Clay. After a handful of tights, Sandow won with a surprise rollup.
World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler w/ Big E. Langston and AJ Lee vs. Chris Jericho: With a loss, Jericho would join the three-way title match at Extreme Rules. Ziggler couldn’t let that happen, but he couldn’t catch a break early on. Luckily for him, Langston got involved and turned the table. Jericho got in the match with a Belly to Back Suplex and a Double Axe Handle from the top. Jericho then hit the Bulldog, but Langston hit Jericho during the Lionsault attempt. Ziggler couldn’t earn the win though. The champion battled back with his jumping DDT, but Jericho too was resilient. Not even the Fame-Asser could put Jericho away. Y2J then Superplexed Ziggler, but the champ kicked out. After a Codebreaker , Ziggler got his leg on the ropes and the match continued. Jericho then latched on the Walls of Jericho, but Fandango’s music hit to cause the distraction Ziggler needed. A Zig-Zag later and Ziggler got the win.
Cody Rhodes w/Damien Sandow vs. Tensai w/Brodus Clay, Cameron and Naomi: Both guys went through some signature offense, but Rhodes was in control for the majority of the match. When Tensai got back in charge, Sandow tried to cause a distraction, but a Choke Bomb and Senton Backsplash later, Tensai was victorious.
Big E. Langston vs. Zack Ryder: Without his spiked hair, Ryder was the weaker man. Langston dominated although Ryder hit a Missile Dropkick from the second rope. Langston quickly bounced back and hit his Belly-to-Belly Frontslam finisher for the win.
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan, Kane and The Undertaker: This was a long match that showed the dexterity and stamina of all six competitors. The Shield began the match with the advantage, but Hell No quickly joined the match and evened things up. Bryan used a slew of kicks to get the upper-hand on Ambrose and Kane and Undertaker continued to pummel the Shield’s mouthpiece. Reigns didn’t fare much better as Kane had his way with him. It wasn’t until Rollins got in that The Shield got going. Using double and triple-team maneuvers, strikes and solid ring positioning, The Shield gained control. Bryan, however, once again, thanks to his legs and wrestling ability, got his team back in the fight. Undertaker nearly won with a Double Chokeslam, but Reigns hit Taker with the spear and the match continued. Kane then had his moments of “vintage†offense and that’s when things got hectic. Counters and drama on the outside made for a crazy finish as Bryan missed a Top-Rope Headbutt and Ambrose applied the tight hook pin for the win.
Fandango vs. William Regal: England’s favorite son started with a bang, but Fandango quickly won with a Frankie Kazarian-esque twisting Downward Spiral. After the match, Jericho beat up Fandango and danced with his valet.
Divas #1 Contender Battle Royal: AJ Lee got kicked in the face by Tamina Snuka in the early going and played possum until Layla eliminated everyone. After she forced Layla to carry her limpless body to the ropes, Lee turned the tables and kicked Layla out for the win.
Leave a Reply