The road to Summerslam was a fuel-efficient one this week on Monday Night RAW as the smooth ride consisted of a huge card and plenty of storyline development.
That had everything to do with the exploits of one Daniel Bryan.
In one of his best nights in the company, the former World Champion proved once again that he’s the best worker in the company.
The show ironically began with a contract signing for the WWE title encounter at Summerslam between champion John Cena and fan favorite challenger, Bryan. An event usually reserved for the end of the show, WWE Creative opted to get it out of the way early and it paid off big time. With Bryan scheduled for a series of matches to “prove his worth,” this week’s RAW relied heavily on the quality in-ring work.
Away from the exploits of Bryan, there were plenty other developments. Mark Henry’s segment with The Shield was cool TV, while CM Punk and Paul Heyman continued the entertainment.
There was a stinker or two in there, but luckily for the WWE, the biggest pooper, the lackluster Divas segment, was over before the stank that emanated from it could tarnish the rest of the show.
Matches:
Sheamus vs. World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio: A strike-based, stiff match that got the crowd energized. Working with the bruised and battered Sheamus, Del Rio was deliciously evil, while Sheamus was his stiff and fiery self. After about 15 mins of back and forth action, Sheamus nearly won with the Irish Curse Backbreaker, but Del Rio kicked out and hit a beautiful top rope Enziguri to keep things even. Sheamus battled back with some more offense, but was ultimately cradled for the loss after his leg wasn’t strong enough to hold Del Rio up for the White Noise.
Christian vs. Titus O’Neil w/Darren Young: Whoa. Wait a second. Is this the same Titus O’Neil who languished in Tag Team competition for over a year? Simply put, O’Neil beat on Christian for a good eight minutes and looked awesome doing it. Despite O’Neil’s tenacity, Christian made a nice face comeback, nailing the Killswitch for the win.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Darren Young: Like his match with CM Punk a few weeks ago, Young didn’t look out-of-place and nearly won with a wonderful Electric Chair Drop. Ziggler was quick to finish Young with the Zig-Zag. After the match, Ziggler took care of Big E. Langston as well.
Fanango w/Summer Rae vs. Cody Rhodes: After his falling out with Damien Sandow, Rhodes has a newfound swagger. The fans seem to like it and Rhodes didn’t disappoint. Fighting off interference from Sandow, Rhodes hit the Disaster Kick and the Cross Rhodes for the win.
Wade Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam: Barrett got in a few nice kicks and other strikes, but RVD had the crowd behind him and ultimately won with the Five-Star Frog Splash.
Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter and Antonio Cesaro: Swagger was in control for most of the match, but Bryan managed to sneak in the No Lock for the submission victory.
Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro: Excellent match and proof Cesaro needs to challenge for the US title again. A massive European Uppercut put Cesaro in the driver’s seat early, but Bryan is one resilient bugger. After Bryan went on a signature offense tear, Cesaro hit another big uppercut, but again, couldn’t get the pin. During one stretch, Cesaro hit a dozen uppercuts and a nasty clothesline. It was epic. Cesaro eventually went for the Neutralizer, but Bryan countered and hit a Dragonscrew and a slew of strikes. After a suicide dive, Bryan countered a Cesaro backbody drop (that usually ends with a European Uppercut) into a rollup for the win.
Daniel Bryan vs. Ryback: This match was a Steamboat-like performance from Bryan. Selling all of Ryback’s offense, Bryan made him look better than he actually is.The two traded offense for a few minutes, but Ryback maintained the edge. After Bryan began to get going, Ryback turned the table son the outside and Powerbombed Bryan through a table on the outside to get DQed. After the match, Cena made the save before Ryback could inflict anymore damage.
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