“I will beat Randy Orton,” Daniel Bryan on RAW this week.
The former WWE Champion is still on a massive role in spite of the Triple H regime throwing every obstacle in his way. The David vs. Goliath angle continues to build drama and this week’s episode of RAW delivered the goods.
At this rate, it’s unsure when Bryan will stop being a victim and overcome Orton and rest of Triple H’s bullies.
Edge’s appearance on the show also added an extra element- The Rated R Superstar’s ability to cut promo with Triple H was some of the better microphone work on RAW in months. Even if it wasn’t ultimately the case, it felt good to see someone stand up to Triple H and at least for a second, think that he could stopped.
Appearances by Goldust and Santino Marella continued the surprises in what was an entertaining episode of RAW. However, with only a handful of matches announced for Night of Champions, you have to wonder what the company will do to fill up the pay-per-view’s card.
Matches:
Kofi Kingston vs. Curtis Axel w/Paul Heyman: Axel dominated Kingston and got DQed after he delivered a slew of knees in the turnbuckle on Kingston and wouldn’t stop when the referree told him to. The barrage continued after the bell but after Kingston delivered a Trouble in Paradise out of nowhere, Heyman’s concern is at an all-time high.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt w/Luke Harper and Erick Rowan: Ziggler was stellar and made the much larger Wyatt look amazing. Wyatt also helped with a slew of stiff offense. After a massive corner avalanche, Wyatt nailed the Sister Abigail for the win.
Cameron, Brie Bella and Nattie Niedhart w/Jojo and Naomi vs. Oksana, Alicia Fox and Layla: Divas Champion AJ Lee’s color commentary during the bout was easily the most entertaining part of the match. Niedhart beat Fox with the Sharpshooter.
World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth: Del Rio and R-Truth worked well together and traded offense for a large portion of the match. Truth hit the Reverse Michinoku Driver, but missed the Scissors Kick, this led the way for one of Del Rio’s vicious kicks and then the Cross-Arm Breaker for the submission victory.
Antonio Cesaro w/Zeb Colter vs. Santino Marella: Cesaro is amazing. His Giant Swing on Marella was one of a kind. Although Marella got some offense in, Cesaro’s European Uppercut, variety of suplexes appeared to be too much for the rusty Marella. In spite of the beating he took, Marella snuck in a version of the cradle for the underdog win.
Damien Sandow vs. The Miz: Just when the Miz got cooking, Fandango and Summer Rae distracted Miz to enable a Sandow win via the Schoolboy.
Goldust vs. Randy Orton: Surprisingly, Goldust was in solid ring shape and looked great in the ring with Orton. The Bizarre One nearly won with a few rollups, but could never get a real advantage. The only time he was ever in control was during a brief segment on the outside of the ring. But after Orton went on a tear, Goldust fought back with a Bulldog and more signature offense. After a few near-falls, Orton hit his second rope DDT and went for the RKO, but Goldust hit the CrossRhodes. Unable to get the pin, Goldust soon fell victim to the RKO and was cleanly pinned.
Rob Van Dam w/Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Ryback: RVD got the win via DQ after Ryback decimated him on the outside and finished him off with a Shellshock.
Daniel Bryan w/The Big Show vs. United States Champion Dean Ambrose w/WWE Tag Team Champions Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins: Show was in Bryan’s corner, but wasn’t allowed to touch The Shield, per Stephanie McMahon’s pre-match instructions. Easily one of Ambrose’s best matches, the U.S. Champion went shot for shot with Bryan for most of the match. Bryan stole the show however with a wonderful Belly-to-Back Suplex from the top rope. Bryan also eluded the majority of The Shield’s heel tactics and won with a well-placed Rollup. After the bell, Bryan and Orton began to brawl, but The Shield got involved. Show slowed down the attack by presenting a chair, but Orton still got the last laugh with the RKO. After that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon again forced Show to once again enter the ring and punch Bryan in the face. After Orton and Show argued about it for a few minutes in the ring, Bryan ended up nailing Orton with the Running Knee.
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