With no Daniel Bryan in the ring, RAW continues to try and develop the rest of the card- with mixed results.
As cool and fun the angle between John Cena and The Wyatt Family is, as well as the ongoing Shield/Evolution drama, there’s little else do get excited about.
A great Main Event between The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper and John Cena made this show worthwhile.
And it’s not like WWE Creative didn’t try to do even more. The new Cesaro/Sheamus feud has potential, as does the budding Wade Barrett. Stephanie McMahon’s segment also sets the scene for an appearance from Bryan next week where he’ll have a choice to make. Does he turn over the title, just two weeks after neck surgery? Or does he decide to fight?
Either way you look at it, despite some cool spots, this week’s RAW was all about waiting and building drama for Payback.
Matches:
United States Champion Sheamus vs. Cesaro w/Paul Heyman: Sheamus was in control for most of the match, using strikes and signature offense, until a Cesaro counter sent Sheamus over the top rope. Using submissions, Cesaro kept Sheamus down and slowed down the match. A Cesaro Superplex continued the King of Swing’s onslaught, but Sheamus nearly got the win with the Irish Curse Backbreaker. A running High Knee and a Flipping Fireman’s Carry earned Sheamus another near-fall. Sheamus got a bit too ahead of himself however and went to the top rope and almost lost the match after a Cesaro European Uppercut. After Heyman distracted Sheamus, Cesaro stole the match with a nice Bridging German Suplex.
Beat the Clock for IC Title Shot: Big E. Langston vs. Ryback w/ Curtis Axel: Ryback hit his Spinebuster and the Meathook Clothesline and even got help from Axel, but he couldn’t pin Langston. At 5:02, Langston won with The Big Ending.
R-Truth and Naomi w/Cameron vs. Fandango and Layla: Before the match, Summer Rae interrupted and Layla and Fandango’s former flame were involved in a cat fight. No match.
Heath Slater w/Jinder Mahal and Drew MacIntyre vs. Alexander Rusev w/Lana: After he demolished all of 3MB on the outside, Rusev hit his modified Urinage Suplex on Slater and finished him off with The Accolade.
Beat the Clock for IC Title Shot: Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam: A fast-paced match that saw Del Rio and RVD both counter and reverse each other’s signature maneuvers. After Del Rio missed the Chris Adams Gentleman Super Kick, RVD rolled up The Mexican Aristocrat for the win at 4:15.
Seth Rollins vs. Batista: The match was supposed to be a one-on-one match, but quickly had Triple H, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns all join the party on the outside. For a good 10 minutes, both Batista and Rollins traded offense, until Triple H nailed Rollins to get the match thrown out. After the bell, Reigns nailed Batista with the Spear as The Shield stood tall.
Alicia Fox vs. Divas Champion Paige: After a Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker and a nasty Superkick, Fox, who kicked out of Paige’s Page-Turner earlier in the match, earned the surprising win. After the win, Fox continued to weird out the crowd.
Beat the Clock for IC Title Shot: Mark Henry vs. Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler took the best of Henry’s high-impact offense and nailed the Zig-Zag, but couldn’t beat the clock. As a result, RVD earned the shot at the Intercontinental Title at Payback.
John Cena w/WWE Tag Team Champions Jimmy and Jey Uso vs. Luke Harper w/Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan: This was easily the best match of Harper’s career and proves he’s a legitimate singles talent. Harper worked on The Shoulder and Lower back of Cena while the London crowd continued to sing Adam Rose’s theme song from the segment before. Harper nearly pinned Cena with the Belly-to-Back Faceplant, but he truly shined with a Swinging Head Scissors, Dropkick and a Suicide Dive. After a Cena Hurricanrana, Harper nearly won again with The Super Kick. Later in the match, Harper hit a Torture Rack/Neckbreaker variation, but Cena fought back with an Elbow and soon got Harper in the STF. After Harper escaped, the match broke down as Wyatt nailed both Usos with The Sister Abigail. Harper then again scored a near fall with the Falcon’s Arrow. Cena the hit Harper with the Attitude Adjustment, but interference from Rowan got the match thrown out. After the match, Harper hit Cena with the Fallaway Slam on the outside, before Wyatt hit the Sister Abigail on the Entrance Ramp.
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