Away from the utter silliness of Los Matadores and 3MB and absence of John Cena, this week’s Monday Night RAW was a somewhat eventful one that works more on the smaller angles and lower and younger part of the roster than anything else. With Sheamus’ United States title win, Adam Rose’s debut and the renewed rivalry between the Wyatt Family and The Shield, as well as continued drama between Daniel Bryan and Kane, there was plenty of drama.
At the same time, the nonsensical-ness of Kane, spooking out Bryan and his wife, at every turn, was a mess. It felt like a Troma film. Professional wrestlers, most of them, aren’t actors and Bryan and Brie Bella, as well as Stephanie McMahon, don’t have the chops to make a storyline like this an effective one.
Simply put, it’s in the WWE’s best interest to stop the B-movie storytelling and keep Bryan in the ring.
That’s where he tells his tales anyway.
On another note, the numerous CM Punk chants are also an indication that the fans need another big time face with some charisma. Nothing against John Cena or Bryan, but they’ve been on-screen quite a lot lately and absence always makes the heart grow fonder.
Matches:
20-Man Battle Royal for United States Title: Dean Ambrose had his hands full as the deck was stacked from the beginning. Xavier Woods was the first competitor eliminated, followed by Zack Ryder, R-Truth and Titus O’Neill. Big Show was dominant early on, eliminating a few competitors and throwing Sin Cara out of the ring. Heath Slater eliminated Damien Sandow next and soon enough, Show and Mark Henry faced off with Show eventually Chokeslamming Henry. With Show busy, Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick and eliminated Show, before the rest of the competitors teamed up to eliminate Henry. Ambrose then eliminated Kofi Kingston. A few seconds later, Cody Rhodes accidentally eliminated his brother Goldust, who was then eliminated by Ryback. Shockingly, Santino Marella eliminated Dolph Ziggler with the Cobra, but was then kicked out by Axel. With five competitors left, Ambrose showed his strength by beating on Ryback and Axel with strikes and soon enough, eliminating the both of them. After Ambrose eliminated Swagger, Sheamus nailed Ambrose with the Brogue Kick and then eliminated him to win the title.
Rob Van Dam vs. Antonio Cesaro w/Paul Heyman: Although RVD hit some signature moves early on, Cesaro hit everything from his trademark European Uppercuts to three consecutive Side Salto Suplexes. But after RVD got his leg caught in the turnbuckle and Cesaro refused to stop pounding on the former ECW and WWE Champion, the referee threw the match out.
Ryback w/Curt Axel vs. Cody Rhodes w/Goldust: Rhodes’ slump continued as he was unable to beat Ryback even after he delivered all of his signature offense and the Shellshock. After miscommunication between him and Goldust, Rhodes fell right into a Ryback Shellshock for the loss.
Kofi Kingston vs. Alexander Rusev w/Lana: Kingston was easily Rusev’s biggest challenge thus far and delivered a wide variety of offense, but Rusev still dominated and won after his modified Urinage Suplex and The Accolade.
Alberto Del Rio vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan w/Brie Bella: With Kane on his mind, Bryan wasn’t on his A-game and Del Rio took advantage with kicks and strikes on the outside. Once the match settled down back in the ring, the two stars traded kicks and Bryan scored a near-fall with his Diving Headbutt. With Del Rio on the outside, Bryan launched himself to the outside and took out Del Rio. Throwing Del Rio back in the ring, Bryan was caught with a kick and within seconds, Del Rio went for his Arm Breaker. Countering in mid-move, Bryan countered into the Yes Lock for the win. After the bell, Kane’s music predictably hit as Bryan and Bella ran into their car. Naturally, Kane was inside the car and a battle ensued, with Bella screaming throughout. Snore is not the word. WWE fans deserve better.
Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett vs. Big E. Langston: An Eye Rake behind the ref’s back and a Bullhammer Elbow earned Barrett the win, but it wasn’t an easy win by any means.
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan: Ambrose took the brunt of the punishment, but he got some licks in as well. After he tagged in Rollins, The Shield began to gather some momentum. Harper however had enough of Rollins’ high-flying and began to soar himself. Using a Suicide Dive, Harper neutralized Rollins and allowed Wyatt to work on Rollins. Things quickly changed when Reigns entered the ring. After a slew of clotheslines and a Superman Punch, Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins set up Wyatt for the Triple Powerbomb, but an appearance by Evolution allowed Wyatt to escape. Reigns did nail Triple H with the Superman Punch, but Reigns eventually caught the Sister Abigail from Wyatt for the pin fall. After the bell, Evolution destroyed The Shield, particularly Reigns, who was hit with a Pedigree, the RKO and the Triple Powerbomb.
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