Poorly booked and slow-paced, this week’s RAW was an undeniable disaster. The go-home show before Hell in a Cell, the WWE did nothing to entice a Pay Per View buy or even a click of a button to the WWE Network.
Even if you have the promotion’s app and your bill is paid, there’s little reason to tune in this weekend. With no WWE World Heavyweight title match and the buzz being around the Paige/AJ Lee and Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins encounters, the WWE missed a huge opportunity to build intrigue for the rest of the card.
Instead, they just relied on an old money maker in Randy Orton and John Cena that no one cares about and ruined the United States and Tag Team title matches by throwing all of the competitors together a mishmash match that did nothing.
If it wasn’t for Paul Heyman, the first half of RAW would have been a joke. At least making sure that WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar tries to stay relevant, even Heyman couldn’t build buzz. While an Orton face turn feels almost inevitable, he still has some legs as a heel if used properly.
The same thing goes for Mick Foley’s appearance later in the show. While it provided some pop, it was far from a deal breaker.
Simply put, the WWE is lucky to have a dominant champion the likes of Lesnar, but they continue to squander opportunities to carve him a legacy by keeping him out of the ring for months on end.
For probably the first time in WWE history, the company would probably be more entertaining if they booked Lesnar like TNA has Lashley dominating all comers on Impact Wrestling.
Matches:
WWE Tag Team Champions Stardust and Goldust and Damien Sandow w/The Miz vs. United States Champion Sheamus and Jimmy and Jey Uso: A sloppy match with a bunch of spots designed to get the crowd excited. Although Sheamus nailed Stardust with the Brogue Kick, Sandow, the legal man, got the win with the Rollup and a handful of trunks.
Divas Champion AJ Lee vs. Alicia Fox w/Paige: Fox was in control until Lee made a trademark comeback. Interference from Paige however stopped Lee in her tracks and allowed Fox, who Piage just threw back in the ring, to win with a Rollup and a grab of the trunks.
Big E. Langston vs. Alexander Rusev w/Lana: Langston hit some offense, but Rusev got the win with The Accolade. After the match, Rusev talk smack about Big Show and then beat on an American soldier, which opened the door for a Big Show save and promo of his own.
Brie Bella vs. Summer Rae: A boring match that saw Bella win following the Missile Dropkick and X-Factor.
Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Antonio Cesaro: A decent match with a lackluster finish as Cesaro got the win in the non-title match with a standard Eurpoean Uppercut. After the match Cesaro nailed Ziggler with the Neutralizer.
Handicap Street Fight: John Cena and Dean Ambrose vs. Kane, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins: Ambrose did the majority of selling throughout the match until Cena got tagged in and made the trademark save following the hot tag. After he took out Rollins with the Belly-to-Back Suplex, Cena hit Kane with the Attitude Adjustment, but Rollins was a step ahead, throwing Cena into the corner and a chair. After Kane and Orton took out Ambrose with the ring steps on the outside, Rollins hit the Flipping Neckbreaker but couldn’t put Cena away. Kane then worked on Cena on the outside and then put him through a chair. With Cena in trouble , the steel cage came down and Ambrose went to work. Kendo stick in hand, Ambrose beat on Orton and then went for the chair and hit Orton from the second rope with it. Ambrose then took the beating to Kane and Orton before hitting Rollins with a Suicide Dive. Kane eventually got the upper hand however and took out Cena with a Chokeslam and Ambrose fought back with the Dirty Deeds on Kane, but Orton got the win following an RKO on Ambrose. After the bell , Rollins hit Orton with the Curb Stomp.
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