‘WWE RAW’ Results & Review (22.10.13)
Welcome to this week’s results and review write-up of WWE’s flagship television show, RAW.
The program begins with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon walking, hand-in-hand, to the ring, kissing one another sporadically and smiling arrogantly as the fans boo and hiss at their performance. I like these guys as heels so much more and am having a lot of fun watching this storyline. They talk in the ring about the upcoming “Hell in a Cell” pay-per view, laying out the match listing and talking about Shawn Michaels and how they “trust him”, before being interrupted by Paul “Big Show” Wight, who is live on the big screen, somehow. Show talks about how he was disrespected by Triple H and Stephanie, he tells Steph to “shut her mouth” and fans cheer. They cut the signal and Triple H introduces the first competitor of the night, Dean Ambrose, but is greeted by Daniel Bryan instead. Triple H and Stephanie leave the ring looking P-O’ed.
Dean Ambrose comes out to face Bryan in the opening match, a great match from the two featuring lots of great spots and nice chain wrestling. There’s everything a wrestling fan could ask for here really, with mat wrestling, high spots, submissions, throws, brawling and signature moves. Bryan picks up the win via submission with the “YES! Lock”.
We return from commercial to see Shawn Michaels backstage with Triple H and Stephanie. Shawn is being warm and natural with the two of them, acting silly and holding onto Triple H’s arm while he ribs them. They tell Shawn that “things have changed around here” to which HBK replies “I know, I just didn’t want to believe it”. Shawn then skips off, saying he’s “going to go have some fun”. Triple H and Stephanie smile as their friend leaves.
3MB are in the ring, and their opponents make their way to the ring. Santino, Hornswoggle and Khali, dressed like Elvis, because we’re in Memphis, Tennessee tonight. The match is actually a one-on-one match, with Santino taking on Heath Slater, and it’s the usual mess. Santino tries to be funny with Elvis impersonations to which the announcers giggle. It isn’t funny, Edge and Christian did a better and funnier version back in the 90’s and this is just dire. This comedy match ends when Santino nails Heath with the “cobra” for the win. Yikes.
They hype the upcoming WWE 2K14 video game which is released in the next week or so. It has some good new features and a deep roster so should be a top seller with fans.
Randy Orton makes his way to the ring next, to face Dolph Ziggler, who doesn’t even get an entrance tonight. Such a fall from grace for Ziggler who is one of the best performers on the roster and was very, very over a few months ago. The match is 80% controlled by Orton with Ziggler only hitting a few moves and holds. Orton wins the match with the RKO after ten or so minutes. Not a bad match, but not one that made Ziggler look good, just Randy.
They show us another video package showing John Cena’s road back from injury.
AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka are up next for a Divas tag team match. They announce AJ versus Brie Bella for Hell in a Cell for the Divas Title before introducing Brie and Nikki, the Bella Twins, as AJ and Tamina’s opponents. Tamina begins the match with Brie, taking her to the mat with some waist-lock takedowns. Nikki tags in and takes control of Tamina, hitting a jumping snap-mare on the daughter of “Superfly”. Tamina takes control back, she is very solid in the ring and hits a suplex on Nikki for a near-fall. AJ beats down Nikki with kicks and stomps. Brie makes the tag and hits some nice, smooth offence with dropkicks and flying clotheslines on the champion. Brie has definitely improved in recent months. Brie hits the face-buster on AJ Lee for the victory. A pretty good Divas match here, Nikki and Brie stand victorious.
We see a clip of Big E Langston’s baby-face turn from last week’s WWE SmackDown and then go backstage to Renee Young talking with Paul Heyman. Heyman goes crazy, talking about lava, and CM Punk shooting him, and suffocating villagers. Renee, Axel and Ryback stand quietly as Heyman reels off some insanity. He talks about controlling CM Punk for years and now controlling Ryback. Langston interrupts and a match between Axel and Langston is made for tonight.
The Wyatt Family team of Rowan and Harper are in the ring to take on The Miz and Kofi Kingston. The match begins with Rowan and Harper double teaming The Miz and keeping him cut-off from Kofi. The Miz eventually makes the hot tag to Kofi who hits some good offence. He nails Rowan with “trouble in paradise” but turns around into Harper’s big clothesline. Harper covers Kofi for the three-count and the Wyatt Family victory. Bray Wyatt looks on approvingly. Harper and Rowan brawl with Miz and Kofi after the bell. The Wyatt’s tie Miz in the ring ropes and Bray Wyatt cuts a promo, getting in the face of The Miz.
Curtis Axel, accompanied by his agent, Paul Heyman and Ryback, is out for his match with Big E Langston next. Langston doesn’t get much of a reaction tonight but I think that as long as they stick with him as a baby-face he will get over with the fans in time. He did in NXT and he will on the main roster if they book him correctly. Ryback and Axel attack Langston before the match begins, beating him down as fans chant for “CM Punk”. Langston manages to fight Ryback and Axel off a few times but eventually gets beaten down more. Punk indeed makes his way to the ring to a big pop, for the save. Vickie Guerrero comes out to big heat, as usual, and announces that the match be made into a tag team match instead. CM Punk and Big E Langston will be against Axel and Ryback, when we return from commercials. The tag match isn’t bad, with each member of each team having a chance to look strong. They build up to a Langston hot tag which works well. Big E hits the “big ending” slam on Curtis Axel for the win for him and Punk. Langston gets cheered at the end of the match which is a positive sign. Langston and Punk celebrate their victory in the ring as Paul Heyman looks on. Punk then chases Heyman through the crowd.
Tensai and Brodus Clay, Tons of Funk, are dancing in the ring when we head back to ringside. Their opponents tonight are Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger, The Real Americans, who are accompanied by Zeb Coulter. The match isn’t much, with little to write home about. Cesaro does the “big swing” on Clay and Swagger locks the ankle lock on him too, gaining a submission victory in what was little more than a push-match for The Real Americans. Coulter talks on the microphone after the match and reveals a bull-whip. This is all related to the current feud between The Real Americans and Los Matadores and El Torito.
Another video plays hyping up the return of John Cena at the upcoming “Hell in a Cell” event. The video shows various portions of Cena’s career.
The WWE Tag Team Champions, Goldust and Cody Rhodes join the announce team at ringside as we head into a match to determine the number one contenders to the tag titles. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, The Shield, make their way to the ring first, followed by their opponents, Jimmy and Jay, The Uso’s. These two teams, as we already know, have a tremendous chemistry together and have had a number of excellent matches in the last month or two on television. The Uso’s hit some nice dive spots here, which they always do smoothly. The cameras keep focusing on the champions as they talk on commentary and argue with JBL. The Uso’s look great and their performances lately should be rewarded. Reigns and Rollins look great too. Reigns uses his experience as a football player to tackle and bury his shoulder into his opponents. Rollins is one of the best sellers in the company at the moment too, for which he deserves a lot of credit for. JBL is terrible on commentary here, burying Cody and Goldust and continuously talking over them. I know its all part of the JBL character but it is frustrating as a viewer. This very good match comes to an end when the champions brawl with The Shield at ringsider and the referee calls for the bell. No winners here, so I’m guessing, and hoping, that we get a three-way match for the gold at “Hell in a Cell” with The Uso’s, The Shield and The Rhodes Brothers. If that is the case, it should be a doozy.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are in the ring, which is set up with a table and chairs for the “contract signing” between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship Match inside the cage at “Hell in a Cell”. Orton and Bryan make their way to the ring, followed by “The Heart-break Kid” Shawn Michaels. Triple H introduces Shawn, putting him over and calling him his “best friend”. Shawn gets a nice reaction, as does Bryan, but you can sense that the fans aren’t sure what to make of Shawn in terms of his storyline loyalties as pertains to the “Hell in a Cell” pay-per view match that he’s officiating. “HBK” chants, and “YES” chants fill the Memphis arena. Randy Orton talks about how he’s beaten Bryan in some way each week but Bryan keeps coming back. He says he won’t get back up after their match at Hell in a Cell. Orton then signs the contract and passes it to Bryan. Bryan smiles and talks about how Orton has pushed him to his limits but that if it wasn’t for “The Authority” Bryan would be WWE Champion right now. Bryan says he is capable of “smashing in” the face of WWE. Bryan calls Triple H and Stephanie “spoiled, narcissistic brats”. Triple H buries a few guys like Chris Jericho, saying that if they had been faces of WWE “back in the day” that everyone would be “working for Ted Turner right now”. This insisting that Bryan isn’t a “star” isn’t good for buy-rates and ratings really, because if they keep saying it, some fans will believe it, they need to pack it in. Triple H buries Bryan and says that Shawn Michaels wasted his time training Bryan. Shawn interrupts and says that Bryan is “very good” and asks what has happened to Triple H. Shawn says that he will make sure that there’s a new WWE Champion on Sunday. Orton freaks out. This all seems to push towards Shawn turning heel but I’m still not sure. Shawn puts Bryan over and tells Triple H that Bryan keeps proving him wrong and that’s why he doesn’t like him. The segment is interrupted by a black truck driving into the arena, ala Steve Austin. It is a bald guy with a beard driving, but sadly it isn’t “Stone Cold”, its Big Show, who drives the truck to the stage. Bryan nails Orton and chants “yes” as he walks up the ramp. The show ends with Big Show, yet again, and it’s not good for Bryan to be overshadowed by a guy who shouldn’t be being pushed above so many younger, more talented performers. Show and Bryan chant “yes” as Triple H, Stephanie and Orton look upset in the ring.
The show was ok, but again, so similar to recent weeks. Big Show is being pushed more than anyone else on the roster, which isn’t a good thing, and many storylines seemingly stayed where they were last week. Some ok matches though, but it isn’t the type of RAW that will sell many orders for the Hell in a Cell show.
RAW: Best of the Night (In-ring): Bryan/The Uso’s
RAW: Best of the Night (On-mic): Stephanie McMahon & Triple H
RAW: Dud of the Night: Santino
RAW: Honourable Mentions: The Shield
