http://411mania.com/wrestling/randy-orton-suffers-shoulder-injury/
It’s another shoulder but there’s no word on how much if any time he’ll be out for. That’s going to make for some very interesting shows going forward with Cena and potentially Orton leaving soon for a long time.
This both piques my interest and terrifies me at the same time. Given that Cena is taking time off, it really wouldn’t surprise me to see Big Show come in, hurt Cena REALLY REALLY BADLY with like two punches because he’s a giant (don’t you know?) and then dominate the belt until TLC or so.
Or Tyler Breeze.
Aside from the important shows, my favorite reviews to look back on are the shows where people say I got the ratings totally wrong. I’ve changed my opinion on shows before via a second look so maybe that’s going to happen here. This week’s show was pretty much hated but I had a decent enough time with it. Let’s get to it.
We start immediately with the big story of the night: the Authority isn’t here (and won’t be here despite saying they’re trying to make it all night). Therefore Corporate Kane is in charge and gets to book the show on his own so he makes himself vs. Seth Rollins in a lumberjack match. Why doesn’t he make this a title match you ask? Plot convenience of course.
Throughout the night, the Authority keeps trying to get hold of Kane and ask him what the main event is but bad reception keeps cutting them off. Why doesn’t HHH send him a text or an e-mail so he can get the information when the reception is good and doesn’t have to be on his phone at that time? Plot convenience of course. Granted it wouldn’t matter in this case as the Authority found out about the match and told Kane he had to change it.
Naturally this gave us Demon Kane vs. Rollins because that’s still supposed to be different. This wasn’t the best idea, especially given that the fans aren’t thrilled to see them fight in the first place, so now they get to fight twice. Monday Night Football was a weak game and they had a chance to do something good, but we get Rollins vs. Kane I instead of the only match at the pay per view. I know I defend this company a lot, but there are times where they do stuff that boggles my mind.
Ambrose and Orton had a male bonding segment that was interrupted by New Day. As usual New Day stole the show with pure charisma and asked why Orton has been a part of so many groups. This led to a very long tag match (by Raw standards at least) that didn’t do much for me but could have been far worse. If my best option is nearly twenty minutes of pretty good wrestling, I’ll gladly take it over the drek that Raw is capable of putting on any day. Even on a new day, like the team that won the match due to some face miscommunication.
Things aren’t boding well for Orton/Ambrose heading into the pay per view. For one thing they lost here and even worse they’re actually on the pre-show. That screams angle for later in the show to me, as they’ve been in one of the biggest stories on the show and the card currently has six matches. I could easily see a fight breaking out to set up Orton vs. Ambrose on the show, because why build what could be a solid midcard pay per view match when you can throw it out there with an hour of build?
Video on Undertaker vs. Lesnar, which would air again (or at least a very similar version) later in the night. Well that’s nice of them. It’s not like either guy can be bothered showing up and making me want to see the match so I’ll take what I can get.
Nikki beat Naomi in a nothing match but the fans chanted for Sasha to fill in most of the time. The more I think about it the more I’m glad they haven’t added Sasha to the title match in the hopes that we get past Nikki’s rematch and move on to something else, because you know this company loves itself some rematches.
Dolph Ziggler answered the US Open Challenge and lost like everyone else does. It was another good match but when are they going to pick something for Cena to do at the pay per view? Word on the street is that he’s leaving for a few months after the show but at the moment there’s no one to challenge for the title and no real prospects, unless they throw Big Show in there again. Would that really be a big surprise at this point? You would think Ziggler wins it here but I guess this was the payoff to the accidental superkick. Every day that goes by scares me even more that we’ll get something stupid at the pay per view.
The Dudleyz squashed the Ascension. At least they’re on TV.
Sheamus and King Barrett beat Neville and Cesaro in a nothing match. Barrett has said he wants to be a tag wrestler and Sheamus/Barrett would be fine enough for a team. I’d like to see Cesaro/Neville actually win something but they seem to be the latest acts on the doomed bulletproof list.
Roman Reigns came out and gave a big speech about how Bray was trying to take away his livelihood. This has been described as horrible but I really liked it. What was far worse was the obnoxious Chicago crowd jeering the whole thing because they can’t shut up for five minutes. They decided a long time ago that they don’t want to see Reigns (they’ll take anyone but him I assume) and no matter what he says, they’re going to boo. This gets annoying quickly and unfortunately that’s often what decides everyone’s reactions to the speech. Roman got to the point and delivered, which is a big improvement over his usual stuff.
In something I really don’t like, Reigns beat Braun Strowman by countout. I could live with this if it was like Strowman’s debut match against Ambrose where it was a squash, but in this case Roman hung with Braun the whole way and basically knocked him out to win. That shouldn’t happen for months but this is WWE where the idea of CHILL OUT AND WAIT is sacrilegious. Not a good brawl either and that’s not a good thing, especially with Braun losing and being made to look beatable this early.
Here’s the column on the Lana/Rusev/TMZ fiasco:
Then Ryback beat Rusev in about three minutes because Vince loves publicity as long as it’s controlled publicity.
Kevin Owens squashed Kalisto to end one of the best uses of the mini feuds that I’ve seen in a long time. They don’t need to do their usual tropes so let Owens beat up a midcard tag team instead. The story works fine and Owens vs. Ryback is built up even more. Simple, yet effective. I love that idea.
Brie Bella pinned Charlotte in a tag match because the way to get someone new over in the division is to give them the title and then have them lose almost every match. Paige and Natalya fought a bit to pad out the match. I do like the idea that they have more than one Divas story going at the same time, but they could have better ideas than Brie Bella pinning the Divas Champion.
Kane pinned Seth Rollins off a tombstone. This really doesn’t surprise me at this point and it shouldn’t surprise you either. Neither should Rollins retaining the title in a boring pay per view match.
So….yeah I’m not sure what I was thinking. Ziggler vs. Cena was good but not good enough to make up for a lot of the boneheaded moves going on here. This is looking like the weakest pay per view I’ve seen in a long time and WWE really doesn’t seem interested in making anything of it. Lesnar vs. Undertaker might as well not even be happening because neither guy seems interested in building it, leaving us with a main event of Kane vs. Rollins. Which we saw here. And it sucked.
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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 12, 2015
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton
We’re getting closer to Hell in a Cell and most of the card is now set. The big story though is New Day, who was showed a completely different style last week as they left John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and the Dudleyz laying. This is a different kind of crowd to perform in front of though and they could certainly change a lot of what we’ve got coming. Let’s get to it.
Kane is on the phone with HHH and Stephanie, who aren’t going to be here until late. They tell him to keep things with Rollins under control until they arrive. Kane promises he will and then makes himself vs. Rollins in a lumberjack match.
Opening sequence.
Here’s Dean Ambrose with something to say. He’s here to welcome us to the show but now he’s looking for a fight. Instead he gets Randy Orton, who says he’s been fighting the Wyatts alongside him and they’re going to continue doing that at Hell in a Cell against Luke Harper and Braun Strowman. Ambrose says he’s been fighting the Wyatts for years so if Orton follows his lead, everything will be fine.
Naturally they get in a mini argument over who the leader is but here’s New Day to interrupt. They talk about slaying everyone last week and brag about leaving everyone laying with their bare hands. This included sending the Dudleyz to a retirement home and beating the WWE’s prized possession down, even though they could see him. Evolution or Legacy couldn’t do that and…..dang Orton has been in a lot of groups. It’s out with the old and in with the New Day so Orton and Ambrose need to pull a Derrick Rose and sit on the bench. That brings Kane to the screen to make the tag match for right now.
New Day vs. Randy Orton/Dean Ambrose
Non-title. Dean cleans house on Kofi to start and works on the arm. A shoulder sends Kofi to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dean clotheslining Big E. for two and it’s off to Orton for a dropkick. The good guys take turns stomping on Big E., complete with the Garvin stomp.
Dean shows Orton how to stomp and they get in an argument, allowing E. to crawl over and tag as we take another break. Back with New Day in control and stomping Orton down, including the running dropkick from Orton. Big E. slaps on a bearhug until Randy elbows his way out, setting up the tag to Dean.
All of the New Day members are sent to the floor for a suicide dive but E. comes back with a belly to belly inside. Another tag brings in Orton, who ducks Trouble in Paradise and plants Kofi with the hanging DDT. The camera went wide like someone was going to run in but nothing happened. The RKO is loaded up but Kofi shoves Randy into Dean, setting up a rollup for the pin at 17:53.
Rating: C+. Long match here but more of a plot device than anything else. Above all here though: New Day didn’t lose. That’s a really nice surprise out of them as they didn’t go with the lame idea of having the Tag Team Champions used to build up someone for a one off tag match and a possible feud among themselves. They’re getting somewhere, just very slowly.
Video on Undertaker vs. Brock with the final chapter inside the Cell.
Nikki Bella vs. Naomi
We see a video of the Iron Man match from last week and the fans want Sasha, who is at ringside. Naomi’s corner wiggle (she’s just having fun!) and a kick to the chest get two on Nikki but she takes Nikki down and stands on her hair. We hit the hammerlock on Naomi as Nikki tries to have some psychology. That preposterous idea offends Naomi so much that she rapid fires kicks to the ribs and sends Nikki out to the floor for a big dive. Brie gets on the mic and starts a WE WANT SASHA chant to get in Naomi’s head. Sasha pulls Brie off the table but the distraction lets Nikki hit the forearm and Rack Attack for the pin at 4:54.
Rating: C-. Not bad here but they’re getting dangerously close to making Sasha the star of the division while almost never wrestling a singles match. At this point they almost have to add her to the title match at the pay per view and that’s where it seems they’re going. I’d put the title on her now and be done with it, but Nikki getting it back is always a chance. Maybe Charlotte can chase her and not look like a huge loser for a change but that might be giving WWE too much credit.
Paige has been named the Most Unconventional Diva in a Payday (candy bar) product placement bit.
Here’s John Cena for the US Open Challenge but first he wants to talk about this building. This is where he had his first WWE match back in 2002 but tonight Chicago is the place to be and he’s the man to beat so who wants some this week?
US Title: John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler
Cena is defending and starts with an armdrag (that’s a new one) into an armbar. Ziggler goes to the floor and the fans go nuts with a YES chant and look at something in the crowd. Cena grabs the mic and says that we just had a marriage proposal and SHE SAID YES. Well that’s not something you see every week. Fans: “She! Said YES!” Cena even goes to applaud them again and it’s off to an armbar from Ziggler as we take a break.
Back with Ziggler hitting his elbow drops but Cena fires off the shoulders. Ziggler breaks up the Shuffle with a dropkick as we hear about John Cena facing Kurt Angle in his debut. A modified ProtoBomb sets up the Shuffle and the STF goes on. Ziggler somehow powers out and puts on a sleeper while they’re still on the mat. That goes as far as a sleeper is going to and Cena knocks Ziggler to the floor.
The middle rope AA is broken up and Ziggler catches him with a running middle rope DDT (cool move) for a very close two. Cena’s big running clothesline takes Ziggler down and he catches a charging Dolph in the AA but Ziggler counters into the Fameasser in midair for two. Now the STF goes on in the middle of the ring but Ziggler makes the rope again.
The cross body off the top sets up the roll into the AA but Ziggler rakes the eyes and superkicks Cena down for two. They slug it out and Ziggler headbutts him into the Zig Zag for a very close two. I thought that might have been it. Back up and the AA ends Ziggler at 17:40. It’s as quick as it sounds.
Rating: B+. This was the standard formula for the US Open Challenge and it still works. I’m really curious where they’re going to go with Cena as he’s due off right after the pay per view and he doesn’t really have anything to do aside from the New Day fallout (is he going to mention that tonight?) and I’m not sure how they get the title off of him before then.
HHH calls Kane from the plane and asks how things are going. Kane doesn’t mention the main event.
Dudley Boyz vs. Ascension
Ascension jumps them to start and Viktor hits a nice jumping knee to D-Von’s face. D-Von avoids an elbow and makes the tag off to Bubba, who talks trash as he beats Viktor up. The Doomsday Device (you knew they were busting that one out in Chicago) sets up the 3D to pin Viktor at 2:41.
Neville/Cesaro vs. Sheamus/King Barrett
This could be fun. Neville speeds things up on Barrett to start before it’s off to Cesaro, who gives Neville a boost for a (partially botched) standing Phoenix splash of all things. Sheamus comes in for a slugout but the battering ram is countered by another uppercut. Cesaro throws Neville down onto Sheamus and Barrett, only to have Sheamus’ kickout send Neville into the Bull Hammer to give Sheamus the pin at 3:56.
Rating: D+. Neville is officially in free fall. He’s still there and in some stories, but he’s falling through the cracks in a hurry. I don’t remember the last time he won a big match and the Stardust story just kind of ended with no real blowoff. Hopefully he bounces back and it’s certainly not too late for him, but this isn’t a good sign.
Video on Braun Strowman.
Here’s Roman Reigns for his match against Braun Strowman but he has something to say first. He recaps the entire Bray Wyatt feud while stopping to ask if the fans can’t hear him when they keep chanting WHAT. The fans aren’t interested in the recap of the ANYONE BUT YOU but Reigns says this isn’t boring. Imagine if someone tried to keep you from making a future for your family because Bray Wyatt is trying to hold Reigns back from building a life for his daughter.
That’s the biggest mistake Bray could make and he’ll get what’s coming to him at Hell in a Cell. This was MUCH better than Reigns’ normal stuff and he didn’t stumble once. Cue the Wyatts with Bray asking who Roman is trying to convince. Bray will take the blame for Roman’s lot in life but it all ends in the Cell. Roman says when that door is locked, Bray is going to wish that he’s inside there with anyone but him. Good line there.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Roman is quickly sent out to the floor so he tries to hit and move a bit more. Strowman easily powers him into the corner and slams Reigns down as Roman can’t do anything with him here. Off to a neck crank for a bit until Reigns fights up and starts with the clotheslines. Bray is getting worried but Reigns can’t Samoan drop Strowman.
Reigns punches away from the floor and the apron boot has Strowman staggered. The second attempt is blocked with a clothesline though and Braun comes out to play. Reigns sends him into the announcers’ table several times but Roman has to Superman Punch Harper. There’s another one to knock Strowman over the table and Braun is counted out at 7:58.
Rating: D+. Pretty ugly brawl here and I’m really not wild on having Strowman lose in any way this early. The fact that he wasn’t pinned helped but as usual WWE has no idea how to book someone beyond from pay per view to pay per view. Strowman is looking more and more like a plot device to get us to Reigns vs. Wyatt again and that’s a shame.
The Wyatts surround Roman but he gets to the floor just in time. Bray kneels in front of Roman and says follow the buzzards so Reigns pops him in the jaw.
The Authority calls again and they’re on the way to the arena. This time Kane tells him the main event but HHH can’t hear him due to bad reception. HHH: “I know Rollins but who is he facing?” Kane: “It’s me.” HHH: “I know it’s you Kane but who is he facing?” Full House had better plot devices than this.
Ryback vs. Rusev
No entrances for either guy. We recap the Summer story from last week and Cole casually mentions that TMZ reported Lana and Rusev got engaged over the weekend. So yeah, screw storylines because a gossip site told the truth about your story. You could always NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT but that would be ignoring the internet and that might mean a downgrade in your social media score or whatever.
JBL asks why Summer is here. Cole: “Maybe she’s not into social media?” The Meathook looks to set up the Shell Shock but Rusev slips out. Rusev’s charge hits the post though and now the Shell Shock is good for the pin at 3:07. So much for Rusev meaning much after Wrestlemania.
Rating: D+. What do I even say here? The entire story has been thrown out because we need to report on TMZ. It’s another example of just taking the easy way out of a storyline instead of actually writing your way out of it. I can’t stand that sort of laziness but it’s what we’re stuck with in modern wrestling.
Post match Summer shows us photos from TMZ and rips into Rusev for leading her on. She slaps him in the face and walks off as Rusev shouts a lot. My loose Russian translation thinks he said “I’ll take em both, I’m hardcore.”
Kalisto vs. Kevin Owens
Non-title. Owens shrugs off the early kicks and punches Kalisto in the side of the head. Some more kicks have little effect and Owens sends him to the floor. Owens teases a dive of his own but opts for a running slide to the floor instead. We get the Lucha Dragons pose from Owens but Kalisto comes back with a rolling kick to the head and the hurricanrana faceplant for two. A tornado DDT gets the same but Kalisto’s hurricanrana is countered into the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 3:45.
Rating: C-. I still really like the booking here as Owens gets to have this meaningless mini feud with the Dragons but still gets to build towards his rematch with Ryback without the usual tropes WWE is so obsessed with. Good stuff here and again Kalisto is an incredibly fun act who could be something special going forward.
Brie Bella/Alicia Fox vs. Becky Lynch/Charlotte
Paige is on commentary and isn’t happy that Natalya is now part of Team NBC. Paige: “They’re just going through a phase.” Becky works on Brie’s arm to start before it’s off to Charlotte who helps with stereo legdrops onto Brie’s arms. The spear gets two but Natalya goes to argue with Team Bella, causing Paige to get up and shove her a few times. Back inside and Charlotte walks into a middle rope dropkick from Brie for the pin at 3:07.
Rating: D. BRIE BELLA??? Now they have Charlotte losing to BRIE BELLA??? Charlotte’s reign is reaching Zack Ryder territory now as they’re having her lose everything and then expect her to still be over while the Bellas are the dominant looking ones. Nikki is one thing but BRIE BELLA???
The Authority finally finds out who Rollins is facing because Kane couldn’t just text them the match earlier tonight. HHH says there’s no way that match can happen. Anyone can replace Kane but he can’t face Rollins. I smell a loophole coming. Fans: “CM PUNK!”
Rollins appeals to Big Show and says he sees him as family. Show laughs it off and leaves with Kane taking his place. He’s going to find a suitable replacement though.
Another Lesnar vs. Undertaker video.
Seth Rollins vs. ???
Non-title lumberjack match and the opponent is…….of course it’s Demon Kane. Did you really expect anything else? They’ve even managed to calm down the Chicago crowd and Kane keeps throwing Rollins out to the lumberjacks who are more than willing to throw him back in. Kane gets low bridged to the floor but the lumberjacks just stand back. Seth’s suicide dive is caught by the throat so Seth runs away, only to get caught by Cesaro.
Back in and a clothesline knocks Kane over the top but he lands on his feet. Kane starts beating up New Day but stops to stare at Big Show. Gah anything but that. Kane slaps him in the face so Show knocks Kane out but he’s still able to kick out at two. The springboard knee to the face gets the same as the announcers keep calling him Demon Kane.
A frog splash gets two more for the champ but Kane pulls him off the top with a superplex. Both guys are down and New Day pulls Kane to the floor, triggering a big brawl between all of the lumberjacks. Back in and the lumberjacks come in but Kane sits up to stop Big E.’s Warrior splash. Everything breaks down again and the Pedigree is countered, followed by a tombstone to pin Rollins at 8:21.
Rating: D. BUT HOW CAN ROLLINS POSSIBLY KEEP THE TITLE NOW??? I knew Kane was going to win the second his music hit because that’s how you build to a match on pay per view: by having the same match on free TV just a few weeks beforehand. Kane doing his same schtick that he was doing twelve years ago doesn’t do much for me, especially since he has no chance at winning in the title match.
Overall Rating: C+. This show had a lot more energy than usual and it helped things out quite a bit. They’ve got most of the show set for the pay per view and I’m actually intrigued by the card. Naturally there are some holes in this show such as the “let’s ignore stories because TMZ said so” and the stupid swap for the main event, but did anyone not see that coming? I had a good time with this one though and it flew by, which is always a good feeling on Raw. I’m not sure that’s a good thing though as it means you can’t wait for it to be over and it’s not as bad as it could have been. Take that for what you will.
Results
New Day b. Randy Orton/Dean Ambrose – Rollup to Orton
Nikki Bella b. Naomi – Rack Attack
John Cena b. Dolph Ziggler – Zig Zag
Dudley Boyz b. Ascension – 3D to Ascension
Sheamus/King Barrett b. Neville/Cesaro – Sheamus pinned Neville after a Bull Hammer
Roman Reigns b. Braun Strowman via countout
Kevin Owens b. Kalisto – Pop Up Powerbomb
Brie Bella/Alicia Fox b. Becky Lynch/Charlotte – Missile dropkick to Charlotte
Kane b. Seth Rollins – Tombstone
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Monday Night Raw
Date: October 5, 2015
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton
We’re past the first big show of the month and now it’s time to start setting up Hell in a Cell. It’s going to be interesting to see how they get ready for the show as there’s nothing for Cena to do at the moment and Undertaker vs. Lesnar has just been mentioned in name only. Lesnar is in the house tonight though so let’s get to it.
The opening recap focuses on Rollins vs. both Kanes from last week.
Opening sequence.
Here are Lesnar and Heyman to open things up. Now that Big Show is out of the way, all focus is now on Undertaker. Since November 1990, Undertaker has destroyed every single man who has dared to cross him but this is different. They’re about to step inside the devil’s playground and Undertaker thinks it’s his match. Just like Wrestlemania was his match right?
After a video of the Streak being broken, Heyman shows us Undertaker tapping out and being forced to cheat to defeat Lesnar at Summerslam. Heyman gets serious to say that only one of them is going to walk out of that Cell as a winner. Only one of them is going to walk out of that Cell at all and that’s a spoiler. Heyman’s eyes have seen the glory of the coming of his beast….and here’s Big Show.
Lesnar leans against the ropes and smiles as Big Show talks about what a fight that was in Madison Square Garden. Show offers him a handshake but Brock walks past him. Show wishes him bad luck against Undertaker and hopes that Brock loses again. That gets Brock back in the ring and it’s a belly to belly and F5 to leave Show laying. Again.
Rollins is worried because Big Show was supposed to be his partner. Stephanie tells him to figure it out since he’s the man.
Randy Orton/Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose vs. Wyatt Family
So they’re getting this one out of the way early. Roman and Harper get things going but Reigns goes after Wyatt on the floor. Strowman makes the save but the good guys knock him and his family out to the floor for a break less than 90 seconds in. Back with Ambrose laying down and telling Harper to come get him. Luke does just that and gets small packaged for two.
It’s off to Strowman but Dean knocks him off the apron and tries a dive, only to get caught in a slam onto the floor. The Wyatts start taking turns back inside and a big shoulder from Strowman takes us to another break. We come back with Bray getting two of his own off a big clothesline but missing the backsplash.
Strowman’s save attempt fails as well as he goes shoulder first into the post. The hot tag (with some real heat this time) brings in Orton to clean house but Strowman pulls him to the floor and sends him into the announcers’ table. Another tag brings in Reigns as everything breaks down. No one can put Strowman down so Roman powerbombs Harper. The spear takes too long though and Harper scores with a superkick. Orton RKO’s Harper and it’s the spear from Reigns for the pin at 15:54.
Rating: C. This was fine but I wish they wouldn’t have Bray in the ring unless they had to. Bray worked best when he was built up as a mystical creature but here he’s just a guy in a six man tag. I’m glad they didn’t have him take the fall though and there’s still a lot of potential in Strowman. Good enough match here but nothing we haven’t seen before.
Reigns says he and Wyatt are done at Hell in a Cell and he’s the one ending it.
Neville vs. Sheamus
King Barrett is on commentary. Before the match, Sheamus talks about how this is supposed to be a real Irish town but they have some lame leprechaun as a mascot. Sheamus talks down to Neville about what it means to be tough so Neville kicks him in the ribs to start fast. Barrett isn’t pleased and gets up for a distraction, allowing the Brogue Kick to end Neville at 32 seconds.
Here’s Corporate Kane with something to say. He knows Rollins is in need of a partner tonight against the Dudleyz and offers his services to the champ. Here’s Rollins to say no way because Kane is just trying to get his way into a title shot. Kane says his coffee cup says “World’s Best Director of Operations” and that’s not just a cheap slogan. It’s his job to bring out the best in Seth, but Rollins holds up the title and says it brings out the best in him.
Kane thinks Rollins doesn’t like what he sees when he looks in the mirror and Kane wants to change that. Rollins gets right in Seth’s face but here’s Stephanie to suck up to the fans by talking about how great Tom Brady is. She gets to the point (thank God) and says Kane can fight with Rollins tonight. She also makes the title match for the pay per view. However, if the demon doesn’t win, Corporate Kane is fired. No word on if this is a Cell match or not.
Post break Rollins is appealing to HHH, who tells him to turn things around on Kane. Rollins likes this idea.
Natalya vs. Paige
They trade rollups to start and Paige is sent to the floor for a THIS IS MY HOUSE (take a shot). Natalya gets superkicked to put her down and Paige slaps on a bodyscissors back inside. That and an abdominal stretch don’t go anywhere so Natalya reverses into an abdominal stretch of her own. The discus lariat gets two on Paige but she comes back with the Paige Turner (I miss that move) for two of her own. A basement dropkick from Natalya sets up the Sharpshooter but Paige is right next to the ropes for the break. The second attempt works better though as Paige taps out at 6:08.
Rating: C. Nice match here but it’s just filling time until they can get back to the cattiness about who started the Revolution while the title is left behind somewhere else. Paige is really falling fast out there and it’s kind of sad to see. At least Natalya offers a bit of fresh blood and the teams are starting to split, but they’re crawling forward instead of sprinting.
Quick recap of Ryback losing the Intercontinental Title to Kevin Owens at Night of Champions and Owens walking out of their recap on Smackdown. Yeah stuff actually happens on Smackdown. Not important stuff mind you but stuff.
Ryback says he’s the lion and Owens is his prey. It’s feeding time.
Sin Cara vs. Kevin Owens
Non-title and this was actually set up on the pre-show where Cara interrupted Owens’ interview. A chinlock slows Owens down but Kalisto’s cheering distracts him, allowing Cara to fight up. The Pop Up Powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two. Owens will have none of that though (Owens: “That was a good try!”) and the Pop Up Powerbomb ends Cara at 2:36. This is exactly the kind of thing I like to see: a lower card guy being used to make a bigger name look good. You save the big showdowns for later and Owens gets to be a bully. Everyone wins.
Owens loads up the apron bomb on Kalisto but Ryback runs out for the save, sending Owens bailing to the crowds.
The New Day comes up to Stephanie in the back and threatens to send them somewhere that makes Suplex City look like Disneyland if they play one note on the trombone. She saw the show on Saturday and it’s New Day vs. the Dudleyz at Hell in a Cell. Stephanie adds three more sets of balls to her collection. There was zero need for this to be on TV.
The roster is on the stage for a big breast cancer presentation. There are a bunch of breast cancer survivors in the ring and Cena talks about how important it is to help in the fight against cancer. Reigns talks about how instead of one vs. all it’s all vs. one and plugs their breast cancer awareness stuff on WWEshop.com. I know Komen is a very questionable organization but there’s nothing wrong with something like this.
Kane/Seth Rollins vs. Dudley Boyz
Kane limps to the ring and has on a shirt and tie. Well pants too but I figured that was a given. Bubba and Kane start but the ankle flares up almost immediately. Rollins tags himself in and tells Kane to stay on the apron. Bubba shouts about being the best tag team in the world before running Seth over with a shoulder. A double elbow gets two on the champ and it’s off to Kane vs. D-Von.
Some kicks to the leg send Kane back over for a tag so D-Von elbows Seth in the face for two. Kane tags himself back in though as Seth puts D-Von in trouble. The bad guys start working together and Seth drops an ax handle to D-Von’s back as we take a break. Back with Kane’s leg giving out again and the doctor looking at him on the apron.
The doctor thinks they need to take him to the back so Rollins DIVES over and handcuffs Kane to the post. I liked that. D-Von catapults Rollins into the corner though, knocking Kane off the apron and breaking the cuffs. Kane is taken away but looks back with a smile. Seth is left alone and it’s What’s Up. The Dudleyz go for a table but Seth baseball slides it into their faces for the DQ at 13:45.
Rating: C. I liked this for one reason: Seth didn’t get pinned. It shows that they know how to get around someone getting pinned while still having them lose and that’s a major step for the writing lately. There’s nothing wrong with losing by DQ in a glorified handicap match that advanced the story. Just like the Owens match earlier: it’s smart booking.
Post match Kane comes after Rollins but eats a 3D (payback from Smackdown when Kane laid them out). Seth goes to leave but looks at the table. I think you can fill in the details between Rollins looking back and the chokeslam through the table.
Earlier today, Team Bella arrived but were met by Team BAD with hometown girl Sasha ripping off Nikki’s New York Yankees hat.
Team BAD vs. Team Bella
Naturally BAD comes out to Naomi’s song instead of Sasha’s music. Sasha says she put the Boss in Boston but here are the Bellas to interrupt. Nikki gets the cheap heat with the Yankees stuff (nothing wrong with cheap) and says they’re going all the way. Naomi: “That’s something you’re used to.” Nikki says she’s winning the title back but Sasha says whoever wins is just keeping it warm for her. Cattiness ensues and it’s time for the actual match.
Naomi and Nikki start things off with Naomi doing her eternally stupid shaking in the corner spot. Off to Banks who gets to sell Brie’s kicks in the corner. Thankfully she comes back with the double knees to send Brie outside as we take a break. Back with Cole talking about how the Divas Revolution was this perfect storm that led us to Takeover this Wednesday. They do realize people can actually watch these shows right?
Nikki knocks Banks to the floor and puts Naomi in a front facelock. Fox comes in and chinlocks Naomi while trying to remember if she turned off the bedside lamp before she left this morning. Naomi finally shrugs off some more kicks in the corner and brings in Sasha as everything breaks down. The Bank Statement makes Fox tap at 11:48.
Rating: C-. As usual, Banks brings energy and charisma to the match but we have to make sure to slow everything down so Team Bella can keep up with their generic offense. The fans are dying to cheer Banks and once she drops Naomi (screw her and her stupid offense. It’s not funny, it’s not entertaining, and it’s making you look stupid) and Tamina, the sky’s the limit for her.
Charlotte and Becky are watching in the back. The champ isn’t worried about Paige.
Here’s Summer Rae to introduce Rusev. She has a tribute for him and we see a video of the two of them together and Rusev destroying various people (namely Ziggler). Summer talks about how much Rusev means to him and how he’s changed her life for the better. Back in the arena, Rusev is stunned and says he didn’t like Summer to start. Things have changed over the last few weeks though and now he cares about her very much.
Summer is thrilled because she has a question to ask him. She gets down on one knee and pulls out a ring to pop the question. Rusev takes his time and says yes…..but not yet. They need to prove how awesome they are, and that means Rusev winning some gold before Summer gets to wear gold.
It’s Open Challenge time in Cena’s hometown. Cena gets right to the point and says come get some.
US Title: John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler
Well in theory at least as there’s no Ziggler. Instead it’s the New Day dragging an unconscious Ziggler to the stage. Woods asks if this is serious enough for Cena and Kofi asks who might take the challenge now. Kofi says this is a big moment in a big city in a big match in big challenge from a big star on a big network in a big ring. As luck would have it, New Day has a big man.
US Title: John Cena vs. Big E.
A shoulder puts Cena down and we take a break less than 40 seconds in. Back with Cena in trouble after taking a hard belly to bell and spear through the ropes during the break. E. hits the splash on the apron for two but Cena gets in a backdrop to send E. out to the floor. A hard whip puts Cena into the steps though and he’s in trouble again. The straps come down and Cena slugs away, followed by the ProtoBomb. New Day breaks up the AA though and gets ejected. The distraction lets E. try a trombone shot but Cena counters into the AA for the pin at 9:52.
Rating: D+. This was fine but there was no way E. was winning here. At least they did the right thing by having New Day come out there and get a main event spot because there’s no reason to go with Ziggler vs. Cena with no real reason in a big match. Well that and I have no desire to see that match, which is why we’ll probably get that at the pay per view. Good enough match here but E. never had a chance.
Post match New Day comes in but Ziggler hobbles out for the save. Dolph superkicks Cena by mistake though and New Day is in control again. This brings out the Dudleyz but they both eat Trouble in Paradise, setting up the Midnight Hour to D-Von to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. This was a bit better than last week but it’s still not the most interesting time in the world. It’s clear that they’re hoping the Cell matches are going to sell the show because the stories aren’t the most interesting in the world. Still though, this has the potential to be a good enough pay per view. As for tonight though, it’s so in the middle that average is the perfect rating. Some of the stuff was good but some of it felt like they were just trying to get through three hours. At least the pay per view is taking shape though and that’s the most important thing after a long build to the MSG show. The ending helped a lot too.
Results
Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose/Randy Orton b. Wyatt Family – Spear to Harper
Neville b. Sheamus – Brogue Kick
Natalya b. Paige – Sharpshooter
Kevin Owens b. Sin Cara – Pop Up Powerbomb
Dudley Boyz b. Kane/Seth Rollins via DQ when Rollins kicked a table into the Dudleyz
Team BAD b. Team Bella – Bank Statement to Fox
John Cena b. Big E. – Attitude Adjustment
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This is a weird spot for WWE as they’re building up to a house show before they start building up to Hell in a Cell. Unfortunately that means we’re going to be in for a lot of Big Show, though fortunately it means we’re in for a lot more of the New Day and there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s get to it.
They got right to the point with the US Open Challenge. Cena said anyone could come get some and it’s Xavier Woods taking the challenge. Of course this led to some hilarious shenanigans from all three members of New Day which I can’t do justice by just typing them up here. Cena no sold most of this and looked more like a villain who was being all serious. That being said, I really like the idea of Cena treating the title like the most important thing in the world and not something worthy of joking about.
As you might expect, Cena gave Woods the best match of his career before New Day came in for the DQ. That brought out the Dudleyz for a six man, which New Day actually won when Cena was knocked to the floor. This was entertaining and a good way to kill some time. Just like last week, it’s a better idea to start a show with action rather than spending twenty minutes setting up the night’s action.
Here’s the big story of the first half of the night: Kane gets a performance evaluation despite being creepy. Thankfully this was mostly done off screen so we didn’t have to go through a bunch of lame and unfunny comedy. The closest thing was Kane giving Seth the head of his statue back in a good bit. Kane was eventually declared competent and Rollins whined a lot, eventually Pillmanizing Kane’s injured ankle.
Corporate Kane would be taken to an ambulance but Demon Kane came back out and destroyed Rollins. I’m not loving this idea but at least it’s something different. Also, they have to do Kane vs. Rollins at some point so why not do it on a show where they know the main event is going to carry everything else?
Big Show squashed Mark Henry to set up Saturday. Short and harmless. Well except to Henry.
One of the big segments of the night was Team PCB on MizTV. This is where I really started losing interest in the show. Paige came out and it turned into this big whining fest between the three of them plus Team Bella about who started the Divas Revolution. This felt like WWE was copying the Kardashians or some Real Housewives show with all the whining and cattiness.
Aside from trying to find a reason to care about who started this Revolution, this made every person involved in this story look like they were about 17 years old. It’s a bunch of whining and people sounding stupid as the title is forgotten again. I don’t want to see the division going in this direction, but unfortunately this is the kind of “entertainment” that dominates pop culture these days and it’s likely going to be more prominent in this division going forward.
Oh and Team PCB reformed for a match but Paige walked out, allowing Nikki to pin Charlotte for the title. Charlotte’s reign as champion is making Rollins look great by comparison.
The Wyatts squashed the Prime Time Players. This was fine.
King Barrett beat up Neville and Stardust. I’m glad he’s back but I don’t buy for a second that Barrett is going anywhere.
Bray Wyatt babbled a lot.
Randy Orton squashed Bo Dallas.
Ryback started a fight to break up Rusev vs. Kevin Owens in less than a minute. Dolph Ziggler ran out to superkick Ryback.
Let’s look at this set of segments for a bit. There was maybe ten minutes spent on these, but I’m not sure if I like that or not. The matches being short helps as there’s no reason to have something like Orton vs. Dallas go anywhere, but it’s kind of hard to care about matches that don’t get any time and everything goes flying by. It felt like they were trying to fill time and I can’t stand it when a show feels like it’s there for no reason. I can see both sides of this, but I’d really like something with more depth to it than what we got here.
Heyman came out to talk about Big Show vs. Brock so Big Show came out and scared him. No one with a brain who has seen five minutes of WWE believes Show has a chance here and it’s really annoying to have to sit through all these promos and matches building up what is going to be one sided.
The main event was a big brawl between Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns. This was barely a match and that’s exactly what it should have been. They fought into the crowd and the highlight was the aftermath with Bray picking up a PERSON and throwing him at Reigns. Reigns speared Wyatt through a table to end the show in a brawl clearly designed to set up a match inside the Cell. Nothing wrong with that. Again though, Bray threw a PERSON at Reigns. That’s awesome on a whole different level.
Raw was……yeah this week. It feels like they’re spending more time setting up the house show on Saturday than the pay per view, which made for some uneven moments tonight. There are parts of it that I liked but at the same time it still feels like they’re searching for their next idea instead of knowing where they want to go and that’s never a good thing. Things should change a lot next week with the MSG show out of the way, but they should have already started some more of the build towards the pay per view.
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WWE Madison Square Garden House Show
Date: October 3, 2015
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Brennan, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton
This is another WWE Network exclusive from the world’s most famous arena. It’s a pretty stacked card with the main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show in a match that could totally be different than any time they’ve fought before. Other than that we have the traditional steel cage match with US Champion John Cena defending against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins again. Let’s get to it.
The opening video talks about Cena vs. Rollins and Brock vs. Big Show.
There’s a mini Titantron set up like there was in Japan. The middle rope is pink again for breast cancer awareness.
Rusev/Sheamus vs. Randy Orton/Dolph Ziggler
This was originally billed as two singles matches and it’s a really smart move to not go with the same stale pairings we’ve seen multiple times each. I know this is nothing revolutionary but at least it’s something new. Orton gets quite the positive reaction from the fans. Sheamus and Orton get things going and the fans are all over Sheamus’ looks. Orton fights out of the corner and it’s off to Rusev who is greeted by a big USA chant. Dolph comes in with a dropkick for two but a Sheamus distraction lets the swinging Rock Bottom plant Ziggler for two.
It’s off to Sheamus for a chinlock as the announcers debate Lana and Summer. See, I can live with the constant storyline stuff while we’re sitting in a rest hold. It’s better than discussing how to fight out of something like that because you can only take that discussion so far. Rusev comes in for a nerve hold and the villains take turns keeping Ziggler in trouble. Dolph finally gets in a slam on Rusev (really? A slam?) and the diving tag brings in Orton to clean house. A Ziggler superkick knocks Rusev off the apron and the Brogue Kick misses, setting up an RKO to put Sheamus away at 8:40.
Rating: C+. Total formula tag match here and there’s nothing wrong with that. They kept this from getting too long (ala the Beast in the East main event) and the fans stayed in it as a result. The RKO is a great way to end a match like this as it’s always going to wake the fans up and it’s not like the MSG fans need a lot of help.
Post match Rusev screams at Sheamus for costing them the match. Sheamus is more useless than Lana and all these people so he needs to pack his bag and leave. Sheamus gets up and Brogue Kicks Rusev and walks off. That didn’t feel like a face turn.
We recap Kane and Seth Rollins from Monday with Kane’s split personalities.
Corporate Kane is here to help run the show and will run down to help if Demon Kane comes after Rollins. Well limp down but you get the idea.
Stardust vs. Neville
No seconds here. Stardust shoulders him down to start but Neville sweeps the leg and does a little dance. The running hurricanrana (that’s such a cool looking move) sends Stardust down again but he comes back with the Disaster Kick to put Neville down. Stardust looks at Neville’s cape before putting on a chinlock. That goes as far as a chinlock is going to go so Stardust tries to crotch him against the post but the superhero pulls him face first into the post instead.
The Asai moonsault drops Stardust again but he comes back in with a Side Effect for two. With nothing else working, Stardust puts on Neville’s cape and goes up top, only to dive into a right hand to the ribs. Neville kicks him in the face and the Red Arrow is good for the pin at 7:25.
Rating: C. We’ve seen this a few times before and I’m not sure where else the feud can go unless they bring in a fourth apiece and set up a Survivor Series match. The superhero vs. supervillain stuff has kind of fallen off and there’s not much left other than some decent matches. Good enough here and the faces continuing to win is a smart idea.
Paul Heyman (with a phone in his hand for old times’ sake) compares Big Show to the Boston Celtics and promises to make MSG the city hall of Suplex City.
Team Bella vs. Team PCB
P C and B all come out separately. Becky starts with Alicia and that means it’s time for JBL to start talking about boxing. Paige’s request for a tag is ignored so she tags herself in to send Fox into the corner. As expected, the fans want Sasha. It’s back to Becky who gets taken into the corner, allowing Brie and Alicia to double suplex her for two. Nikki comes in and goes after Charlotte for a distraction but it backfires as Becky slides over for a tag.
It’s Charlotte cleaning house with a spear to Nikki but Paige tags herself in as the Figure Eight goes on. The argument lets Alicia take over and a northern lights suplex gets two. Back to Nikki for a chinlock until Paige fights up and dives for a tag, only to have her partners drop to the floor. The Rack Attack ends Paige at 8:24.
Rating: C-. This was more storyline stuff than a match but that’s what you have to expect at a house show. Paige is now officially full on heel as there’s no reason for her to do some of the things she’s done here other than being evil and Charlotte/Becky’s actions (mostly) made sense. It’s good that they’re moving on from the standard team battles though as they had been old for a long time.
Paige says she can’t believe her friends would do this to her and she’s not sure if she can forgive them. It seems that they’re already dropping the Pipe Bomb promo from Raw for the sake of a delusional stuck up character instead. Well that’s good as the interesting character might have made the Bellas look bad. I mean, they do it enough to themselves and Paige pointing out all their flaws might ruin some horrible children’s dreams.
Clip from Smackdown (I’m as shocked as you are) of Reigns challenging Wyatt for a match inside the Cell.
Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
Jericho is challenging and he welcomes us to the 25th anniversary of his first match in wrestling. Twenty five years ago he wrestled Lance Storm (in the front row) to a ten minute Broadway in a small town in Alberta in front of fifty people. Jericho thanks us all for being along for the ride and promises a big party tonight. Kevin starts fast but gets dropkicked out to the floor and sent into the announcers’ table.
Back inside and Kevin wishes Jericho a happy anniversary before punching in the face. A chinlock slows things down as JBL says Jericho was an unproven talent in WWE until he beat Rock and Austin in the same night. Dude go watch some Network and learn the history better. Jericho comes back with a missile dropkick and enziguri for two. The Pop Up Powerbomb and Codebreaker are countered and Owens’ package piledriver slam gets two. The Lionsault hits knees and there’s the Cannonball to a nice reaction.
Owens’ Swanton hits knees as well and the Walls go on. Kevin fights over to the ropes and sends Jericho shoulder first into the post for two. Now the Codebreaker works but Owens grabs the rope for the break. This has been a really good back and forth match so far and Jericho has been in control for the majority. Kevin comes back with a superkick but the Pop Up Powerbomb is countered into another Walls attempt. Just like at Night of Champions though, Owens pokes the eyes and grabs a small package for the pin at 8:34.
Rating: B-. It’s a really good idea to keep the matches moving here as the fans aren’t going to stand for a long match with a bunch of filler. This was a fun match though between two guys that know how to work an entertaining style. Jericho is perfect for roles like this as he never needs to win another match and he’ll be fine all around. Owens gets a big win and can brag about beating another legend so everyone looks good.
We recap New Day vs. the Dudley Boyz which is about the new generation vs. the legends.
Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Dudley Boyz
New Day is defending and of course they have something to say. This time it’s about the Dudleyz’s never ending retirement tour with all of their references to the 90s and glasses with no lenses. On top of that, they put a good man like Xavier Woods through a perfectly good table! JBL incorrectly says the first tag team tables match was in this building at Summerslam (Royal Rumble 2000).
D-Von runs over Big E. to start but Bubba charges into an elbow in the corner. Now it’s Kofi getting beaten up as Woods tries to get the fans behind the champs. The power of positive double teaming takes over for New Day and it’s time for some tromboning. E. puts on a chinlock and Woods thinks the stock is rising on tricep meat. Ray avoids the Warrior splash and makes the tag off to D-Von as everything breaks down. The 3D has Kofi beaten but Woods comes in for the DQ at 6:40.
Rating: D+. This really isn’t surprising and it’s probably the right call. New Day could be a special team and it’s not like the Dudleyz need another title reign. I’d be fine if they won them eventually but I’m not going to miss anything if it never happens again. Besides, any reason to hear more from New Day is always a positive.
Post match New Day sets up a table but Bubba breaks up the Midnight Hour, leaving Woods (busy playing Taps) to take a 3D through the table.
Recap of Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar, which is built around the idea that Big Show beat him in this arena thirteen years ago. Really that’s about it and we’re supposed to believe that Show is a threat here.
Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar
Brock goes right after him to start and gets sent out to the floor. Lesnar just smiles and the fans chant for Suplex City. Back in and Show pummels him in the corner but misses a charge and takes some shoulders to the ribs. The first German is blocked and there’s the chokeslam. Brock pops up so it’s a second chokeslam, only to have him get up again. There’s a third chokeslam for two and it’s time for the suplexes. Brock can’t hold him up for the F5 and it’s kind of an AA instead. It’s time for more smiling though and Lesnar hits the fourth German. Now the F5 finishes Show at 4:05.
Rating: C-. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FREAKING TIME THEY HAVE THIS STUPID MATCH AND WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO BIG SHOW TALK ABOUT HOW HE’S A FREAKING GIANT AND NO ONE CAN BEAT HIM!!! I’m so glad we sat through Show squashing a bunch of people so he could lose in four minutes just like he does every time he fights Brock. You could have set this match up with a single promo but instead, Cesaro had to be squashed twice. Well done WWE.
Show isn’t done and he calls Brock back in. That’s fine with Lesnar as it’s a belly to bell and a second F5 for good measure. The fans give Big Show the Goodbye Song and Eden says let’s hear it for him.
The cage is lowered.
US Title: Seth Rollins vs. John Cena
Cena is defending and Rollins is World Champion. For the sake of clarity, I’ll only refer to Cena as champion. Pin/submission/escape to win here. Seth fights out of a headlock to start and sends Cena face first into the cage a few times for two. Rollins’ escape attempts don’t work and Cena bulldogs him off the top for two. Seth comes right back with the top rope knee to the face and the Sling Blade gets two.
We get the classic raking the face against the steel spot but Cena grabs the electric chair for two. It’s back to the top with Rollins getting knocked off first, only to catch the top rope Fameasser in a powerbomb for two. They take turns sending each other into the steel and it’s time for the flying tackles. Rollins kicks him in the head to break up the Shuffle but decides to try a Shuffle of his own.
Now it’s the real comeback but Rollins grabs the cage to escape the AA. The springboard knee is caught in the STF but Rollins crawls to the door. They fight over the escape attempt until Rollins slams the door on Cena’s head for a close two. Cena counters the Pedigree with a catapult but has to stop Rollins from escaping over the top. John gets most of the way over but Seth superplexes him down and rolls into the falcon’s arrow for another close two. They fight to the top again and this time it’s a tornado DDT from Cena for a near fall.
Cena goes for the door but Rollins climbs over the top and slams the cage onto his head again. John gets up AGAIN and pulls Rollins back in for an AA but Seth lands on his feet and hits the low superkick for two to end a great sequence. The STF is countered into a Crossface but Cena powers up into another AA attempt.
Rollins rolls out again and hits Cena low (totally legal) but here’s Kane. For some reason this keeps Seth from being able to climb down until Kane is right underneath him, leaving Rollins to miss a splash off the top of the cage. The AA finally connects to retain Cena’s title at 22:43.
Rating: A-. Really good match here and it would have been even better had Kane not come out. This felt like the big showdown that you often get in cage matches and it was cool to see the fans respecting Cena for his great effort. I could have gone without seeing Rollins getting pinned again but at least it was as close to being not clean as you can get in a cage match.
Cena leaves and Kane gives Rollins a chokeslam and tombstone to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. Totally fun two and a half hour show here with Brock squashing Big Show and a really good main event. The key thing to remember here is that this was a house show and not a pay per view. It’s really just a bonus for the Network subscribers and that lowers the level of expectations quite a bit. Nothing was really bad here and they kept things short and sweet. Fun show here though and a really good way to spend about two and a half hours. Check out that cage match if you get the chance.
Results
Dolph Ziggler/Randy Orton b. Rusev/Sheamus – RKO to Sheamus
Neville b. Stardust – Red Arrow
Team Bella b. Team PCB – Rack Attack to Paige
Kevin Owens b. Chris Jericho – Small package
Dudley Boyz b. New Day via DQ when Xavier Woods interfered
Brock Lesnar b. Big Show – F5
John Cena b. Seth Rollins – Attitude Adjustment
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I know this broke yesterday but I have to say something about it.
Well first and foremost this means that we’re going to get a new US Champion. It should be interesting to see who they put the title on as Cena isn’t really feuding with anyone at the moment. There are a bunch of options but I’d love to see Cesaro get it, even though there’s almost no chance of it happening. Hopefully it goes on someone who could use the title though and won’t sit there and waste our time, though that’s WWE’s standard operating procedure more often than not.
Other than that, it might mean Cena being freshened up. The logical move would be to have him win the Royal Rumble (tying Austin for the most all time) so he can move on and win title #16 at Wrestlemania in Dallas but that might be a bit too easy. I’d have him take #17 at Wrestlemania number whatever in the future but I can’t imagine WWE keeps the title off him that long.
The other interesting case is going to be the ratings. The numbers are already at some of the lowest in years (due to a ton of reasons, namely Monday Night Football and the third hour being too much TV but that’s another story for another time) and Cena is one of their few proven draws. Take him away and WWE is really going to have to mix things up, which could certainly benefit the fans.
I hope he gets back soon because there’s no one better, but this might be a good thing just a few months before one of their biggest shows ever.
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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 28, 2015
Location: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Byron Saxton, John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole
Tonight is a packed show, headlined by the return of the US Open Challenge for John Cena’s United States Title. It’s always fun to see who is going to be accepting the challenge and probably having the best match of the night with Cena. In addition to that we’ll have Becky Lynch and Paige on MizTV and fallout from Kane pulling Seth Rollins through the mat last week. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Seth Rollins’ issues over the last week. His loss to Ambrose on Smackdown isn’t mentioned because that show doesn’t exist in the mainstream WWE universe. It’s almost like that loss to Ambrose really didn’t need to happen, at least not by pinfall.
Opening sequence.
Here’s John Cena for the US Title open challenge. The fans aren’t all that thrilled to see him though. Cena: “Have no fear because THE CHAMP IS HERE!” The challenge is on now. Instead of just one challenger though, all three members of New Day are here. They sing a little song about winning the US Title before Kofi says they might as well be called Team Scrooge McDuck because they’re about to be swimming in gold. The concert isn’t over yet because they sing NEW US CHAMPS to the tune of Cena’s theme song. Cena wants one of them right now and it’s time to be serious.
US Title: John Cena vs. Xavier Woods
Cena gets right in Woods’ face in the corner during the big match intros. The bell rings and Cena takes his head off with a clothesline two seconds in, sending Woods to the floor. Woods: “I WASN’T READY!” Big E. gets knocked off the apron and Kofi grabs Cena’s foot to break up an early Shuffle attempt. That earns both Kofi and Big E. an ejection and we take a break after 80 seconds and two moves.
Back with Cena hitting the Shuffle but Woods slips out of the AA and getting two off an enziguri. A middle rope DDT gets two on the champ but the flipping clothesline is countered with a sitout powerbomb to give Cena two. Woods comes right back with a reverse suplex and Lost in the Woods (Eat Defeat) for two each. Xavier misses a missile dropkick and Cena slaps on the STF, drawing Kofi and Big E. in for the DQ at 9:22.
Rating: C+. It’s not a classic or anything close to one really, but this was all it needed to be. Woods was in way over his head here but came out looking fine. There was almost no chance of a new champion here but the there didn’t need to be. This was about the segment that set up the match and a fun performance, which is all this needs to be about a lot of the time. Good stuff here.
Post match here are the Dudleyz a few seconds later for the save. It looks like a six man after the break.
John Cena/Dudley Boyz vs. New Day
That’s exactly what we have and it’s joined in progress with Kofi getting pounded down in the corner by D-Von and then Bubba. Cena requests and receives a tag and it’s time for Kofi to get some rotating stomps of his own. The Shuffle sends Kofi over for the tag to Big E. and it’s power vs. power. Big E. shoulders Cena into the corner and it’s time for some dancing, followed by the real rotating stomps.
Kofi slaps on a chinlock as Woods plays the trombone and shouts that he should be US Champion. For some reason this results in Cole bringing up that he’s undefeated at Wrestlemania and Byron saying that’s like him being Tupac. E.’s splash gets two but Cena rolls over and tags in D-Von as everything breaks down. D-Von launches E. into the ropes but knocks Cena off the apron in a big crash. What’s Up hits Kofi but Bubba is sent out for not being legal, allowing Kofi to hit Trouble in Paradise for the pin at 6:45.
Rating: C-. This started good and hit a brick wall in the middle. Cena getting knocked off the apron was a turning point and it makes sense to have New Day beat the Dudleyz when it’s 3-2. I’m not sure what happens in the tag match on Saturday in MSG and I rather like that feeling.
The Authority and an unknown woman are in the back when Kane comes in. The woman is from human resources due to a complaint against Kane for creating an unsafe working environment. Rollins comes in and hints very strongly that he made the complaint. Kane promises to take this seriously before glaring at Rollins. A sip of coffee brings him back to reality and he’s off for his evaluation. This continues to intrigue me a bit but these performance evaluations are almost never any good.
Ambrose suggests that Reigns fighting Bray one on one might not be the best idea. Dean will stay in the back unless Strowman and Harper get involved. Reigns says that Orton will have his back too and Dean gets a bit annoyed. Orton comes in and Dean says he doesn’t want any outsiders trying to come in and save the day. Roman calms things down.
Big Show vs. Mark Henry
I’ll be shocked if this breaks two minutes. Show spears him down and plants Henry with some slow slams and a kick to the face. The KO punch ends this at 2:36. I get what they’re doing with Big Show and I appreciated them using Henry instead of someone with value, but can they really think that the exact same formula for building someone up is going to work again?
It’s time for MizTV and Miz starts us off with a recap of Paige’s heel turn promo last week against the rest of the division. Miz’s guests are Becky Lynch and Charlotte, the former of whom calls Miz a chauvinist jackass. Miz: “First One Direction breaks up and now PCB?” Charlotte tells Paige to get out here for a talk or a fight but here are the Bellas instead. Nikki says this is high school drama and she knows she’s getting the title back.
Charlotte invites her in to tap out one more time but Nikki brags about breaking the record. Nikki talks about Paige saying she started the Divas Revolution (Stephanie being dropped is the right call all the way around) but Charlotte goes off about how the Divas Revolution is about the fans and the action in the ring. Alicia brings up the 3-2 advantage but Becky is ready to fight anyway.
Cue Paige to say she put the NXT women on the map by being their first champion. Nikki asks about the drama again but Paige asks who needs ambition when the Bellas have boyfriends like theirs. I believe that’s the first reference to Cena and Nikki’s relationship on Raw, or at least one of the first. A big brawl clears the ring.
Team PCB vs. Team Bella
So PCB is working together against a common enemy a week after breaking up. Brie comes in but gets double teamed by Charlotte and Becky but the Bellas drag Becky into the corner. Nikki gets in some stomps and Brie gets two off a suplex. A double clothesline puts Becky and Nikki down as the announcers plug Total Divas.
Charlotte comes in to no reaction and everything breaks down. Nikki kicks Charlotte off the Figure Eight and right into Paige, sending her walking to the back. Natalya comes out to replace Paige, who pulls her off the apron for a crash. Nikki uses the distraction to hit the Rack Attack for the pin on Charlotte at 6:26.
Rating: D. So to recap, here’s Charlotte’s reign: wins the title after hitting two moves in a long match, gets beaten up by Brie until she hits one move, then gets pinned in a six person tag. They’re really not trying to hide the fact that they want it back on Nikki and that’s not a good thing after all those months of her as champion.
WWE2K16 video.
Video on the history of Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar.
Rollins is badmouthing Kane to the human resources woman when Kane comes in. Seth changes his tune and Kane gives him a present: the head of his statue. Kane dug it up from the landfill after searching all night and Seth is shaken as you might expect him to be. Kane thinks it’s funny and the woman is equally freaked out.
Wyatt Family vs. Prime Time Players
Harper runs over Young to start and I don’t see this going well. Darren gets knocked to the floor and Braun takes the mask off. The beating continues and Darren keeps getting destroyed inside. Young finally gets in a shot and makes the tag off to Titus for some house cleaning. A powerslam and big boot drop Harper but Strownman offers a distraction so Harper can get in the superkick. Braun grabs Darren and Titus’ save attempt completely fails. The discus lariat from Harper sets up the choke from Braun to knock Titus cold at 4:18.
Rating: D+. Total and complete squash here which is all it needed to be. Strowman is one heck of a monster and this is the kind of stuff that reenforces that perception. The Players are looking less and less important every week, but then again this is the company where you’re a jobber one week and pushed strong the next so they might be in line for a title shot.
Neville vs. Stardust
Neville flips across the ring to start but is quickly caught in the Tree of Woe. Stardust charges into a boot though and Stardust slides to the floor. He springboards into a dropkick from Neville and it’s time for the Red Arrow but cue King Barrett for the DQ at 2:33.
Barrett stares at Stardust but gives him a Bullhammer. Barrett says all hail the return of the king.
Here are Kane and the woman for his evaluation. She’s already come to a conclusion after about an hour and twenty five minutes, but here’s Rollins to interrupt. He shows us a quick recap of Kane’s demonic side (or at least the last few years of it) and says he’s going to Heaven instead. The Pope told him so and Rollins believes him because of how good he’s been feeling lately. Kane shows us a video of Rollins tormenting Kane and calling for him to lose his authority.
The report says that Kane is sound of mind and can keep doing his job. Rollins deserves the evaluation because he’s cruel, paranoid, and the most unprofessional person she has ever seen in WWE. Seth comes to the ring and gets in Kane’s face. Rollins drops the belt so Kane goes to pick it up, only to have Rollins give him a Pedigree. He adds in some chair shots for good measure and even Pillmanizes the ankle.
Rollins laughs and says Kane looks very human to him right now. Kane is loaded onto a stretcher and into an ambulance….but the windows start glowing red. The door opens and Kane comes out in the demon attire. He starts limping but stomps his foot and is suddenly walking just fine. Seth tries a chair shot to no avail and a chokeslam leaves him laying. The threat of a tombstone sends Seth tumbling up the steps and Kane holds up the title. So the evaluation thing was really just a waste of time wasn’t it?
Bray asks if we saw what they did earlier. The Family makes him so proud and they would love nothing more than to come out there tonight and tear Roman to pieces. However, Bray is going to grant Roman’s request to face off one on one. They are the alpha and the omega because it starts and ends with the two of them. Only a fool believes he can look into the dragon’s eyes and believe he won’t be burned. Run.
Bo Dallas comes out for a match but first he says the Buffalo Bills just have to Bo-Lieve to win the Super Bowl.
Bo Dallas vs. Randy Orton
Orton quickly takes it to the floor and drops Dallas across the barricade right in front of some of the Bills. Back in and the RKO ends Bo at 2:00.
We look at Kevin Owens walking out on a tag match on Monday.
Rusev vs. Kevin Owens
Non-title and Ryback is on commentary. This is fallout from Owens walking out on Rusev on Thursday. Owens is knocked to the floor but he throws Rusev into Ryback for the DQ at 46 seconds.
Dolph Ziggler runs out for the save.
We recap the Dancing for Pediatric Awareness challenges between members of the roster.
Here’s Paul Heyman to talk about the MSG match with Big Show. Heyman knows Big Show better than everyone else and he sees Show as a 6th grade math genius who gets a C+ because he’s bored. There’s no competition for Big Show right now, but there will be this Saturday. Brock Lesnar is going to destroy Big Show like never before and take him to Suplex City.
Cue Big Show to say he knows Brock is worried. Heyman didn’t finish talking about Brock’s tour because he knows it could end this Saturday night. Paul leaves and Show tells him to imagine a world without Brock. I appreciate them trying to build something but dude. It’s Lesnar vs. Big Show. Let it go.
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
Wyatt brings Harper and Strowman with him but a single insult is enough to make Bray send them back. Roman starts fast with a throw and the apron boot as we take an early break. Back with Bray holding a chinlock, followed by a big slam to set up another chinlock. Reigns fights up and hits the corner clotheslines but the Superman Punch is countered with a standing Rock Bottom attempt.
Some elbows break Roman free but Bray takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Bray loads up a superplex but Reigns slips through the legs and powerbombs him down. Reigns no sells a kick to the face (stop watching puro dude) and Superman Punches Bray to the floor, only to have the spear hit the steps. Bray picks up the steps but Roman knocks them away and keeps fighting to the double countout at 13:04.
Rating: C. This was fine but the ending was pretty obvious. I’m glad neither guy got a win as there was no way this ended here, though I’m not sure where this feud actually does end. You have to assume that Rollins is the right third man one day, but does a six man finally blow this off? Wyatt not losing is a big plus and almost a rare sight, which is a nice surprise.
They keep fighting into the crowd with neither being able to take over. Bray knocks Roman into the barricade and charges Roman through it and back to ringside. Wyatt poses on the announcers’ table but Reigns pops back up and spears him through the table to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. This is a hard one to grade as the show had some good things as well as some bad things. I like that they’re keeping some stuff short. I remember days where they would have had Orton vs. Dallas go for seven or eight minutes but there’s really no need to do so. Keep the thing short like it should be and give the time to something else.
Unfortunately those somethings else were Kane and Big Show, who are being used as the big stories before we get to the Undertaker match inside the Cell. Now to be fair, these stories could have been FAR worse. It also helps that Big Show vs. Lesnar is this Saturday instead of in another month. The match isn’t something I want to see, but it’s on a free show and now in the main event of a pay per view so this could be a much bigger issue.
Overall, this is your Raw special to the letter: a good enough show that would have been so much better minus an hour. It was clear that they were filling in time, but at least it wasn’t horribly dull filler this time. There’s definitely a better energy lately and you can see a lot more effort in the midcard stories, which has been one of Raw’s biggest problems in the last year or two. The effort changes everything though and has made these last few shows so much easier to sit through. If they can find a way to cut down on the show’s length, they’d have a FAR better show overnight but that’s not happening anytime soon.
Results
John Cena b. Xavier Woods via DQ when Kofi Kingston and Big E. interfered
New Day b. John Cena/Dudley Boyz – Trouble in Paradise to D-Von
Big Show b. Mark Henry – KO Punch
Team Bella b. Team PCB – Rack Attack to Charlotte
Wyatt Family b. Prime Time Players – Standing choke to O’Neil
Neville b. Stardust via DQ when King Barrett interfered
Randy Orton b. Bo Dallas – RKO
Rusev b. Kevin Owens via DQ when Ryback interfered
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt went to a double countout
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We’re coming up on Hell in a Cell and again the main event has been set far in advance with Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. That’s one of those matches that really doesn’t need a lot of direct build so we can focus on everything else for a change. Tonight we get fallout from Rollins going 1-1 at Night of Champions because that’s what World Champions do these days. Let’s get to it.
They mixed things up this week by starting with the Wyatts coming out to talk instead of Rollins or the Authority. It’s amazing how much of an improvement this was and how refreshing it felt to have ANYTHING different starting things off. It’s not like they even started with a match or anything really different. Just seeing some new faces out there was a nice touch.
Anyway, Bray bragged about winning until Reigns came out to challenge Bray one on one. That’s where this feud is likely destined to end and it’s the most logical story they could tell. Eventually Strowman and Harper came in to save their boss but Ambrose came out to help even things up. The big deal here was Randy Orton running out to help the Shield guys, which is likely your next six man at Hell in a Cell.
I could get behind the idea of constantly replacing the third man on the team until it’s Rollins for the obvious big match, but I’m hoping they don’t turn Reigns heel in the process. At least not until the end that is, as he really doesn’t need to switch until the war with the Wyatts is over, at least for now because that one could go on for years to come. That’s not a bad thing either.
Now we get to the big story of the night with Rollins going in to see the Authority but finding Corporate Kane, who has no memory of what Demon Kane did last night. I like the idea of a split personality and neither one remembering anything the other has done as at least it’s something different than the normal Kane. The idea here is that Kane has made Rollins, who is still banged up from last night, vs. Cena (again) for the US Title tonight. The Authority would talk to Kane later and bring up that they haven’t talked to Kane in weeks. They do nothing to change the match and let Kane’s decision stand of course.
The Lucha Dragons/Neville beat Ascension/Stardust in a match where the announcers kept trying to figure out what to call Ascension/Stardust. Basically the same match as last night.
Ryback squashed Bo Dallas and got attacked by Owens post match. There isn’t much to say here but I’m digging the idea of having the feud continue. Above all else: Owens initiated the violence, which is a strong ground for my false hope about Kevin going somewhere with the title instead of being another coward champion.
Now we get to the other big story of the night as Charlotte came out to celebrate the title win but Paige eventually turned heel and did her best AJ Lee doing her best CM Punk impression with a pipe bomb. This is at least a good idea and had the great line of “Nattie doesn’t even seem to work here anymore.” Paige as the secondary heel is an idea, but I have a bad feeling they’re just going to have the Bellas back on top by the end of the year anyway. I mean, they’re on that reality show and that’s totally more important than Paige being on that reality show.
I’m not sure where they’re going here. It would seem that Paige/Natalya might hook up which would be fine, but I’d really like to see one of the Divas on their own for a bit. We’ve spent two and a half months on the team battle series and now we’re possibly getting Paige/Natalya as the overlooked ones to fight the Bellas and Charlotte/Becky. Paige is interesting, but she needs to change her style up a bit.
Brie Bella came out almost immediately and lost to Charlotte in a match very similar to the one from last night. I’m not understanding this idea of having Charlotte play Randy Savage from 1995, but it’s defeating the purpose of her entire character/style so far. She’s awesome in the ring but the idea seems to be to have her sell forever and then hit one big move. As usual, they set up something cool on NXT and then “fix” it on Raw.
Sheamus squashed Henry to remind us that he’s here.
New Day/Rusev beat the Dudleyz/Ziggler in a long match. This worked quite well and it’s still mainly due to Xavier Woods being allowed to do whatever he wants out there. The idea of letting an entertaining guy be entertaining is very foreign around here but this is what happens when it’s given a chance. I mean, BULGARIAN TRICEP MEAT? How can you not love that? The Ziggler vs. Rusev story has hit its peak and the problem now is what to do with them since Lana is out for months. You know, because a wrist injury makes it so hard to appear on TV.
Remember how Natalya was brought up for the first time in forever? Well she lost to Naomi thanks to a Sasha distraction. It does seem like she and Paige might hook up and I don’t know why I’d be interested in seeing another team story.
Big Show squashed Cesaro to build himself up for the Lesnar match. This is one of those rare cases where I completely understand the logic behind what WWE does and find it to be the dumbest idea in years. Do they really think that in NEW YORK CITY the fans are going to treat Lesnar vs. Big Show like a normal match? Having Lesnar squash Big Show (which he will) is fine but don’t waste someone with potential on the way. Use Swagger in this spot or something but stop using Cesaro to put over someone like Big Show who is 43 and has done the same stuff for years now.
John Cena beat Seth Rollins again to retain the US Title in a good match. I like seeing them fight because they have good chemistry, but enough already. We don’t need to see them fight once a month, especially when Cena beats the World Champ every time and never gets back in the World Title hunt. It’s pretty clear that Kane is getting the next shot, which makes these pinfalls all the less logical. Why have someone pin the champion and then never follow up on it? Ah yes, because you have Kane, who to be fair did start this story with Rollins months ago and deserves to be able to finish it. Just nix the champ losing all the time.
Demon Kane pulled Rollins through a hole in the ring because we’re really going there again.
Overall, Raw worked for the most part but there are some major flaws in there that are hard to cover up. Chief among them: having the World Champion get pinned twice by the same guy in 24 hours when there seems to be no intention of having that guy go after the title. Is it any wonder why no one wants to watch Rollins as champion? He’s a loser at this point and it takes a lot of work to get rid of that kind of stigma. The wrestling was good but a lot of the booking fell short.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
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