Smackdown – November 21, 2014: I’m Sick Of This Match
Smackdown Date: November 21, 2014
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield
It’s the final show before Survivor Series and we’re all the way up to five matches for Sunday. With the addition of the always treasured Divas elimination match, the card….is pretty much exactly the same as it was on Monday. There’s a major change to Sunday’s main event announced though so things aren’t all finalized. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the Authority forming their team and decimating Team Cena. This turns into a music video like you would see on a pay per view.
Cole brings out HHH to open the show. We recap Sunday’s main event in case the video you saw two minutes ago didn’t get the message across. HHH basically tells Cole to shut up but Cole goes into a list of various sports teams winning that would be similar to Team Cena winning on Sunday. The boss sucks up to the fans before saying their opinions are worthless.
Cole asks if this is all about the Authority’s egos but HHH goes into a rant about his legacy and how he became a huge star in the Attitude Era and lists his name alongside Hart, Austin and Rock. Now some people could argue that some of them were bigger stars than him or that that they were more popular, but he’s the only one still around. He’s still here because he’s always been smarter than all of them, just like Vince.
HHH talks about how brilliant Vince was and how he’s been the constant in WWE all these years. There are only two people that can follow Vince’s footsteps: the Authority. Without them, this place has two years max. Without them, the WWE has no future. HHH brings up Cole’s sitdown interview from earlier in the week with John Cena but he’d like Team Cena to come out and see it for themselves.
The clip is Cole asking Cena if he’s responsible for what happens to his teammates at Survivor Series. Cena says he’s asking his teammates to put their livelihood on the line. If they lose, the Authority will be all over them and that’s something they have to risk. He doesn’t actually answer the question though. Back in the arena, HHH says that when Team Cena loses on Sunday, they’re all fired. Well other than Cena of course because he’s good for business. Team Cena is all stunned as Rusev and Lana come out for the first match.
Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler
Non-title. Rusev quickly knocks Ziggler out to the floor but Dolph comes back in and hammers away. That’s fine with Rusev who throws Dolph into the corner and stomps Ziggler down, only to eat a dropkick. Another dropkick puts Rusev on the floor but he whips Ziggler hard into the steps as we take a break. Back with Dolph fighting out of a chinlock and avoiding a charge in the corner.
Rusev’s powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two before a superkick gets the same for Ziggler. JBL talks about how he’d turn on Cena to keep his job as Rusev throws Dolph out of the corner to take over again. Ziggler escapes the Accolade and nails a quick Zig Zag for a delayed two. Back up and Rusev avoids the Fameasser before the jumping superkick ends Dolph at 10:18.
Rating: C+. This was about what I expected. At least Ziggler has lost the title so the belt isn’t hurt by another loss and Rusev gets to rack up another big win. That superkick as a finisher is going to work better for him as he rises up the card as some guys just aren’t going to lose to a submission hold no matter what.
Rusev Accolades him for good measure.
Kane is on the phone when an unseen someone comes in for a talk.
Kofi Kingston’s New Day video.
After a break, Cesaro is in the back with Kane. Cesaro may not be an official member of Team Authority but his loyalty will be rewarded after Sunday. Kane needs one more thing from Cesaro though: slaughter Erick Rowan.
Miz/Damien Mizdow vs. Los Matadores
The Dusts and Usos are on commentary to give us a seven man booth. Miz works on Diego’s arm to start but gets chopped to the ropes. We get a criss cross until Fernando knocks Mizdow off the apron, only to eat a forearm from Miz. The Reality Check is countered but Mizdow tags himself in and hits it with ease. That’s too much for Miz who tags himself in and has the Finale countered. The masked men send them outside and Miz is thrown onto the Usos. Of course Mizdow launches himself onto the Dusts, leaving Diego to hit a high cross body on Miz for the pin at 2:40.
Here’s Dean Ambrose to talk about his survival kit for Bray Wyatt. Dean talks about having a screw loose and how he isn’t going to change for anyone. When he was a kid, his mom gave him a $20 bill to go buy her cigarettes and lottery tickets. He ran into some older guys who beat him up and robbed him.
Dean went home and told his mom what happened, so she gave him a pair of brass knuckles. They were his survival kit back then but now his survival kit is every single part of his body. On Sunday, Dean is going to use every part of his body to send Bray running back to the woods. Now he’s the hunter and Wyatt is the prey. On Sunday, he’s going to be put down.
Wyatt pops up on screen from inside a prison cell. He asks Dean if this is how he remembers his father, locked inside a cage like an animal. Maybe Bray reminds Dean of his father right now. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so this is Dean’s future: being trapped inside a prison of his own design, begging for freedom that he’ll never receive. It doesn’t have to be like this though. Dean is trapped inside a cell full of filth and it’s never going to end.
AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella
Non-title and AJ is dressed as Nikki, complete with strategic stuffing. Brie takes her down to start but AJ uses her enlarged hips to take over. Back up and Brie sends her face first into the buckle a few times before AJ does the same to her. Some right hands have Brie in trouble and it turns into catfight mode until Brie counters into a half crab.
AJ grabs the ropes and slaps on a guillotine choke. That goes nowhere so Brie dropkicks her down and hits a running knee against the ropes. A missile dropkick gets two on AJ but Nikki gets on the apron. AJ rams them together for the pin on Brie at 3:23. You could see that one coming a mile away.
Rating: D. This would be the second match in a row where the story was about someone dressing up as someone else in the match. Aside from that though, what happened to the whole personal servant thing between the Bellas? They seem to be fine here and Brie has a reason to fight AJ after AJ beat her up on Monday, so Nikki really didn’t need to be there. I’m actually not clear on who I’m supposed to cheer or boo in this feud and I have a bad feeling we’re just getting a Bellas reunion out of it, three months after they first split. It would make for quite the Total Divas season finale though right?
Video on Sheamus’ injury.
Erick Rowan vs. Cesaro
Cesaro slaps the mask off his face but Rowan easily knocks him outside. Back in and Cesaro scores with a running dropkick, only to get caught in a bearhug. Cesaro snaps Rowan’s throat over the top rope and grabs a sleeper. That goes nowhere so he heads to the top, only to be slammed down. A pumphandle backbreaker and torture rack make Cesaro tap at 2:40. This was just a step above a squash.
Harper comes out to stare down Rowan post match but leaves before any contact.
Big E.’s New Day promo.
Team Cena, minus the captain and with Rowan playing with a Rubik’s Cube, talks about how everything is on the line on Sunday. HHH’s tactics didn’t have the intended effect because it just fires them up more. Ryback says actions have consequences and his job being on the line just makes him hungrier. Tonight, he and Big Show are feeding on Kane and Rollins. Ziggler talks about the Authority costing him the Intercontinental Title, which he shared with the entire WWE Universe. He has nothing left to lose so he has nothing to fear. They can put the Authority out of power and he isn’t backing down now. Rowan: “Freedom.”
Seth Rollins/Kane vs. Ryback/Big Show
Ziggler and Rowan are banned from ringside. Ryback drives Rollins into the corner to start and Seth bails to the floor. Back in and Rollins hammers away but Ryback takes him down with a Thesz press. Off to Big Show for the loud chop in the corner before Ryback no sells Seth’s chops. He shoves Rollins into the corner and calls him stupid before planing Seth with a powerslam.
Kane gets knocked off the apron and Seth gets backdropped…..next to him as Kane completely missed catching him. That one might be worthy of an ice pack. Cue HHH and the rest of Team Authority as we take a break. Back with Show slamming Kane for two but ducking his head and taking a running DDT. Off to Rollins for some running kicks to the face for two. Kane gets the same off an elbow drop and we hit the chinlock. Show powers out of it and makes the hot tag so Ryback can clean house, only to have Team Authority come in for the DQ at 10:25.
Rating: C. This was your standard main event tag and it was fairly obvious that we were getting a run-in finish. It’s a good sign that the fans were into Ryback but there wasn’t much interest outside of him. Granted the fact that two of the others were Big Show and Kane probably had something to do with it.
The Authority beats down Ryback and Show until Ziggler comes out for a failed save. Rowan comes out as well to take down Rusev and Henry before going inside for the showdown with Harper. That goes nowhere though as Kane chokeslams Rowan, only to have Ryback and Ziggler get back in it. Henry and Rusev are back up as well though and the Authority’s advantage takes over. Big Show does his war cry to alert the Authority that he’s coming. The Stooges get chokeslammed but HHH comes in with a chair to take down the giant. All of Team Cena takes chair shots and Ryback takes a Pedigree to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. This was a pretty standard go home show when the entire pay per view is about one match. They aren’t even trying to hide the fact that they don’t care about anything else on the card and it’s been old for weeks. I’m so sick of hearing about the match that even if it’s good, which it likely could be, I’m so burned out on that I’m not going to care as much as I should. Thankfully some of the other matches on Sunday (as in the four others) got some hype save for the Divas elimination match, but that might not have been announced when this show was taped.
Results
Rusev b. Dolph Ziggler – Superkick
Los Matadores b. Miz/Damien Mizdow – High cross body to Miz
AJ Lee b. Brie Bella – Rollup
Erick Rowan b. Cesaro – Torture rack
Big Show/Ryback b. Seth Rollins/Kane via DQ when Team Authority interfered
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Monday Night Raw – November 17, 2014: 18 Men On A Free PPV. Yo Ho Ho And A Grumpy Cat
Monday Night Raw Date: November 17, 2014
Location: Berglund Center Coliseum, Roanoke, Virginia
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler
We’re back stateside now for the go home show for Survivor Series. The big story tonight is a contract signing for the main event where we’re most likely to find out who the final members of each team are going to be. More importantly than that though, we have the Grumpy Cat here tonight because there’s an untapped audience between Lifetime and WWE. Or something. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week’s Survivor Series partner shuffle.
Here’s the Authority, including Harper, to open things up. HHH brings up Vince making the rules for the Survivor Series in case we hadn’t heard about it in the last few weeks. HHH doesn’t care for the idea of being the employee of someone like the people in the audience. Instead he’s supposed to be someone like Vince McMahon, running the evil empire.
These people would rather have the inmates like Cena and Ziggler running the asylum. The last place that let the inmates run the asylum was WCW and that will NEVER happen in WWE. HHH looks at the team and says they can’t lose while plugging the Network. Stephanie thinks Team Cena should work on being together. HHH says Team Cena will be decimated before the contract signing at the end of the night.
The wife runs through the team again and says Team Cena is down a member. That brings her to Ryback but the Big Guy cuts them off. Ryback says the Authority wants what’s best for business, Cena wants what’s best for the people but Ryback wants what’s best for him. Stephanie gets that idea and brings up respect. It’s clear that Cena doesn’t respect Ryback so why does he want to join the team?
She throws us a clip from Superstars last year where Cena said Ryback had no brains or testicular fortitude. Then a clip from Raw where Cena mocked his way of speaking. Back live, Stephanie suggests that Cena is jealous of Ryback and absolutely hates him. She asks if he wants to team with someone like Cena, but Ryback says he’s his own team and leaves. HHH says that’s a good idea and makes Ziggler vs. Harper right now.
Intercontinental Title: Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler
After a break this is now a title match. During the Big Match Intros, the Stooges come in to jump Ziggler and a briefcase shot from Rollins knocks him cold. Ziggler is holding his head on the mat but says ring the bell. The bell rings and Luke kicks him in the head for two. A Batista Bomb gets the same but Luke misses a big boot in the corner and falls out to the floor as we take another break.
Back with Ziggler escaping a vertical suplex but getting popped in the jaw for two. There’s the Gator Roll and we hit a chinlock. Ziggler fights up and nails a Fameasser for two but Harper counters the superkick into a sitout Boss Man Slam for another near fall. Luke charges into the superkick for two more but comes back with the discus lariat for the pin and the title at 8:33.
Rating: C. Harper’s hard hitting offense continues to look awesome and it’s a good sign that he’s finally getting a singles push of his own. I can’t imagine him ever becoming a huge star but the Intercontinental Title is a good start. They almost had to take the belt off Ziggler after all the stuff they’ve thrown at him and this is the best option out of all the Authority members. Ziggler is even protected a bit because of the pre-match attack.
Ziggler takes a Curb Stomp post match.
The announcers plug the free PPV.
Kofi Kingston New Day video.
Miz and Mizdow pitch a movie idea to the Grumpy Cat. They even have a grumpy stuntcat. The Cat doesn’t care and Miz storms off, only to come back and apologize. One of these men used to be an intellectual savior to the masses people.
Adam Rose vs. Tyson Kidd
The Bunny does Rose’s fall onto the Rosebuds to make Adam even angrier. JBL seems annoyed by the suggestion that the Bunny is a man in a costume. Kidd hammers away to start but walks into a spinebuster for two. The Bunny hits on Natalya, allowing Tyson to slap on the Sharpshooter for the submission at 2:00.
Post match the Bunny goes after Adam and thrusts his hips behind Rose. Just go with it.
Video of Wrestlemania tickets going on sale.
Bray Wyatt is here and after a break he’s in the ring to talk about the lies he’s been told about money buying happiness. He’s been told that a man like Dean Ambrose can buy happiness but Dean is going to be alone day after day. Bray hopes that Dean doesn’t mistake his generosity for something malignant. Yeah Bray did something to get Dean’s attention, but now he comes in peace. That momentary suffering was a gift though because Bray knows the pain Dean is going through.
His mother drowned herself in her own misery and his father left him in a lifetime of isolation. Wyatt says he can save him but Dean pops up on screen. He calls Bray’s ramblings nails on a chalkboard, but he’s been trying to see things Bray’s way. Maybe he can learn something from Bray. He’s already learned a magic trick called video recording, because he’s in the arena right now. The lights come on and Ambrose hammers on Bray, sending him running up the ramp. At Survivor Series, Bray needs to worry about saving himself.
We recap the title change and hear that Ziggler has been taken to a hospital.
Larry the Cable Guy is hosting Raw next week because WWE thinks it’s 2006.
Ryback vs. Cesaro
Ryback powers him into the corner to start and chops away but Cesaro takes him down with a quick suplex. Ryback shrugs it off and hits a delayed suplex of his own. The Thesz press and head slams have Ryback in trouble but Cesaro powerbombs him out of the corner to take over. We hit the chinlock for a bit on Ryback before a slam and kick to the head get two. Back up and Ryback gets clotheslined out to the floor as we take a break.
We come back with Ryback fighting out of a chinlock and catching Cesaro with a belly to belly suplex. Cesaro bails to the apron to avoid the Meat Hook but gets thrown right back in. The middle rope splash connects and a powerbomb out of the corner gets two for Ryback. Shell Shock is countered into rolling Germans for two and Cesaro goes up top.
A big elbow drop gets two more but Ryback pops up with a powerslam for two of his own. The Meat Hook is countered with the uppercut and Swiss Death gets an even closer two. The Neutralizer is countered into a Shell Shock attempt which is countered into a rollup for two more. Not that it matters as the Meat Hook sets up the Shell Shock for the pin at 14:16.
Rating: B. While it’s not as good as the announcers made it out to be, this was one heck of a power match with some solid near falls. Ryback is able to have a decent match if he’s given the right circumstances and someone like Cesaro is a good opponent for him. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cesaro win a bit more often but you can’t have Ryback lose this early in his return.
Cena hopes he sees all of his team members at the contract signing tonight. Ryback doesn’t seem to be part of those plans though.
Here are Rusev and Lana with something to say. Lana brings up Putin being disrespected at the G20 Summit but stops to say SHUT UP a lot. This past week, America drooled over the queen of social media Kim Kardashian, even though no American can compare to Lana. She has a topless photo of her own to show us, but of course it’s of Putin on a horse. This brings out……Heath Slater dressed as Uncle Sam. Like the rest of America, Slater wants Lana to shut up. The spirit of America flows through all of us, including this country boy right here.
Rusev vs. Heath Slater
Superkick, Accolade, 36 seconds.
Miz pitches a buddy comedy to Grumpy Cat. Erick Rowan comes up saying here kitty kitty. He wants the cat, meaning the stuffed one Mizdow is holding. Everyone stands around looking confused. JBL: “…..ok?”
Big Show comes out for a match but gets interrupted by Stephanie’s horrible music. She talks about watching the Monday Night War and seeing Big Show billed as Andre the Giant’s son. Big Show has always been in someone’s shadow, even though he just wants to be in the main event. The people can’t fix that but the Authority can. Thankfully they don’t offer him the usual but instead suggest that he could enter the Hall of Fame next year.
Big Show says no but here’s Sheamus to interrupt. He’s glad to be on Team Cena and will love to only see HHH and Stephanie when they buy tickets. Stephanie laughs because there was an issue with Sheamus’ passport and he’s in danger of being deported. Not that it matters though as Sheamus vs. Big Show are fighting right now. The winner will have a chance to win the World Title at some point in the future.
Big Show vs. Sheamus
They shove each other around to start and Big Show nails some chops in the corner. Sheamus gets thrown to the floor and then over the barricade as we take a break. Back with Sheamus fighting out of a chokeslam attempt by hitting the ten forearms to a kneeling Big Show. A kick to the face and knee drop get two on the giant but he blocks a slam and comes back with some of his own. Show puts on a Haas of Pain but Sheamus is right next to the ropes.
The pale one starts his comeback with an ax handle and avoids a legdrop. He loads up the top rope shoulder but gets speared out of the air for a close two. White Noise (that’s always cool to see on Big Show) and a chokeslam get two each. Show loads up the Vader Bomb but gets caught in an electric chair to put both guys down. Cue Rusev and Henry for the no contest (even though Rusev hit Sheamus first so it should be a DQ but rules that have been the same throughout wrestling history don’t count when writers don’t need them to count) at 11:08.
Rating: C-. This was the usual decent power match between these two but you could see the ending coming the entire way. As soon as they said the winner gets a title shot you knew no one was getting their hand raised for this match. That ending gets on my nerves though as Sheamus should have won via DQ because just having Henry and Rusev get in at the same time was too complicated.
Rusev Accoldes Big Show as Sheamus takes the World’s Strongest Slam through the table.
Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella
Brie is dressed like AJ and this is an exhibition match. The real AJ comes out to watch but Nikki needs to warm up first. Some backbreakers have Brie in trouble but she finally gets annoyed and shoves Nikki away. That earns her some slaps to the head before Nikki loads up the Rack Attack. AJ gets on the apron, allowing Brie to grab a rollup pin at 2:06.
Nikki goes after Brie post match but AJ makes the save. Brie starts a YES chant and gets beaten up by the champ. I have no idea why this was an exhibition match.
Big E.’s New Day video.
Cena tries to get Ryback again but he isn’t happy with those insults. John apologizes for the comments and says if Ryback helps, the Authority is gone. Ryback says he’s Team Ryback and asks Cena to leave. Cena calls him selfish and thinks Ryback doesn’t want to take a risk.
We recap Ambrose and Wyatt from earlier.
Goldust/Stardust/Miz/Damien Mizdow vs. Usos/Los Matadores
Setting up this Sunday’s four way tag. Diego stops Miz early on for OLE before putting him across the middle rope for a running crotch attack. The fans want a tag to Mizdow but get Goldust instead, only to have Diego fire off some chops in the corner. Los Matadores hit a double hiptoss to Miz, sending him rolling out to the floor. Mizdow comes in and flips himself over before rolling outside as well. Los Matadores dive onto Goldust/Stardust and Torito dives on the actors as we take a break.
Back with Goldust sending Fernando shoulder first into the post. Stardust comes in for a double stomp as the fans STILL want Mizdow. Instead they get an armbar from Stardust so the fans chant for JBL. Back to Miz for a chinlock before Goldust comes in to work on the arm. Mizdow holds out his arm and Goldust is ready to bring him in but Stardust steals the tag instead. Back to Miz who FINALLY tags in Mizdow, only to tag himself back in a few seconds later.
Fernando kicks Miz out to the floor as Jerry says Drew Carrey is in Dumb and Dumber. Fernando tags in Jimmy but Jey tags himself in as the Usos clean house. The double dive takes down some heels until it’s Jimmy hitting a release Samoan drop on Stardust. The Rikishi attack connects but Jimmy charges into a Goldust powerslam. We start the parade of finishers and Jimmy superkicks Diego by mistake before walking into Dark Matter for the pin at 11:48.
Rating: D+. The match was dull but it’s interesting to see that they’re setting up Mizdow’s face turn when he finally gets tired of never getting the spotlight. The fans are buying into it too and everything works. Unfortunately this match has no heat as we head into the show because the main event has swallowed the whole thing.
The Cat is not pleased.
Sheamus has been taken to the hospital and is out of Survivor Series.
After Raw, you can see a preview of the new Randy Savage DVD on the Network.
Here’s the Authority for the contract signing. HHH says Cena is going to come out here and talk about how important this business is to him but it’s nothing compared to what it means for the Authority. This is the air they breathe and they will not lose on Sunday. Stephanie invites Team Cena to come out here and here’s John by himself.
Cena says they’ll win but Stephanie laughs it off and asks what army is going to help him. She tells him to wake up but Cena says don’t get used to giving any orders because the Authority is losing on Sunday. All night long there have been underhanded tricks to take out Team Cena, except for one man. He sees what’s going on: they come out here every week and put people to sleep but claim to know what’s best for business.
Cena is going to have a team on Sunday, even if he has to pick four people out of the crowd. John goes outside and walks around, asking if there are four people that can join him Sunday. There’s a man dressed as a nun, a guy with a sailor’s hat and two kids. Those four would have more passion than the Authority and that’s why Cena’s team is going to win. Cena offers us a preview for tonight and sits down in a chair.
Kane is going to be the first and then Luke Harper will fail. He’s from the swamp so he’ll be used to swamping in his pants. Rusev is next and HHH will start sweating through his suit while Stephanie is vomiting. When they wake up they’ll be hungry so Cena can feed them Sexual Chocolate. Cena gets in the ring and says the Golden Boy with a thing for latex will fall last and HHH will be left cleaning toilets. Stephanie slaps Cena and it’s time to fight.
Cena gets ready but Ziggler and Big Show limp out to stand next to John. Lawler: “80% of a team is better than no team at all!” HHH counts the people but here’s….ERICK ROWAN to help balance things out? Stephanie doesn’t know what to do but says there’s still one spot open. She gives Team Cena one last chance to reconsider but here’s Cesaro of all people….to stand with the Authority.
Stephanie asks if there are any more surprises so here’s Ryback and it really is on. Well that makes most of tonight pointless but it makes the most sense. Everyone brawls to the floor until it’s HHH and Ryback in the ring. They stare each other down until Cena comes back in to AA HHH through a table. Team Cena poses to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. This show was rough and a lot of that is due to how they’re building up Survivor Series. I’m sure they’ll add some stuff the night of the show or maybe on Smackdown, but right now there are four matches announced for Sunday and two of them are taking up 18 names, assuming they don’t get thrown into other matches for some reason.
The problem right now is everything is put in the main event and while it’s a good story, it’s not enough to carry three hours. Tying everything of note up in one match is never a good idea and it’s going to make the rest of the card feel empty. They should have gone with four on four and had at least one other major match for Sunday, but to be fair it is free so it’s going to be hard to care about.
The worst part about it is the main event on Sunday is a well built match. They have a big match and have made it unclear as to who is going to win. However, when that’s what 80% of Raw is about, it’s a very hard show to sit through. Having ten guys in a single match was too much, but maybe they’ll mix things up on Sunday.
This show really didn’t do much for me but it could have been far worse. Thankfully the Grumpy Cat was just there for a few backstage bits, but that begs the question: is it worth bringing him in and paying however much it cost and all the eye rolling from your base to do some quick gags? I could ask the same for next Monday with Larry the Cable Guy (seriously, it’s 2014) but they have enough problems on Sunday already.
Results
Luke Harper b. Dolph Ziggler – Discus lariat
Tyson Kidd b. Adam Rose – Sharpshooter
Ryback b. Cesaro – Shell Shock
Rusev b. Heath Slater – Accolade
Big Show vs. Sheamus went to a no contest when Rusev and Mark Henry interfered
Goldust/Stardust/Miz/Damien Mizdow b. Usos/Los Matadores – Dark Matter to Jimmy
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Reviewing the Review – Monday Night Raw: November 10, 2014
The main story this week was the revolving door around the Survivor Series main event. They’ve been doing a good job of setting up the people in the match not named John Cena, though I have a feeling HHH is going to wind up in the match somehow. A lot happened this week so let’s get to it.
The opening segment got the ball rolling on the big story of the night. Cena came out and talked about what it would mean to get rid of the Authority and said he had a new team member in Jack Swagger. Other than that though, he wanted to sign the new free agent that is tearing stuff up again: Ryback. The Big Guy came out but the Authority, complete with new team member Mark Henry, interrupted them.
Cena and HHH went at it with HHH taking credit for various wrestlers who have recently been injured, including Bryan and Ryder. Now this is something that I REALLY liked. Here’s the thing: Ryder and Bryan’s injuries had nothing to do with the Authority but they’re taking credit for it anyway. WHY HAVEN’T PEOPLE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS??? It’s such an easy thing to do and makes storylines out of real life issues. Most important of all is we never see them do these things, but it adds a realism to the story by making the Authority seem that much more evil.
The Authority looks evil, Ryder and Bryan serve a purpose while injured, and you might have a story for them when they come back. I have no idea why this hasn’t been done more often over the years. Blurring the line between reality and fiction is a great way to get heat on people and all it boils down to is “these people are the reason you can’t see your favorites. Now I’m going to try to get rid of them. WHO’S WITH ME???” It’s as simple as that.
Anyway, the Authority promised Ryback a bunch of money and opportunities, Cena warned him of the pressure that came with the spot, and Ryback planted Cena with a spinebuster before leaving with the villains. The segment got its job done but as usual went on WAY too long. That’s what dives me crazy about these things: why do we need to take twenty minutes when we can do these things in maybe ten? We didn’t need HHH babbling about everything being on the line for five minutes. We get the idea already so why keep hammering it in with that slow voice of his?
The revolving door of teammates kept going as Seth Rollins Curb Stomped Swagger into oblivion. Swagger looked to have a concussion so Seth Curb Stomped him again, likely putting him out of the PPV. That certainly was a quick way to get rid of a loser like Jack.
Ambrose talked about fighting demons much tougher than Bray Wyatt. I’m not sure why most of this feud is being played out on Smackdown but it gives me something to look forward to on Friday nights.
I’ll cover a lot of segments at once here. Kane told Ryback that he’ll be at ringside for Ryback vs. Cena but Ryback didn’t seem interested. Kane basically told him to watch it and left. The rest of the Authority came in and said various things to Ryback all night, each one getting on his nerves more than the previous one. They weren’t exactly being subtle with where this story was going.
Paige easily beat Alicia Fox for the hometown pop. Nothing wrong with this one.
Stephanie recruited Rusev for Team Authority. Let me get this one out of the way now: GAH! I hated these segments as we’ve had Lana and Rusev shouting down everyone from Henry to Big Show to Sheamus TO THE ROCK, but they cower in fear of Stephanie freaking McMahon? Seriously? Well of course seriously because Stephanie is the most beautiful, intelligent, dominant, talented and intimidating yet caring and charitable woman IN THE WORLD.
Stephanie and HHH were worried about Vince making the decision to put their futures on the line. I’d be more worried about why Cena has nothing on the line.
Rusev had a victory celebration and then a good match with Sheamus. The Stooges came out to help Rusev win by countout, which is supposed to justify the Russians doing whatever Stephanie wants. You know, because they couldn’t beat Sheamus on their own, like Rusev did just a week ago. Lana agreed to put Rusev on the team after the match.
Miz/Mizdow beat Los Matadores in a match without much to talk about.
HHH literally danced in on a meeting between Cena and Ziggler to say Cena can’t be at ringside for Ziggler’s match.
Ziggler beat Mark Henry via DQ when Henry used a chair. This was the HENRY SMASH bit to keep softening Dolph up before the PPV. Big Show came out for the save and is of course part of Team Cena.
Kofi Kingston is part of the New Day with Woods. Just waiting on Big E. now.
Sheamus joined Team Cena as well. Makes sense.
AJ Lee beat Brie Bella in some angle advancement. Nikki beat up AJ after the match.
The Bunny cost Adam Rose a match and got kicked in the gut for his efforts. They better have someone good under that costume.
Wyatt talked about being sin and being able to save Ambrose. He got in a great line with “if God lived on this earth, he’d make oceans to walk on to get away from me.”
Cena and Ryback had a good main event until Kane cost Ryback the match via DQ. Sheamus and Big Show came out and got beaten up but Ryback cleaned house, including the Authority.
Ziggler was thrown into the Authority’s office by Luke Harper, who told HHH and Stephanie that he’s a team player to end the show.
This show was all about furthering the main event and believe it or not they’re doing a great job of making it feel important. The wrestling wasn’t bad and there’s actual stuff happening. That’s one of the major criticisms lately in WWE: nothing has been happening. Now there are actual stories going on, even if they’re not the most interesting in the world. I’m interested in where some of them are going and that’s more than I’ve been able to say for a long time. Good show this week but they need to deliver at Survivor Series.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Monday Night Raw – November 10, 2014: Keep Calm And Add Team Members
Monday Night Raw Date: November 10, 2014
Location: Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jerry Lawler
We’re in England for the annual fall tour and the show is taped tonight. The main story for tonight is the “return” of Cena to Raw after missing an entire week. He’ll be facing Ryback, but the important question is who will be added to the Survivor Series teams for the upcoming showdown. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the Authority’s issues last week, including Vince putting their power on the line and Rollins putting Orton out of action.
Here’s Cena to open things up with one of the loudest boos you’ll ever hear. He says the fans know how bad things are for him right now because Survivor Series is coming up. The Authority’s life is on the line and they don’t even want Cena to have a team. People like Zack Ryder tried to make a stand and now he’s going to be out six months.
However, he has two men ready to fight for him: Dolph Ziggler and former World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger. The fans say they want Ziggler and Cena blames the Authority for him not being out here. There’s one more man that Cena has his eye on and he’s a monster. The fans chant FEED ME MORE and that’s exactly who Cena wants out here right now.
Ryback comes out and says the big guy is back but the Authority cuts him off immediately. The entire group is here, complete with Mark Henry as the third man on the team. Stephanie thinks the English fans should love the Authority because they’re so used to being ruled by a monarchy. HHH says everything is on the line for the Authority and of course he’s trying to scare people out of being on Team Cena. The stakes have been raised so the game has changed. Who has the guts to join Team Cena when everything is on the line?
Cena only has two guys on his team right now but Ziggler isn’t likely to make it to Survivor Series. Cena: “You said the same thing about Daniel Bryan.” The HUGE YES chant suggests that Bryan is still over. HHH takes credit for Bryan being on the shelf and suggests that Ziggler will join him after facing Henry tonight. Stephanie brings it back to Ryback, saying that he could have many more main events if he joins Team Authority. Ryback might be the biggest monster the company has ever seen, but Kane doesn’t look happy with that idea.
Ryback seems to like the idea but Cena goes on another rant against the Authority. He doesn’t care who Ryback joins but know the pressure that comes with joining the Authority. The fans chant FEED ME MORE and Ryback says he isn’t afraid of the Authority, but he doesn’t see Cena’s name on the bottom of his paycheck. Ryback lays out Cena with a spinebuster and Stephanie starts a YES chant.
Seth Rollins vs. Jack Swagger
They trade shoulders to start until Rollins bails to the floor for a breather. Back in and Swagger snapmares him into an armbar to slow things down again. Rollins bails again and we take an early break. Back with Rollins in control and the fans chanting for JBL. Jack quickly breaks out of a chinlock and backdrops Seth out to the floor. The Stooges tell Colter to stay back and that’s exactly what the mustached wonder does.
Back in and a big boot sets up the Vader Bomb for two and the Patriot Lock goes on. Ropes are quickly grabbed though and Seth is sent out to the floor. Another Patriot Lock has Seth in trouble outside but he sends Swagger face first into the post. Back in and the Curb Stomp is good for the pin at 11:26.
Rating: C. Thanks for coming Jack, nice to see you’re still as big of a loser as you always were. At least have him beat someone before you crush him like this. Unless they’re going with the idea of Cena basically being on his own at the PPV, I really don’t see the need to have Swagger get beaten this decisively.
Post match the doctor looks at Swagger so Rollins gives Jack another Curb Stomp.
We look at Ambrose on the Peep Show from Smackdown. Wyatt interrupted and said Dean was just as broken as Harper and Rowan were. Bray mentioned Dean’s father being in prison and seemed to get under Ambrose’s skin.
Ambrose says he has a rap sheet as long as your arm but he doesn’t claim to be anyone’s hero. He’s fighting demons a lot scarier than Bray Wyatt but he doesn’t hide from anything. Dean is going to take Bray down hard with him and there’s a special place waiting for both of them. The match is official for Survivor Series.
Kane tells Ryback he’ll be at ringside for the main event. Ryback says he’s got it covered so Kane tells him to learn some humility. Ryback tells him to stay out of his way.
Paige vs. Alicia Fox
Guess who the fans are behind here. Fox jumps Paige to start and kicks her out to the floor. Back in and a northern lights suplex gets two for Alicia and a backbreaker gets the same. Paige gets all fired up and nails the Rampaige for the pin at 2:14.
Stephanie recruits Rusev for the Authority but Lana isn’t sure. They’ll consider it though. McMahon calls her a stuck up little Russian twit and offers to scratch Lana’s back if Lana will scratch hers.
Xavier Woods video. I believe this is the same as last week.
The Authority watches Vince’s speech from last week and say Vince has tried this kind of stuff before. HHH thinks he’s trying to split them up but says they’ll dominate at Survivor Series. Stephanie asks what if but HHH says they can’t think like that.
Here are the Russians for a victory celebration. Lana calls Rusev being US Champion ironic because Russia is superior to the United States. If not for Russia saving the British military, everyone here would be speaking German. A Russian guy in a suit reads a proclomation from Putin, basically saying woo hoo go Rusev. The Russian national anthem plays but Sheamus cuts things off. He storms the ring and Rusev bails to the floor.
We love veterans!
US Title: Sheamus vs. Rusev
Rusev is defending. Sheamus powers him into the corner to start and knocks the champion to the apron for the ten forearms. They head outside with Sheamus being sent into the apron and then thrown onto the announcers’ table for a good crash. Back in and Rusev puts on a hard front facelock to take Sheamus back down to the mat. Off to a cobra clutch for a bit before a big spinwheel kick puts Sheamus down again.
Back from a break with Sheamus fighting out of a chinlock as the Stooges are watching from ringside. Sheamus nails his running ax handles to the face but charges into a dropkick to put him right back down. A powerslam drops Rusev for two and Sheamus heads to the apron for the ten forearms. The slingshot shoulder sets up White Noise but Rusev rolls out. He doesn’t roll far enough though as Sheamus tries the Cloverleaf. Rusev kicks away but Sheamus grabs a jackknife rollup for two.
The champ comes right back with a gutwrench suplex for two and takes Sheamus to the corner, only to get caught in White Noise for an even closer two. The fans start an OLE chant as the Brogue Kick misses. Instead Rusev bails to the floor so Sheamus nails a top rope shoulder to drop him again.
Another ax handle to the head has Rusev in trouble and Sheamus throws him into the barricade over and over. Rusev dives back in and the referee checks on him as the Stooges jump Sheamus. The referee turns back around and starts the count at 8 (totally against the rules that have been in place for like, ever) to count Sheamus out at 15:47.
Rating: B-. As I was watching the finish, I actually said “they’re going to restart the count”, because THAT’S WHAT THEY ALWAYS DO. I mean, Gorilla Monsoon used to point that out and it’s been the case as long as I can remember. Then again, this is WWE where you can change the rules on a whim, especially when you need a way out of a good match. As usual, you can tell how good a Sheamus match is based on how sweaty his hair gets. Good stuff here.
Post break Lana agrees to put Rusev on Team Authority.
We recap the opening segment.
Rollins comes in to see Ryback and tells him to take orders from him instead of Kane. Ryback says he destroys whatever target is in front of him. Also, it’s the big man, not the big guy.
Los Matadores vs. Miz/Damien Mizdow
The actors have Hornswoggle in a black coat of his own. Miz runs over Fernando to start but Fernando keeps dropping to the mat until OLE! Diego comes in with a slingshot hilo for two but gets caught in a Reality Check. Lawler points out that almost all of the teams in the tag division look alike as the fans want Mizdow. Miz teases tagging him in but opts for a corner clothesline on Diego instead.
A top rope ax handle gets two on Diego as Jerry wants to know why Miz has a stunt double but Tom Cruise doesn’t. It’s finally off to Mizdow for one of the loudest pops of the night. Miz almost immediately tags himself back in and Diego runs over for a tag to Fernando. Everything breaks down and Miz kicks Fernando in the face. The little guys get into it and we get the Wrestlemania V ending with Mizdow holding down Fernando’s foot to give Miz the pin at 4:55.
Rating: D+. This is basically the same thing as we had last week with the tag teams having matches against each other. I’d almost bet on Goldust vs. Jey Uso either tonight or next week just to complete the foursome. Odds are it’s a fourway tag match at Survivor Series, even though I’m not sure how they fill in a card with 18 people in two matches.
Ziggler and Cena have a meeting in the back with Cena saying Swagger has been lost. Dolph isn’t going to let the same thing happen to him and Cena promises to have his back. Cena goes to leave when HHH dances in. HHH is cool with Cena having his back but not at ringside. The boss leaves, singing Another One Bites the Dust on the way out.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Mark Henry
Non-title again and we get the eyes talking to Dolph before the match again. The big man misses a charge in the corner and a rollup gets two for Dolph. Ziggler charges into a bearhug but faceplants Henry down to get a breather. They head outside with Henry missing a charge into the barricade but coming up with a chair for the DQ at 2:47.
Henry loads up the steps post match and loads up the World’s Strongest Slam. Cue Big Show who blocks a steps shot and knocks Henry to the floor. Show says he’s on Team Cena, which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.
Video on Kofi Kingston in the exact same style of the Woods video, even shouting NEW DAY over and over. So the stable is happening.
Team Cena meets up in the back and says they need two more. Sheamus comes up and says they just need one more.
Brie Bella vs. AJ Lee
Non-title again. Brie quickly takes her down and gets two off a running knee to the face. A missile dropkick puts AJ down again but Brie charges into some knees in the corner. The Black Widow is good for the submission at 2:14.
Nikki lays out AJ with the Rack Attack post match.
We see the veteran who is walking again using some new technology from Smackdown. Still cool.
Henry comes in to see Ryback and talks down to him as well. I sense a theme building.
The Grumpy Cat is still guest starring on Raw next week. Seriously that’s happening.
Adam Rose vs. Tyson Kidd
Rose is still WAY over despite teasing a heel turn on Friday. The match is just getting going when Erick Rowan comes out and scares the Bunny half to death. He takes off the mask and says “she’s not here” before walking into the crowd. Natalya maybe? Rose kicks Kidd in the face and hits some running clotheslines but the Bunny gets on the top rope. Adam shouts him down but Kidd uses the distraction to put on the Sharpshooter for the submission at 2:20.
Post match the Bunny hops around Rose and helps him up, only to get kicked in the ribs for his efforts. Rose leaves with the Express, who doesn’t seem to mind.
We recap Vince’s speech from last week again to set up the stakes at Survivor Series.
The Authority (minus Ryback) is having a meeting. Kane thinks Ryback has an attitude when Ryback walks in. HHH says the match tonight is about Ryback so he should destroy Cena in short order. Stephanie gives them a pep talk.
Chris Jericho will be back on Smackdown for the Highlight Reel with the Authority.
Same Ambrose/Wyatt video from Friday as earlier.
Wyatt pops up on screen and says society tells us that we’re all imperfect. Everyone is to be accepted for who we are though. Even someone as different as a Dean Ambrose, when people would rather spit on him than throw him a dollar. Bray walks the same wire as Ambrose, who admits he was a sinner. Dean got that from his daddy, who was a sinner as well.
Society tells us that sin is bad but that’s just another lie they teach us. Bray knows the future for Ambrose because Bray is sin himself. If God walked this earth, he would make oceans to walk away from Wyatt himself. Dean can join Wyatt on the path of righteousness or he can walk away alone.
ECW Exposed is on the Network after Raw goes off the air. Joey Styles and Paul Heyman are at the studio and hype up the show a bit.
John Cena vs. Ryback
The Authority (minus the leaders) is at ringside. Ryback throws Cena around and runs him over with a shoulder to start. An early AA attempt is countered but Cena fights back with right hands to knock Ryback into the corner. The bulldog is easily countered into a powerslam for two and Cena is in trouble again. More right hands have little effect as Ryback throws Cena at the Authority’s feet. Kane yells at Ryback a bit, allowing Cena to send Ryback flying into Kane for a big crash as we take a break.
Back with Cena diving into a slam and getting suplexed for two. Cena grabs a belly to belly to put both guys down but gets caught with a Thesz Press. Ryback rams John’s head into the mat over and over before getting two off a splash. The Shell Shock is countered but Ryback counters the shoulder into a powerslam for two. Cena backflips out of a powerbomb and escapes something like a Razor’s Edge to put on the STF.
The hold is quickly broken and Ryback hits a kind of slingshot cross body for two. Cena comes right back with an STF in the middle of the ring but Ryback casually powers up into a Shell Shock. That’s countered as well into the ProtoBomb but Kane gets on the apron for a distraction. A spinebuster plants Cena again as the Authority is having issues on the floor. Kane gets in and nails Cena for the DQ at 15:07.
Rating: B-. These two have nice chemistry together and this was no exception. Ryback is capable of working more than just a quick match which is the best thing that could possibly happen for him. He may not be ready for the title but he can hold his own in the ring, which is a major problem for so many power guys.
Ryback shoves Kane post match so Rollins comes in to break it up. Ryback nails him so Kane boots him down as the Authority goes after Cena. Sheamus tries to come in for a save but gets caught by the numbers. Cue Big Show to knock out the Stooges but the numbers take him down as well. Ziggler is nowhere in sight but Ryback comes back in and destroys the Authority. He doesn’t say anything to Cena as he leaves. Cena counts his team and looks at Ryback before slowly applauding.
We cut to HHH and Stephanie in the back when Ziggler is thrown onto their couch. HHH looks up and sees Luke Harper, who says he’s a team player. The bosses aren’t sure what to do as we go off the air.
Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show for one major reason: stuff is actually happening again. There’s stuff like Rowan searching for someone, the teams taking shape, the tag feud (boring but happening) and the Bellas stuff (they look good at least). It’s so much better than the same boring stuff over and over again and makes the show so much easier to sit through. It’s still not great, but I’ll take this stuff over the dull episodes any day.
Results
Seth Rollins b. Jack Swagger – Curb Stomp
Paige b. Alicia Fox – Rampaige
Rusev b. Sheamus via countout
Miz/Damien Mizdow b. Los Matadores – Miz fell on Fernando
Dolph Ziggler b. Mark Henry via DQ when Henry hit him with a chair
AJ Lee b. Brie Bella – Black Widow
Tyson Kidd b. Adam Rose – Sharpshooter
John Cena b. Ryback via DQ when Kane interfered
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Reviewing the Review – Monday Night Raw: November 3, 2014
We’re getting closer and closer to Survivor Series and for once the big elimination tag actually feels like it means something. We only have two members per team now though so it’s time to build up the rosters a little bit more. Other than that there’s….not much really. Oh wait Rusev finally wants the US Title. Let’s get to it.
We opened with a rare appearance from the Boss himself, Vince McMahon. To make a 20 minute promo short, Vince put the Authority’s future on the line in the elimination tag. This was a smart move as there was no real reason to care about the match otherwise. I’d love to see Cena put something up, but it can’t be something like never challenging for the title again because everyone would see the outcome a mile away.
Ambrose and Cesaro had a nice long match with Cesaro getting busted open and losing to Dirty Deeds. Bray Wyatt came out to watch but left before Ambrose could get to him. As usual, Cesaro and Ambrose had good chemistry together and the match was solid as you would expect.
The Authority wasn’t sure if Orton would make a good teammate. The turn continues.
Miz used some distraction to beat Jimmy Uso. It looks like we’re setting up a multi-team match at Survivor Series and this was just having the people on the teams fight. Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing all that interesting either. The match was exactly what you would expect from Miz vs. an Uso.
Tyson Kidd beat Sheamus via countout when he threw Natalya in front of the pale one. This was a nice surprise as Kidd got to show off for a change and Sheamus didn’t get pinned. There’s nothing wrong with losing via countout so no harm, no foul here.
The next big talking segment of the night was the Authority trying to get Ziggler to change sides for Survivor Series. HHH asked if Ziggler really thinks he’ll get any glory if Team Cena wins or if Cena will get any of the blame if they lose. Ziggler was offered whatever he wanted but the only thing he wants is the Authority out of power. HHH made Ziggler vs. Rollins for the Intercontinental Title right now. The promo made sense and was good enough, but like almost all HHH promos, it took WAY longer than it needed to. That’s my big issue with him: he just can’t cut to the chase and say what he wants to say. Speed it up Game.
As for the match, what else are you expecting? They went really fast, they ran around a lot, they almost had a finish and then Orton ran in for the DQ. Again, as long as Ziggler doesn’t get pinned, I can live with whatever they do to him. It’s called protecting champions and unfortunately it’s a lost art anymore. Actually it isn’t even an art. It’s lost common sense.
After a break, Orton came in to see the Authority. HHH made Orton a co-captain and set up Orton vs. Rollins tonight to let them get all this hatred out of their systems. Orton reluctantly agreed and you know something is going down tonight.
A bunch of eyes looked at us. I’m not sure who it was but it was creepy looking.
Ryback beat Titus O’Neil in about a minute. Standard Ryback formula.
Big Show said he misses his friend but now he’s going to knock Henry out. Simple and to the point.
Henry destroyed Big Show and hit him with the steps for a DQ. I’m really not a fan of these kind of matches and this was nothing worth seeing. In the back, Stephanie wanted Henry on the Survivor Series team. This would actually be followed up on next week.
Brie Bella wasn’t allowed to do an interview because Nikki said no. Erick Rowan came up and touched Renee Young’s hair after the twins left.
Nikki Bella beat Emma clean. Post match Brie had to go slap AJ on commentary, sending Nikki running away.
Xavier Woods appears to have a new preacher gimmick. No Kofi or Big E. in sight yet.
Rusev squashed Ryder for I think the 8th time (no exaggeration) since the night after Wrestlemania. Lana did her usual speech post match until Sheamus came to chase them off. After a break, Stephanie recruited Rusev but didn’t get an answer. Points for trying to get people involved at least.
Fernando beat Stardust in the same kind of match as Miz vs. Jimmy.
The main event saw Rollins beat Orton with a quick backslide. Again, what are you expecting here? Both guys are good workers and know how to work a main event style. Post match, Orton snapped and beat up the entire Authority but the numbers got the better of him, setting up a Curb Stomp onto the steps to end the show and sending Orton off to film a bad movie.
Post show Rusev beat Sheamus on the Network for the US Title. This continues to be the most logical and well done story in the company.
Overall Raw was better this week than the last few episodes as they advanced the stories and put on some good matches to back things up. At the end of the day though, three hours is just way too long every week, even if the show is entertaining throughout. I like the team members being teased but not selected, as it keeps more options open. Good show this week and I’m getting ready for Survivor Series. That’s a good sign.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Monday Night Raw – November 3, 2014: What A Sore Loser
Monday Night Raw Date: November 3, 2014
Location: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield
Survivor Series is still a few weeks away but we have a main event set and a story to get us there. I’m not sure on having the match set up and then building the story behind it, but the idea worked in 1992 for Flair vs. Savage. Anyway, now we need to find out who else is going to join Cena before Orton comes in for the save. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Orton laying out Rollins last week and the setup for Cena vs. the Authority at Survivor Series with the big brawl to end the show.
In the arena we have the Authority and…..the Boss himself, Vince McMahon. Vince praises the Authority and acknowledges the fans’ displeasure of them. The fans know what a great experience the WWE Network is (unless you’re in the UK of course) and if you don’t, you can find out in November for free. This includes the Survivor Series being free, meaning you can see Team Cena vs. the Authority for absolutely free.
However, let’s raise the stakes a bit. There’s something great about having power you’ve earned, such as when Vince defeated the US government, Ted Turner, and the match with God (where Vince was God’s partner but whatever). Therefore, let’s put the Authority’s power on the line in the match. The fans love that idea and we get an awkward ending where Vince’s music comes on before he seems ready to leave. Vince was just a spokesman here and didn’t mention the mess in the UK at all.
As they leave, here’s Dean Ambrose for his match. He shakes Vince’s hand and that’s it for the Authority right now.
After a break, Vince says he loved being back out there and hopes the Authority liked his surprise. He knows he can count on HHH and Stephanie but doesn’t like HHH’s tie. Vince leaves for the night and that’s it.
Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro
Before the match we get a recap of how Ambrose lost in the Cell. They hit the mat to start with Dean working on the arm before hammering away in the corner. A headlock takes Cesaro right back to the mat but he shoves Ambrose out to the floor to get a breather. Dean hammers away and nails an ax handle off the apron. Back in Cesaro powerbombs Dean out of the corner but Dean just charges at him with right hands to put Cesaro outside again. Cesaro is busted open BAD but the lights go out and we take a break.
Back with Wyatt sitting on the stage and watching Cesaro DDTing Dean off the top. The doctors have closed up the gash on Cesaro’s head so he doesn’t bleed on Dean while holding a chinlock. Dean fights up and nails a running forearm in the corner followed by a bulldog for two.
A big boot sets up the Rebound Clothesline to give Ambrose another two count. Dean loads up a tornado DDT but gets countered into Swiss Death to give Cesaro his own two. That doesn’t last long though as Dean knocks him to the floor for a suicide dive. Back in and Ambrose gets crotched on the top for two, only to grab Dirty Deeds for the pin at 13:23.
Rating: B-. These two have chemistry and thankfully they didn’t just do another street fight to make the one on Friday pointless. Dean getting a clean pin is a good thing for him, even though Cesaro’s stock continues to plummet. Ambrose vs. Wyatt should be good when it happens as both guys are capable of putting on a great match when they need to.
Dean stares at Wyatt on the stage but the lights go out again. They come back up and show an empty rocking chair.
The Authority is in the back, talking about how make the best Survivor Series team. HHH suggests Orton but Stephanie isn’t convinced. Neither was HHH, but now Vince has forced them into a position they don’t want.
Jimmy Uso vs. Miz
Miz grabs a headlock to start as Jey stares at Mizdow’s imitations. Back up and Jimmy nails a superkick to the ribs and gets two off a clothesline. We hit the armbar as Jey starts copying his brother. Cole: “THIS IS HILARIOUS!” A Samoan drop puts Miz down again but he avoids the running Umaga attack. Back in and Miz avoids a low clothesline before kicking Jimmy’s head off. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Miz gets sent to the floor, setting up a huge dive. Mizdow tries to interfere and eats a superkick from Jey, drawing a huge boo from the crowd. The distraction lets Miz hit the Finale on Jimmy for the pin at 4:40.
Rating: D+. This was a fairly slow paced match but it was so much better than seeing the same tag matches over and over again. It’s also nice to see them having different teams than just the champions and whomever they’re feuding with at the time fighting. Just keep things from being the same over and over again and it’s far easier to sit through.
We recap Mark Henry turning on Big Show last week.
Sheamus is defending the US Title on Raw Backstage Pass against Rusev tonight.
Sheamus vs. Tyson Kidd
Non-title and Kidd has his big headphones on again. Feeling out process to start with Kidd kicking away at the leg but getting dropped with a European uppercut. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker (not the Irish Curse Cole) puts Kidd down again as we see Rusev and Lana watching from the back. Kidd sends him throat first into the middle rope as Natalya looks very nervous on the floor. A hard kick to the head staggers Sheamus as Cole makes a Sarah Palin reference. Leave it to WWE to be on the cutting edge of the news.
We hit a chinlock on Sheamus until he fights back with a running knee and Alabama Slam. There’s the Cloverleaf but Tyson crawls over to the ropes. A springboard missile dropkick puts Sheamus on the floor as Kidd is doing far better than you would expect here. Sheamus pulls him off the apron for the rolling fireman’s carry but Tyson throws Natalya at Sheamus to beat the count back in at 5:17.
Rating: C-. I liked this way more than I was expecting to as Kidd got to show off a bit instead of looking like a cruiserweight jobber in way over his head. Sheamus losing by countout is far better than having him get rolled up or something because he got caught by a cheating coward. Little things like that make the show so much easier to sit through.
Sheamus kicks Kidd’s head off post match.
Here’s Dolph Ziggler for his match but instead he gets the entire Authority. We see Vince’s announcement again and Stephanie says the Authority is excited. See they’re winners, unlike John Cena and everyone else. They’ll put together the greatest Survivor Series team in history, led by Seth Rollins and Kane. HHH whispers in her ear and Stephanie announces Orton as the third member.
The Game talks about how people think the Authority is punishing people who side with Cena, but that’s not the case at all. If Ziggler sides with Cena and wins, who is going to get the credit? If they lose, who is going to get all the blame? Ziggler seems ready to rise up to the top but there’s always someone in his way. He works harder than anyone else in the back but Ziggler doesn’t get the credit for it. Instead, Cena is called the hardest working man in the company while no one remembers Dolph. Stephanie asks Ziggler where Cena is tonight if he cares about Ziggler so much.
Maybe this will all work out for Ziggler though. Maybe Dolph gets all the titles, the girls and the fame. Maybe….that’s an awful lot of maybes. Or maybe, Ziggler can call up Cena and tell him the answer is no. Dolph can have anything he wants for one phone call. If Ziggler asks, the Authority will give.
Ziggler thinks about it and confirms that he can have ANYTHING he wants. HHH: “Anything.” Ziggler wants HHH and the Authority out of power for good. That’s too bad because the Authority wanted to give Dolph whatever he wanted. Now, when the twelve year olds are complaining about the Authority on Twitter, they can blame Ziggler. Sometimes in life you can end up empty handed, like right now because Ziggler is defending his Intercontinental Title.
Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
Rollins is challenging. They hit the mat to start with Rollins grabbing a headlock as the fans tell him that he sold out. The announcers plug the Network as Ziggler hiptosses Rollins out to the floor. Seth comes back with right hands in the corner and a clothesline gets two. Dolph backdrops him down but gets caught in a suplex. A dropkick staggers Rollins but he comes back with a Downward Spiral into the buckle for two. We hit the chinlock on the champion but he fights up and sends both guys outside.
Back from a break with Ziggler in another chinlock. He fights up but both guys try cross bodies to give us a breather. Some clotheslines drop Rollins and the neckbreaker puts him down again. The Fameasser is countered into a rollup for two but a catapult sends Rollins into the corner. Dolph hammers away in the corner, only to have Seth nail the Buckle Bomb for two.
Seth misses the top rope knee to the head and the Fameasser connects for another near fall. The running DDT and superkick are blocked and Rollins gets two off an enziguri. Ziggler avoids the Curb Stomp but has to deal with the Stooges. Seth sends him shoulder first into the post and now the Curb Stomp connects….but Orton comes in with an RKO to Rollins for the DQ at 15:30.
Rating: B-. The DQ ending makes sense here as Orton’s face turn (or at least tweener turn) continues to grow. Rollins vs. Orton is going to be a great match and the build is getting better and better with the one upping. They made sure to protect Ziggler for a change here as he was fighting three guys at once and didn’t actually get pinned. Again, the little things are all you need to make this stuff work.
Orton comes in to see the Authority and is told he and Rollins will be co-captains at Survivor Series. Randy thinks he should go fight on Team Cena instead but HHH gets in his face. HHH wants Orton to face Rollins tonight to get this out of his system because everything is on the line at Survivor Series. They slowly shake hands and Orton says deal.
We get a vignette of eyes with a voice saying he sees you. It sounded like Rowan but it wasn’t clear.
We see Show and Henry fighting on MizTV from Smackdown.
Titus O’Neil is in the ring and says you spell winning T-I-T-U-S-. He’s open to offers for Survivor Series but gets cut off by some music.
Ryback vs. Titus O’Neil
The fans get behind Ryback to start but O’Neil actually takes him down with a clothesline. Some kicks to the back have Ryback in more trouble but he spinebusts Titus with ease. The Authority is watching in the back as the Meathook and Shell Shock are enough for the pin at 2:26.
Big Show is in the back and says he’d love to be on Team Cena at Survivor Series because Cena could count on him. Speaking of people you can count on, Show thought he could count on Mark Henry. But then Henry turned on him in a big way and beat Big Show up. They have forty years between them in WWE (not quite) and Big Show misses his friend. However, there’s a part of him that just wants to knock Henry out.
Some Buffalo Bills are here.
Big Show vs. Mark Henry
Henry gets tossed into the corner to start but Show charges into an elbow. The fans chant for Sexual Chocolate as Show superkicks Henry down. An elbow gets two and they head outside where Henry sends him into the post. Show nails something like a spear to put both guys down on the floor.
Back in and Show drops some elbows before putting on that modified Haas of Pain. Henry makes the ropes so Show stands on his chest. The Authority is watching from the back again as Big Show goes up top. Mark slams him down and RUNS over for a two count. The World’s Strongest Slam gets the same with a very weak reaction. They head outside with Henry sending him into the steps before nailing him with the steps for a DQ at 6:28.
Rating: D+. This was your standard slow paced match between two big guys and nowhere near as good of a match as either guy had with Rusev. The fact that it seems to set up another match between them doesn’t help matters as they can only throw each other around so many times before the interest wears down.
Henry Slams him on the steps post match.
Stephanie wants Henry on the team so HHH sends Kane to find out. We get some of Stephanie’s classic acting as she says they only need one more. HHH says let the guys get it out of their system tonight so they can focus.
Network hype.
AJ is on commentary as Brie is in the back for a chat with Renee. She’s on day 8 of her sentence and knows it’s tough when Nikki comes in to cut it off. Brie isn’t allowed to do anything without Nikki’s permission so get out of here. Renee says that’s a wrap when Erick Rowan pops up next to her and starts playing with her hair. He takes off the mask and says pretty. Renee leaves because she’s smarter than Michael Cole.
Nikki Bella vs. Emma
The CM Punk chants begin as Cole explains the servant story. An early slam gets two for Nikki and she cranks on Emma’s arms. Back up and Emma avoids a charge in the corner before putting on the Dilemma. The Emma Sandwich is broken up by a dropkick, followed by the Rack Attack for the pin at 2:24.
Post match Nikki tells Brie to go slap AJ. Brie follows orders and Nikki runs off from the champ.
Xavier Woods is now an over the top preacher who talks about it being a new day.
Rusev vs. Zack Ryder
Ryder has sent Cena a tweet saying that he’d be on Team Cena. It’s almost sad at this point. Rusev quickly takes him into the corner and hammers away. Ryder scores with some dropkicks but charges into a foot and gets Accoladed at 1:18.
Post match Lana says their new orders from Putin are to bring him the United States Title. Rusev says Sheamus is no different from any other and he’ll beg for mercy like everyone else. This brings out Sheamus who says he values the title more than anything and that Rusev is in for the fight of his life tonight.
After a break, Stephanie comes up to the Russians in the back and offers Lana a spot on the team. They’ll have to talk to Putin first and then get back to her. As you would expect, this took far longer than it should have.
Fernando vs. Stardust
Miz and Mizdow are on commentary. Stardust takes him down to start and hammers away as Miz talks about teaching Mizdow to act. Fernando fights out of an armbar but gets sent out to the floor. Stardust throws him back in but knocks JBL’s hat off the table for some reason. Goldust, Torito and the actors get in a brawl, allowing Fernando to hit the Backstabber on Stardust for the pin at 2:32.
We recap all the Authority stuff tonight.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
The Authority is at ringside. Orton knocks him into the corner to start and sends Seth outside. Back in and they slug it out with Orton sending him outside again for a clothesline to the back of the head. We take a break and come back with Orton having some issues getting back inside. Rollins misses a dive though and we head back inside for a chinlock. That goes nowhere either as Rollins fights out and kicks Orton in the chest a few times.
A knee drop gets two for Seth but they head outside with Orton sending him onto the announcers’ table. Seth drives him head first onto the table as well and heads back inside. Orton crotches him on top though and scores with a superplex for two. They head back outside again so Rollins can hit a suicide dive. HHH looks worried as Seth goes back inside for a springboard knee to the head. An enziguri looks to set up the Curb Stomp but Orton counters with a powerslam for two. The Elevated DDT looks to set up the RKO but Rollins counters into a backslide for the surprise pin at 14:40.
Rating: B. Good match here with a surprise finish. If Orton is indeed taking time off to film a movie, there’s nothing wrong with him putting Rollins over on the way out. At the end of the day, Orton has been bulletproof for years so a loss like this isn’t going to mean anything, especially if he comes back to a huge face pop.
Most of the Authority gets in the ring and Orton is livid. Randy shakes the Stooges’ and Kane’s hands, leaving only Rollins in front of him. Orton isn’t sure this time as Rollins extends his hand and says he’s sorry. They shake hands and Orton lays him out with an RKO. What a sore loser.
The rest of the Authority gets taken out but HHH comes in to break up the Punt. He tries to calm Orton down but Randy lays him out as well. The Stooges come back in and triple team Orton but he fights all of them off and goes after Rollins outside. The Authority gets on Orton, allowing Seth to Curb Stomp him onto the table. Orton is slightly busted open. HHH says finish this and walks off with Stephanie, leaving Rollins to Curb Stomp Orton onto the steps to end the show.
Here’s a rare bonus match from the post show.
US Title: Sheamus vs. Rusev
Sheamus is defending of course and we get Big Match Intros. Rusev takes him up against the ropes to start before they trade some big clubbing shots. Sheamus knocks the Russian out to the apron for the forearms but Rusev breaks it up at about four. They head outside with Sheamus diving into a powerslam off the apron. Back in for a side choke from Rusev followed by a spinwheel kick for no cover.
We hit a front facelock on the champion but he quickly fights up for a powerslam to get a breather. Sheamus wins a slugout with some running ax handles but gets backdropped to the apron, only to grab Rusev for the ten forearms. The slingshot shoulder gets two but Sheamus takes too long going up, allowing Rusev to slam him down. A fall away slam gets two more for Rusev and frustration is starting to set in.
The Accolade goes on but Sheamus gets an arm free to fight it. He gets to his knees and headbutts his way to freedom, setting up White Noise for two. Sheamus staggers to his feet but misses the Brogue Kick, allowing Rusev to hit two straight running superkicks. The Accolade makes Sheamus black out to give Rusev the title at 12:02.
Rating: C+. This was a nice power match as you have Sheamus make Rusev look good in the process. Sheamus is another guy that can easily bounce back from a loss like this so there’s no damage done. It’s not like Sheamus was doing anything with the title anyway so let Rusev use it as a prop to keep up the RUSSIA IS AWESOME story. It makes perfect sense and there’s nothing wrong with this. The match wasn’t bad either.
Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show far better than most of the recent ones as you had pieces set up for the main event at the PPV and a reason to stick around for the post show match. It’s nothing great, but after all of the disasters we’ve sat through recently, this was a nice breath of air. Cena not being there likely had something to do with that as he’s been stuck doing the same stuff for so long lately that it’s nice to have someone else get a chance every now and then.
Results
Dean Ambrose b. Cesaro – Dirty Deeds
Miz b. Jimmy Uso – Skull Crushing Finale
Tyson Kidd b. Sheamus via countout
Seth Rollins b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Randy Orton interfered
Ryback b. Titus O’Neil – Shell Shock
Big Show b. Mark Henry via DQ when Henry hit him with the steps
Nikki Bella b. Emma – Rack Attack
Rusev b. Zack Ryder – Accolade
Fernando b. Stardust – Backstabber
Seth Rollins b. Randy Orton – Backslide
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Smackdown – October 31, 2014: Scary In All The Wrong Ways
Smackdown Date: October 31, 2014
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tom Phillips
We’re onto a new set of new stories for a change now with a focus on Cena vs. the Authority and Ambrose vs. Wyatt. That isn’t the best pair of stories in the world but we’re stuck with this until we get to the Rumble and the wrestling actually matters to the company anymore. It’s also Halloween so hopefully things aren’t all that campy tonight. Let’s get to it.
We open with….Vince. He tells us about the big news from the conference call: November is a free month of the WWE Network (for new subscribers), meaning Survivor Series is a free show. That’s quite the incentive and the lack of a commitment should help them in the long run.
Battle Royal
Paige (Summer Rae), Natalya (Queen of Hearts), Naomi (paratrooper), Summer Rae (schoolgirl nerd), Layla (clown), Emma (Tarzan), Rosa Mendes (zombie nurse), Cameron (cop), Alicia Fox (firewoman), Nikki Bella (cat)
They’re in costumes of course and the winner gets a Divas Title shot so AJ is on commentary. We get a video from earlier today of Brie dressed as Daniel Bryan but Nikki sending her to get her Louis Vaton bag in San Antonio. Naomi quickly kicks Rosa out to the floor and Natalya kicks out Summer (AJ: “There goes the sexy D-Von Dudley.”).
Emma gets tossed as well as Layla pulls the stuffing out Paige’s top. That earns her an elimination before Cameron and Naomi go out one after another. We’re down to Natalya, Paige, Nikki and Fox but Alicia quickly kicks Natalya out. Fox dumps Paige but eliminates herself in the process, giving Nikki the win at 2:43.
Here are Kane, Rollins and the Stooges for a chat. Kane loves this time of year because he gets to torment little kids but the fun keeps going into November with Survivor Series. Tonight though it’s Ambrose vs. Cesaro in a Trick or Street Fight but Rollins thinks Bray Wyatt might interrupt. If that happens though, Dean will fall just like he did on Sunday inside the Cell. Rollins laughs at the YOU SOLD OUT chants before taking the focus back to Survivor Series. Who could Cena possibly get on his team? Who would be willing to team with him against the Authority and risk their careers in the process? Kane can think of one man so get out here Dolph Ziggler.
Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler
Non-title again. Ziggler dropkicks the knee but the DDT is countered with Kane just throwing Dolph down. A clothesline gets two for Kane but Dolph avoids an elbow drop. Back up and Kane uppercuts Dolph off the top and out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Kane missing a big boot and taking a Fameasser for two. Jamie Noble gets on the apron for a distraction though, allowing the big boot to connects for another two count. The chokeslam is countered into a sunset flip just like Monday but Kane pops up. Ziggler’s Stinger Splash is caught in the chokeslam for the pin at 8:27.
Rating: D+. Kane. Beat Dolph Ziggler. Clean. In 2014. I’m sure this has nothing to do with Ziggler saying legends can’t just come in and get handed big matches at Wrestlemania earlier this week. If that’s true, and given the company’s track record it wouldn’t be all that shocking, WWE needs to get over itself already.
Post match Kane hits another chokeslam and makes Ziggler vs. Rollins.
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
Curb Stomp, 23 seconds.
Heath Slater vs. Ryback
Slater is a scarecrow. He hammers away with right hands but loses his fake hand so it’s time for air guitar. Ryback plants him with a spinebuster, setting up the Meathook and Shell Shock for the pin at 1:28.
The Exotic Express is looking for people to party with and find Goldust, Stardust, Sin Cara as a Ninja Turtle and R-Truth as a ghost. Truth asks what it’s like to have the Bunny upstage Rose all the time and thinks Adam should have been the Bunny for Halloween. Rose laughs it off so Truth gives him a rock. The Bunny hops around Rose and that’s it. If there was a point here, I must not be smart enough to get it.
Time for MizTV with Miz saying he may be available to join Team Cena. However that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Instead, let’s focus on the special guest tonight: Mark Henry. Miz asks Mark what happened on Monday but Henry says it was exactly what should have happened. Miz shows us a clip of Rusev making Show tap, which Henry says was a result of Show trying to upstage him.
Show didn’t help Henry on Sunday and Mark gets annoyed at the WHAT chants. Henry says Show has been acting like he knows everything for months but he’s just a nosy guy with an overactive pituitary gland. It’s all about strength but here’s Big Show for a brawl. They fight at ringside with Henry sending him into the post and through the barricade.
We recap the Authority vs. Cena on Monday.
Stardust/Goldust vs. Los Matadores
Non-title. Before the match the champs say they’d listen to offers from either team at Survivor Series. So the Authority team might not be Authority members? Fernando works on Stardust’s arm to start and sends him over to Diego for a dropkick. A slingshot hilo gets two on Stardust but he comes back with a springboard dropkick of his own. The champs send Fernando to the floor and we take a break.
Back with Torito getting knocked off the apron but Fernando plants Stardust, setting up the hot tag to Diego. A hurricanrana sends Diego outside and the masked men hit a huge double suicide dive. Stardust jumps backwards onto both guys before throwing Torito inside. Torito will have none of that though and dropkicks Stardust to the floor, distracting Goldust long enough for Fernando to roll him up for the pin at 7:24. That match needed a commercial?
Rating: D. Why do we have titles anymore? The only way they set up a title match is to have the champion lose (or in this show’s case, lose TWICE to set up a match where Ziggler is just a piece), meaning we need a title match later where Los Matadores can lose. You have a roster so full of people not working and you don’t have ANYONE else for Los Matadores to beat to earn a shot? This is getting old in a hurry.
Rusev vs. Great Khali
The fans chant USA so I guess they’re neutral. Khali immediately chops Rusev in the head so the Russian hammers away in the corner. Another chop has the same result so Rusev kicks him in the face and Accolades him for the submission at 47 seconds.
Post match Lana talks about new orders from Russia: crush the US Champion and give the title to Putin as a present. This brings out Sheamus who says he’s been waiting on for a long time. The challenge is accepted because Sheamus takes personal pride in what this title represents. Sheamus comes to the ring and tries a Brogue Kick, sending Rusev running. This would be the most logical feud in the world at the moment and exactly what they should have done. It shouldn’t be surprising as Rusev’s story has been one of the few well done thing in the WWE for months now.
Here’s Bray Wyatt for a chat. Today is a special day because all of the people here get to pretend to be something that they aren’t. Have you ever wondered why costuming yourself makes you feel so comfortable? Do you wear a mask to hide from the horrors of the world? Or is it because everyone hates everything about you? You can’t pretend forever though because tomorrow morning you’re just another one of those anonymous souls.
Dean Ambrose is different though because he never takes off his mask. Ambrose is like Wyatt: a creature, an animal and a monster. Bray understands what it felt like to have someone at a point like Rollins had Ambrose on Sunday. He knows what that power feels like and it makes you feel immortal. You have the power to take everything away from someone and Dean can’t just wash away his sins. They will stain him forever and she still cries for him. Follow the buzzards.
Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro
Street fight. There are a bunch of Halloween items at ringside, including about twenty pumpkins inside the ring, because we’ve got a theme match. Ambrose brings out a candy corn themed kendo stick because even he can make candy corn look cool. Dean hammers away to start and drops Cesaro with a bulldog.
Cesaro comes back with some kendo stick shots to the ribs and right hands to the head followed by a big swing to the chest. More stick shots have Dean in trouble but he blocks a big swing and hammers away with right hands. Cesaro comes right back with a tiger bomb for two followed by more stick shots. He piles up a bunch of pumpkins but can’t quite suplex Dean onto the pile.
Instead Dean sends him out to the floor, only to take some more stick shots. A dropkick destroys a bucket full of candy but Cesaro throws him over the announcers’ table. Ambrose pops up with a stick of his own before throwing him back inside for a backdrop on the pumpkins. They head outside again with Cesaro nailing him out of the air with a kendo stick.
Dean’s head is shoved into a bucket of apples and water but he comes back with a skeleton. Cesaro grabs a chair but gets knocked onto a table with some broom shots. A middle rope elbow with the broom sends Cesaro through the table on the floor. They head back inside where Ambrose puts a pumpkin on Cesaro’s head and Dirty Deeds is good for the pin at 7:18.
Rating: C+. This was your usual fun main event with all the weapons and props being used in the right way. Ambrose getting a pin is a good thing and makes him look stronger going into the PPV showdown with Wyatt. Bray can get by on his talking alone and Dean can look good in matches like this one.
Another Dirty Deeds ends the show.
Overall Rating: D+. Decent wrestling aside, this was one of the most frustrating shows I can remember in along time. We had three losses for champions and Kane of all people getting his win back instead of laying down like he should be doing at this point. Hopefully the audience for this show is so low that most people don’t watch and this doesn’t mean much. This is a decent show but it’s more frustrating than anything else.
Results
Nikki Bella won a battle royal last eliminating Alicia Fox
Kane b. Dolph Ziggler – Chokeslam
Seth Rollins b. Dolph Ziggler – Curb Stomp
Ryback b. Heath Slater – Shell Shock
Los Matadores b. Stardust/Goldust – Rollup to Goldust
Rusev b. Great Khali – Accolade
Dean Ambrose b. Cesaro – Dirty Deeds
Hell in a Cell 2014: Even Better This Time Around
Hell in a Cell 2014 Date: October 26, 2014
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield
It’s a double main event this year as we have two matches inside the Cell for the sake of having two matches inside the Cell. First up, in what should be the main event, we have Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose in a well built feud that belongs in the Cell. On the other hand, we have Cena vs. Orton in a match that is in the Cell to fill in a spot on the card. Let’s get to it.
Pre-Show: Bo Dallas vs. Mark Henry
This is a bonus match and seems to have replaced MizdowTV. Bo declares himself the new World’s Strongest Man after beating Henry four times in a row. He’s immune to Ebola (not said by name here) and is ashamed that this city shares his name. Therefore his last name is Bo Washington (the Washington Redskins are playing the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football tomorrow night). Henry hammers away to start and almost throws Dallas out of his shirt. World’s Strongest Slam ends Bo in 34 seconds.
Bo says he wasn’t ready and that Henry cheated. Cheaters never win, so Bo is the winner in the record book of life and is 5-0 against Henry. Mark throws him into the barricade for good measure.
The opening video focuses on how violent the Cell can be. Most of the focus is on Orton vs. Cena, which hopefully doesn’t mean that’s the main event. Ambrose vs. Rollins gets its share of time too though.
Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro
This is 2/3 falls with Ziggler defending after they traded wins in the last week. Ziggler comes out first for some reason and Cole actually brings up the title being won for the first time in Rio de Janiero. Cesaro looks to have shaved the rest of his hair. We get some grappling to start with Cesaro taking him down to the mat and cranking on a chinlock. Off to a chinlock as Cesaro does some of the most obvious spot calling I’ve seen in years.
Back up and they trade rollups for two each until Ziggler gets caught in the Swing for two. Dolph kicks out but hangs on to Cesaro for a rollup and the pin at 3:43. Cesaro is furious and hammers away but misses a middle rope elbow. A STIFF right hand puts Ziggler down and we hit a kneeling reverse chinlock on the champion. Cesaro goes after the arm but still can’t tie things up. He sends Dolph to the apron for the superplex but Dolph his arm across the top rope to take over.
Dolph actually stays on the arm with a cobra clutch but Cesaro spins him around into a suplex attempt. Ziggler turns that into something like a Kimura until Cesaro drives him into the corner. The hold stays on as Cesaro climbs the ropes and throws Ziggler up for a superplex. That looked great but Cesaro can’t cover due to the arm. Ziggler is up at two and avoids a charge to send him arm first into the post, setting up the Fameasser for two. The running DDT is countered into Swiss Death for two but the Neutralizer is countered into a Stunner on the arm and the Zig Zag to retain the title at 12:24.
Rating: B-. Good match here, even though it makes me wonder why they bothered having Ziggler lose clean on Monday. Cesaro did his usual here: blow the fans’ minds with big moves and then lose anyway because I guess his victory was popping the crowd. I’m not sure where Ziggler goes after this but at least he had a good match here.
We recap the end of Raw where Rollins attacked Orton in a big surprise.
The Authority is in the back and Orton is looking for Rollins. Stephanie tells him to use his anger on Cena tonight but Orton wants to get his hands on Seth. HHH tries to calm things down again by saying Orton and Rollins are a lot alike. Randy leaves, but says if HHH doesn’t deal with Rollins, he will.
Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella
Loser is the winner’s servant for 30 days. They lock up to start with Brie sending Nikki into the corner but missing a charge. Nikki runs her over for two and a facebuster gets the same. The fans start chanting JBL because NO ONE CARES ABOUT THIS STORY. Brie plants her face first for two before hitting a few dropkicks. A running knee to the face has Nikki in trouble but she misses a charge and falls out to the floor.
She comes up clutching her knee and heads back inside to take a missile dropkick for two. Nikki pops back up and hooks the Rack for two. Brie slaps on the YES Lock but Nikki gets her feet on the ropes. Nikki comes back with a hard forearm to the face and a second Rack for the pin at 6:21.
Rating: D+. The worst part: the wrestling wasn’t all that bad. The problem with this is it’s one of the least interesting stories in years as I don’t even remember why they’re fighting. I get that it’s about Brie quitting but are we really supposed to care that a woman is dating John Cena (wait, does that relationship exist in WWE?) and had to wrestle some handicap matches against some heels. Also, if Nikki hates her sister so much, why would she want her around for thirty more days?
WWE2K15 ad.
The expert panel of Renee, Booker T., Heyman and Alex Riley talk about what we’ve seen so far.
Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Goldust/Stardust
The Dusts are defending. Stardust and Jimmy get things going with the twin getting slammed down. Jimmy comes back by missing a kick but gets two off a flip splash. Off to Goldust vs. Jey as the challengers take over, only to have Jimmy get sent knee first into the post. Goldust slaps on a chinlock and gets two off a powerslam. The release gordbuster drops Jimmy and we hit the chinlock again. Back up and Stardust’s bulldog is countered before Goldust is backdropped to the floor.
The hot tag brings in Jey to clean house as the Usos hit their big dives. Goldust takes the running Umaga Attack in the corner for two but Jey has to go after Stardust, allowing Goldust to get two of his own off a spinebuster. Jey superkicks him down for two more before the Usos hit stereo superplexes. There’s a Superfly Splash to Goldust but Stardust makes a save at two. A quick kick to the back of the knee sets up the Final Cut from Goldust to retain the titles at 10:25.
Rating: B-. Another good match but another case where I do not care about the story because we’ve seen these teams fight half a dozen times in six man tags over the last few weeks. The division is back to having two teams again and that makes some very dull periods. At least the wrestling is good but it’s only going to last so long.
Some singer cares about breast cancer. November can’t get here soon enough.
We recap Orton vs. Cena with a nice package on rivalries. They’re playing this up to be amongst the greatest rivalries ever but the amount of times they’ve fought hurts it a lot.
Randy Orton vs. John Cena
In the Cell and the winner gets a match with Lesnar at some point in the future. Before the match the camera picks up on a Cena vs. Orton sign then zooms out when we see that it’s complaining about how many times they’ve fought. Orton takes over to start and hammers away to send Cena out to the floor. John goes face first into the steel before they head back inside. Orton brings in a chair but Cena kicks it away for a breather.
That’s fine with Randy as he headbutts Cena down and gets in a few chair shots for two. Orton drives the chair into the ribs a few times before taking Cena outside to rub his face against the Cell again. A few more rams are good for two and we hit the chinlock. Cena fights up for his comeback but walks into a kick to the head and the powerslam. The Elevated DDT is countered with a backdrop and now it’s Cena ramming him back first into the Cell.
John tries one too many times though and gets crotched against the post to change advantage again. They stay on the floor with Cena sending him back into the cage and pulling out a table. It’s set up in the corner but Orton gets in the first few blows to take over again. The RKO gets two and Cena being thrown through the table gets the same. Randy’s next weapon of choice is the stairs but Cena slams him onto the steel for two more. The AA is countered though and a low blow gets two for Randy.
The STF goes on but Orton makes the ropes. This is the Cell though so it means nothing, meaning Orton has to crawl under the ropes to escape. John picks up the steps and throws them as hard as he can through the ropes, only to hit the Cell by mistake. Back in and they trade finishers for two each, including the AA countered into the RKO. Even the fans knew to expect that spot. Another AA gets two but both guys are down. Randy brings in another table and crotches him on the top but a middle rope RKO is countered into a middle rope AA through the table for the pin at 25:50.
Rating: B. They went with the regular big match showdown here and that’s the best thing they could have done. These two are almost out of ideas and thankfully they had a good one here. It wasn’t a masterpiece or anything but they know how to work the big match formula. Also thank goodness this was the first half main event instead of having it close the show.
Cena stares Heyman down.
Big Show and Henry are getting ready in the back.
US Title: Miz vs. Sheamus
Sheamus is defending. Apparently the MizdowTV did happen as the pre-shows are now all an hour long. There doesn’t seem to be much to it as Miz praised Mizdow and Sheamus might have Brogue Kicked a cameraman. Sheamus starts the match with a Brogue Kick attempt but Miz bails to the ropes. That’s fine with Sheamus as he grabs the ten forearms, complete with Mizdow grabbing the bottom rope and selling them as well.
They head outside with Miz taking out Mizdow by mistake but actually using the distraction to nail Sheamus and take over. Sheamus quickly fights back and hits the rolling fireman’s carry on the floor for two. He motions that it’s time for the face but Miz takes him down and gets two of his own off the low DDT. The fans chant for Mizdow as Miz counters White Noise into a failed Figure Four attempt. Sheamus scores with a powerslam and calls for the Brogue, only to have to go after Mizdow. Miz’s rollup doesn’t work but the Skull Crushing Finale gets two. Not that it matters as the Brogue Kick retains the title at 8:25.
Rating: C. Mizdow was the star of this match and I’m hoping they get to his face turn soon enough. Maybe they can have him get the title off Sheamus soon enough and make Miz jealous or something like that but it would be better than Sheamus beating them up every week. Match was nothing you wouldn’t see on Raw.
Post match Mizdow lays next to Miz so Sheamus has some fun with them by making Miz, and Sandow as a result, do the YMCA dance.
Brie has to load up Nikki’s bags in the car and is all evil about a smoothie. You can guess where the smoothie winds up.
We recap Rusev vs. Big Show. In short: America good, Russia bad, repeat for six to eight weeks and throw in Rusev kicking a US soldier.
Rusev vs. Big Show
Lana is in pink tonight. They slug it out to start with Rusev getting the better of it by going after the leg to put Show down. Rusev stays on the leg with the wide variety of leg stuff that you often see used on giants as this isn’t off to the hottest start in the world. A nice suplex drops Show again for two. The Accolade is countered into something like Charlie Haas’ Haas of Pain but Rusev is right next to the ropes.
Back up and Show hits a spear as Henry comes out. There’s the chokeslam to Rusev and he rolls outside, only to have Show call Henry off and throw Rusev back in. There’s the jumping superkick to Show and Henry, followed by two more to Show. The Accolade goes on and Show gives up at 8:04.
Rating: D. This was every big Rusev match we’ve seen so far but there’s only so much you can do with osmeone like Big Show. There’s no doubt in who is going to win these things and that’s the problem with someone like Rusev. He really needs to move up to someone more mobile now and Sheamus might be just the right option.
You know breast cancer? It’s still bad.
Ambrose goes on a rant about Seth Rollins as a Halloween costume resembling roadkill and oatmeal on a pogo stick. It didn’t make any more sense when he said it.
Divas Title: AJ Lee vs. Paige
AJ is defending and Alicia Fox is in Paige’s corner. They trade knockdowns to start until Paige kicks her in the ribs to take over. AJ comes back with a rolling cradle for two and they head outside with AJ having to nail Fox. Back in and Paige takes over with some shots to the back and a double arm crank to kill some time. They get back up and Paige stays on her, including a fall away slam (complete with skipping) for two. Back outside with AJ sending her head first into the barricade, setting up the Black Widow to retain at 6:55.
Rating: D+. Not terrible here but again, I’m sick of seeing these two fight. They’ve had like five or six matches on PPV already and there’s just no need to have them go at it anymore. Much like the tag division, there’s such a lack of depth to this title and it’s really starting to show again.
The Cell is lowered and we recap Ambrose vs. Rollins. Seth turned on the Shield and joined the Authority, sending Dean on a quest for revenge. The Authority kept interfering so let’s lock them in a big box.
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
Dean is out first and throws a bunch of chairs and some bags in the ring before climbing the Cell. Rollins comes out but doesn’t want to go up so he sends the Stooges up instead. They go up and get the beating you would expect, only to have Rollins sneak up and destroy Ambrose with the Stooges’ help. There hasn’t been a bell yet. They slowly climb halfway down the side of the cage and we get the first major spot of the match as they ram each other into the Cell and fly through the announcers’ tables.
Both guys are put on stretchers as the match stops. Dean realizes what’s going on though and gets off his stretcher. He goes after Rollins and drags him into the Cell to officially start things off. Dean busts out some duct tape but blasts Seth over and over again with a chair instead of using it. He tries the screwdriver to Seth’s face but Rollins snaps his throat across the top to escape. Dean pops back up and dropkicks Rollins into the Cell to take over again. They get back inside so Dean can clothesline Seth out to the floor.
The suicide dive sends Seth into the Cell wall and Rollins is almost dead. Back in again and Dean piles up chairs but gets suplexed onto them instead. Dean gets right back up and puts Seth across a table at ringside for a middle rope elbow ala Cactus Jack. He rubs Seth’s face into the steel but Kane pops up with a fire extinguisher to blind Ambrose. Seth powerbombs Dean through a standing table against the Cell and they go back inside again.
The Curb Stomp gets two and Seth is frustrated. He goes outside for the briefcase but instead just destroys Dean with chair shots. Rollins puts him head first on the briefcase but Dean counters with Dirty Deeds, only to have Seth escape with a kick to the head. Dean comes back with a Rebound clothesline and a briefcase shot to the face for an even closer two.
Now it’s cinder block time with Dean loading up a Curb Stomp of his own but we’ve got Wyatts. Well at least Bray speaking in tongues and now a lantern in the ring. Smoke fills the ring and we have what looks like a ghost in the middle of it. Bray pops up and nails Ambrose as the lights go out again. Back up with Bray spider walking over to Ambrose and laying him out with a release Rock Bottom to give a shocked Rollins the pin at 13:48.
Rating: B+. It’s a good fight but the ending hurts it a bit. This is probably the best option they could have gone with as you don’t want Rollins losing but you also don’t want Dean to lose all of his heat. Ambrose vs. Wyatt should be good but I would have liked this feud to have a more definitive ending. Unfortunately that wasn’t really possible and this puts Bray back in the spotlight with a feud he could actually win.
Dean takes Sister Abigail to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. The big matches delivered but man alive does the midcard need to be replenished. Most of the stuff in there just feels like we’ve seen it a million times before and it’s really hard to care again. They desperately need to figure out something other than “put the wrestlers in tag matches” or “just have them fight a few times before they fight again on PPV” because it’s killing the PPV matches. Still though, it’s an entertaining show and that’s all you can hope for with gimmick shows.
Results
Dolph Ziggler b. Cesaro – Zig Zag
Nikki Bella b. Brie Bella – Rack
Goldust/Stardust b. Usos – Final Cut to Jimmy Uso
John Cena b. Randy Orton – Middle rope Attitude Adjustment
Sheamus b. Miz – Brogue Kick
Rusev b. Big Show – Accolade
AJ Lee b. Paige – Black Widow
Seth Rollins b. Dean Ambrose – Pin after a Rock Bottom from Bray Wyatt
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Reigns started as Roman Leakee in FCW in late 2010. We’ll pick things up at some point in June 2011 on FCW TV.
Big E. Langston/Calvin Raines/Alexander Rusev vs. Bo Rotundo/Leakee/Richie Steamboat
Raines is a big guy and Langston’s FCW Tag Team Championship partner. FCW Champion Rotundo is now known as Bo Dallas and Leakee is Roman Reigns. Rusev and Richie get things going with Steamboat going after Alexander’s huge calves. Rusev easily throws him away and scores with a shoulder but it’s quickly off to Bo and then Leakee (pronounced Lay Ah Key) to stay on the arm. Alexander easily runs over Leakee before it’s off to Langston for more power offense as we take a break.
Back with Raines running over Leakee for two and putting on something resembling a seated full nelson. Leakee comes back with a sunset flip before running over for the tag to Steamboat. Richie cleans house for a bit until Rusev slams him off the top with ease. Back to Langston who stomps away and hits a spinning belly to belly for two. Rusev comes in again for a bearhug and an overhead belly to belly.
A double tag brings in Raines vs. Steamboat and Ricky is caught in an abdominal stretch. Back to Langston who isn’t hurt by Steamboat chops but a kick to the face has some more effect. The hot tag brings in Bo to clean house as everything breaks down. Bo and Langston are left alone in the ring and a spear is enough to pin Big E.
Rating: B-. I liked this a lot more than I expected to. They followed the six man formula very well here and the whole thing worked quite well. These guys knew how to work together and everything flowed well. That being said, I need to pick better matches the next time I do one of these things. Langston is now 0-3.
Another FCW match that might headline Wrestlemania someday. From January 12, 2012.
Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
Reigns is known as Leakee here but that looks better as a title. The winner gets a title shot next week. Ambrose stops to look at William Regal, who he’s been having a long feud with at this point. We’ll get there eventually. Leakee pulls Dean down as Regal talks about how glad he is that his children don’t have evil in their eyes. Rollins gets double teamed but Leakee slams both of their faces into the mat to take over.
Now it’s Leakee getting double teamed as we take a break. Back with Leakee still being double teamed as Regal talks about how great it is for he and Ambrose to be evil but he’s trying to control his hatred. Ambrose rolls Rollins up for two before getting sent to the floor. Leakee knocks Rollins out of the air for two but Ambrose takes Leakee down into the Regal Stretch as part of an obsession with getting a rematch.
Leakee makes the ropes but Rollins springboards in with a clothesline to Dean. The low superkick sends Leakee to the floor but Dean counters another attempt into a wheelbarrow slam for two. Ambrose misses a knee trembler (Regal’s finisher) and Rollins hammers away, only to miss the curb stomp.
Instead he dives through the ropes to take out Leakee before heading back inside to slug it out with Dean. Regal admits that he knows Ambrose will be the end of him as Ambrose turns Rollins inside out with a clothesline. Leakee comes in and Samoan drops both guys at the same time before Checkmate (a running bulldog, a terrible finisher for him) ends Ambrose for the pin.
Rating: C+. All this really did was make me want to watch Ambrose vs. Regal in a match that tears the house down and shows more emotion than anything WWE has done in years because they’re both old school workers like that. The match itself was your usual triple threat. Leakee changing finishers was the best idea he could have had.
Off to NXT now, starting on October 31, 2012.
Roman Reigns vs. CJ Parker
Reigns used to be Leakee in FCW. He’s a member of the Anoa’i family and is the son of Sika and the brother of Rosey. The announcers pound in the fact that Reigns has the IT factor and that we’ll be talking about this debut for years to come. Reigns catches Parker’s crossbody and pounds on the arm and shoulder. A DDT on the arm puts Parker down and Reigns cranks away on it some more. Parker fires away some elbows to escape but a side kick misses and Reigns slugs him down again.
A belly to back suplex by Reigns is countered into a cross body by Parker for two. Parker hits some knees in the corner but gets caught by a flying forearm. Reigns kind of roars and hits a belly to back slam for the pin at 3:43. Think Cena’s Protoplex (the spinning slam he sets up the Shuffle with) but instead of spinning the other guy around, Reigns drives the down with his hand.
Rating: D+. The commentary is over the top but Reigns looked fine here. He’s got a good look and a good physique and his in ring abilities were fine. The match was just a squash though with Parker getting in a few shots here and there. Much like everyone else, it’s too early to say what Reigns has without giving him a more serious challenge.
Reigns would join forces with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to form the Shield. He and Rollins formed a regular tag team and had a Tag Team Title shot at Extreme Rules 2013.
Tag Titles: Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins vs. HELL NO
This is Texas Tornado rules, meaning all four men are in the ring at the same time. The fact that there were some deaths a few days ago due to tornadoes in Texas makes this bad timing for this gimmick. Kane and Bryan are defending. It’s a big brawl to start as you would expect with the champions taking over. Bryan puts Rollins in the surfboard and Kane adds in a low dropkick for two.
Kane gets double teamed down in the corner and then Bryan gets the same treatment. Reigns loads up a powerbomb off the middle rope but Bryan counters into a rana to put everyone down. Kane grabs both Shield members by the throat before shoving them to the floor, allowing Bryan to hit the suicide dive to take both guys out. The champions take turn hitting clotheslines on both guys in the corners before Kane hits the top rope clothesline on Rollins, allowing Bryan to hit the Flying Goat for two.
Bryan gets the NO Lock on Reigns but Rollins finally makes the save. A chokeslam puts Rollins down but Roman catches Kane with the spear. Back up and Reigns shoves Kane into Bryan, only to get caught around the throat. Seth comes in off the top with a knee to Kane’s head, allowing Reigns to hit a second spear. Bryan makes the save but can’t get the NO Lock on Reigns. Rollins makes the save so Reigns can put Bryan in a torture rack. Seth comes off the top with a knee to the chest, good for the pin and the titles at 7:24.
Rating: C+. Again this was ok but nothing great. They could have used another five to ten minutes here but for some reason they’re flying through these matches tonight. Shield winning was the only logical conclusion as there was nothing left for Bryan/Kane to do with the belts at this point. Decent but not great here.
To Smackdown on May 31, 2013.
Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan
This starts immediately after the previous match ends. Bryan sends Reigns into the corner and kicks away at the arm to take over early before tying his legs into Roman’s and dropping forearms to the face. The fans also love Bryan which isn’t all that surprising. He fires off more kicks in the corner before hooking a dragon screw leg whip to put Roman down again. Roman hits a hard clothesline to take over as we take a break.
Back with Bryan trying to speed things up but getting caught by another clothesline for two. Bryan gets all fired up and hits a hard set of kicks to the chest followed by a running dropkick in the corner for two of his own. Reigns drills him in the stomach to slow Bryan down but Bryan hooks the NO Lock out of nowhere. Reigns crawls over to the ropes but only gets there with Seth pushing the rope towards him. Kane goes after Rollins but hits Reigns for the DQ at 9:20.
Rating: C. This was a better match than the opener, but that’s likely because the smaller guy as the face is an easier formula to work with. Bryan’s kicks get more awesome every week and it’s very wise of him to use those as his main strike. I mean, can you imagine him throwing a convincing punch given his size? Kicks are far better for a guy like him.
One of the team’s biggest feuds was against the Rhodes Brothers, culminating on Raw, October 14, 2013.
Tag Titles: Shield vs. Goldust/Cody Rhodes
No DQ here. The challengers take over to start and work over Rollins with Cody getting two off a dropkick. Reigns interferes with an elbow to Cody’s jaw and the champions take over. Roman stomps Cody down to the floor for two before bringing Rollins back in for some right hands to the head. We hit the armbar for a few moments before Cody comes back with an attempted Alabama Slam out of the corner. Rollins slides down the back but Cody dives into a tag off to Goldust.
Goldie can’t hit Shattered Dreams but settles for a bulldog out of the corner for two on Rollins. Seth ducks something like a cross body to send Goldust to the floor and us to a break. Back with Rollins cranking on the arm even more as Cody plays cheerleader on the apron. A backslide gets two for Goldust but Seth clotheslines him back down. Back to Reigns for a chinlock but Goldust fights up and comes out of the corner with a back elbow. Rollins breaks up the hot tag but dives into a powerslam to put both guys down.
Ambrose’s interference doesn’t stop Cody and the younger brother cleans house. Reigns is sent into the post but Cody only gets two. The moonsault press gets the same and a Disaster Kick knocks Dean out to the floor. A springboard missile dropkick puts Rollins down again but Reigns makes the save. Ambrose comes in to break up Cross Rhodes and the numbers catch up with the challengers.
They load up the TripleBomb but Goldust comes in with a chair for the save. He can’t keep Reigns down though and Roman gets the chair. A big chair shot misses and Goldust scores with a cross body, crushing the chair against Reigns’ chest. Cody tries a Disaster Kick off the steps but gets caught in a running powerbomb against the barricade. Goldust hits atomic drops on the tag champions and a Cactus Clothesline puts Goldust and Reigns on the floor but here’s Ambrose to jump the painted one.
The fans correctly say that this is awesome right before Reigns DESTROYS Goldust with a spear through the barricade. That looked AWESOME. Dean throws Cody and Reigns back into the ring but here’s Big Show through the crowd. Shield grabs chairs but Show cleans house anyway until only Reigns is left standing. Cody kicks Roman into the KO punch and Cody gets the pin and the titles at 19:15.
Rating: A-. Well that helped. This felt like Mankind beating the Rock for the title back in January of 1999 which is about as high of a compliment as I can give a match. This is the kind of moment that this story has been dying for since it started and just like the match at Battleground, it was built up through emotion and it worked like a charm. Great match.
Here’s where Reigns started rolling, at Survivor Series 2013.
Rey Mysterio/Usos/Goldust/Cody Rhodes vs. Real Americans/Shield
Elimination rules of course. Ricardo Rodriguez is on Spanish commentary. Colter does his usual routine before the match before attempting to twerk because what would a wrestling show be without that? Cody and Ambrose get things going as this is the Shield’s debut anniversary. They trade waistlocks to start but Cody takes over with some right hands, only to have Ambrose pound away in the corner. Rhodes comes back with even more punches as Cole tells us that Friday is Lawler, Colter and JBL’s birthday. Ambrose pounds away in the corner but gets in an argument with the referee, allowing Cody to get a quick rollup for the elimination.
Everything breaks down with the Usos cleaning house and hitting dives to take out all of their opponents. We settle down with Goldust vs. Rollins but it’s quickly off to Swagger to drive Goldust into the corner. Jack takes him down and Cesaro comes in with a knee drop for two. Cole messes up his history by saying Andre the Giant was the sole survivor of the first Survivor Series match (that would be the main event or the fourth Survivor Series match ever).
Goldust gets a backslide for two on Cesaro and scores with a powerslam. A jawbreaker puts both guys down but Cesaro is able to tag first. Swagger comes in but misses the Vader Bomb, allowing for the hot tag off to Mysterio. He easily takes Swagger down to set up the 619 and it’s a superkick from Jimmy followed by the Superfly Splash from Jey to eliminate Swagger.
Cesaro immediately comes in with an uppercut to Jey to set up the Cesaro Swing. The fans count along with the swings but it’s only 15 revolutions. Jimmy comes in without a tag and gets a swing of his own 19 revolution swing. Cody gets the tag and scores with a sunset flip out of nowhere for the elimination, leaving us with Rollins/Reigns vs. all five members of the other team.
Reigns comes in to work on Cody’s arm but it’s off to Jey instead. Roman easily tags him into the Shield corner and the two remaining members take over with the alternating tags. Rollins comes in with a top rope fist to Jey’s jaw and we hit the chinlock. Jey fights up and backdrops Rollins over the top rope, allowing for the tag off to Jimmy. A Samoan Drop gets two on Reigns and the running Umaga attack in the corner keeps him in trouble. Jimmy goes up top but has to headbutt Reigns down. He jumps down but the spear is enough for a quick elimination.
Cody comes in with a missile dropkick followed by the moonsault press for two on Rollins. Cross Rhodes connects but Reigns made a blind tag, allowing him to spear Cody in half for the elimination, leaving us at 3-2. Jey comes in and takes Reigns to the floor, sending him into the barricade and post. Back in and Rollins makes a quick tag to set up the Black Out (running one foot curb stomp) to eliminate Jey, leaving us with Reigns/Rollins vs. Goldust/Mysterio.
It’s Rey vs. Rollins with Mysterio getting in a quick dropkick, only to go up top and get caught in the Tree of Woe. Back to Reigns who sends Mysterio out to the floor but Rey makes it back in at 9. Reigns’ spear goes into the post by mistake but Rollins knocks Goldust to the floor to prevent the hot tag. Rey grabs a rollup out of nowhere to get rid of Rollins and make it 2-1.
Rollins stomps on Mysterio a bit before leaving, giving Roman a big advantage. Rey slides through Reigns’ legs and catches him with an enziguri before sending him into the corner with a drop toehold. There’s the hot tag to Goldust who gets two off a spinebuster. He pounds down right hands to Roman in the corner before a powerslam gets two. Reigns comes right back by countering the bulldog into a spear and it’s one on one. Rey tries the 619 but gets speared in half as well, giving Reigns his star making performance with his fourth elimination for the pin at 23:30.
Rating: B-. Total star making performance by Reigns here as he was completely unstoppable out there. Save for a meaningless fall over an Uso, Reigns literally got every elimination for his team. From the beginning I’ve said Reigns was the star of the team and if this isn’t proof of that, I’m not sure what is.
We’ll keep that going on Raw, January 6, 2014.
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk
Feeling out process to start with Punk taking him down into a headlock. The Outlaws are sticking around at ringside. Reigns comes back with a shoulder block and we take a break. Back with Reigns knocking Punk off the apron and into the barricade. Reigns brings him back inside for some shots to the head and a body vice. A headbutt puts Reigns down again but he comes back with a cross body, only to hurt his ribs even more.
We hit the bearhug from Roman before he shifts it around to a body vice. Punk tries to escape but Reigns suplexes him down, only to miss the Superman Punch and get kicked in the head. More kicks have Reigns in trouble and Punk drops him with some ax handles and a neckbreaker for two. The running knee in the corner gets two more but Reigns breaks up the Macho Elbow.
Punk breaks up a superplex attempt and drops the elbow (to Ambrose according to Cole) for no cover. The Outlaws and Shield get into it on the floor and Punk dives out to take care of Rollins, only to dive into the Superman Punch for two. The spear hits the middle buckle and Punk gets a VERY close two off a rollup. Punk snaps off a high kick for two more but Reigns escapes the GTS. Another Ambrose distraction lets Reigns spear Punk in half for the pin at 16:14.
Rating: B. This took time to get going but the near falls at the end were all great stuff. They’re pushing Reigns to the moon and it continues to show how annoying these start and stop pushes can be. Look what happens when you push guys like Reigns and Langston to the moon without having them trade wins against midcarders for a change. It’s like people get behind monsters who clean house or something.
Even more on Raw, February 17, 2014.
Mark Henry vs. Roman Reigns
The fans are behind Reigns as he hammers away on Mark to get us going. Henry blocks an Irish whip so Reigns casually picks him up in a Samoan drop for two. Reigns kicks him out of the corner and hits the Superman Punch followed by the spear for the pin at 2:45. Basically a squash.
We’ll jump ahead to Raw on June 16, 2014 with Reigns trying to get into the Money in the Bank match for the World Title.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Battle Royal
Titus O’Neil, Damien Sandow, Bo Dallas, Jack Swagger, Diego, Fernando, Curtis Axel, Fandango, Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Ryback, Sin Cara, Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, Big E., Roman Reigns, Rob Van Dam, Bad News Barrett, Xavier Woods
Those are all the people on the graphic so there’s a chance I missed a few. Damien is LeBron James because why not. Not that it matters as everyone gets together to put him out ten seconds in. Bo throws Santino out and Rusev does the same thing to both Matadores. Woods gets the same treatment from Rusev and everyone brawls for awhile.
Ziggler is sent to the apron and Reigns eliminates Titus. Swagger puts Sin Cara on the apron before catapulting him out. Kofi can’t get Swagger out and Big E. can’t get rid of Axel. Rusev gets Ziggler to the apron but a kick to the head saves Dolph. Kofi finally gets Swagger out and we take a break. Back with Rusev, Reigns, RVD, Ryback, Ziggler, Fandango, Dallas, Big E., Axel and Barrett still in, meaning Kofi (via Ryback) was the only elimination during the break. Speaking of eliminations, Ryback punches Ziggler out to the floor for his second straight elimination.
Reigns starts cleaning house and even takes Rusev down with a Superman Punch but can’t take care of Ryback that easily. Roman sends Fandango to the apron but has to spear Ryback and Axel down. A kick to the head puts Fandango out and Rusev kicks Reigns in the chest. Big E. dumps Ryback and Reigns throws out Axel. Another kick puts Roman down but Van Dam kicks Rusev in the face. Van Dam and Dallas start fighting but Barrett takes Rob down with a big boot.
Rob comes back with more kicks but Bo shoves him off the corner for a surprise elimination. That could be Bo’s first big feud. Barrett lays out a celebrating Bo and throws him to the apron but Bo hangs on. Nice little call back to the Rumble from a few years ago. Reigns dumps Barrett and Dallas knocks out Big E., but walks into the spear. Dallas is dumped and we’re down to Rusev vs. Roman.
The fans are WAY into this and the slugout is on. Reigns gets the early advantage but walks into a wicked spinwheel kick. They trade running charges in the corner and Reigns puts him on the apron. Some big right hands can’t get rid of the Russian but the Superman Punch sends Reigns to Money in the Bank and the crowd is VERY happy.
Rating: B. I was doubting Reigns for awhile but he’s coming off like a STAR at this point, just like Ambrose. This was a really solid battle royal as there were some good saves and the last bit of the match was really solid stuff. The last pairing is how you should do big matches: take two guys who look unbeatable and have them fight. Notice the reaction and you’ll see why that’s an idea.
And now, the Money in the Bank match.
WWE Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns vs. Kane vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Cesaro
The title is vacant coming in. It’s a brawl to start with everyone going for a ladder or each other early on. Bray escape an AA attempt and dives at a ladder to crush Sheamus before he and Cesaro to clean house. Reigns and Orton fight while Sheamus and Kane do the same on opposite sides of the ring. Reigns and Sheamus pick up ladders to crush Kane and pin him underneath the smaller ladder. Del Rio stops Reigns from going up as Cesaro and Sheamus climb. All four start climbing two ladders but Kane breaks it up and cleans house.
Cena comes back in and charges into a chokeslam before Kane cleans out most of the ring. He sets up a ladder in the middle of the ring and tells Orton to go up just like he did with Rollins earlier. Reigns shoves Kane into the ladder for the save but gets jumped by Bray. Cena comes back in with a ProtoBomb to Wyatt, only to walk into Swiss Death. Cesaro and Sheamus slug it out on top of the ladder as Bray spider walks up and shoves the ladder over. The Europeans are left hanging in the air and eventually fall to reset things.
Orton is all ticked off after getting hit with the ladder so he pulls out more ladders. He bridges one between the announce table and apron so he can put Sheamus over the bridge for an Elevated DDT. Back in and Orton throws a ladder to the floor before setting up the big one in the middle. Everyone gets back in and we go into scramble mode with no one getting higher than the second or third rung.
The people all get steadily knocked to the floor until only Kane is left standing. He takes down the big ladder and goes over to fight with Sheamus instead of climbing. Sheamus comes back with the forearms to the chest and White Noise, followed by a Brogue Kick to Cena. Sheamus sets up the big ladder again but Kane makes a save. The Irishman goes up but Cesaro bridges a ladder into the tall one to climb faster for another save. Cena and Del Rio fight to the floor as Reigns lifts up the big ladder with Sheamus and Cesaro on top. The bridged ladder keeps them from falling and Cena pushes it back to level.
Everyone is back in again and Cena is slammed onto the bridged ladder by Wyatt. Kane pulls people off the ladder but gets speared by Roman. Orton sends Reigns into the big ladder and knocks it over though, leaving no standing ladder in the ring. Reigns comes back with Superman Punches all around and the apron boot to Del Rio. HHH is all ticked off and we’re down to Cena vs. Reigns. They slug it out and Cena tries the AA, only to get speared out of his shoes.
Reigns goes up but Orton makes a last second save. With blood on the top of his head from earlier, Orton goes up but Bray takes him down with Sister Abigail. Del Rio stops Bray (and kills the crowd) but Sheamus shoves the ladder over and kicks Del Rio’s head off. An RKO pulls Sheamus off the ladder but Reigns stops Randy’s attempt. Orton is busted open BAD so Reigns rips at the cut and headbutts him a few times. Kane is back in for yet another save though by chokeslamming Reigns off the ladder. Cena grabs Kane for an AA though and Orton gets one as well, allowing Cena to get the titles at 26:30.
Rating: B. They toned down the big spots in this which kept my stomach in better shape this time. These matches are fun but man alive can they be scary at times. Cena winning is going to annoy some people but he’s the most logical choice as Lesnar is waiting in the wings for whoever gets the belt here. Brock vs. Cena will be awesome and is the money match that people will pay to see.
Reigns got another title shot at Battleground 2014.
WWE World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns vs. Kane
Cena is defending and has both belts again here. It’s a brawl to start and Orton is in blue instead of black. Randy sends Orton into the steps but Reigns fights off both Authority members. A double suplex drops Reigns and gives Orton two as Kane seems to play defense against Cena. The champion comes back in and Orton takes him down for two more as Kane guards against Reigns.
Kane breaks up an AA attempt on Orton as the early going continues. Reigns and Kane fight on the floor so Cena can start up his finishing sequence on Orton. The AA is blocked so Cena throws Orton to the floor before turning around to see Reigns. Kane and Orton break it up before anything happens and Kane gets two on Reigns to annoy Randy. They start to shove each other and a YES chant starts up.
Orton says it’s supposed to be Kane watching his back but Kane uppercuts him. Kane loads up a superplex but Cena and Reigns come in to make it a Tower of Doom. Now we get Cena vs. Reigns but Kane sits up to stop it again. They stop Kane to the floor but Orton sneaks in with a backbreaker to Roman. A double Elevated DDT puts down both heroes but Kane breaks up a pin.
Cena and Reigns send Kane to the floor before Cena grabs an STF. Reigns adds a half crab at the same time but Kane makes the save. An AA sends Kane back to the floor and Orton is put in the STF again. Reigns pulls Orton to the ropes and throws him over the announce table, FINALLY giving us the showdown. They slug it out and Reigns tries a clothesline but Cena goes the wrong way so it’s kind of an old Vader body attack. The STF is countered and Reigns hits a Samoan drop. The Superman Punch misses and Cena hits the ProtoBomb.
Reigns pops up and hits the Superman Punch followed by the spear but Kane makes the save (with Cena’s head up and watching Kane come in the entire way). Kane gets hammered down and Reigns hits the jumping kick to all three guys. Orton gets speared through the barricade and the fans think this is awesome. Back in and Reigns spears Kane down but Cena makes the save.
Cena throws Roman to the floor and hits the AA for two as Reigns makes the save. Reigns and Cena slug it out again and an AA gets two with Kane breaking it up. Both heroes get chokeslammed but Reigns kicks out at two. The tombstone is countered and another spear connects until Orton makes the save. The RKO puts Reigns down but Cena comes in with an AA to Orton before pinning Kane to keep the title at 18:15.
Rating: B. Good match but the ending never being in doubt hurt things a bit. Some of the near falls did have me thinking we might get a surprise but at the end of the day this was the best option they had. Cena keeps the title and now we’re heading to his showdown with Lesnar where Brock gets his win back next month.
Another Raw match on August 4, 2014.
Kane vs. Roman Reigns
Last man standing. Reigns hammers away to start as the announcers talk about the Network even more. They head outside with Reigns being hammered up against the barricade and then sent into the steps for a five count. Reigns is sent into the post a few more times as the announcers continue to hammer the $9.99 joke into the ground to the point where I’m laughing at it.
We take an early break and come back with Reigns reversing Kane into a chair wedged into the corner. Some charges into the corner have Kane in even more trouble and Roman hammers away with right hands. There’s the apron boot but Kane blocks a spear. A table is brought in and Kane counters a Superman Punch into a quick chokeslam to put Reigns through the wood for nine.
Kane is frustrated and sets up a chair in the middle of the ring. The tombstone is countered and Reigns hits a DDT onto the chair. Reigns hits the Superman Punch but charges into another chokeslam. Reigns slips out again and nails a bad spear to keep Kane down for the ten count at 15:16.
Rating: C-. Well that happened. I have no idea why but it happened. This idea of throwing gimmick matches onto the card is a really bad idea. It wasn’t a very good last man standing match either as there was no way Kane was going to win. Reigns beating Kane is a good thing, but not in an unnecessary gimmick match.
Here’s Reigns’ biggest match to date at Summerslam 2014.
Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
Orton is mad at Roman for costing him the chance to be #1 contender. Roman pops him in the jaw to start and follows up with a headbutt. Orton is sent to the floor and into the barricade but he reverses Reigns hard into the steps. Back in and Orton slams him head first onto the mat before stomping on Reigns’ hand. A big superplex gets two for Randy and we hit the chinlock.
Roman fights up into a chinlock of his own but Orton falls back to break it up. Reigns grabs it again and squeezes very hard, only to get caught in a side slam for two. Back up and Reigns nails a Samoan drop before winning a slugout. Some running clotheslines have Orton in trouble and there’s the apron kick. Reigns is reversed into the post and barricade for two though and the fight goes back outside.
Randy throws him over the announcers’ table but gets caught by a Stunner over the ropes. Orton fights out of a superplex attempt but Roman muscles him up into a top rope Samoan drop for two. There’s the Superman Punch but the spear is countered into a very fast powerslam for a near fall. The RKO is countered but Reigns dives into a second attempt, only to kick out at a VERY close two. I bought that as a finish for a second there. Orton misses the Punt and walks into the spear for the pin at 16:41.
Rating: C. The match was good but not really good if that makes sense. The fact that Reigns was the obvious winner didn’t help, but at least the match was good on the way to the ending. Reigns kicking out of the RKO is a big moment for him as his rise to the top of the company continues. This was by far his biggest win to date.
Time for a six man on Raw, September 1, 2014.
Chris Jericho/John Cena/Roman Reigns vs. Kane/Randy Orton/Seth Rollins
HHH and Stephanie are at ringside. Reigns and Orton get things going with Roman quickly winning a slugout. A big clothesline drops Randy but Reigns pulls Rollins into the ring instead. Seth bails outside and we take a break. Back with Reigns hitting a Samoan drop for two on Orton. Rollins comes in with a shot to Reigns’ head for two and we hit the chinlock. Off to Kane for a chinlock of his own as the fans are getting restless.
Back to Randy who stomps Reigns’ head for two and kicks him down to the mat. Reigns finally gets in a clothesline but the hot tag brings in Jericho to face Rollins. The Lionsault has Rollins in trouble and there are the Walls, only to have Orton make a save. There’s a Superman Punch for Randy but Kane comes in with a chokeslam. Cena AA’s Kane, only to take the springboard knee from Seth. Jericho rolls up Rollins for two but gets kicked in the head. A Codebreaker puts Rollins down and we take a break.
We come back to Jericho fighting out of a chinlock but Rollins sends him into the corner. Rollins hits a running forearm to put the Canadian down and goes up top. Jericho pops up though and dropkicks Seth out of the air in a nice counter. Kane breaks up a hot tag attempt and puts on a chinlock of his own.
Jericho fights to his feet but dives into an uppercut for two. Orton can’t superplex Chris and gets knocked off the top, setting up a high cross body for two. Kane breaks up yet another tag attempt but Jericho nails him with a forearm and makes the real hot tag to Cena (BIG reaction for that). John cleans house and hits an AA on Kane before tagging out to Reigns for the spear and the pin at 22:54.
Rating: C+. This was the standard long match to end a bad show. Cena not getting to come in until the very end was a nice idea and let him explode all at once. Kane taking the fall was pretty clear and there’s nothing wrong with that. This was nothing special though and felt like a house show main event more than anything else.
We’ll wrap it up two weeks later on Raw, September 15, 2014.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Don’t these two already have a match at Night of Champions? Seth speeds things up to start and snaps Roman’s throat across the top rope. A hard clothesline sends Rollins running to the floor but Roman catches him trying to come back in and sends him face first onto the concrete. Back in and another shot puts Rollins on the floor as Reigns is dominating. Rollins is thrown over the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Reigns missing the Apron Kick and getting caught by a suicide dive into the barricade.
Reigns quickly fights back and nails him in the face before hitting the Apron Kick. The Superman Punch looks to set up the spear but Seth leapfrogs him and nails a low superkick for two. Back up and Seth tries what looks like a Pedigree off the top but gets countered into a slow motion backdrop, only to have Rollins catch him in an impressive running buckle bomb across the ring for two more. Reigns gets back up, ducks a charge and hits the spear for the pin at 11:23.
Rating: B-. The match was good but why in the world do you have this match in full with a clean ending before they have the same match six days later? That’s some very odd booking and a sign that they don’t have enough people to fill in a three hour show every week. This is even worse when you consider how many people they have on the roster but how few they put any effort into.
Roman Reigns is clearly going to be a top star and you can tell the company is treating him as something special: as of October 15, 2014, he hasn’t been pinned or submitted in a singles match since he debuted. In a company where everyone from Cena to Bryan can lose matches clean on TV at the drop of a hat, that’s the highest praise you can get. I see him as a future Batista and there’s nothing wrong with a run like that.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Reviewing the Review – Monday Night Raw: October 13, 2014
Coming off of last week, I really wasn’t looking forward to this week’s show. Things have been so boring in WWE lately and they almost have to turn around for the sake of my sanity. On the other hand, the theme this week seemed to be reality TV with Todd Chrisley of Chrisley Knows Best and some Real Housewife on the show. I’m sure this is going to go well. Let’s get to it.
We open with the now usual Ambrose and Cena showdown. This time it was Ambrose starting things off and wanting to deal with Cena so he could get to the showdown with Rollins. Cena came down and told Dean to shut up before he ran his mouth off and blew the biggest match of his life. Authority, tag match, it’s next.
The tag match was actually a three way this time with the unlikely duo fighting the Usos and the Dusts. This was a nice, long fifteen minute match that took its sweet time to get going but finally found its groove. The idea was the Authority kept waiting for the makeshift team to implode but Cena wound up AAing Goldust for the pin. This was the first in a long series of matches that got time and surprised me by how good it was. Cena and Ambrose vs. the Usos on their own for about seventeen minutes sounds good.
The Authority came out post match and made the Cena vs. Ambrose contract on a pole match for later tonight. I like this better, though I would have put it next week instead of next week. There’s no need to waste the fifteen minutes of PPV time to set the match up when you can do it here just fine. It also makes it easier to build a PPV when you have established main events.
Layla walked out on AJ Lee in a tag match but AJ pinned Alicia (partner of Paige) with a Shining Wizard. This was more of the same stuff we’ve seen for months from them.
Orton was granted his request of facing the loser of the contract match. They never said loser and called it “the other guy” but it’s a nice way making it sound better.
Orton beat Ziggler in another long match with a really good ending of Orton throwing Ziggler out of a powerbomb and into an RKO. That being said, there were other people that could have jobbed for Orton instead of Ziggler. I mean, it’s not like Kofi is doing anything is he? No it just had to be the Intercontinental Champion right? This is where WWE misusing its huge roster gets on my nerves.
Rollins came in after the match and gave Ziggler a Curb Stomp. The idea was that Rollins was trying to one up Orton, which carried into the next match where Rollins beat Jack Swagger in an easier match. Orton gave Jack an RKO for good measure. You can see Orton is about to turn face and it’s working really well.
Rusev and Big Show had their big showdown but Mark Henry ran in and caused a DQ. This is pretty clearly setting up another match at the PPV where Rusev gets his big win clean. Show knocked Rusev out cold after the match because he’s a sore loser.
The Chrisley Knows Best family was in the front row and their appearance was little more than a plug for the show. I have no interest in watching it but Chrisley came off as a nice guy who wanted to raise his kids well. I can’t make jokes about that.
Sheamus beat up Miz but lost by countout. See, now why couldn’t Orton have done that to Ziggler? Losing by countout is fine as Sheamus got carried away and distracted rather than getting pinned, even by a fluke.
The Total Divas met up with the housewife chick and Cameron had a stuck up chick off with her. Six Divas tag, you know the drill. Standard guest star appearance.
The new Wyatt video showed him alone and talking about Abigail as he kept saying it’s coming. Creepy stuff indeed but it worked.
Ambrose won the contract when Cena had to fight off the Authority in a dull match. This was what I expected it to be and didn’t really go anywhere new. Ambrose had to win it though.
Raw was FAR better this week as they cut out the stupid stuff and had a wrestling show. I know you can’t do this every week, but it’s nice to see something fresh for a change. When WWE cuts out all the goofiness and just lets the stories tell themselves, they make things way easier to sit through. It’s a good show this week and exactly what was needed after last week’s mess.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at: