WWE Monday Night Raw 7/30/12 from Cincinnati, OH
Raw begins with video of a fire. During the pyrotechnics rehearsal the Titan Tron caught on fire. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler explain that the doors opened late, and that the people are still getting to their seats. They show a recap video of last week’s 1,000th Raw, perhaps to stall a little longer. Interesting way to begin. I’ve seen power outages before, but never a fire. Odd that they made that public knowledge and showed everyone. I wonder what the reasoning behind that is? They missed a golden opportunity to turn this into a Kane angle! He could have been angry that the catering was out of cookies, raised his arms, and BANG! Vacated building.
CM Punk comes to the ring. It’s time for the “why Punk why?” segment. The fans boo him. Because they are supposed to. He’s now a heel. He says he was uncomfortable with the way Raw 1000 went off the air. He brings up that Jerry Lawler said “CM Punk has turned his back on the WWE Universe.” Lawler stares at Punk. Punk exits the ring and goes towards him. Punk sits Indian style across the commentary table in front of him. That means this is probably going to be an in depth conversation! Punk says that the last time he checked, The Rock was not the entire WWE Universe. Punk calls Rock a delusional movie star who showed the WWE Champion a lack of respect. He says that Rock interrupted him, went into his same boring shtick with Daniel Bryan, and then lowered himself to finally talk to Punk. He says that at the end of the night Rock tried to make the show all about himself. This is an amazing promo, and I find it hilarious how he’s doing the whole thing from the commentary table, while sitting Indian style. Love it.
Punk says that The Rock went silent on Twitter about the incident. Punk says that the 1,000th Raw ended the way that every show should end, with the focus being on the WWE Champion. Time out. Time out. Time out. So Punk’s reasoning for his heel turn was the same thing he tried to argue with me about on Twitter? I was angry for weeks that the focus of the show wasn’t on the WWE Championship. I was vocal about it, and many of you agreed with me. We made it known to him that we weren’t happy. And he fired back saying that “he was the main event” no matter when he appeared on the show. We all fully agreed with that statement, but we were still convinced that he should go on the card last. So it looks like we were heard as the WWE writers just used our cries as the basis of a major storyline. This angle makes sense because of us. Because we were vocal. Because we cried out. We created this storyline. Congrats to all of you reading who agreed with me.
Big Show’s music hits. Punk wants his music shut off, and asks Big Show if he came out to steal the spotlight too. Big Show says the end of Raw 1000 was all about Big Show. That’s a little weak isn’t it? That’s your argument Big Show? It’s like a kid on the playground saying “nuh uh I’m better than you are.” Big Show says he knocked John Cena out and that Punk still couldn’t beat him. He claims that Punk would have tapped out if Big Show wouldn’t have interfered. He says that Punk is still champion because of Big Show. He vows that he will be the next WWE Champion. Punk says that Big Show couldn’t beat Cena or win a briefcase.
John Cena’s music hits. He runs straight down the ramp and attacks Big Show. He fights him straight out of the ring. Big Show retreats up the ramp. Punk just stares at Cena. He was just interrupted again with the focus being taken off of himself. Ring announcer Justin Roberts randomly announces AJ Lee. She is the new Raw GM. She is apparently “AJ Lee” now instead of just “AJ.” She is in a professional black suit. Different look too. AJ says that Cena will face Big Show tonight, and that the winner will face Punk at Summerslam.
Daniel Bryan is in the back. He contemplates walking into AJ’s office. He decides against it and turns around.
United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriguez- Del Rio attacks Santino to start the match. He clotheslines him across the face. Del Rio stomps him on the mat. Santino fights back, but is caught in a suplex. Del Rio powers Santino into the corner and kicks him. He works Santino’s left arm over the ropes. Irish whip to the opposite corner. Del Rio charges, but he’s back body dropped to the apron. Dropkick by Santino sends Del Rio to the outside floor. Commercial spot? Really? I assumed this would be a squash match. Why wasn’t it? I hate short matches, but I hate Santino Marella matches even more. Back from break we see Santino in an arm bar. He punches out, but is sent to the mat with Del Rio punches. Del Rio uses a running double foot stomp. Nice. Haven’t seen him use that before. More stomps on the mat by Del Rio, followed by a grounded arm hold.
Santino attempts to fight out once again, but he’s kicked in the shin. Santino connects with a random suplex. He sends Del Rio off the ropes, and does a split, but is kicked in the chest while in the split. Nice spot. Hilarious. Made sense. Del Rio is smart. Del Rio misses off the top rope. Santino puts on The Cobra. Del Rio kicks him in the gut and sends him shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Del Rio falls to his back with Santino’s arm crashing upon his knees. Cross Arm Breaker. Santino taps out. Solid match. Del Rio stands over top Santino and says that he just beat the United States Champion easily. He says Santino, Sheamus, and the people are beneath him. Del Rio proclaims that he will no longer compete until Summerslam. That’s disappointing. His matches have been so good lately. Antonio Cesaro writes on Twitter #CesaroForTheUSChampionship. Would love for that to happen. If he’s allowed to tweet about it, it must be happening soon. God I hope so. Antonio Cesaro is extremely good. Santino Marella is trending on Twitter. Unfortunately Cesaro doesn’t.
Daniel Bryan is in the back again. He is pacing back and forth outside of AJ’s office. He stops himself from knocking.
Brodus Clay and The Funkadactuls are in the ring dancing. “Excuse Me” here comes Vickie Guerrero. She laughs at Cameron and Naomi. She is going to show them how to dance. Why do they do this so much? So she dances. And it’s awful. A lot of thumb moving. Damien Sandow’s music hits. Perfect. This guy is great. He shows the video of how DX attacked him last week. Then he attacks Brodus Clay. He hits multiple knees to the face. Grounded punches and stomps. He breaks Clay’s stupid necklace over his knee. “Hallelujah!” Nicely done. Except for the Vickie Guerrero involvement. Not sure why that existed. It had no place on the show. Those bad dance offs are stale and tiresome. I love how Sandow is being featured now. I love how he just began a feud with Brodus Clay. Both of those guys need meaningful feuds. I like his new aggression brought on by DX too. Vickie Guerrero and Damien Sandow are trending on Twitter.
Daniel Bryan is in the back. He finally storms into AJ’s office. He asks her if she’s insane. She says “shut up Daniel.” She says she’s not his bride to be, she’s his boss. She asks about the guys Bryan was with last week in white suits. She says that he was going to have her legally committed after they were married. He says they were his groomsmen. AJ tells Bryan he will face Sheamus tonight. Bryan asks if it’s for the World Heavyweight Championship. AJ says No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no (in YES chant fashion.) How dare she mock the YES chant? She’s doing a nice job in this new role. It’s going to work. The AJ/Bryan feud is still very entertaining. “Jericho and Christian” are trending on Twitter. They are tag teaming later tonight.
Sheamus is interviewed by Josh Mathews. Mathews asks him about what kind of match he wants with Bryan. The people are allowed to vote on Twitter. Sheamus doesn’t care. I don’t care. None of the options are submission, so it doesn’t matter to me. Cool concept to have people vote on Twitter though. I’m always for that.
Daniel Bryan comes to the ring. He tells the people to stop chanting YES. He says that only he can chant YES. He goes berserk and yells NO NO NO NO over and over. Ummm. My reaction is the same. NO NO NO. This is terrible. Not liking this new Daniel Bryan character. Now that AJ left him he’s very unstable and angry. He shouts too much. Not a good character at all. He’s way too much of a cartoony heel. Yelling at the people? Why would Bryan ever do that? And making the YES chant negative? Making it a chant that people will do against him? Really? That’s a pathetic idea. Let’s kill his overness by using his success against him.
World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan- Jerry Lawler reveals the Twitter voting results. 73% of the people vote for a street fight. Really? A match that diminishes Bryan’s technical skill? I doubt the smart marks voted for that. And they are the ones that use Twitter right? Bryan charges Sheamus with a running knee in the corner. Sheamus comes back with clubs to his back. Sheamus throws Bryan into the corner, but Bryan runs up the turnbuckle and flips over his back. Sheamus takes control with stomps in the corner. He chokes Bryan. Isn’t that a heel move? Bryan drops Sheamus to the ropes and kicks the rope into his face. He twists the arm and wrist of Sheamus. Bryan whips Sheamus off the ropes, but Sheamus comes back with a high knee lift. Sheamus drives his knees into Bryan.
Bryan rolls to the outside, and Sheamus follows. Sheamus sends Bryan shoulder first into the barricade. He’s whipped into another barricade. They fight up the ramp. Bryan charges Sheamus, but is back body dropped onto the steel ramp. Sheamus throws Bryan into the WWE logo on top of the ramp. He goes for White Noise, but Bryan counters with a kick to the shin. Bryan kicks him multiple times and then hits a front running drop kick. Sheamus falls off of the stage and onto the floor. AWESOME SPOT. Very sick. Bryan then hits a running knee to the face off of the ramp. Nothing tonight will compare to that spot. One of the better ones I’ve seen in a few years. That good. Commercial. Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan is trending on Twitter.
Back from break we see Sheamus in a grounded arm bar. Sheamus powers up. He charges Bryan, but is hit with an upper knee lift. Bryan dropkicks Sheamus to the outside floor. He attempts a running knee drop off the apron, but Sheamus catches him. Overhead suplex sends Bryan into the barricade. Another nice spot. Sheamus throws Bryan into the time keeper. He uses his chest pounds over top the time keeper’s barricade. Yet another nice spot. Very innovative. Bryan is rolled back into the ring as Sheamus gets under the ring. He gets a kendo stick, but Bryan gains control of it. Bryan repeatedly beats Sheamus with the kendo stick. He goes for a second round of beatings, but Sheamus catches it. Sheamus beats Bryan with the stick until it shatters. Bryan comes back at him hard with a front running drop kick. Sheamus’ head bounces off of a steel chair that is in between the ropes. Only a two count on that. Nice false finish.
Sheamus rolls to the outside as Bryan follows. Sheamus nails Bryan with a stiff chair shot. A little too stiff for me. What was that for? Sheamus goes for the steel steps, but Bryan stops him. Sheamus attempts to throw Bryan face first into the steel turnbuckle, but Bryan rolls down his back, and sends Sheamus face first. Bryan brings the steel steps into the ring. He sends Sheamus into the barricade. Both men get back into the ring. They fight over the kendo stick. Sheamus picks Bryan up, and attempts White Noise on top of the steps. Bryan gets out and sends Sheamus off the steps. Sheamus comes back with a Brogue Kick that sends Bryan’s back onto the steel steps. Sheamus covers and wins. Excellent match. Awesome match. Shocking match. Phenomenal match. Absolutely loved it. Raw is awesome tonight because of this match. It’s been good regardless, but it’s extremely good because of this match. This 3 hour thing is great. If we get elongated matches like this every week, I’m all for it. Did I mention how good that match was? I’m going to watch it again later. At least once. If your one of those people that tell me that you only read this article, and don’t actually watch Raw, don’t. Watch Raw. Watch this match.
Daniel Bryan is still in the ring. After commercial break of course. He is shouting that he won’t leave the ring until he gets a doctor. He’s yelling no. More ridiculousness from his unfitting new character. They show a recap video of AJ making the Cena vs. Big Show match. When they come back from the video, Bryan is still in the ring. He’s still yelling no. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth come to the ring. The idea is that they are in the next segment and that Bryan has the show hostage. Kingston is highly forgettable on the mic and tells Bryan to go. R-Truth tells Bryan that he and Lil Jimmy have business. Bryan talks to Lil Jimmy. He says it’s nice to meet him. He pats him on the head. Bryan does a punt kick to the air. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha Daniel Bryan just punted Lil Jimmy. R-Truth flips out, dives to the outside, and grabs Lil Jimmy. Bryan tells him that he’s consoling an invisible child. He calls for doctors. Guys in white suits come out for Truth.
AJ’s music hits. She says Bryan needs the help and is mentally unstable. She says he needs a psychiatric evaluation. He leaves with the doctors as R-Truth is still crying and holding invisible Lil Jimmy. Bryan comes face to face with AJ on the ramp. They stare at each other while she laughs and waves. So they just put over the idea that Bryan was going to have her committed last week. Now her leaving him makes sense. Here’s what I don’t get? How come AJ isn’t crazy anymore? She’s perfectly normal now. I don’t like the sudden change in character. I guess the reason why she was crazy was because of Daniel Bryan toying with her emotions. She turned crazy after he left her. So since her troubles with him are now settled, and she had her revenge, her character is able to move on to normalcy. It makes sense, but I don’t like it. She makes sense as the GM because she’s super over, but all of this happened way too fast. There are a lot of sudden character changes lately. Bryan, AJ, Jericho, Punk, Miz, Sandow, and Del Rio have all had slight gimmick changes recently.
R-Truth is still ring side. Lil Jimmy is okay now. R-Truth is walking hand in hand with him. He sits him on a chair at ringside. Phew. I was super worried about Lil Jimmy. AW comes to the stage shouting. He introduces his tag team. I like The Prime Time Players, but I hate AW. He annoys the hell out of me.
Kofi Kingston vs. Titus O’Neil- Titus attacks Kofi to start the match. Kofi jumps up the turnbuckle, but is kicked on his way down. AW starts running his mouth on his microphone. Ugh. Hate it. Titus does a bunch of generic moves such as body slams and chin locks. He moves incredibly slow. Is this a Big Show match? Kofi counters an overhead slam into a spinning DDT. Kofi hits multiple chops followed by a dropkick to the jaw. Boom Drop. Darren Young pops up on the apron. Truth comes up and nails Young off. AW jumps up and and throws his shoe at Kofi. I did actually laugh when he yelled “your momma” while doing it. Titus hits a sit out power bomb for the win. I mean who throws a shoe? Honestly? The Prime Time Players celebrate their win. Little Jimmy, Kofi Kingston, and Titus O’Neil are all trending on Twitter. So AW made a rape joke regarding Kobe Bryant that they had to apologize for. Remember when he made the racist jokes at Money in the Bank? This is why I don’t like him. I bet he gets released eventually. Thanks to @bakerspazing for explaining the rape joke to me. I don’t follow or care about the NBA or it’s players!
CM Punk is in the back with John Cena. He says he was close to the ropes and wouldn’t have tapped. He says he took advantage of Big Show’s interference and that Cena would have as well. Punk tells Cena that he likes him and respects him. Punk says he doesn’t care who wins their match. He says that he knows Cena is mad because Punk did to Rock what Cena couldn’t do to him in an entire year. HA! Love the sarcastic blow to keep heel status afloat. Unlike many other heel turns, Punk won’t just get over by yelling at fans and saying people are stupid. He’s not going to change. He’s going to do things the way he’s always done and keep the same alliances. However, he’s going to be sarcastic and take inadvertant shots at people. It’s an attitude change with him. It’s not a character change. It’s genius. He’s a genius.
Heath Slater is in the ring. IIIIIMMMMM JJJJJUUUUUSSSTTTTT OOOONNNNEEEEE MMMMMMAAAAANNNNNN!!! He says the legends are now back in the retirement home. He challenges any CURRENT wrestler. Randy Orton’s music hits. He looks smaller. Welcome back druggy!
Heath Slater vs. Randy Orton- Slater kicks Orton in the gut. He works him to the corner and stomps him. The referee seperates them. Slater goes to attack again, but is hit with a stiff clothesline. More clotheslines follow. Hanging DDT through the ropes by Orton. RKO. 1-2-3. Orton wins. Good to see Slater still involved post 1000 era. Not really looking forward to seeing more Randy Orton matches again. Randy Orton is trending on Twitter.
Daniel Bryan is in the back with a doctor. He is evaluating Daniel. The doctor asks him a series of questions. All the answers are YES. The doctor asks if it’s true that Daniel and AJ didn’t get married. Daniel screams YES at him over and over. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!! Funny. Very funny. I really like Raw tonight. By the way, they Daniel him if his name is Daniel Bryan and he said YES. The world took notice to this. So Bryan Danielson trends on Twitter. He really is crazy!
Chris Jericho and Christian vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero- Raw is 3 hours now. I gotta pee. But Ziggler and Miz are in the ring. So I’ll wait for Kane or Big Show. Ziggler and Christian start. Ziggler wrestles him to the mat and then taunts. Christian slaps him in the face. Ziggler charges and his face planted into the mat. Tag to Miz. Christian Thesz presses him and pounds at his face. Miz dives for the tag and exits the ring. Christian is still on fire and takes out Ziggler. Jericho is tagged. Ziggler wants none of him, so he tags Miz. I like how both heels cowered away from the faces in their new feuds. Really helps to put Jericho over as a face too. Eventually the heels start to double team Jericho. He comes back with a shoulder block on Ziggler. He is tossed to the outside apron, but climbs the turnbuckle, and comes off with an axe handle smash. Jericho throws Miz to the outside. Christian dives off the top rope to the outside floor onto both heels. Commercial spot. Nice match so far.
Back from break Jericho is in a chin lock from Miz. Jericho fights out, but is met with multiple clotheslines. Another chin lock. Back body drop by Jericho gets him out of the hold. Hot tag to Christian. Tag to Ziggler. Clotheslines. Ziggler powders to the bottom rope. Then comes that stupid spot I hate where Christian jumps to outside floor and uppercuts his opponent. Is the jump to the floor necessary? I hate that spot. Christian uses a springboard dive off the rope. Then comes the repetitive sunset flip spot. I like Christian, but he does the same crap every single match now. Miz gets involved for the distraction. Ziggler hits a drop kick. Two count. Tag to Miz. Miz stomps at Christian and hits a grounded boot to the face. He chokes Christian on the bottom rope. Miz catapults his throat into the bottom rope. Christian fights out of a chin lock and sends Miz to the outside floor. Jericho is reaching for the hot tag, but Miz takes out his legs from the outside. Both heels stomp Christian while the referee’s back is turned. Jumping elbow drop by Ziggler. Two count. Chin lock #435. Ziggler does a headstand during the chin lock.
Christian fights back up, but is hit with a neck breaker. Ziggler goes for a Fame Asser, but misses it. Botched spot. Lawler makes fun of him for missing. Rare miss for Ziggler. Ziggler goes for another Fame Asser, but it’s countered into a powerbomb. Hot tag to Jericho. Clotheslines. Jericho sprinboards up the ropes and dropkicks Miz. Nice. Running bulldog by Jericho. Lionsault. The cover is broken up by Ziggler. Christian spears Ziggler. Miz sends Christian shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Jericho takes out Miz’s legs and attempts The Walls of Jericho. Miz rolls out. He goes for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Christian pokes him in the eye. Code Breaker by Jericho. 3 count. Jericho and Christian win. Ziggler comes from behind and nails Jericho with the Money in the Bank briefcase. He exits. Nice match. The wrestling is so good tonight. I like how the faces won the match, but the heels are put over in the end. Nobody one ups the other. Continuation of new feuds. Good stuff.
Daniel Bryan is in the back with the doctor. Rorschach test. Bryan sees an airplane, crown, and space ship. The next one is a goat face. Bryan says “are you kidding me?” I am not a goat face, oompa loompa, Frodo, or anything else. Bryan asks if Charlie Sheen put the doctor up to that. He asks if Charlie Sheen is watching. He tells Sheen that he is the only one “winning.” The doctor is confused as to why Bryan is talking about Charlie Sheen. Get it? These segments are great. I’m laughing a lot tonight. Goat face is trending on Twitter.
Tensai w/ Sakamoto vs. Tyson Kidd- Tensai doesn’t get an entrance. I wasn’t aware that he was now a jobber. Ducked tie up to start. Kidd tries to chop Tensai down with kicks. Tensai catches him with a clothesline. Running splash in the corner. Catapult into the bottom rope. Elbow drops and punches from Tensai. He locks in a claw to the nerve in Kidd’s shoulder. Kidd gets out with kicks. He hits a rollup for a two count. Kick to the face. Flip over neck whip off the top rope by Kidd. Move of the night. He stays on offense attacking as much as he can. Tensai comes back with a sit out powerbomb. Running senton splash. Tensai gets the 3 count and wins.
Tensai continues his attack after the match. Multiple short arm clotheslines and elbow drops. Inverted back breaker. The referee reverses the decision. Tyson Kidd wins. Multiple referees try to stop Tensai. Tensai chops Sakamoto in the neck. Poor Sakamoto. That guy doesn’t even speak. The additional Raw hour makes it possible for guys like Tensai and Kidd to have a legit storyline. I like both of them. I like this classic big man/small man rivalry. It’s elevating them both and keeping them relevant. Tensai was due for a storyline since he’s never had one since his debut. Kidd was due for a push.
Daniel Bryan is in the back with the doctor- The doctor says he’s irritable, short tempered, and has an obsession with Charlie Sheen. The doctor says he’s sane and is free to go. The lights turn red. Here comes Kane. He says he’s Daniel’s anger management therapist. He throws him head first into the wall and leaves. Ummmmmmm???? What? Why? When? Who? Some of those questions don’t apply to this situation, but I just have so many of them? I have an idea. How about we just forget that this ever happened and just continue on in the future. Kane can just go away and doesn’t have to be involved in this in any way. Sound good? I think so. Who had Kane in the office pool for guy that would ruin that funny Daniel Bryan segments? You win.
CM Punk comes out to do commentary. Sweet. This will be good. Where is his commentary jacket that he usually wears? Oh that’s right, he’s a heel now. Boo. But he’s also a sarcastic ass now. Yay.
#1 Contender Match: The Big Show vs. John Cena- Punk talks trash on The Rock on commentary. He says he didn’t belong in Punk’s match. Big Show starts the match by clubbing Cena in the face. Cena falls to the mat and lays there. UGH this is going to be another llllooooonnnnngggggg boring Big Show match. Headbutts. Long pauses in between each move. Big Show misses a chop 10 minutes into the match. Might have not been 10 minutes, but it felt like it. Cena jumps up for a sleeper hold. He’s on his back. Will Big Show fade???? I’m so intrigued. This is highly interesting!!! (Sarcasm.) Big Show gets out and Cena hooks in another sleeper. So we’re about 5 minutes into the match and we’ve seen brawling and rest holds. That’s it. Punk says that Lawler has a bunch of notes, which reminds him of The Rock’s promos. That’s funny. Unfortunately, Punk keeps referencing things that Cena said a long time ago. Eventually Big Show back bumps. Cena covers him for a two count. Cole says “what a match!” Oh my no. Commercial. My eyes are happy to be raped by these advertisers instead of having to see Big Show move around.
Back from break we see Cena run into Big show and crash and burn. Big Show walks over Cena’s body. Is it over yet? Anxiously awaiting Punk’s interference thus making the triple threat match at Summerslam. Did I just spoil the finish? My bad. Big Show yells at Punk from the ring. He whips Cena into the corner. He yells something, but I didn’t understand a word of it. More than likely not English. Cena jumps off the top rope and does something. I don’t know what he did. Wasn’t really paying attention. “Let’s Go Cena” is trending on Twitter. I’m chanting “Let’s Go Finish.” They just did that spot where Cena picks up Big Show, but Big Show crashes onto him. You know which one I’m talking about because they’ve done it 17 times in the last year. Big Show goes for a chokeslam, but Cena counters with a DDT. The DDT was officially the first wrestling move used in this match. FACT. Big Show does a side slam. Then he misses a Vader Bomb. So if Vader’s is a Vader Bomb, and Swagger’s is a Swagger Bomb, is Big Show’s a Big Show Bomb? Let’s call it that. Big Show misses The Big Show Bomb. Cena goes for a 5 Kunckle Shuffle, but it’s countered into a chokeslam. Two count! False finish. I jumped out of my seat. This stuff is riveting.
Both men roll to the outside. And nothing happens out there. Big Show throws him back in. Then a back chop. Then Cena rolls to the outside again. This time Big Show goes face first into the barricade as Cena slides down his back. A spot we’ve seen at least twice tonight. Big Show throws Cena into CM Punk. They both crash and burn. Cena barely makes the 10 count and gets back into the ring. Big Show goes for the WMD. Cena ducks it, and goes for the Attitude Adjustment. CM Punk hits the ring and pushes both men down. Hard kick to the face of Big Show. And I mean hard. Stiff as hell. Awesome. Punk gets on the mic and says that both guys are losers. Then he walks out. The fans boo. AJ comes out. She says they are both winners. Triple threat match at Summerslam. Shocker. Who woulda saw that coming??? Punk comes back out and shouts at AJ. She laughs at him. Raw goes off the air.
Solid Raw. I like the 3 hour shows. It leaves plenty of time for actual wrestling. And there was some solid wrestling tonight. Sheamus vs. Bryan was great. GREAT. Del Rio’s match and the tag match were solid too. These 3 hour shows also give time to guys like Damien Sandow and Heath Slater. However, even with 3 hours there is still apparently no time for Zack Ryder. Wtf. Sick of it. Use him. Your idiots for not doing so. The Daniel Bryan stuff was hilarious. He continues to be the best in the world. Punk was great tonight too. This heel turn is going great. AJ works as GM. Lot’s of things are going well. 3 hours was a great move. Continue to showcase actual WRESTLING and we have ourselves a good WRESTLING show.
Leave comments! I was overwhelmed with the number and size of last week’s comments! I will answer every one of them I get this week. If I don’t I’ll force myself to re-watch tonight’s main event. So you know I’m serious.
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The first thing I want to address is the yes chant being turned into a bad thing. Its happened before think about Antonio Cesaro’s chant from a few years ago hey hey hey. When he turned heel they agitated the shit out of him by doing it everytime he hit move european uppercut hey pinfall hey hey. I agree with you they are going to use his biggest success and cut it to shreds.
The idea of Kane causing the fire was funny and would have worked.
Your thoughts though Bryan punting lil Jimmy or Snitsky punting the babydoll.
Solid show overall, I’m looking forward to the rest of the year for WWE
Good point. I hate that. Don’t mess with the YES chant. It made you a lot of money in t-shirt sales. Thanks for supporting my Kane idea lol. Snitsky punting the baby was even funnier than Bryan punting Lil Jimmy.
I’m really excited to see Punk as a heel. He’ll be more edgier and less stale. I thought Punk should have lost the championship to become less stale but turning heel may work too. Not happy with the Triple Threat match at SummerSlam. ALTHOUGH I was thinking that the Rock could get involved and make it a Fatal 4 Way but he won’t be back until the Royal Rumble.
I’m not sure about Bryans “mad man” gimmick. Anytime he keeps shouting he can get on my nerves although I don’t want him to. Nevertheless, his doctor segments were funny. I think a Sheen vs Bryan feud will be in the makings. Although like I said before, they should hold it off until they can make it the celebrity match at WM29.
Oh god. Orton is back. I really don’t like him. He’s stiff and robotic in the ring and he lost his mic skills. I liked him when he was The Legend Killer but not as The Viper. It was okay seeing him back but for me, he’s already outstayed his welcome. I’m gonna try to tempt Orton to take drugs whenever I see him so he’ll be off permanently.
I think this 3 hour concept may work. It’s going well so far. Hope it stays the same in the next weeks.
The epic “pipe bomb” that Punk laid last year was the turning point of his career. That wasn’t really a face promo. But the people responded making him the biggest face in the company. Since he’s been a face he hasn’t been as edgy. The heel turn could be perfect for that. I like Punk with the title and want him to break records. The triple threat Summerslam match is what it is. Not too happy with it either. But it will be on the undercard. Triple H and Lesnar will main event anyways. Bryan needs a to move away from the mad man thing. Doctor segments were great, but the character is not. Sheen will be at Summerslam. Or at least they will tape some segments of Bryan searching for him in LA. I just can’t see Sheen being in Kane’s corner or helping Kane. That match doesn’t seem big enough to me. This Summerslam seems weak. I’m not excited about Orton either. I’m sure he will take drugs on his own!
I still don’t understand what you guys are talking about. I said this last week and I will say it again, Punk hasn’t turned his back on the fans, not yet though. He might be on his way to becoming a heel but at the moment he is still face/tweener. Why are you lying when you said Punk got boos? He got far more cheers than boos during his entrance and at the end. The fans still love him. He was being cheered throughout. If Punk attacking The Rock was the point where he turned heel then how come Cena did not turn heel when he first attacked The Rock? Sure fans booed him but he was still face right? Punk spoke the truth. Legends like The Rock does not need so much attention. Punk is the WWE champion. The spotlight should have been on him, at least for once when the show ends and not The Rock or Cena.
By the way why on earth does wrestlers who get suspended for violating the wellness policy get huge push when they return like Mysterio and Randy? Is it to try and encourage and motivate them to not violate policies again?
I found this episode to be okay and little interesting. I am sick and tired of Sheamus being a babyface at the moment. He is build just like Cena and seems to have taken the role of Cena now that Cena has been loosing some matches. The matches haven’t gotten better to be honest with maybe a few exceptions. I think I will be fine with AJ being the general manager at the moment although I thought she should have made triple threat match for the WWE championship on Raw rather than putting Cena with Show. I hope Stephanie McMahon will replace AJ eventually. They should try to build a fued with Punk because I don’t think I like Punk being put up with two men for the championship like Kane, and now the Big Show.
I like seeing Jericho as face. I am sure he is going to win several matches now. I was so sick and tired of seeing him loose but I really hope they don’t bury Ziggler. I hope he cashes in his briefcase successfully.
Sheamus and Bryan match was good although Bryan should have won. Did we see Tyson getting buried again? Why not give him a decent storyline other than putting him with Tensai every time. The tag team match with Jericho was good. The segment with Brodus, Vickie and Damien was painful to watch. Titus and Kofi was just okay. Santino and Alberto match was pointless. Bryan’s segments with the doctor was funny and interesting.
Now the actual negative points – Overall this show was absolutely horrendus. It was a complete epic fail. I have never seen so many damn RECAPS, FILLERS, AND COMMERCIALS before. Dammit they recapped lesnar-hhh like 4 times, the start of raw like 3 times, the fire like 3 times, Del rio vs Santino for five times, a segment from a fucking month ago not to mention a fucking boat load of useless social media plugging (touting). No one gives a shit about touts. If this continues, ratings will plummet. The 3 hour format will definitely not last long if WWE management does not make some serious changes.
To sump up, I give this episode 6 on 10.
Punk is already a heel. He is attacking faces. He has a new “i get no respect” attitude. He’s edgier and more of a prick. He took out John Cena and The Rock in the last two weeks. He also singled out Jerry Lawler. That makes him a heel. There were boos for Punk. He wasn’t getting a huge ovation like he did when he was face. Smart marks will always cheer Punk. The marks were booing him. I agree with everything Punk says. He’s great. But he will continue to do more heelish things. He will also continue to feud with faces.
I’m not a fan of Orton or Mysterio. Their violations are the main reason why. I don’t get it either.
I’m also sick of Sheamus. Last night there was 1 great match, and 2 good matches on Raw. Compare that to the 0 good matches we usually get on a 2 hour Raw. I’ll take it. I’m settling, but I’ll take it. AJ will work. I don’t think Stephanie wants the full travel schedule now that she’s a mother, but she would certainly be good for the role. I’d like to see her and Sable get involved in this Summerslam feud.
They are doing good things with Jericho and Ziggler. Both will be used right. Ziggler will eventually cash in successfully.
Sheamus vs Bryan was great. I also would have rather seen Bryan win, but that doesn’t take away from how good the match was. Tyson didn’t get buried. The fact that he’s actually being used is a push for him. He got the upperhand in the first match. This feud is elevating them both. It’s better than him being on Superstars. Brodus and Vickie was painful. I did like Sandow’s involvement. I also liked Santino vs Alberto. Bryan’s segments were very good.
I’m sure you will continue to see recaps,fillers, and commercials during 3 hour shows. But there is also better wrestling. So I’ll take it.
I didn’t hear boos for CM punk. I don’t believe the crowd knew how to respond. I missed the final match, so they might of Booed then. I believe the WWE universe Will be split on CM punk. True fans, like me, I will still like him even if he is a “heel”. I think he hit it right on the head, about the rock. I’m over the rock being back, and doing nothing during the weeks leading up to main event. Meanwhile the younger wrestlers, carry the organization. When hasn’t CM punk hurt himself during a raw or smack down. At least the rock did a good job overselling the clothesline CM punk gave him. The three-hour format is awesome. I agree, it allows there to be more wrestling. The WWE probably realized they couldn’t squeeze storylines in with actual wrestling. The Sheamus/ Bryan match was awesome. Nice to see that Sheamus can do more than just brawl. I am really liking how the villains are becoming more vicious. Damien Sandow and Del Rio are doing a great job. The big show should take a lesson from them.
Punk used to get 100% cheers. No he gets about 40% cheers. The marks boo. The smart marks cheer. There are more marks in the crowd than smart marks. Punk is still great. Nothing has changed. I completely agree with everything you said in this comment.
The Kane “Anger Management” bit may be referring to Charlie Sheen’s new show.
We knew Punk had to change “a little” for them to do a Rock fued. Punk will be between heel & tweener. He’ll never really insult the fans. This way it’ll be an easy transition back to baby face when it’s time.
Sheamus is stale and already too over, too soon . Dolph needs to take the title from him soon!
I’m actually okay with D-Bryan’s psychotic change as long as they keep it just as funny. Keep his matches good too.
I cringe watching Kofi on the mic. He need some pointers from R-Truth. Would hate to see him end up like John Morrison because I think he has talent in the ring.
*Face palm for Cena vs Show vs Punk at Summer Slam*
I thought AJ was going to make that the main event of Raw that night, not a ppv match. Now we get to watch two guys being shoved down our throats and the awesome CM Punk. By the way, I don’t like AJ as GM. To me, it just doesn’t fit her. Especially not with this new stale gimmick she has. Hopefully this is temporary!
There are pros and cons with the 3 hour Raws for me. I like how I get an extra hour of WWE programming, and I like how the matches are longer. However, I HATE all the tout crap and I hate all the recap stuff. We saw the same HHH/Lesnar recap with Stephanie slapping Heyman like 8 times. Annoying! If that continues, its gonna get old. Anyway, onto Raw. Btw, it feels weird saying that was my last 8PM Raw for quite a while. I am moving to South Dakota on Friday, so Raw will begin at 6PM lol. Ok ok ok, I loved CM Punk already, but this new asshole-ish character of his is pretty awesome. I loved how he pretty much tore Jerry Lawler a new one at the beginning and at the end of the show. Keep it up, Punk. However, I thought him yelling at AJ at the end was a little beneath him. I guess thats because he is a heel now. I dunno. It just seemed forced to me.
I agree that the new wrinkle in Bryan’s character is a little off, but his backstage segments with the doctor were funny as hell. His match with Sheamus was one of the best Raw matches of the year. Im not quite sure Im digging AJ as the GM quite yet. She seems normal now; ie no craziness. So its like she has absolutely no character at all. Shes just there, kinda like Randy Orton. But I will give it time before making a judgment.
Really digging your analysis on both Punk and Bryan in this article. Youre always there to make sense out of things. Glad I got to know you lol. I apologize for the lateness of my response, but as I said earlier, Im moving to SD so Ive been busy. Keep up the grrreat articles, and onto next Monday!!
The best thing about WWE right now has to be Punk’s gradual heel turn & I cannot tell you how much I was anticipating a pipe-bomb after such a loooooooong time.His interaction with Lawler,while sitting on the commentary table was classic.I hope we see such good stuff from Punk more often.For me,the show went downhill after the opening altercation & most of the other segments were pretty weak.The wrestling was pretty good,apart from Cena-Show,& especially Bryan-Sheamus was a very very memorable match.AJ as GM may or may not work but i just hope this is the start of another exciting Summer of Punk.The 3-hour Raw may very well turn out to be a great idea if they just cut down the millions(& the millions!) of social media fillers & recaps & just use that time for guys like Cesaro,Ryder & to an extent,the divas.
Overall,Raw was pretty good & I cannot wait to see if WWE can match,or possibly surpass the excitement of the past 2 summers & build a good,solid foundation going into Royal Rumble & eventually,Wrestlemania.
The best thing in WRESTLING is Daniel Bryan hands down. His character is just downright entertaining. Sorry you hate good stuff and like garbage like boring Del Rio.