Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns attack Ryback. Fine pre-show tag team match with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater defeating Zack Ryder and Santino Marella. The match had absolutely no hype going into it and the competitors were changed once again at the last minute, so the low view count was understandable. The crowd popped for Team Co-Bro's spots, but that was about it. 3MB does nothing for me personally, but it seems WWE is determined on pushing to the limit. On a side note, it's nice to see Drew McIntyre back after a brief hiatus due to a death in the family. Fun five-on-five elimination tag team match with Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd and Brodus Clay defeating Tensai, Prime Time Players, Primo and Epico. Having Tensai and Clay get eliminated early on was a smart move in allowing the more fast-paced Superstars do the rest of the in-ring work. My only complaint was that the entire heel team got demolished consecutively, but it also helped make various members of the face team look strong. Kidd and Gabriel get a nice rub for being two of the four remaining participants alongside Mysterio and Cara. This was the perfect opener and a great way to kick off the show on a high note (literally). Decent match with Eve defeating Kaitlyn to successfully retain her Divas Championship. The match mostly consisted of Kaitlyn chasing Eve around the ring, but it was a smart way to get out of showcasing Kailyn's weaknesses inside the squared circle. The crowd was dead for the start as expected, but they came alive somewhat towards the finish to rally behind Kaitlyn. Eve retaining was good booking, as she's made for a great Divas Champion since capturing the title two months ago. Good match with Antonio Cesaro defeating R-Truth to maintain possession of his United States Championship. Aside from the pre-show, this was the least cared about match of the night, but at least the in-ring work was exceptional. Cesaro's promo prior to the bout was well done and succeeded in garnering him some major heat from the live crowd. Truth has been irrelevant for the longest time now, so he doesn't lose anything from this loss, but I hope they give Cesaro a legitimate challenger in the weeks ahead. Christian, anyone?
0 Comments
Sheamus brutalizes World Heavyweight Champion Big Show. Entertaining Miz TV segment with all the members of both Team Foley and Team Ziggler appearing. It did an effective job of establishing tension between the teammates of both teams and almost everyone played their roles well on the mic. Furthermore, it set up the many matches for throughout the night, so this was a successful start to the show. Good match between Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Damien Sandow. The action could've easily been better, but it seemed as if they were holding back a bit, which is a good thing if they'll be eventually feuding at some point. This was a nice win for Sandow with it being over the Intercontinental Champion, but it wasn't what I expected it to be. Fine six-Divas tag team match with Kaitlyn, Layla and Natalya defeating Divas Champion Eve, Aksana and Alicia Fox. Regardless of Natalya's and Fox's random face/heel turns that I never knew occurred, the match itself was alright, but the main focus was furthering the feud between Kaitlyn and Eve. The action was at least given some time, even if it wasn't a five star classic. It helped give Kaitlyn more momentum going into her Divas Championship match on Sunday, so that's all that mattered. Solid tag team match with Randy Orton and The Miz defeating Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler. I have throughly enjoying Miz's organic face turn up to this point, and his mannerisms and entertaining antics throughout this bout were fun to see. Since they were in Miz's hometown of Cleveland, it was nice to see him pick up the victory for this team. The post-match RKO was expected, but at least it further foreshadowed dissension between Team Foley. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Strange segment to kick off the show featuring James Storm and Bobby Roode. Storm's promo was very well done and made sense coming off his big win at Turning Point, but it all went downhill when Roode entered. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Roode's and even a bigger fan of his feud with Storm, but his personal shots at Storm's daughter were weak. While Roode's tactics may make him a smart heel, Storm comes off as moronic for putting his number one contender spot on the line. Nice match with Rob Van Dam defeating Kid Kash to retain his X-Division Championship. It was a fun first match and a good win for RVD, despite the fact that it was illogical that Kash got a shot at the gold after being off television for so long. The action didn't blow me away, but it was a nice little match for what it was worth. John Cena and Ryback both grasp the WWE title belt as Punk looks on. Good match between Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler to kick of the show. These two have awesome chemistry, so it was disappointing to see their match cut short. However, it lead into a tag team match involving other Survivor Series competitors, so that was logical. Also, I liked how Orton picked up the victory here with a roll-up rather than an RKO, which is rare for the Viper. I always enjoy when WWE opens their shows with matches, as it is most definitely a nice change of pace. Great tag team match with Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler defeating Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton. As previously stated, it made sense to have this match what transpired earlier, but I still found it hilarious that they had Teddy Long of all people make the announcement, who is notorious for making tag team matches. The action was non-stop and enjoyable, and having the heels go over was certainly a smart move. Ridiculous segment involving Vickie Guerrero, Dolph Ziggler and AJ. This is the third consecutive week that they've shown "evidence" of AJ and John Cena having an affair (which is illogical since they're both single anyway) and it only gets worse each time. Ziggler was good here, but that was about it. Cena coming down to protect AJ was predicable, which only confuses me as to why he's not facing Ziggler at Survivor Series. The only true part of this whole angle that intrigued me on this show was the brief backstage bit between AJ and Cena, where the two flirted and showed mild interest in one another. Brief match with World Heavyweight Champion Big Show squashing William Regal. Firstly, I'd like to thank WWE for fulfilling my longtime wishes and putting Regal back on television. From this match, it seems like they're trying to build upon Regal's "friendship" with Sheamus, which I hope will ultimately lead to something. The match didn't last long at all and was used merely to make Show looking like a beast going in Survivor Series, but I enjoyed Regal's television time on Raw while it lasted. Fine match with Kaitlyn defeating Layla to become the number one contender to Eve's Divas Championship. Granted, the match should've been longer, but it was harmless and effective. While she may not be the best in-ring worker, Kaitlyn is a fresh face in the title picture and has more of a Cinderella story if she wins the title on Sunday. Strong promo featuring WWE Champion CM Punk, Jerry Lawler and Mick Foley. I'll start off by saying that Lawler's return was very well done. As much as I dislike having Jim Ross leave the booth, it's nice to see Lawler back on commentary and it was made to feel special. Of course, having Punk interrupt Lawler and take shots at his health was a cheap way to garner heat, but it was undoubtedly effective. Punk provided some fantastic mic work, but I will agree with the majority in saying that Paul Heyman's "heart attack" crossed the line and was unnecessary. As tasteless as that might've seemed, you have to remember that it wouldn't have happened if Lawler wasn't cool with it, but still, that shouldn't happen one day prior to the seven-year anniversary of Eddie Guerrero's heart attack that cost him his life. As for Mick Foley, he showed some great intensity on the mic and was also able to hype the main event match by announcing his involvement in the contest. |
Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|