RAW is in Brooklyn tonight. Expect an entertaining RAW crowd. All of the big names involved in Wrestlemania are advertised to be there. The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar will go face to face, and Hulk Hogan is scheduled to be there. And what will Daniel Bryan have in store for Triple H after last week’s vicious assault? Follow along to find out!
RAW Is Sexual Innuendos
RAW started with Stephanie McMahon. She said Daniel Bryan won’t be there tonight. Suurreee. Steph said she agreed with people on social media who said the beating last week went too far. But her and HHH needed to send a message to the locker room that insubordination will not be tolerated. She said Daniel Bryan will lead everyone down a bad road. She said she was born into all of this power and she is the only person who can handle making all of these decisions. She said last week HHH showed that he his still the Cerebral Assassin and is the most powerful man in the WWE. And after Wrestlemania he will once again be WWE Champion.
Randy Orton said he’s not out here to say she’s wrong, but he said he can’t be held responsible for what he has to do to HHH at Wrestlemania. She said her kids and family will have to watch him beat HHH to a pulp. Orton said that Steph should let her husband beat the holy hell out of Bryan then walk away from the WWE Title match. Batista came out. He said everyone is missing the point. He said everyone is looking at the next WWE Champion. He said he is walking out of Wrestlemania with the Title and to deal with it. Batista’s mic kept cutting out. Batista said that he respects HHH but he’s never beaten him. And he won’t if he gets to the Title match at Wrestlemania. Batista said Orton makes him sick with his constant sucking up. Batista said Orton drools all over Steph, and that’s happened before, and she probably gets drooled on a lot. Steph slapped Batista and left. Orton laughed, then ate a spear from Batista, who held the Titles up after.
One More, IC Title Match???
It’s a Fatal 4 Way to determine the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title. Christian vs Alberto del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus. All four brawled to start. Sheamus took out Del Rio with an over the top shoulder tackle. Sheamus took out Ziggler with an axe handle followed by a knee drop. Ziggler countered and caught Sheamus with a dropkick. Christian and Del Rio re-entered. Christian sent Sheamus to the outside, but Sheamus caught a dive attempt and hit a fallway slam on Christian into the barricade. Ziggler hit Del Rio with an enziguri kick. Del Rio went for one of his own on Sheamus but missed badly. Back on the outside Sheamus clotheslined Christian over the barricade.
Back from break Del Rio took out Ziggler, but Sheamus hit a rolling senton in the outside. Christian ran Sheamus into the ringpost. Christian landed some kicks on Ziggler back in the ring. Christian dumped Ziggler to the outside, but Sheamus came back in and laid out Christian as well as Del Rio. Sheamus landed his rope punches on Del Rio. Sheamus went to the top, but Ziggler came back in the ring and hit a Facebuster off the top for two. Ziggler hit the Fameasser on Del Rio for two. Ziggler went for the Fameasser on Christian but Christian countered into a sit down powerbomb. Del Rio broke up the count with a kick to the head. Sheamus came in and applied the Cloverleaf on Del Rio. Christian broke it up but Sheamus knocked him down. Del Rio stopped a Brogue Kick on Christian and applied the cross armbreaker. Sheamus tried powering out of it and stood up, but Ziggler came in and hit the ZigZag while it was still applied. Christian snuck in and hit the Killswitch on Ziggler to pick up the win. He gets an IC Title shot tomorrow night on Main Event.
WINNER: Christian
The Wyatt Family cut a promo. They said they were coming to find Cena.
Sin Cara came out in the Scooby Doo Mystery mobile with Scooby Doo. He’s fighting Damien Sandow. Sin Cara hit a hurricarrana followed by a springboard elbow. Sin Cara caught Sandow with a kick to the head followed by a swanton off the top for the win.
WINNER: Sin Cara
Los Matadores vs Rybaxel. Axel domianted early when The Shield came down to the barricade. One of the Matadores rolled up Axel to pick up the win. The Shield surrounded Rybaxel. Reigns pulled Axel out of the ring and threw him into the barricade. Reigns came back in and hit a Spear on Ryback, then ate a Triple Powerbomb.
Triple H Doing A Promo At 9 PM, Just Like The Good Old Days!
Triple H came to the ring to do a sit down interview with Michael Cole. Cole asked HHH how he could justify last week’s attack. HHH asked if he wants the question to be answered as COO or competitor at Wrestlemania. HHH said everyone got what they were asking for. HHH said Daniel Bryan got what he was asking for after the Occupy RAW Movement. HHH chastised Cole for supporting it. Cole said he saw it as an act of change. HHH said they forced him to become a competitor and Bryan got what he deserved. HHH asked what happened to this world since he stopped competing full time. HHH said nowadays he sees people as soft, pathetic, and when they don’t get what they want they cry about it. HHH said everyone should send him a tweet about how they feel. HHH said he should start the reality era. And the reality is he ends Bryan’s run at the top and the YES Movement. HHH said no one is going to stop him from winning the WWE Title again.
It’s Cody Rhodes vs Fandango. Cody landed some early punches and a couple of near fall attempts. Fandango countered one and hit a leg drop over the top for two. Fandango hit a suplex. Cody came back with some clotheslines and a springboard dropkick. Both men ended up butting heads. Goldust mocked Summer Rae on the outside. They each danced until Summer Rae fell. The distraction allowed Cody to hit the Disaster Kick for the win.
WINNER: Cody Rhodes
Arnold Is More Over Than Half The Current Roster
Hulk Hogan came out. He talked about Wrestlemania 1 and how history was made that night. He talked about being excited for Wrestlemania and then welcomed out Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joe Manginello. Arnold said its great to be back again in the WWE after inducting Bruno Sammartino into the Hall of Fame last year. Joe said its just a privilege to be in the ring with those two. Arnold asked Hulk if he had room in the Battle Royal for two more athletes.
Miz came out and said Arnold must be a big fan of his work in Marine 3 and his Christmas money. Miz said they play tough guys but he really is a tough guy. Miz said he’s winning the Battle Royal. Hogan said he’s in Hogan Country. Miz said people are still talking about him beating John Cena in the main event of Wrestlemania 27. Miz said that Hogan doesn’t belong here anymore. Joe said if Miz wants him to leave, he should make him. Joe pushed Miz, then blocked a punch and delivered one of his own. Arnold landed a slap and Hulk tossed Miz over the top.
Big Show vs Titus O’Neil. Show landed some chest slaps but Titus fought back with some hard kicks and a leg drop. Titus hit a couple splashes in the corner followed by a shoulder tackle for two. Titus dropped Big Show on the ropes and went to try and throw him over, but Big Show bounced back with a spear. Big Show landed the KO Punch for the win.
WINNER: Big Show
The Shield showed up in Triple H and Steph’s office. The Shield asked where they stood after Smackdown with The Authority. HHH said what happens with Kane is their own business. They made a match for The Shield vs The Real Americans later.
John Cena saw a sheep mask in the mirror in the bathroom, but when he turned around it wasn’t there.
Obligatory Smackdown Rematch
John Cena vs Luke Harper. Harper caught Cena with an elbow to the face. Harper tossed Cena hard into the corner then landed an uppercut to the face. Cena tried fighting back but ate a backbreaker from Harper. Cena reversed Harper and hit a splash in the corner, but Harper came right back with a double axe handle. Harper connected on a reverse backdrop and rolled to the outside. Cena caught Harper with a punch, but was distracted by Bray and Rowan and Harper hit another double axe handle in the ring.
Harper caught Cena with a boot to the face, then got out of an AA attempt and hit a superkick to the face for two. Cena ducked a clothesline and dropped Harper. Cena took too long going for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and Harper caught him with a kick to the face followed by a side down body slam for two. Cena countered a powerbomb attempt with a hurricarrana. Cena went for the STF but Harper powered out. Harper then hit a dive through the ropes to the outside.
Back in the ring Cena caught Harper and put him in the STF but Harper poked Cena in the eye. Both men went to the top. Cena knocked Harper off and hit a leg drop off the top for two. Cena hit the side slam followed by the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Harper countered the AA by throwing Cena face down into the mat. Harper readied for a clothesline but Cena hit a hard one of his own. Cena went for the AA again, but the lights went out. When they came back on, Cena was tied in the ropes with the sheep mask on him. Bray ended the segment with Follow the Buzzards.
Naomi vs AJ. Naomi caught AJ with a kick to the head. AJ bailed after some quick offense. AJ said she didn’t need this and left, so she was counted out. Vickie Guerrero came out. She said that AJ was a bitch and that she would compete in the Vickie Guerrero Diva Invitational, which is basically a match against every Diva on the roster.
Razor Ramon was announced as the last Hall of Fame inductee.
Three Fan Favorites, and Jack Swagger
It’s The Shield vs The Real Americans. All four men started by brawling on the outside. Ambrose and Cesaro started in the ring. Both men exchanged punches and kicks in the ring. Ambrose grabbed Cesaro and Rollins came in and hit a neckbreaker. Swagger came in. Rollins landed some punches and hit two suplexes and Ambrose came in and they hit the third together. Ambrose hit a dropkick on Swagger in the ropes. Rollins followed up with one of his own. Ambrose hit a short clothesline. He went for a submission but broke it, then ran into a Swagger powerslam. Cesaro tagged in and hit the Cesaro stomp. Swagger came back in and hit a belly-to-belly. Swagger hit the Swagger Bomb then Cesaro hit the Stomp for two. Swagger came back in but Ambrose caught him with a boot, then an elbow off the middle rope. Cesaro stopped the tag, then did the Cesaro Swing to Ambrose. Rollins broke up the pin. Swagger tagged in and they swung Ambrose into the barriade.
Back from break Cesaro slapped around Ambrose and he asked for more. They exchanged punches until Ambrose hit a clothesline and tagged in Seth. Seth dropkicked Cesaro off the apron then hit a dropkick of his own on Swagger followed by a splash in the corner. Seth launched Cesaro off the apron then tossed Swagger to the outside. He hit a dive on both men and landed on his feet both times. Cesaro broke up a pin attempt. Cesaro dumped Ambrose to the outside then Seth clotheslined Cesaro over. Swagger locked in the ankle lock but Seth got to the ropes. Seth hit an enziguri kick followed by the Curb Stomp, which he calls the Peace of Mind for the win.
WINNERS: Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
Cesaro attacked Rollins after the match but Roman Reigns came in the ring and hit the Superman Punch. He followed up with a Spear on the outside. The Shield triple powerbombed Cesaro through the announce table. Kane and the New Age Outlaws came out and Kane said they all have a match at Wrestlemania.
Hasn’t Lesnar Seen Enough Old Taker Stuff To Know What Happens?
Paul Heyman came out with Brock Lesnar. Heyman said Lesnar will defeat The Undertaker, but that won’t take away 21 straight victories from The Undertaker. Heyman said Wrestlemania is where legends are made. Heyman kept talking but Lesnar grabbed the mic. Lesnar said he’s not here to promote, he’s here to fight. Druids came out and wheeled a casket to the ring. Lesnar banged on the casket before opening it and nothing being inside. Lesnar yelled at the druids and asked if this was a joke and if they thought this was funny. Lesnar said he was leaving and Heyman ran down Taker and said all Taker has for Lesnar is an empty casket. The casket door lifted up and Taker came up. Taker landed some quick strikes to Lesnar then clothesline him over the top rope onto the casket. Lesnar and Heyman retreated.
WHAT I LIKED
Cena vs Harper/Bray vs Cena Build: The WWE, for the first time in what seems like forever, is making Cena out to be vulernable in a build up to a match. And at the same time, they are making Bray Wyatt out to be a credible threat to Cena at Wrestlemania. See what happens when Cena isn’t Super Cena all the time. He actually has an interesting feud. Not only that, but Bray is hitting the right notes with his promos as well. And Harper and Cena had a good match as well. Harper has a bright future.
The Shield vs The Real Americans: The match started slow but definitely picked up after the commercial break. I think it is taking The Shield a little bit to fully work as faces, but they really shouldn’t need to change up that much of their act. Seth Rollins has been highlighted a lot recently which is a positive sign for his future. Great in ring action from all four men involved in the match.
No Daniel Bryan: It probably sucked for the fans in attendance, but from a storyline perspective it was the right move. Keep Bryan off TV to sell the injuries.
Fatal 4 Way: Good action throughout the match. I’d like to see more matches like this. Guys fighting for the right to earn a match against a mid-card Champion. It adds a little bit more value to the IC Title, which is something that is desperately needed.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Undertaker/Lesnar Build: I still think these two will have a good match, but I’m just not at all interested in the build up for it. It has all been basic Undertaker Wrestlemania Build 101. They haven’t taken any different steps. Last year they were able to add in Paul Bearer’s untimely passing, the year before we had the End of An Era build. But this year is just back to basics. I’d much rather have someone else, like a Bray Wyatt, who could talk about the same stuff he is now but with Taker instead of Cena.
Divas Gauntlet At Mania: I’m sure the WWE wants to get all of them a payday, but why not just have a Lumberjill match with AJ going one-on-one with Naomi. It’d be a much better match and still does the same thing.
Overall, this was another good show of RAW. There were two very solid matches, and they continued a pretty solid build with Bray and Cena. They kind of held steady with Daniel Bryan and HHH, while Taker and Lesnar failed to deliver. I’m giving the show a 6.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
