WWE had a holiday edition of Monday Night Raw on Labor Day. Justin has the full recap of the show and Harrak has 10 thoughts.
The show was pretty long and tedious, and most of the staff seems to agree. Here are our thoughts:
Justin Czerwonka
Another poor episode of RAW. The WWE seemed to want to get through this week and just get to next week where they stacked RAW (Orton/Reigns, Y2J/Bray in a Cage). But with all of the big guns in the main event it definitely hurt the rest of the show. Once again, RAW gets a 2.
Matthew Harrak
Everything that has happened in this main event match is really backing up my theory that Cena may be more injured than anyone has reported. Sure he finally got his hot tag but then he couldn’t even make the cover and instead tagged out to Roman Reigns to hit the spear for the finish. Everything about that match seemed awkward and a little off. I don’t know, I could be seeing ghosts where there are none but I’m curious to see what happens to the Night Of Champions main event.
Rhett Davis
Why was there so much of what is boring and so little of what the fans seem to actually enjoy? There was so much unneeded Bella action on this show. Which is why the audience crapped all over it. Albeit adding Paige and AJ into the fold makes it much more interesting. Then there was a ton of Rusev/Mark Henry as well. I’m already exhausted by this feud. Mainly just exhausted watching Mark Henry run to the ring. The best part of Raw is Gold and Stardust. They are extremely compelling as a heel. The more John Cena looks strong heading into Night of Champions, the more it looks like The Authority is just going to cost him.
PK
This show was boring, uneventful, and uninspired. Chris Jericho has had nothing to do with The Authority since his return, but is tossed into a 6-man tag that Teddy Long would be proud of for no reason. While he did bring some pop to that match, you have to question the editing team to cut to commercial just as Jericho hits his impact finisher. The rest of the match was simple going through the motions, and it was clear that Kane would suffer the loss.
What is the point of introducing a new Monster face tag team of Mizark & Big Show, yet start a singles program with Rusev? I like the idea that Henry would stand up for the US, being a former Olympian, but they are wasting some good time with his hand in the cookie jar twice a week. The Wyatt Family (or just Luke Harper) has been too good in the tag team game the past few months to have to suffer loss after loss to the big guys.
I really hope we get a good pay off to who is under the bunny costume. Hell, I’d take Rose’s NXT tag team partner, Sami Zayn. But if this just ends up being another never-was for a short term storyline, that will do nothing to advance Rose (and come on, we know it is), then I will be disappointed. Also, I really like Heath Slater, and I really wish 3MB was still around, but Slater & Gator? These 2 better not pick up their phones during roster cuts next spring.
The Bella’s being inserted into the title picture is a slap in the face of AJ Lee, who has been the best thing in Diva’s division since Beth Phoenix first stormed on the scene. Paige vs. AJ have had a decent series of matches, and once can only hope that Charlotte isn’t far behind (and maybe with Sara Del Ray right there to coach them along??). The Bella’s need to stay away from the tramp stamp for now.
However, there is one thing that I did enjoy, and that is Mizdow. The stunt double for The Miz is a great idea, and Sandow is just the guy to pull it off. I’m tired of hearing that Sandown must have done something wrong to be relegated to these comedy roles, however let’s look at the facts. Santino is hurt badly, and will probably never return, so there needs to be a strong comedy act on the show. Also, if Sandow truly pissed someone off, don’t you think they’d just keep him off TV? The stunt double is a good gimmick, and has been entertaining for now…let’s hope that Miz doesn’t find a way to make this boring too.
Widro
I’m still a fan of the Monday Night Wars-style intro where all the top stars come down and cut promos on each other. I think HHH/Jericho have great chemistry in these segments. However, after 3+ hours, not much else stuck with me about the show. The Bellas storyline is grating, although it does make the Diva’s division seem special to have Stephanie involved. The main event was fine, but in the end it had no consequence to speak of. This was a holiday show where WWE expected a lower-than-usual audience and put together a wheels-spinning show where not much was forwarded along.
