Another week, another WWE Monday Night Raw. And boy was it a wild one. With four men in the WWE World Heavyweight Title picture, a superstar looking to cash in and another looking to thwart him at every turn, Raw descended in to pure chaos. Let’s take a look.
Roman Reigns: Authority Headache
We kicked things off with the next big thing, Roman Reigns, addressing the WWE Universe. Reigns was given an opportunity to deliver one of his first big singles promos, and while it was a bit shaky, the superstar made clear that he was a real threat to win the WWE World Heavyweight title at Battleground later this month. According to Reigns, not even the Authority is going to stop him from winning the straps.
This of course brings out our first Authority goon of the night, the Demon Kane. In recent weeks, Kane has become a bodyguard and hit man of sorts for the Authority, taking out anyone who challenges Triple H or who attempts to get in the way of Seth Rollins and Randy Orton wins. In other words, Kane has become the Authority b— well, let Roman Reigns tell it. (LANGUAGE WARNING!!!)
Yes folks, WWE let Reigns drop a curse word on live TV! In the PG era! If that’s not a sign of his impending superstardom I don’t know what is.
Anyways, after referring to Kane as a female dog, the Demon made his way down to the ring, sparking a massive brawl. When two powerhouses like Reigns and Kane go at it, you just sit back and let them destroy each other. Well, unless you’re WWE officials who decided to break things up and well, were beaten for their troubles.
This wouldn’t be the last time Reigns and Kane crossed paths on this night.
Harper and Rowan Stake Their Claim
Another week, another battle between the Wyatt Family disciples and the tag team champs. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan took on the Uso’s in a non-title match filled with the usual high-flying spots and power moves from the Wyatts. (Side note: I’m loving Harper and Rowan getting their own theme music)
As is the case with most tag matches, both teams had their moments before things broke down into total chaos (there’s that word again). The finish was hectic as all four members were involved at some point before Harper put things to an end with a vicious clothesline.
Man that clothesline just looks deadly, and it may not have even been the best move of the night from Harper, who power-bombed an Uso nearly through the mat.
This was another great tag match put on by both teams, it kind of makes me wish they would save these encounters for PPV, but then again when you expand Raw to three hours you have plenty of time to fill.
Harper and Rowan seem on their way to yet another tag team title match at Battleground.
Raw….Is….Jerichoooooo
After a year away from the ring, Chris Jericho finally made his in-ring return, taking on the loud-mouthed Miz. As is often the case, Jericho put on a great match while allowing his opponent to look strong at times as well. Fans were treated with the entire Y2J collection, from the Lionsault to the Walls of Jericho, before the Ayatollah of Rock n’ Rolla was able to get Mr. Real World to tap out.
The highlight of the match however came after Jericho had won. The lights went out and suddenly Bray Wyatt appeared at the top of the ramp to deliver another of his chilling promos to Y2J. Wyatt did a great job of mocking Y2J, asking Jericho how he could save the fans when he can’t even save himself. After goading Jericho into fighting him, the lights went out as Harper and Rowan appeared at Bray’s side, causing Jericho to change his mind.
This is going to be an awesome feud. When you have a brash, loud-mouthed talker and a crazed, creepy talker like Wyatt sharing mic-time, you can only get something awesome. And the crowd lighting up the arena with their cell phones during Bray’s entrance and promos is awesome.
Orton and Ambrose Put on a Show
The match of the night was easily the clash between Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose. No seriously, Randy Orton was involved in the match of the night and it wasn’t for all the wrong reasons. The two put on a great match, giving you all the near-falls and spots that you would want from a match on Monday Night. The final 30 seconds of the match were pure chaos, with Ambrose nearly stealing the win multiple times before eating an RKO out of nowhere from Orton.
Ambrose has really developed into an incredible singles talent. We saw flashes of what he was capable of while he was in the Shield, but man has he really evolved into an amazing character since Seth Rollins betrayal. Dean has all of the small in-ring quirks that allow you to really become a star, and he has fully embraced his greaser/back-alley tough guy look.
And don’t forget the crazy.
!!!DEAN AMBROSE CRAZY ALERT!!!
It says a lot about Ambrose’s development in recent weeks that it felt like an upset when Orton hit him with the RKO and the 1-2-3. I’d say things are going well for the WWE’s resident lunatic.
Your Weekly Reminder to Bo-lieve!
Another week, another win for WWE’s greatest motivational speaker, Bo Dallas. (No it doesn’t matter that it was against El Torito, a win is a win!)
Another Ziggler Disappointment
Once again, WWE got our hopes up about Dolph Ziggler, only to crush them immediately.
This week, Ziggler had a match with Alberto Del Rio for a shot at Sheamus and his US title. Things started off well as we skipped Del Rio’s entrance and went straight to the crowd pop that is a custom with Dolph’s intro music. The match was hyped as a bout between two participants in the Intercontinental title Battle Royal at Battleground. Maybe WWE is really thinking about giving Ziggler another shot.
But wait, why is Fandango doing commentary (for what it’s worth, Faaan-daan-goooo was actually pretty awesome during the segment)? They aren’t really gonna continue the Ziggler/Fandango/Summer Rae/Layla thing are they? Wait why is Fandango dancing on the table? Ziggler’s about to win! No he’s not, no, come on WWE don’t do this to us!
1-2-3, Del Rio wins, and Ziggler is back at the bottom of the mid-card. Sigh. Seriously, did WWE forget how insane the crowd popped was for Ziggler when he cashed in?!
#PUSHZIGGLER!
Chaos to Close
The main event of the night found WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena (yawn) taking on Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins in a non-title match. It was a great match with Rollins taking some awesome bumps to really sell Super Cena’s strength, but much like the Ambrose-Orton match, the good stuff started once things got a little crazy.
After Cena had locked Rollins into an STF, Kane’s pyro and music hit as the Demon made his way down to the ring. While Cena was distracted, Randy Orton snuck in from behind to attack the champ. Things looked like they would turn into a 3-on-1 beat down until Reigns music hit, and the former Shield member exploded to the ring.
While Reigns made a quick impact taking out Kane and Orton, he was quickly put out of commission with a shot to the back of the head from Rollins and his brief case. Rollins then laid out a prone Cena with said briefcase, and eventually realized that for the second week in a row, he had an opportunity to cash in on the champ.
Rollins was ready to claim his prize and start the Plan B reign of supremacy before (language warning)..
Dean Ambrose fulfilled his promise of stopping all Rollins cash-ins yet again, giving us at least one more week of John Cena’s title reign. I know you’re as excited as I am.
Back in the ring, Cena hits Orton with an AA and Reigns takes out Kane with a spear. The franchise and the future are the only two remaining in the ring. Reigns-Cena staredown ensues before Reigns raises Cena’s arm as a sign of respect. Not to be out-niced, Cena raises Reigns to signal to those who might not have figured it out yet that Reigns is here, and he’s the next big thing (sorry Brock).
We go off the air with Reigns nodding to Cena, letting the champ know with a smirk that he is in fact the future of the company.
Next week we will see how the uneasy Cena-Reigns alliance continues and if respect will keep the two from coming to blows ahead of their Fatal Fourway at Battleground.
As always, #PUSHZIGGLER!