WWE kicked off the final push to Payback last night with the go-home Monday Night Raw, live from Cinicinnati. The show featured the return of Triple H, a possible goodbye to Daniel Bryan, and chaos to close things out. Let’s take a look at what went down last night.
The Lunatic Fringe Sends a Message
We kick things off with Triple H making his way out to the ring and saying the Authority, specifically Seth Rollins and Kane, need to clear the air. Rollins comes out and says he agrees and that Kane has been trying to screw him over for weeks and Triple H needs to fix things. Rollins says Kane isn’t fit for his job and maybe it’s time for Triple H to take him out back and put the old dog out. This of course brings out Kane who starts screaming at Rollins before Triple H gets betrween the two.
Trips says that Rollins leaving Payback as champ is best for business, and if he doesn’t then Kane’s services might no longer be needed. He tells Kane he needs to know right now if he is in or not, and he needs to show he’s on the same page when he faces Roman Reigns later tonight. Rollins enjoys that, so Trips tells the champ he’s going to take on Randy Orton in the main event. Jamie Noble cuts him off and says that’s unfair to Rollins so Triple H tells J&J Security they’ll get a match with Dean Ambrose. Right now.
Out comes Ambrose to a ridiculously loud pop, walking straight past the Authority like they don’t exist.
I really hope WWE has noticed just how insanely the crowd reacts to Ambrose whenever he comes out. The guy was expected to be a top heel in the company and somehow turned into one of the most beloved babyfaces. This probably means he’s getting pinned or submitted at Payback.
Ambrose basically beats J&J Security down before the numbers game gives the two little guys an advantage. Eventually though, Ambrose makes his push, which of course has to include his patented spin around on the ropes and clothesline the hell out of your opponent move.
Ambrose follows this up by tossing Mercury out of the ring and hitting Noble with Dirty Deeds for the 1-2-3. Easy money for the Lunatic Fringe.
Kane makes his way out for his match with Roman Reigns and the opportunity to show the Authority he means business. Reigns makes his way through the crowd but Kane attacks him and they start fighting on the outside. Kane slams Reigns into the ring and barricade multiple times before tossing him over the steel steps. Reigns counters with a massive Superman punch and then spears Kane over the commentary table! Reigns stands tall on the table as refs break things up and the match never officially gets started.
Time for the main event as Rollins and Orton make their way out to the ring. Typical match between the two that we’ve seen about 46 times since Orton came back before Wrestlemania. Rollins controls a good portion of the match, but Orton eventually makes his comeback and hits a DDT before calling for the RKO. This of course causes J&J Security to hit the ring and cause a DQ. Orton fights them off but Rollins hits him from behind and starts stomping away on the Viper.
Kane makes his way ringside and grabs a chair, but he just watches as Reigns and Ambrose hit the ring. All three of Rollins challengers are now circling the Champ, and they are looking to see if Kane is going to make his move. Ambrose kicks Rollins and hits him with Dirty Deeds to get things going.
All three men immediately look at Kane again to see if he’s going to help out and still no reaction from the Demon. Now it’s Reigns turn as he hits the Champ with a huge Spear.
Reigns looks at Kane and the challengers are basically daring him to get in the ring, but the Demon still just sits ringside and watches. Now Reigns and Ambrose pick Rollins up and carry him over to Orton.
RKO. Rollins is completely out as the challengers stand in the ring confidently. The only issue here is the match Sunday isn’t a three on one handicap match, it’s a Fatal Fourway. And about 10 seconds after Rollins is dispatched of, everyone realizes that it’s every man for himself. Reigns takes Orton out with a big Spear out of nowhere.
While Reigns is in the middle of his spazz-tastic celebration, his former Shield-mate and newest fan-favorite Ambrose sneaks up behind him and hits Dirty Deeds on the powerhouse.
Ambrose stands tall to end the show, and for good measure he shows Reigns what a spazz-tastic celebration is really supposed to look like.
Now I’m not saying that WWE should put the title on Ambrose… yet. But the company really needs to listen to the fans here and give the Lunatic a chance to shine at the Fatal Fourway. This crazy person has somehow turned into the one guy in the main event picture the fans are unanimously behind, and the company needs to take advantage of that. We’ll see if that happens this Sunday at Payback.
Deja Vu for Daniel Bryan
After missing weeks of action with an injury, Daniel Bryan finally made his return to Monday Night Raw. Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, it wasn’t to compete in the ring.
Bryan came out and said that he had plenty of downtime lately and he hates it, but he’s glad to be back in front of the fans. Bryan says the fans have accepted him and treated him better than anyone backstage, and the past year was really hard for him after Wrestlemania 30. Bryan says he got that opportunity because of the fans, and even though he hates to admit it, Stephanie McMahon was right to strip him of the title.
Bryan says he wasn’t sure how much time he’s going to miss, and the WWE Universe deserves a fighting Champion, which is the reason he’s out there tonight. DB says that his return date is unknown and the title deserves to be in the ring, being fought for by a champion the Univers deserves. Bryan says he’s leaving the title in the ring, and relinquishing his championship. He heads up to the ramp looking incredibly emotional and leads a YES! chant with the crowd on his way out.
Later, WWE announces that the Elimination Chamber PPV will be returning on May 31st, and the Intercontinental champion will be determined in an Elimination Chamber match.
Sad situation for Bryan, you really hope that he can get healthy again and be able to live a normal life, but it’s starting to feel like his time in the ring may have come to an end. There really is no reason for him to risk long-term health issues with an injury like this that keeps happening.
Other Results:
Your Weekly Reminder That the U.S. Title Open Challenge is Awesome – This week it was Neville challenging Cena for the title. We know what we’re going to get in these matches, a great effort from the challenger but ultimately a Cena retention. Neville definitely put on a show, hitting this ridiculous move (I have no idea what to call that besides incredible) to Cena on the outside.
Neville put on a great match, even kicking out of an Attitude Adjustment and scoring a ton of near-falls, including one after this awesome twisting somersault from the second turnbuckle onto Cena.
As the match broke down, it looked like Neville might be able to steal it, hitting the Red Arrow on Cena for the 1…2… Rusev hits the ring and causes the DQ, ruining everything of course. Post-match, Rusev beats Cena down and locks in the Accolade to gain the upper-hand before their ‘I Quit’ match this Sunday.
Dolph Ziggler Has a Bad Night – Bad News Barret picks up the win over Ziggler after a distraction from Sheamus who is sitting ringside. After the match, Sheamus hits the ring and stomps away on Ziggler. Dolph tries to make a comeback but eats a Brogue Kick and Sheamus walks away celebrating before their match this Sunday at Payback.
Mega Powers 2.0! – It’s not exactly Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, but Axelmania and Macho Man-dow fought off an attack from the Ascension in the middle of their singles match and then united to form the newest version of the Mega Powers!
I’m pretty much down with anything that gets Damien Sandow on television more, even if it means teaming with Curtis Axel and feuding with the Ascension.
The Wyatts Are Back… Sort Of – Erick Rowan beats Fandango in a squash match, and like they did on Smackdown, Luke Harper and Rowan beat Fandango down post-match and celebrate. Glad these two weirdos are back.
Cesaro Steals One For the Brass Ring Club – Solid match between Cesaro and Big E that showcased both men’s power. Cesaro picks up the win by countering a Big E pin with a roll-up for the 1-2-3.
Tamina Shows Off – Tamina beats Brie Bella with a huge superkick to pick up the win and further the Tamina/Naomi-Bella Twins feud.
