Authority Opening
Steph and Trips came out to do their Steph and Trips things. In usual fashion for the Opening Promos they said a lot without saying a lot; and as such there isn't really much you can say about it. Then this is where it got better- it's just nice to see different faces in the Opening Promo segment; in this case Sheamus and then Ryback. Ryback is either going to get a push or be buried off of the back of cutting Steph off "BIG GUY'S TALKING, STEPH"- and all in all it was a pretty good way to set up the opening match; and it was south of 20 Minutes which was a bonus!
Sheamus v Ryback
I actually really liked this match- I said in the Ad Break that I thought it would be good; and for what it was it delivered for me. I love a match that's worked really stiff, and in Sheamus you have the person who works stiffest on the whole Roster- with Ryback not really that far behind. Ryback was Magic Bandaged up after the Senton on Sunday, and these two proceeded to knock lumps out of each other all around the ring. The finish was good- Sheamus being the dastardly heel he is, and for once I liked JBLs commentary attributing him to being a quick healer.
Authority Backstage Promo
Ambrose's new gimmick should just be to interrupt every backstage promo- his interactions with New Day would be legendary. This was alright for what it was- it pretty much carried on Rollins' getting way too cocky storyline, which in my opinion is setting up Rollins v Triple H somewhere down the road. The Kane will he/won't he has lost pretty much all momentum- when you think about where he was from a crowd reaction standpoint when they did that "Kane lays down for Rollins" angle and how long they've tiptoed around it since then without any real end product it's completely killed the angle in my opinion.
Neville & Bo Dallas Promo
We actually had something resembling NXT continuity on RAW, Wizardry. I think the biggest surprise for people who don't watch NXT will have been that Bo was NXT Champion "HE WON A MATCH?!", Trust us guys- the NXT Title is Prestigious. New Day have taken over as the Heat Magnets of the show- but Bo is just someone who it's so easy to hate, and given the way they've gone with Bo tonight I'm hoping we start to get him as a more legitimate competitor.
King Barrett v Neville
I think this was a shocking match in that they worked the psychology of a match- and the injured leg consistently. This match was better than their one the night before just because they worked a better story than they did at Payback, and for me this is a perfect angle for Neville because he can do a lot more mat wrestling now that he's been "grounded" with his "injured" knee- and hopefully that helps add depth to his ring work on the Main Roster.
Provided they keep working that injured knee this angle is near perfect for both Neville and Bo; and getting a more aggressive side to Bo is always going to be a good thing- and the more NXT starts bleeding into "WWE" the better.
Also arguably highlight of the night was Bo calling Booker "Mr T" so innocently- I know a lot of people heard it, but it was just his delivery which made it so much better in my opinion; and it was one of those moments where you go "This guy gets it".
Rusev & Lana Promo
This was all a bit meh to me- and I don't really know why- it just didn't do anything to me, and it just doesn't make much sense primarily. Without any sort of transitional period Rusev's been the one ordering Lana around- when it was the other way around, and now Rusev has ditched Lana completely (seemingly, more later). The accent is smart- and it's pretty much exactly what I've been wanting them to do with Adam Rose in that accent slipping signifies the transition in character for the person. I just don't know why, it might have been because I was quite sour to Rusev (and Cena) after the I Quit Match, this just didn't do anything for me.
Bray Wyatt v Dean Ambrose
Firstly, the build for this match with Kane saying "You'll Face Bray Wyatt" and Ambrose basically going "Ok, Cool" was perfect- and it suited Ambrose's character perfectly. The pairing with these two isn't exactly new, but after them seemingly facing each other every week in a Stipulation Match for nearly 2 Months the break has done a lot to reset the dynamic- and with where both guys are now it was a lot harder to call the winner than it was when Bray was being protected with Taker in mind. It's never nice to see someone get hurt- but Bray legitimately it seems hurting Ryback at Payback it adds an air of danger to his character, and for me that added to the match; which let's be honest was always going to deliver. Also the finish with J&J pushing Ambrose into the Abigail was great and it looked fluid which for me makes it so much better than if they'd have had to pause to set up the move.
KiddSaro v New Day- Tag Title
I don't really know why they felt the need to do this match, there wasn't a Rematch clause with which KiddSaro could activate for the match, and yes there was shenanigans at Payback- but they weren't not going to have KiddSaro in the Tag Chamber match so I don't see why they couldn't have achieved the same thing putting New Day up against either the Lucha's or the PTP. Without a doubt the highlight of the segment was the little in joke elbow nudging "FIVE" bit in the Promo before the match from New Day. I don't know if Batista's stuck a rocket up the WWE's proverbial backside when it comes to Titus after what happened in the week, but either way it was good to see the PTP actually get physical after their bizarre vignettes and look strong.
Cena's Open Challenge
I. LOVED. THIS. It's taken me so much restraint not to publicly call out the people who were calling what Cena's been doing with the Open Challenges a Burial- because it just hasn't. Then we got this segment which I'm pretty sure made the Internet Explode- and the crowd go mild. Virginia should never get a Wrestling Event ever again after the reaction to Owens' music hitting. Owens pretty much saying the US Title was beneath him with the Stamp on the US Title instantly makes Owens a dastardly heel, enrages Cena and elevates the NXT Title and get's people interested for Wednesday Night. This was just perfect, the fact Cena sold the Powerbomb like he'd been killed was great on his part because he could have rolled around and that would have taken away from the effectiveness of the segment. This was without a doubt Owens' moment, but you can't take away Cena's part to make this what it was. If I had to criticise one thing- it's Owens' promos aren't quite top level yet, but he knows perfectly how to work a crowd so that doesn't come into play as much as it could have done.
If anyone had doubts over Owens' future as a Main Eventer in WWE this quashed that completely.
Dolph Ziggler v Stardust
This was way too short to be anything even worth discussing.
Ziggler (Mr. Steal Yo Girl), Lana & Rusev Segment
This just felt a bit uncomfortable to me, again I don't really know why in all honesty. I think they can go a number of ways with this story- and the one I'd do is having Dolph win the IC Belt in the Chamber- have Rusev chase him and Lana screws over Dolph. I know it won't happen, but the way they're seemingly going with Lana does nothing for me- and when I see Lana in her current incarnation I see money, so I don't know why they'd do anything except tweak her gimmick.
Rowan & Harper v Fandango & Ryder
They reunited Rowan & Harper just in time to not be in the Chamber, which is pretty much made for them and their aggressive style of gimmick. I suppose there's still time for them to attack one of the teams entered into the Chamber which is where I'd go because even if they don't win the belts they can cause havoc in the Chamber and potentially steal the show with their physicality. Oh Yeah, there was a match, well... there was a match.
Bellas, Stephanie Backstage Segment
DR SHELBY *clap clap clapclapclap*
Nikki Bella v Naomi- Divas Title
So... Becky Lynch v Sasha Banks on Wednesday looks good eh? I called exactly how the match was going to go down when I was sugar crashing from too many Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies, which presumably is also how they book the Divas Division in general.
Kevin Owens Backstage Promo
So now Owens has aligned with The Authority which opens up so much cross over potential for NXT and the Main Roster which I'm quite enthusiastic about provided NXT keeps it's core values as a developmental territory. I have a weird feeling Cena may do a run-in on Wednesday and cost Owens the Title before they embark on an Owens v Cena feud for the US Title. It's the last thing I'd have thought of before last night- but I truly think Owens is going to end up as the Consistent Main Roster feature before Zayn, before Balor etc.- and the way he was booked last night makes me think that more so- and after Takeover they have a brief Balor v Zayn feud for the belt with Sami eventually dropping the belt to Finn and taking his place up as an exclusively main roster guy.
Seth Rollins "Architect of a Dream" (I think that was what it was called)
Once again they didn't do anything of note with The Authority dynamic- specifically Kane. It's just getting to the point where I'm beyond frustration and am completely indifferent toward Kane and the angle which is the worst thing WWE can have. The Ambrose bit was good, and it's good they've moved on from Randall now and onto stories that'll have some more legs; I saw someone say they should have Ambrose win the belt at the Chamber to get some more subs and then Rollins wins the Briefcase and get's it back- while I disagree with that, it is an option. The Ambrose/Rollins and Reigns dynamic has so many potential options and avenues they can explore and while I doubt they would- and if they did they wouldn't be able to keep it fresh, I think there's enough options they could keep the Title feuds entirely "in house" for the three Shield members until Mania.
All in all I thought this was a pretty good RAW, the majority of it was fresh enough to keep people interested throughout and with some of the obvious highlights taking it to another level.
Anyway, thanks again for reading there's going to be a whole day without a post before these Wrasslin' Posts are back for the Takeover Review on Thursday so stay tuned for that- and see what my Reviews are like when I finish a "PPV" satisfied. Anyway, thanks again- and have a good Tuesday Night/Wednesday I suppose.
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