RAW Review- 17th November

Hello! I'm writing this when I'm still quite sleepy from RAW last night so please forgive any typos that may occur during this blog. We had a cat hosting RAW today- so as you can guess my expectations weren't high, so did I get a pleasant surprise? Also find out why Erick Rowan is now my most hated wrestler if you didn't see last night on Twitter.

The Authority, Ryback Segment
Triple H taking a shot at WCW was probably the best moment of this segment, because it was factually incorrect. WCW didn't kill WCW AOL/Time Warner killed WCW, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong. I liked the threats the Authority laid out here because it made you anticipate what was going to happen throughout the show, and as such kept you at least mildly engaged in the show. Nobody can honestly have thought Ryback wasn't going to be on Team Cena with the exception of roughly 30 seconds in the last segment. Them using their Authoritative powers to handicap Team Cena was something I thought they should've done a lot more in the build to this match at Survivor Series so it was good to finally have the heels being proper heels. Ryback isn't an amazing promo, but he delivered his message effectively and to a good enough level that it didn't get you to disengage.

Luke Harper v Dolph Ziggler- Intercontinental Championship Match
Firstly, Dolph is not being buried. Buried is one of those terms I've grown to despise when it comes to wrestling- if someone could explain how being blindsided before a match and getting killed, an subsequently lasting 10+ minutes in a competitive (ish) match against a guy like Luke Harper is being buried I'm all ears. Secondly, I'm greatly in favour of this title change- Luke Harper is awesome, as he's shown on numerous occasions and I'm hoping as I said last week he is seen as more than someone making up the numbers of Sunday. Also this loss for Dolph could also lead to one of the better storylines in recent memory (if I was booking). Team Cena loses on Sunday, through some shenanigans- but a loss nonetheless. Dolph has now lost everything he's fought for, and he then proceeds to blame Cena for this Zig-Zag, Passionate Promo TLC Semi-Main Event. It would be oddly full circle considering two years ago we had Dolph v Cena in the MITB Match at TLC where Dolph had everything to lose and Cena had everything to gain. The match itself was good for what it was, I was surprised Dolph had the amount of offence he did get- but that only added to the match quality.

The Miz, Grumpy Cat Segment (Part 1)
I watched this segment. It was awful.

Adam Rose v Tyson Kidd
Okay, Does anyone not wanna see my idea to have Rose skin the bunny now? I mean cmon #KRUGAH. At least we know the Bunny is Darren Young now.

Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose Promos
I've always thought that they should have done what they did with Ambrose with Bray. Have Bray cutting a promo on the tron and while whomever is in the ring is looking up at the tron blindside them while Bray is still talking on the tron. This'd have added another dimension to his mysterious persona, and is of course something they could do down the road. When Bray speaks everybody listens. He simply has that natural charisma that so few wrestlers do, and it makes every word that comes out his mouth believable to the audience. The Ambrose Promo was fine for what it was, although was phone records in 1080p?

Ryback v Cesaro
When we came back from the Ad Break I thought this'd be a glorified squash- what we got instead was in my opinion the best match Rybacks had on the Main Roster that hasn't included a stipulation. The false finishes were genuine false finishes, and as I'll discuss when I do my Awards (probably) some time next week the suspension of disbelief in some matches is what really grips you. Nobody honestly expected Ryback to lose, but with the way the match went down you started to question that.

Rusev v Heath Slater
"Ding Ding You Son of a Bitch" Heath Slater July 15th 1983- November 17th 2014.

The Miz, Grumpy Cat Segment (Part 2)
Rowan stole a toy cat...

Big Show v Sheamus
I Remember when it was Orton v Sheamus the Night after Wrestlemania 29 the crowd were chanting "Thank You Big Show" once he interfered so I'd like to personally thank Mark Henry and Rusev for ending this abomination.

Nikki Bella v A.J. Brie
See what I did there? Good right? I think we can agree my cheese joke was the highlight of this match #WensleydaleMode.

The Usos & Los Matadores v The Dusts & Whatever the plural of Miz is.
The less said about this match the better. I honestly don't get why people want to see Mizdow "wrestle". I respect his ability don't misinterpret me, but in his current role he's best when he's randomly sentonning himself.

Team Authority v Team Cena Contract Signing
Before I get into the actual segment, Nobody actually signed a contract- so does that mean the Main Event is off?

I liked the Triple H promo as his slight doubts over whether or not the Authority could win could turn into a storyline down the road. The Cena Promo made me want to vomit rainbows, although I'm sure there are laws about kids working past a certain hour- and presumably this match will be the Main Event so surely Cena should be arrested. It was his usual sunshine and rainbows promo that made anyone with a developed brain want to switch channels, however I kept with it. Everybody expected Ryback to come into the fold for this match, however I don't think many expected Rowan. I was expecting/hoping it would be Hogan so now Rowan is the #1 Heel in the business in my book.

Thanks for reading, as always feedback is appreciated- I'm not sure if I'll be putting my awards blog up this week or next so keep your eyes out for that one. Thanks again.