Hello! We're here for another RAW Review- and lets be honest, nobody really cared about RAW with all of the Seth Rollins stuff going on. I love Mercury and Noble- but dammit guys?! but there was a RAW going on- so lets get reviewin'.
Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan Promo
Thankfully the Reigns promo was kept as short as it realistically could have been given the circumstances-I said it last week and I'll say it again, the teased heel behaviour of Reigns is just a tease and I haven't changed my opinion of that this week. However, it is a way to keep Reigns' character interesting- because if he were the stalwart babyface from now until Mania even the kids would be hating him by the end of March. The Bryan Promo was good- I'm not sure how much Bryan can eek out of the current scenario, because it is a pretty thin storyline from a Promo point of view but he still kept it relatively engaging to set up the Authority matchmaking at the end of the segment.
Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns v Kane & Big Show
There's only so many things Bryan & Roman can do with Kane and Big Show- that isn't even be knocking the two big men; Kane in particular- for him to do what he has done for the time period he has shouldn't even be possible; his knees shouldn't exist anymore. Even on Show & Kane's best day you aren't going to get a fast paced, high-octane thriller- especially when Roman is on the other side of the proceedings. The finish was weak- but I think that was intentional so people didn't zone out for the Main Event. The dropkick by Bryan into Reigns was a good way to keep the tension flowing for the Main Event- with the subsequent shove etc. I just think it could have been executed a bit better timing wise to get the crowd involved more (although they were largely flat through the whole night).
Ryback v Seth Rollins
The match was alright given the time constraints- and the way they had the finish play out. You always get at least a degree of quality when Rollins is involved, and this wasn't an exception- the fact they clearly wanted J&J to be the main device in the match it was a bit disjointed, just because there's only so much you can do with a match when you're having outsiders interfere- but you're not doing the DQ finish yet.
Sheamus Return Vignette
The vignette was pretty standard, all I'm going to say for now with regard to Sheamus is that he'd better be a heel when he does come back- because with the push for Roman we have enough of pretty bland babyfaces at the minute.
Paige v Brie Bella
This match was pretty standard diva fodder- This feud just seems to be dragging from my perspective, even though its been relatively short. I'm not going to say take the belt off of Nikki- because I can't see her run ending this side of Wrestlemania, I just wish they'd give them something to sink their teeth into- not just essentially "Bitches will be Bitches".
John Cena Appreciation Day
The Video Package they produced was top draw for this- I've said it time and time again, and I even made a point to highlight it in my awards blog, but the one area in WWE that is synonymous with quality is the Video Package department. The Cena Promo was- well a Cena Promo, although Cena inadvertently sending me on a 10 Minute Chumbawamba trip last night definitely made it worth it. I was happy in a way for the Cena "You Want Some, Come Get Some" type scenario to actually be met- and for Cena to end up on the wrong end of it, whether Cena does lose at Fast Lane is one thing- but if Rusev looks properly strong in the build it shouldn't harm him too much provided they protect Rusev during the match.
Bray Wyatt v Dolph Ziggler
The problem with this RAW as a whole was they didn't give any match the chance to be outstanding- this match wasn't going to be a world beater, but the two styles can mesh quite well. I liked the way they led to the finish- just because Bray taking Dolph's head off before hitting the Sister Abigail made him look like a monster, its good to see a Full-Timer being given a proper build for Taker. Them teasing Bray Abigailing him onto the concrete made him look like a monster- and a psychopath who'll happily destroy someone.
Paul Heyman Promo
Heyman effectively sold us on two matches within the short (by Heyman standard) time period he was allotted. I've said it before- to say a Heyman Promo was good is a formality, I would have preferred for Brock to get physical in some way- even if it meant destroying a jobber or something just because when he is on RAW he should be looking menacing, because if you're just going to have Brock stand in the background while Heyman is cutting a promo- with no consequences its a waste of one of his appearances.
The Dusts v New Day
The end game for this was to tease more tension between the Dusts- so in that respect it delivered, but they could have easily kept it to the backstage segment rather than effectively wasting around 5 Minutes. It did seem last night that WWE valued quantity over quality- and given the fact the Network is free this month they should have done it the other way around to entice people into subscribing.
Triple H/Sting Promo
You know what I was saying about Video Packages? Not only was it a bit creepy- the fake sting was a bit naff but the "I Accept" graphic with HHH in the shadow was a poignant image and something they can build on.
The Uso's v The European Uppercats
Another average match that wasn't given enough time to really develop into anything more than filler.
Sin Cara v Mizdow
The Mizdow/Miz dynamic is actually getting really good. Miz with the exception of Rusev is the most heely heel on the roster in my opinion- and he can make anyone be an over babyface in my opinion, so provided they can work it right Mizdow could be set up for a while by working with Miz; but then again its WWE so there's no guarantees.
Bray Wyatt Promo
I had an idea for the last statement in each of Bray's Promo to tell a story in their own right it started with "Find Me" and then we had "Let Me In" on Smackdown- but that's gone out the window with the repeating of "Find Me" on this RAW, but that said it was still a good promo and it's getting people to anticipate- and building the excitement for the Feud before its even officially begun.
Dean Ambrose v Curtis Axel
Axel has gotten a million times better since the Rumble- he's actually been given a purpose albeit in a comedic(ish) role. It's quite funny really- because although it wasn't ever said that Axel spot was most likely for Justin Gabriel before he quit.
The BNZ Segment was hilarious, if for no other reason than the sliding bar at the bottom- but its good to see them giving the IC Title more of a spotlight with an over talent chasing it forcefully.
Rollins, J&J, Big Show and Kane v Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan
The match was a good angle in all, I wish we'd have seen more of Roman just because we didn't get a proper angle between Rollins and Reigns because of his injury in the Autumn- but the angle they worked with Bryan doing all the work and Reigns getting the credit is a good one to work until Fast Lane; and also to an extent if you really want to get deep into it is a statement on how WWE works.
Overall this RAW was just a bit meh.
Thanks for reading as always, I'm still enjoying making these reviews- so I hope you're still enjoying reading them. I'll be doing a Takeover Review later on in the week- so stay tuned for that, and lets see how much it eclipses this RAW.
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