I have two things before I begin this week. I didn’t see this week’s Raw live because it was Canada Day (July 1, 1867 is Canada’s birthday) and I was at a fireworks show with friends. I didn’t read results or look at social media before watching the show on Tuesday morning. To my fellow Canadians, I hope you had a great Canada Day. To those in America, enjoy the July 4th Independence Day holiday on Thursday and the upcoming weekend.
I’m going to cut down on the length of this column/review as best I can. Doing play by play when Raw was two hours was fine. For a three hour show it’s getting to be too much. For matches I will cut back on detailing every move, but will make sure to mention the key spots. It may not be that noticeable at first.
Live from Sioux City, Iowa this is the Raw Deal for episode #1049. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport.
Raw began with the Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero announcing a special match: WWE Champion John Cena going up against World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio. Neither title is on the line, of course. They promoted the match about five hours earlier on Twitter. That doesn’t make it feel “special” to me.
The announcers are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and John Bradshaw Layfield. The graphic didn’t even tell us the city they were in nor did Cole mention it. That’s what WWE does when they are in a smaller city.
Daniel Bryan, my favorite wrestler in WWE, made his entrance to a big ovation and plenty of “yes” chants. There was a ladder in the ring along with a red Money in the Bank briefcase. Nice “respect the beard” shirt for Bryan. He said last week on Raw he proved he wasn’t the weak link by making Randy Orton tap out. He led the crowd in a “yes” chant saying he had momentum. He spoke about wanting to be WWE Champion while mentioning former champions like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock…and then he said his own name. Two years ago he won Money in the Bank and successfully cashed in to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Just because this one is filled with All-Stars doesn’t mean history won’t repeat itself. “I will be WWE Champion.” I hope so.
Sheamus made his entrance to his music. Of course he mentioned that he beat Daniel Bryan for the World Title at WrestleMania 28 in 18 seconds. He said it’s been far too long since he’s had a championship and he’s not going to let anybody step in his way. Bryan wondered if he called 1-800-FELLA if Sheamus could Brogue Kick himself in the face. Sheamus called him a troll saying he thought they were supposed to be grumpy. Sheamus comes across as one of the biggest jerk babyfaces I’ve ever seen.
Randy Orton entered to no music. He said he’s starving to be a champion because it’s been two years since he last held a championship. Maybe you shouldn’t get suspended then? He said he won’t hesitate to cash in. Bryan mentioned that he beat Orton last week. Orton warned him that he’ll drop him.
Kane joined the promo party claiming that nobody is more ruthless than him. He said he had no problem harming his opponents even his so called friends (he looked at Bryan). Bryan mentioned that Kane can’t beat Orton. Kane said he can’t wait for Money in the Bank because it’s every man for himself, no friends – only victims. He argued with Bryan.
Christian was the next one to voice his opinion by saying he’s had more success than anybody in WWE ladder matches. He said he’s looking for “one more match” and that’s going to be for the WWE Championship. Christian said he may not be the biggest, strongest, scariest or hairiest (looking at Bryan for comedic effect), but he is the best.
CM Punk also joined in on the promo festivities by saying he didn’t plan on coming out to talk like everybody else, but he heard “best.” That’s his magic word. He respects Christian, but he (Punk) is the best in the world and the only man to win Money in the Bank twice. Soon he’ll be the first man to win it three times. Punk said nobody can touch him in the ring. He turned to the camera to mention Rob Van Dam saying he knows he’s fearless.
Punk called Sheamus one of the toughest guys he’s ever gotten into a fight with. He was about to talk about Orton when Bryan yelled “enough” at him. Bryan was sick of it saying he didn’t want to hear another word or he’ll make Punk tap out faster than Orton did last week. Orton walked up to Bryan, Kane stepped in front of him, then Bryan told Kane he didn’t need help and Orton hit the RKO on Kane. Everybody left as Bryan checked on Kane.
Analysis: It seems like we get this promo every year before a Money in the Bank match. All the guys in the match believe they will win and they all get their moment to explain why. There’s nothing wrong with it. It just feels repetitive in a lot of ways. Since they’re all babyfaces most of them did the same promo about how they respect others yet they all think they are the best.
In honor of Cena vs. Del Rio, they said they’d air clips of some of the greatest champions in history. The first WWE Champion they focused on was Buddy Rogers and the first World Champion was Lou Thesz. I wonder if people think of Thesz as “the guy that the Lou Thesz press is named after.” Poor kids.
(Commercial)
There was a Wyatt Family video.
Prior to the next match, we saw a clip of The Shield losing a six man tag against Christian, Jimmy & Jey Uso. Rematch time. The tag title match at Money in the Bank is on the “kick off” or pre-show if you want to call it that. That’s a shame. It would have been nice to see it on the actual PPV.
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) vs. Christian, Jimmy & Jey Uso
The faces got the advantage early as the heels stood on the floor and Christian along with the Usos all hit body presses on top of them. They went to break there with the vintage floor to commercial break.
(Commercial)
Back from break, The Shield were working together to isolate one of the Usos in their corner. Reigns hit a spinning suplex for two. JBL referenced Canada Day by mentioning curling and Justin Bieber. Heel! Jey broke free for a moment with a nice superkick. Hot tag to Christian, who was on fire with a missile dropkick for two. Christian went after the Shield guys in the corner, which led to Rollins hitting a jumping kick to the head. Ambrose tagged in, but Christian hit a reverse DDT for two. The match broke down from there as Reigns and the Usos ended up on the floor. Rollins draped Christian’s neck on the top rope, which led to Ambrose rolling up Christian to win the match via pinfall after 10 minutes.
Winners: The Shield
Analysis: **1/4 It was a solid tag match as expected. I wasn’t a fan of The Shield losing on Smackdown, but as soon as I saw this match happening I figured they would get their win back because that’s what WWE does. They picked up the pace at the end and I liked how they set up the finish. I like how the Usos look like they belong because I’ve always liked them. It’s cool to see them working with their cousin Roman Reigns too. There’s a rumored Ambrose vs. Christian feud heading into Summerslam, so it makes sense to keep that rivalry hot. I think it will be great for both guys.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan argued with Kane again. He let Kane know that he got Kane a match with Randy Orton later on Raw. Kane was happy with that. The other part of it is that Bryan has been named the special guest referee. Kane looked frustrated by that bit of news.
Dolph Ziggler made his entrance for a match. No Big E Langston or AJ Lee with him.
(Commercial)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Jinder Mahal (w/Heath Slater & Drew McIntyre)
Mahal actually got some offense in with an overhead suplex. Ziggler came back with a perfect dropkick. Mahal hit a slam. Ziggler quickly hit the Zig Zag “from out nowhere” to win the match in just under three minutes.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Post match, 3MB tried to attack Ziggler. He avoided an attack from Slater and gave McIntyre a Zig Zag outside the ring.
Analysis: * It was an obvious finish as a way to get Ziggler a win heading into Money in the Bank. I’d rather see Ziggler deliver a promo that gives fans a reason to like him and believe in him instead of simply because he’s booked against heels now.
The next WWE Champion featured in a video package was Bruno Sammartino. That was followed up with a look at World Champion Harley Race.
(Commercial)
Backstage, Brad Maddox wondered why Vickie was so stressed out. Triple H walked up to her as she was mocking the McMahons. He said Vickie is doing a great job because she’s listening to the WWE Universe. She told him other family members tell her a lot of different things. Triple H told her to listen to them, but don’t do any of it. Instead, she should listen to him.
There was a video package focusing on Mark Henry’s career as a way to build him up as John Cena’s WWE Championship challenger at Money in the Bank. The video focused on some older clips of him during his career as well as more recent stuff from the last three years when he was pushed as a main eventer. As usual, the video was excellent.
Randy Orton entered for his match. They went to break at the top of hour two.
(Commercial)
Daniel Bryan was in the ring as the referee for this match.
Randy Orton vs. Kane (Daniel Bryan is special guest referee)
Kane controlled the action early on with power moves, but Orton came back with the Thesz Press. Knee drop by Orton. Did I mention the crowd was quiet for a lot of things on this show? They really were. Suplex by Kane. Orton went to the floor to escape, but then Kane rolled him back in. Orton attacked Kane in the corner with firsts and a clothesline. Bryan told him to stop. Orton shoved Bryan in the chest. Bryan disqualified Orton.
Bryan told Kane he won. Kane didn’t want to win that way, so he told Bryan to restart the match. Bryan restarted it. The match continued as Orton hit a dropkick on Kane and that led to the vintage floor to commercial break.
(Commercial)
Back from break, Kane was in control as we found out Randy Orton was the #1 trending topic on Twitter. I’m sure he’s thrilled. Orton hit a dropkick to counter Kane’s top rope clothesline. Powerslam by Orton, but he couldn’t hit his DDT because Kane fought out of it. Modified backbreaker by Orton and then he hit his DDT off the ropes. Cole called it “classic” while JBL & Lawler were shocked (jokingly) that he said that instead of vintage. Orton urged the crowd on as they woke up. Bryan stood in front of Orton, which led to a Kane boot to the face. He covered and Bryan counted fast to give him the win via pinfall after 12 minutes. It was a very fast count. They made it very obvious.
Winner: Kane
Analysis: ** It was okay. Not great. I don’t think anybody’s going to remember the match any time soon. It was about the story with Bryan helping Kane even though Kane didn’t want him to.
Post match, Kane choked Bryan. He let him go and left the ring. When Bryan turned around, Orton dropped him with the RKO. Orton’s music played.
Analysis: I really hope Bryan stays babyface. He did a lot of heel things during the match, so I hope there’s some kind of long term plan to explain his actions. Then again, a lot of WWE babyfaces act like jerks so maybe this is the WWE way of booking him like others. I don’t even know at this point. I thought Orton played his role well in the earlier segment and in this match. The heel turn would make sense just like remaining a loner babyface makes sense.
Backstage, CM Punk told Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel that he would beat the Prime Time Players by himself. Heyman didn’t understand the hostility. Punk said he trusted Heyman, but not Axel. Heyman told him to trust him and in doing so he should also trust Axel.
The next WWE Champion featured in a video was Bob Backlund. I love how Backlund won the championship with an atomic drop. Somebody should use that as a finisher today. Or not. They also featured World Champion Dusty Rhodes, who was booked terribly when he was in WWE. That’s probably because he was booking the NWA for many years. At least he’s had a major role in WWE’s creative process after retiring. These days he’s a major factor in developing talents in NXT.
(Commercial)
Fandango made his return after missing a few weeks with a concussion. He had Summer Rae dancing with him.
Sheamus vs. Fandango (w/Summer Rae)
Sheamus did a comedic dance to pop the crowd. Sheamus hit his shoulder block in the corner followed by a running knee lift. Fandango had some brief offensive moments thanks to some kicks to the head. Fandango applied two chinlocks and every time Sheamus tried to attack, Fandango tried to get away. Sheamus hit his ten forearms to the chest of Fandango. That allowed Fandango to get away for the countout loss after about eight minutes.
Winner: Sheamus via countout
Analysis: * Boring match. That’s my most hated finish in WWE. It happens about every three weeks or so. I realize it’s done as a cheap way to get heat on the heel, but they do it far too often. Whatever momentum Fandango had out of WrestleMania is now gone. His loss to Jericho at Extreme Rules and then his absence at Payback has hurt him. Of course management could always get behind him, have him win the World Title Money in the Bank contract and he could get that momentum back quickly. This was a forgettable segment.
I think they mentioned the Cena vs. Del Rio in nearly every segment of the show. Miz vs. Ryback after a break.
(Commercial)
The great Chris Jericho joined the commentary team for this match. He wished everybody a Happy Canada Day. He’s from Winnipeg, you idiots! It’s Jericho vs. Ryback at Money in the Bank, so that’s why he’s out there.
Ryback vs. The Miz
Ryback destroyed Miz with power moves early on including a clothesline. The crowd was dead for most of it as Ryback continued to utilize his power to his advantage. Miz made a comeback with a dropkick to the knee and then a boot to the face. Corner clothesline by Miz. Knee breaker by Miz. Miz hit a dropkick on the knee. Ryback asked the referee to stop the match. It went about five minutes.
Winner: The Miz via ref stoppage
Post match, Jericho went into the ring and he hit a Codebreaker on Ryback.
Analysis: 1/2* Yeah that’s right. Ryback, once a monster, is now losing via ref stoppage in five minutes to an opponent of The Miz’s stature. Really? Yes really. I realize the point of this was to put over the idea that Ryback is a quitter or crybaby (to push the “Cryback” name), but I don’t think this is an effective way of building up a talent. Even though I expect Ryback to win at Money in the Bank, this booking confuses me. Cole tried to theorize that maybe Ryback quit because he didn’t want to get hurt before his match with Jericho. But shouldn’t he try to win every match? That SHOULD be the point. In the long run it’s going to do more harm than good. As a fan, why should I pay money to watch an event featuring a guy that quits on a match? Fans want to pay to see winners. Not losers. This finish was worse than the countout finish in the match before it.
The next WWE Champion to be featured was Hulk Hogan. The next World Champion featured was Ric Flair. They are clearly two of the biggest names in wrestling history. Flair’s arguably the greatest champion ever. Cena vs. Del Rio coming up. Thanks for the info.
(Commercial)
Mark Henry was on the stage in his new t-shirt. It says “that’s what I do” on the back of the shirt with “Bent on Destruction” on the front. Henry bragged about his accomplishments as the World’s Strongest Man. He talked about earning the respect in WWE over the last 17 years. He spoke about jealousy, politics and back stabbing – even “accidental injuries.” The crowd chanted “what” during the speech. Henry mentioned all the time on the road away from his family and doing the right thing for the business. He claimed that got him nowhere. He said he’s earned the right to be WWE Champion and he called the fans puppets. Now that he finally has his WWE Title shot nobody’s going to keep him down. “I’m going to do the right thing alright. I’m going to do the right thing for me.” After he beats John Cena we’ll say that he earned the WWE Championship. “John Cena – at Money in the Bank – I’m going to beat your ass.” He left.
Analysis: Good promo. Similar to last week in a lot of ways. I would have liked it if he said “that’s what I do” at the end of it.
Vince McMahon walked up to Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox. He said he was enjoying the show. I’m glad somebody is. Vince complained to her about Daniel Bryan. Last week he remember her that he said Bryan was small and had issues, yet she didn’t listen. Vince said the main event on Raw is awesome. Vince mentioned it’s a great main event yet she’s throwing money away because it should be on pay-per-view. He yelled at her for giving it away for free. He said nobody else understood good business like him and that there are many people not around because they wouldn’t listen to him. He left as Vickie looked frustrated.
Analysis: I have the same complaint about the poorly advertised main event. I find it funny that the guy that booked the show wrote that into the broadcast. That’s odd to me. I’m very tired of the McMahon family drama.
(Commercial)
CM Punk entered at the top of hour three. Big babyface reaction for him. The Prime Time Players were already in the ring. Curtis Axel entered with Paul Heyman. It’s a New Nexus reunion! Somebody find Mason Ryan. No. I’m joking.
CM Punk & Curtis Axel (w/Paul Heyman) vs. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil)
Punk wanted to start the match, but Axel did the heel thing by tagging in. They argued. Punk wanted a tag. Axel was reluctant to do so. The PTPers took control of the match and isolated Axel in their corner. The crowd was so quiet for all of this. After a couple of minutes, Axel made the hot tag to Punk as the crowd woke up. Springboard clothesline and jumping side kick on Young followed by a spinning neckbreaker. Heyman loved it. Punk hit flying elbow off the top as the crowd cheered him on. GTS on Young. Punk threw O’Neil out of the ring. Axel tagged himself in and covered Young to win the match for his team after six minutes.
Winners: CM Punk & Curtis Axel
Post match, Heyman wanted them to celebrate as a team. Punk didn’t want that, so he just left.
Analysis: *1/2 The opponents didn’t matter. It was about furthering the Punk/Heyman storyline. I’d like it if they were building to a Punk/Axel match, but at this point they are just using Axel because Lesnar isn’t booked often enough to further the angle.
The next WWE Champion focused on was Steve Austin, who is the man that Vince McMahon has called the Greatest Superstar in WWE history. The World Champion they showed was Sting. Could he be WWE bound soon? In my opinion he should have been there two or three years ago. It could still happen because it’s not like TNA is growing. Their viewership is down significantly this year. Anyway, there was another ad for Cena vs. Del Rio coming up later.
(Commercial)
Kaitlyn (w/Layla) vs. Alicia Fox
I have no idea if Fox is a heel or face. Does it even matter? No. Layla is there for moral support even though Kaitlyn seemed to be doing better on Smackdown when she was imitating AJ Lee. There’s a shot of Layla’s cleavage – that’s why she’s there. Good for her. Nice Northern Lights Suplex by Fox for two. Kaitlyn missed a flipping legdrop, so Kaitlyn hit a spear to win the match in about two minutes.
Winner: Kaitlyn
Analysis: Short match. Obvious winner. No surprises.
Post match, Divas Champion AJ Lee and Big E Langston appeared on the stage as Kaitlyn stood in the ring with Layla. AJ showed a modeling photo of Kaitlyn and it was a photoshopped image of Kaitlyn’s face on a fat woman’s body. She wanted to remind Kaitlyn of her past and showed her where she’ll end up again after she loses the Divas Title match at Money in the Bank.
Analysis: Poor segment. Why would Kaitlyn be mad? This was just stupid. It wasn’t hurtful or even funny. If you ever apply to work for WWE, suggest comedy Photoshop graphics. They love them. If you combine them with dancing fat people you’re hired!
Backstage, Stephanie McMahon-H had her visit with Vickie & Brad. Vickie sucked up to her like usual. Stephanie complained about Vickie doing a poor job lately. Vickie complained about too many people telling her different things. Stephanie called Raw unpredictable. I wonder if she really thinks that. Vickie told her that Triple H was crazy as she tried to suck up to her as a power. Stephanie said that next week on Raw they’ll have a job evaluation for Vickie where she can be promoted to GM or lose her job altogether. Stephanie: “You just never know what’s going to happen next.” She left as Vickie looked worried.
Analysis: Stephanie said that Vickie can be promoted to the role of official GM of Raw. She’s been “Managing Supervisor” for nearly a year, yet she can get promoted? I even remember Vince McMahon making fun of the job title. I guess the point is that being the GM is a more prestigious job, but really it’s the same thing. I don’t care who runs the show. I want the talent to get more screen time.
(Commercial)
The Rob Van Dam video package aired. Small RVD chants when they returned to the arena. This crowd was not great.
Cody Rhodes was dressed for a match as his best friend Damien Sandow walked to the ring to deliver a promo. He said they’d be in the Money in the Bank match for a shot at the World Title and they will still be best friends when it’s over. The seven guys in the World Title MITB match: Fandango, Rhodes, Ambrose, Swagger, Barrett, Cesaro & Sandow. All heels.
Antonio Cesaro entered along with his manager Zeb Colter, who delivered a promo complaining about the government. He also welcomed back Jack Swagger, who was out for a couple of months with a hand injury. Colter said if you’re against them then you’re going to fail.
Antonio Cesaro (w/Zeb Colter & Jack Swagger) vs. Cody Rhodes (w/Damien Sandow)
Heel vs. heel in front of this crowd? Good luck. Cesaro had control early on, but then Rhodes countered with a pinfall attempt while his feet on the ropes. Cesaro dropped him with an uppercut shot. JBL said now that Cesaro is with Colter he’s learning Dutch, which is a subtle mention at the Dutch Mantel name that Colter is famous for. Rhodes wanted a backslide, but Cesaro countered and hit the Neutralizer to win the match in under three minutes.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Post match, the announcers mentioned Sandow was upset that Rhodes lost. That could lead to their split in the near future with Rhodes likely to go babyface.
Analysis: 1/2* Too short, but it was probably the right decision because the crowd didn’t care. I still don’t have a pick in the World Title shot MITB match.
The next WWE Champion video focused on Triple H. Shocking. The World Campion video was about Booker T, who a five time WCW Champion in less than a year because WCW booked so many title changes. Finally, Cena vs. Del Rio is coming up.
(Commercial)
The Bella Twins were poorly acting backstage like usual as new divas Eva Marie and Jo-Jo walked up to them. Boobs (that’s Nikki) Bella thanked them for coming to the Total Divas cast meeting. The Bellas bragged about being the stars of that show. The other Total Divas cast girls Natalya, Cameron & Naomi walked up to them. The Bellas continued to talk. I wanted to turn this off. Natalya told them they were rude. They said they were the stars of the show. Then they left.
Analysis: The Total Divas show debuts at the end of July and on the show it will be revealed that Nikki Bella is dating John Cena while Brie Bella is dating Daniel Bryan. They acted like heels here even though on that show it will be revealed they are dating babyfaces. This hurt my head. I miss when Natalya was Divas Champion.
The announcers talked about the debut of The Wyatt Family on Raw next week. One more video package to promote them. Can they scare the Bella Twins please?
Alberto Del Rio made his entrance alone. No Ricardo Rodriguez with him because he took a guitar shot from Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown. The real reason? Ricardo was suspended for 30 days due to failing a Wellness Test as confirmed on WWE.com Tuesday morning.
(Commercial)
There was an advertisement for CM Punk appearing on Smackdown this week. Good. Is it that hard to promote things before the show airs? No. Do it more often.
The WWE Champion John Cena made his entrance as Cole mentioned that Cena has held the WWE Title 11 times. The crowd gave Cena a positive reaction for the most part. Justin Roberts did the introductions as both guys were in the ring.
John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio
Neither championship is on the line, of course. Things were even early on, but then Cena missed a corner charge and hit shoulder first into the steel post. Double axe by Del Rio got a two count as the kids in the crowd chanted for Cena. Del Rio missed a charge towards the ropes and he ended up crashing to the floor. They went to break for the vintage floor to commercial spot.
(Commercial)
As they returned from break, Del Rio was in control while the dueling Cena chants started up. Del Rio went for a move off the top, but Cena countered with a dropkick to the ribs. I think he’s expanded his five move repertoire. Cena only got one shoulder tackle because Del Rio moved out of the way. Del Rio hit the Backstabber for two. Cena came back with his spinning suplex followed by the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Del Rio came back with a bridging German suplex for two. That was pretty. Cena hit a belly to belly suplex for two. Cena went up top, so Del Rio gave him an enziguiri kick to the head for a two count. I like how Cena sold that by collapsing to the mat. Backbreaker by Del Rio got two as well. Del Rio missed a corner charge, so Cena hit a cross body block off the top for two. The crowd really bought that as a finish. Cena applied the STF. Cue Mark Henry, who looked like he was ready to split some wigs. Del Rio got a rollup and a kick to the head for some more nearfalls. Dolph Ziggler ran down to the ring. He stood on the top rope. Del Rio looked at him. That momentary distraction led to Cena hitting the Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio for the pinfall victory after 16 minutes.
Winner: John Cena
Analysis: ***1/4 Best match on the show, but there wasn’t that much competition either. We’ve seen these two wrestle many times in the past. I like Del Rio’s offense a lot better as a heel. The closing sequence of the match was a lot of fun with plenty of good nearfalls for both guys. I’m actually surprised they went for a relatively clean finish. Is it clean if Ziggler was there to distract Del Rio? Not totally. It’s not like he touched Del Rio, though. Anyway, that means John Cena is the greatest champion in WWE apparently. Shocking, I know.
Post match, Mark Henry grabbed the WWE Championship from ringside. He walked into the ring to face off with Cena. Del Rio was out of the ring by this point. Henry wanted to attack Cena, so Cena took a step back. Henry dropped the title to the mat. Cena went to grab it, so Henry lunged at him again. The idea is that Cena could be scared of him.
Analysis: Henry’s playing mind games with Cena. He’s trying to prove that Cena is scared of him. I don’t mind it, but it’s definitely a different approach in terms of promoting a match. I still think Cena will win at Money in the Bank.
The announcers wrapped up the show by leading to one more Wyatt Family video promo. That video played as Raw ended.
Analysis: It’s probably a good thing for the Wyatt Family that this video aired at the end of Raw. It could be the sign of a big push upon their arrival. I’m excited to see them.
—-
Three Stars of the Show
1. John Cena
2. Alberto Del Rio
3. Daniel Bryan
The Scoreboard
4.5 out of 10
Last week: 6
2013 Average: 5.69
2013 High: 8 (April 8)
2013 Low: 3.5 (January 28)
Last 5 Weeks: 6, 7, 6.5, 7, 7.5
Final Thoughts
The streak of above average Raw episodes ends at six weeks in a row. This show gets a 4.5 out of 10 and that might be generous.
There were some awful match finishes. I think sometimes WWE over-thinks things too much and tries to come up with these finishes that don’t work at all.
I think Money in the Bank will be a good pay-per-view. I just think this show was a step back in terms of furthering storylines and putting on entertaining matches.
This crowd was poor. I doubt we’ll see Sioux City, Iowa with a live Raw again in the near future. Then again it was a below average show, so it’s not all their fault. Still, a hot crowd would have helped things.
The Wyatt Family next week? They’re coming. Good. I’ve enjoyed their act on NXT. I look forward to it.
——
I’ll have a “Twenty Questions about WWE Payback” column coming this week. I know it’s the July 4th holiday in the US, so doing it on Thursday likely isn’t a smart move. If I have time it will be Wednesday afternoon. If not then maybe Friday or Saturday.
Please visit TJRWrestling.com because our team of writers are always providing you with great, free content on a daily basis.
Also check out TJRSports.com because we’re going to be hiring some writers soon. I’ll make a post likely a few days after Money in the Bank, so it will be mid-July. We’ve got a few guys already including newcomer Scott Newman, who is posting his MMA reviews including this one.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
John Canton – [email protected]
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