Jerry Lawler gets in the ring to open the show and demands an apology from CM Punk. Punk comes out and refuses to apologize and says he was doing what he needed to do as WWE Champion. He challenges Lawler to a fight and lets him think about it.
^I’m sure a lot of people considered this segment boring, but I enjoy Jerry Lawler more in rivalry than on commentary. I know the guy is 60+ years of age, but that doesn’t mean he can’t jump in the ring and put on an entertaining show.
Ryback defeats Jack Swagger in a short and awful match.
^Ryback botched here and dropped Swagger on his face. This match was terrible and boring. Slow build or not, I’m bored by the limited moveset and lack of creativity for Ryback’s entire storyline. As far as Swagger goes, the guy needed a repackage and instead has become nothing more than a jobber.
Layla defeats Natalya in a short match. Vickie Guerrero tells them both to leave as soon as the match is finished. Vickie starts trashing AJ Lee for her decision regarding Dolph Ziggler against Chris Jericho last week. AJ comes out and attacks Vickie.
^The divas match had potential. Unfortunately, like most diva matches, it was kept far too short when the wrestling ability of both participants was above average. Vickie Guerrero’s voice is legitimately mind numbing(even my wife agrees). AJ continues to play her role well, but I wish we had seen just a little bit more of her tonight on the show. I hope this rivalry doesn’t lead to an actual match between Vickie and the GM, because that would be AWFUL.
Daniel Bryan yells at a shrinks son during an anger management class when the little boy walks in wearing a goat mask. Mason Andrews AKA Scorpio Sky played Harold during this segment.
^This was funny, and Daniel Bryan is at the point where he is the most entertaining performer on the WWE roster at the moment. The sky is the limit for Dbry as long as he continues to be featured like this. The scripting is really quite simple, but it’s coming across as brilliant!
Jerry Lawler jumps on the announce table and gives a speech before accepting CM Punk’s challenge tonight.
^Lawler may not be magnificent on promos, but it’s more fun than listening to him call a match. Jerry Lawler for manager, anybody?
John Cena defeats the Miz.
^Cena and Miz have once again put on a match far superior to their WrestleMania 27 main event. I wonder what the booking will be for Miz and who his next challenger for the IC Title will be. Good solid match here!
Santino Marella defeats Heath Slater despite Aksana’s distraction and ends his one match winning streak.
^I see Santino challenging Cesaro once or twice in an attempt to get back the US Title, but I doubt he’ll be successfull. There is far too much hungry talent waiting in the wings of NXT that could fit PERFECTLY in a US Title rivalry with Cesaro. Santino’s time for any major push has passed, and it’s very unfortunate that he’s been booked like this.
Sin Cara and Brodus Clay defeat Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow when Clay pins Rhodes after a diving splash.
^Rhodes and Sandow make for a very entertaining pair both on the mic and in the ring. Brodus still looks awful to me. Sin Cara is just doing the same old thing; I’m not sure what WWE thinks they can do with him, but I suppose he fits the Rey Mysterio mold enough to sell merchandise. Not much of a match here, but it’s definitely an attempt at a rivalry enhancer.
Kane shares information about himself in anger management class. Dbry flips out after. Mason Andrews offers Kane a hug after the session and gets choked by the big red monster.
^Kane seriously brought up his old girlfriend, Katie and a TON of other storylines(electrocuted Shane’s testicles, buried his brother twice ect) from the past. You need to watch this segment and enjoy it for what it is. Dbry saying “this is a bad idea” was awesome.
R-Truth defeats Daniel Bryan when Bryan gets into an argument with a fan and gets counted out.
^Glad to see the tag team champs got some time on Raw. The sad part here about Dbry is the fact that his wrestling skills are even better than his entertainment value, and booking him this way might be great for his character, but it really leaves a true wrestling fan wanting more. Why did they have to book his World Title run so BADLY?
Triple H comes out and leaves a question mark as to whether or not he will wrestle again. He thanks the fans and poses before leaving.
^Trips was emotional, and the segment was effective. Unfortunately, now we’ll never know if he’s sincere or not when he gives a legitimate retirement speech down the road. Hunter will be back in the ring before you know it; you can count on it.
Randy Orton and Sheamus defeat Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler in tag team action.
^I’m guessing we’ll see Ziggler attempt to cash in during one of the next few pay per views. In the meantime, I’m pleased to see him competing in the main event scene with the World Champion(it’s where he belongs). I’m a little annoyed at the Orton situation; bringing the guy back from suspension just to fill a spot until he takes off to film a movie seems a bit silly to me. Why not give him some extra time off and really do a big buildup for his return? Why not bring back Wade Barrett for now and do something with him? Good tag match here, but I really am not excited to see Sheamus and Del Rio work the exact same match that they had at MITB and Summerslam.
Jerry Lawler is shown backstage telling John Cena that he doesn’t want him to interfere tonight in his match with Punk.
^This is a hint that Cena will be out after the match, rather than during it.
Kane comes to the ring to do commentary for Zack Ryder’s match with David Otunga. Ryder defeats Otunga and Kane goes after him. Kane releases Ryder before a chokeslam and chokeslams Otunga instead.
^I’d be okay with Ryder and Kane becoming a tag team. It reminds me of when Kane and X-Pac teamed together during the attitude era. Otunga is still just as boring as ever. I keep reading things online about workers considering him to be dangerous in the ring. I’ll name drop Michael McGillicutty for the 1000th time to be a good replacement for Otunga in matches. Just an idea, WWE.
It’s announced that Lawler vs Punk will be a cage match tonight. AJ comes out and announces that Punk will defend the WWE Title against John Cena at Night of Champions.
^I don’t know if the vote is fixed or not, but it’s a cool concept to let the fans vote for the type of match. As for Cena/Punk, I plan on attending Night of Champions and can’t wait to see those two lock up again on a pay per view!
CM Punk defeats Jerry Lawler via the anaconda vice in the steel cage main event. Punks locks himself in the cage with Lawler after the match and attacks him. Cena comes down for the save after Punk beats the hell out of Lawler.
^Punk’s going to continue to antagonize Cena up until their match at NOC. The cage match itself was nothing special, but it wasn’t bad. Lawler wrestles a certain style of match, and Punk is just on a way different level in terms of pacing and skill. The two just didn’t mesh all that well. I wonder who WWE will book next for Punk to bully(yes, I used the word; it’s storyline after all).
Final Thoughts: I wouldn’t call this the best balance between storyline and wrestling, but the Cena/Miz match and the tag match with the World Title contenders really saved the show for me. I’d have to call this one another slightly below average Raw for the lack of wrestling. Too much talking and not enough entertainment value from all dialogue. I should have the rundown up this weekend on time. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!
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