WWE Monday Night RAW: Review and results - July 14, 2014
Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the review and analysis of Monday Night RAW.
Cena opened the show to a good reaction, and made his way down to the ring. Cena played to the crowd and hyped his match at Battleground PPV. Cena said that he needn’t be pinned to lose the title, which brought Roman Reigns out. The crowd chanted Roman’s name as Cena introduced him. Cena told Roman that he understood what he tried to do last week, and said that they need to make it out of RAW to even make it to Battleground. Cena put over the main event bout between Roman, Ambrose and himself against Orton, Rollins and Kane.
Cena and Roman taunted each other, as Ambrose was shown on the titantron. Ambrose talked about putting their differences aside for one night, and take out Rollins, Orton and Kane, as the trio surrounded Dean. The three superstars beat Dean down, ramming him against the wall and kicking him. Dean was busted open near his mouth, and asked if that was all they had. Rollins nailed the double foot stomp on Dean, as the medical personnel tended to him. The main event was then changed to a handicap match between Cena and Roman against Orton, Kane and Rollins.
Analysis: That was a decent way to begin the show. Any show which starts without The Authority seems refreshing, and the champ kicking things off was the right way to go. Dean Ambrose keeps getting better and better, and even his little taunts were pure gold. The main event was changed to a handicap match, as Dean will now seek vengeance at the Battleground PPV, against his friend turned foe, Seth Rollins.
Sheamus vs. The Miz
The A – lister returned to in – ring competition against the United States champion, and had a decent outing. After a good back and forth action which saw The Miz dominate Sheamus for the majority of the match, Miz decked Sheamus on the outside and rammed him into the barricade, as the psychology of the match revolved around Miz avoiding the Brogue Kick to protect his good looks. The end came when Sheamus missed with a Brogue kick while The Miz rolled him up to pick up the non – title victory.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: ** ¾
Analysis: That was a decent match between the two, but I still don’t see Miz going anywhere. His in – ring work has gone down drastically, while Sheamus happens to be that guy who was important long ago, but is stuck in the mid-card for good. The Miz will compete for the vacant WWE Intercontinental championship at the Battleground PPV, but that’s all I can say about the former WWE champion.
Orton, Kane and Rollins were shown backstage, as Orton tried to bark orders. Kane retaliated and insinuated that he might go after the WWE World Heavyweight championship at the Battleground PPV. Triple H walked in and laid down the rules, saying The Authority needs to get the title back. Stephanie then came in and was swooned by Triple H’s command and authority (No pun intended). This had Vince McMahon’s name written all over it.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango
Ziggler and Fandango got ready for their rematch from last week, and after trading holds and going back and forth, Fandango was distracted when his music played, and Summer Rae and Layla started dancing with each other on the announcer’s table. Dolph took advantage of the distraction and nailed the fame-asser to pick up the victory.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: **
Analysis: Looks like we’re going ahead with Summer and Layla turning on Fandango and aligning themselves with Dolph. Where does that take Dolph? Certainly not out of the dog house yet.
Post match, Layla and Summer danced around Dolph as Fandango looked on, and they kissed Dolph.
WWE then aired a skit with Sandow dressed in a Sonic uniform, and did a comedy skit with Adam Rose and the Rosebuds. I owe myself some real entertainment after that.
The Usos vs. Heath Slater and Titus O’Neil
The tag team champs made their way out first, but were blindsided by Harper and Rowan. The duo beat the champs down, with a big boot and tossing one of them over the barrier. Harper and Rowan laid the other Uso out with their finisher, and stood tall in the ring.
Analysis: I’d certainly love to see Harper and Rowan win the gold at the Battleground PPV. The Usos have been great, but more competition in the tag team division won’t hurt anyone. It looks like the WWE are seriously considering putting the gold on the Wyatts.
Up next was a détente between the Real Americans and the Russian coalition, as Lana and Rusev made their way out first, followed by Swagger and Colter who received a big pop. Lana spoke first, putting the United States down but was interrupted by loud “USA” chants. Zeb then took the mic and issued a challenge to Lana and Rusev. Zeb and Swagger then chanted “We the people”, as Lana slapped Zeb and Rusev attacked Swagger. Swagger turned the tables with a superkick and the Patriot Lock, and Rusev finally managed to escape, but sold the effects of the submission move.
Analysis: Jack Swagger is more over now than ever before during his tenure in the WWE! The crowd loves Swagger, and he’s more natural while playing pro – US and pandering to the crowd than going against them. Going forward, this program will do more good to Swagger than to Rusev, which might work in WWE’s favor.
WWE once again showed replays of the attack on Ambrose. Cole then provided an update, saying Ambrose was taken to a nearby medical facility.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam
An old rivalry was revisited when ADR took on RVD. ADR started things off aggressively, but RVD pulled back some momentum, keeping Del Rio down. After good back and forth action, RVD nailed ADR with a spin kick and went for the five star frog splash, but ADR got his knees up in time and applied the cross arm breaker, forcing RVD to submit.
Winner by submission: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: ** ½
Analysis: These are two of the better workers in the company, and WWE could’ve given them 15 minutes to put on a classic instead of wasting time with ridiculous skits. Anyway, ADR managed to find a way to put RVD down, and will head into the Battleground PPV with some momentum on his side.
Post match, ADR posed with the WWE Intercontinental title.
Cole then plugged in a CM Punk special which will be telecasted on the WWE Network tomorrow. “Does this mean CM Punk will be back next week?” No.
Nikki Bella vs. Cameron and Alicia Fox
Stephanie continued humiliating and punishing Nikki for what her sister did to her. Won’t John Cena stand up for her? Apparently not.
Cameron and Alicia took turns beating Nikki down. Nikki tried to make a comeback, but both the divas stopped her, and Alicia pinned Nikki to pick up the victory.
Winners: Alicia Fox and Cameron
Rating: Dud
Analysis: Why didn’t Naomi interfere? Guess we’re not supposed to make much sense in the WWE.
WWE then hyped the new 2K15 game, and then aired the promo for The Stinger’s character. That was pretty amazing!
Randy Orton then confronted Triple H backstage, and told him that he didn’t trust Kane. Triple H played down his fears and told him that everything will go according to the plan.
WWE aired another weird promo backstage for Goldust and Stardust.
Big E vs. Cesaro
Heyman wasn’t accompanying Cesaro, and JBL said that he heard Heyman was fired! What? This can lead to something interesting. Good back and forth action between the two heavyweights, as Cesaro took control of the bout. Big E nailed Cesaro with a couple of belly to belly throws, and Kofi made the save when Cesaro tried to go for a chair. Big E then connected with the Big Ending to pick up the victory.
Winner: Big E
Rating: ** ¾
Analysis: That was a decent match between the two, but why didn’t Heyman accompany Cesaro? Things sure are getting interesting as we head towards the Battleground PPV, as Cesaro is considered to be the odds on favorite to win the WWE Intercontinental title.
Post match, Kofi and Big E taunted Cesaro.
Chris Jericho then made his way to a big pop, as he cut a promo about Bray Wyatt. Jericho said Bray was unlike anything he had ever seen, and put himself over, as the crowd chanted “Let’s go crazy”. The lights went out as Wyatt cut a promo, and when the lights came back, Harper and Rowan were in the ring. They beat Jericho down, and as Jericho tried to head to the back, Bray came out of nowhere and nailed Jericho with Sister Abigail. The trio stood tall over Jericho to end the segment.
Analysis: I’m honestly looking forward to the bout between Jericho and Bray, which will be off the charts. Jericho has his back against the wall, and the right thing to do would be to give Bray the much needed victory and put him over. Their match will likely be as good as the Bray – Bryan match at the Royal Rumble, or even better!
AJ Lee vs. Eva Marie
The new divas champion took on the Total Diva, as the former champion Paige was on commentary. Surprisingly, Eva got a lot of offense in, but was caught in the Black Widow submission move by AJ as Eva tapped out.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: ½ *
Post match, AJ and Paige exchanged awkward compliments before making their way to the back.
Backstage, Kane interrupted Triple H and told him that he didn’t trust Orton. Stephanie and Triple H told him that there are a lot of people they don’t like, but have to do business with. Triple H told Kane to do what he has to, and get it over with.
Bo Dallas vs. The Great Khali
Bo cut a promo before the match, and worked on Khali’s legs. Bo kicked Khali’s leg out on the outside, and the referee counted Khali out as he couldn’t make it back in time in the ring.
Winner by count out: Bo Dallas
Rating: Dud
Bo tried to cheer Khali up, but Khali dropped him with a big chop.
Analysis: I like Bo’s character, but this is getting tiring to say the least. WWE always takes this route with the superstars while giving them undefeated streaks, which aren’t even credible.
Backstage, Rollins cut a promo about cashing in his briefcase, and him being Plan B. Heyman appeared and said that he had Plan C if anyone needed a backup. Stephanie told Rollins never to trust Heyman.
In the ring, Renee introduced the Nature Boy, Ric Flair to a huge pop! Ric put Richmond over, and talked about having a good time in the city. Renee asked Ric whom he thought would win the fatal 4 way at the Battleground PPV, and he put Cena over as ‘the guy’ in the WWE. Roman Reigns then made his way out for the main event and paid his respects to the 16 time world champion. Ric then made his way up the ramp and was greeted by Cena, who gave him the big gold belt to pose with. He then asked Ric to hang on to it as he made his way down to the ring for the main event.
John Cena and Roman Reigns vs. Orton, Kane and Rollins in a 2 on 3 handicap match
The match saw some good back and forth action, as Cena made the hot tag to Roman. The match revolved around the lack of trust between Orton, Kane and Rollins, and in the end, that proved to be their downfall. Rollins was thrown out of the ring as he landed awkwardly, as the referee called for help. Rollins looked to have injured his knee, as Orton and Kane stomped away on Reigns to cause the DQ.
Winners by DQ: John Cena and Roman Reigns
Rating: *** ½
Post match, Kane accidentally knocked Orton off the apron, as Reigns accidentally speared Cena. Kane tossed Roman out of the ring as Orton RKO’d Kane! Orton then posed as his music played, but he turned around to a big spear from Reigns! Reigns posed as RAW faded.
Analysis: That was a quality main event, but with Rollins getting injured, this might hamper WWE’s plans to go forward. I hope it is nothing serious, and Rollins will be cleared by Battleground PPV, but he looked to be in tremendous pain. Reigns and Cena worked cohesively, but with the relationship between Orton – Kane and Cena – Reigns crumbling down, it will be interesting to see what happens next week.
Over – all rating of the show: *** ¼ (Out of 5 stars)
Finally, The Stinger will be a playable character in a WWE game, and Roman Reigns built a good head of steam going into the Battleground PPV. What will be the outcome of Orton RKO’ing Kane? We’ll have to wait till next week to find out. That does it for our review and analysis of this week’s show.