We got a really effective opening segment because we saw a serious John Cena who wasn't in the mood to take any crap run up the ramp and deliver a solid beat down to Rusev who has dominated nearly everyone he has opposed since debuting full-time on RAW last year. If you use the rule of “opposing momentum” then it seems like Rusev is going over on Sunday which would be the correct move if this program is to run through WrestleMania 31. As I stated in my WWE RAW Review from last Monday I am a big fan of the Rusev character and think he can be a main event level heel in the company.
Seeing Cena take a beating last week and then come back to get revenge tonight made sense and he didn’t have to joke and laugh or call Lana a “street walker” or some other derogatory term to make his point; instead, he let his fists to the talking and created an awesome segment that kicked off the show with a lot of energy and invested the crowd who were super loud while counting the ten punches.
I have never been a fan of jokey Dean Ambrose and it seems like it amuses someone in power so it will never go away. He had an opportunity in the fall to really become something special after some incredible main event caliber matches with Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt but was used more to get those guys over than anything. I love that he’s making the Intercontinental Championship the focus of this feud with Bad News Barrett and if the company gets behind him then he could be the guy who restores the prestige to the title.
Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper
These two have a great chemistry together and while both have a similar brawling style they actually were able to go out and have a really good match in every regard. Luke Harper may deliver the best super kick on the entire main roster; it looks vicious and he hits it with such force that you think he’s going to take someone’s head off. Ambrose picking up wins over former IC Champs makes a ton of sense and tonight he did so in a really impressive match with Harper.
I’m a really positive guy but I can find no positives, or get excited in the least, for anything that the Big Show or Kane does these days. I hope that the WWE will do something different or move them a bit farther down the card after Fast Lane or Mania.
Bray Wyatt is getting much less cryptic in his promos that many are speculating are directed straight at the Undertaker. Spinning the coffin nail in his hand was a nice tough tonight.
The New Day vs Gold and Stardust
I grew up in the south and Dusty Rhodes is wrestling royalty here. I am entertained and in awe every single time he is on my television screen. Every guy in this match can have a great match in a team or otherwise but I think they all need a change to matter more. The rift between Gold and Stardust is really interesting because I have always been a big fan of Cody Rhodes and had hope since he became the “Stardust” character last year that it was just a temporary thing.
The New Day picked up the win but the story was Cody nailing Goldust with the Cross Rhodes instead of helping his brother up. I hope this leads to the long rumored WrestleMania match between the two brothers because I think they could put on a great one if given enough time. Cody is still extremely young and works best as a heel.
Roman Reigns is looking more and more comfortable on the mic; I know this was a backstage promo but he looked and sounded great. The edge that Reigns has exhibited since the Royal Rumble is the best thing that could have possibly happened to him.
Roman Reigns vs Kane
Daniel Bryan on commentary for this match was a nice touch and he did an awesome job as usual because that guy has transformed his mic skills over the last few years from being a weakness to one of his strong suits. The mind games he played with Reigns by getting a Yes! Chant started in the middle of the match was great.
I thought that Kane and Reigns were having a really solid match but I am immensely perplexed as to why the company thinks they have to protect Kane and Show so much or at least in the strangest situations. Why in the world did Reigns win by count-out tonight? He should have speared Kane through the ropes, out of the arena, and onto the Fast Lane PPV to look strong. It was an alright match with an ending that makes zero sense to me.
I really hope these Wyatt promos are directed at Taker and the WWE isn’t pulling some kind of a bait and switch because if he’s talking about Zack Ryder or someone then the WWE Universe may explode.
Paige vs Summer Rae
Why are the Diva’s on the main roster so disrespected? It doesn’t make any sense to come from an incredible four-way for the NXT Women’s Title last week where everyone looked great to this. Paige is talented but even as positive as I am I couldn’t stand this segment. I think the Bella’s are bad for the division and the writers and creative do a terrible job to make any of the young women in the WWE, outside of NXT, look like legitimate stars. Please, keep Charlotte, Sasha, Bayley, Becky, etc. in NXT because I would rather see them in quality matches than stupid programs with the Bella Twins and the rest of the Total Divas crew. Pathetic.
I am extremely excited for Sheamus to return. He is awesome. That’s all.
Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins
I am totally in favor of a Dolph Ziggler/Seth Rollins program. Seth Rollins is always really good on the mic and Dolph came out with a ton of confidence this week and really had the crowd behind him. It got “real” really fast when Seth called Dolph a joke but then we got some of the best work on the mic that Ziggler has ever done in response.
I don’t have much of a description of the match because I completely stopped taking notes so I could just sit back and watch it because it was amazing for as long as it lasted. After Seth was DQ’d the Random Former Fired Dudes Brigade ran out to save Dolph from a beat down. I hope we get a longer match from Seth and Dolph at Fast Lane because both of those guys are great.
Ryback is cool.
As cool as I always thought it would be for Sting to face the Undertaker because of the similarities in their career paths and characters I believe that in the WWE right now there is no better person for Sting to face than HHH. He has done an incredible job setting up this program and you can hear that when he steps into the ring and the “We Want Sting” chants begin.
I am always anticipating a surprise appearance by Ric Flair and it makes perfect sense for him to be the guy who can educate Hunter on how great Sting is. This segment could not have been any better. You have limited appearances for Sting but having someone who paralleled his career the way that the Nature Boy did be able to come out and have such an amazing in-ring section to sell the showdown and the heat that Hunter got when he shoved Naitch down was crazy. This was, by far, the best promo segment of the entire night. I loved it.
I have to give some props to how great Booker T was after the HHH and Flair situation. He sold that he didn’t like the way that Hunter lost his cool and pushed Ric down.
I was always really entertained by the Prime Time Players and it is really cool to see them back together again.
Bad News Barrett vs Damien Mizdow
Giving the Miz a mic at ringside during Mizdow’s matches is one of my favorite new things in the WWE. “Bell Means Stop!!!!!” I heaped an insane amount of praise on Miz last week and he killed it again this week. Respect Miz!
Tying Barrett to the ring post was a weird but interesting way for Ambrose to force him to sign the contract even though I’m pretty sure that signature wouldn’t hold up it doesn’t really matter… it’s wrestling so who gives an F. Ambrose will see you at Fast Lane Barrett.
Mixed Tag Match – Jimmy Uso and Naomi vs Tyson Kidd and Natalya
I love Kidd and Cesaro and I hope that this program leads to them winning the Tag Titles and having a long run. They work so well together and I’m really tired of the Uso’s.
Daniel Bryan vs Big Show
Reigns comes out for commentary which makes total sense after Bryan did the same during his match earlier in the night so I expected some distracting hijinks from the one remaining Hound of Justice and his ever-soaked hair. Bryan always works well with Show and big guys in general and it was a great idea to have Reigns sign autographs and just do generally annoying things instead of talking. The match was good but the fight between Bryan and Reigns was well done.
The crowd seems to be reacting differently to Bryan than before with what seems to be a much more split fan base than when this thing started a couple of weeks ago and I’ll attribute that to the confidence that Reigns has shown recently and the overconfidence that DB has exhibited. We got a really cool, hard-hitting brawl to close out RAW which served to make me even more excited for Fast Lane than I already was because these two guys appear to be going to the PPV to tear each other apart for the chance to headline Mania against Brock.
Fast Lane is Sunday night and thanks to the awesome performances all-around tonight I think we are in for a great stop on the Road to WrestleMania 31. Reigns and Bryan should be an awesome match.
Match of the Night: Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper
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