So, I finally watched SummerSlam last night and it was the best PPV from WWE in a long time. Anybody that hasn’t seen it needs to try and catch it somehow, there wasn’t a single weak match or poor moment.
The biggest question I have is just where WWE will go from here. The company is the strongest right now that it has been in some time (in my opinion anyway!) and it needs to keep up the quality. While it’s main rival is floundering way behind in both quality and business, now is the time to push the stories into an even higher gear.
Time to see what this week’s edition of RAW has in store. Unlike SummerSlam, I haven’t managed to spoil anything that happened on Monday so everything will be completely new to me!
A great tape of the footage from both main events plays to open RAW. John Cena will be off after tonight for 4-6 months. I don’t know if Lesnar will return. WWE may well be left in the safe hands of CM Punk, Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan, I think I like that quite a lot. Best wishes to John Cena with his surgery and recovery, I hope he lets himself recover fully before returning to make my screen a little happier!
John Cena kicks the show off for the first time in a while. He appears in good spirits even with the injury and loss of his title. Cena states that he agrees with the Universe and is absolutely disgusted by what happened at SummerSlam. He says that last night Daniel Bryan earned the Championship and thanks Bryan for bringing out the best in him.
Cena announces that the lump on his elbow is fluid due to a torn tricep and that he was told 2 weeks ago to go home and get surgery. John Cena refused and continued to wrestle at SummerSlam. He tells the crowd that he will be out for 4-6 months and brings out Daniel Bryan. I think the reins are being passed to Bryan here!
Cena leaves the ring after handing the microphone to Bryan. Bryan pauses for a moment and takes in the crowd and their support. As he raises the microphone to speak, Stephanie McMahon emerges from the back.
Stephanie McMahon begins by apologising to Daniel Bryan. She says he didn’t deserve to have his dream snatched away from him but that her husband was just doing what is best for business. Bryan repeats and asks at the same time “Best for business?”.
The crowd have erupted into “No!” chants now. Daniel Bryan uses this to his advantage and proves that they think he’s right for business.
Bryan says he expected it from Stephanie, he’d expect it from her father but he would have never expected from the rebel HHH until now that he’s wearing a suit and has a corporate haircut. Daniel Bryan finishes with the line “…I guess what they say is true, when you lie down with trash, you start to stink.”
Stephanie doesn’t look overly impressed with that comment but says as he’s upset she’ll let it slide. Bryan comes straight back and asks what she will do, if he’s fired he’ll go back to wrestling in the small venues. He follows up by saying that before he goes he will give them something to fire him over.
Stephanie McMahon describes Daniel Bryan as being 5’8, maybe 200lbs and not a supermodel. Then follows up by telling him he’s not an A but he’s a solid B+. This is why he’s not WWE Champion material and not the right person to be the face of the company. Daniel Bryan tells her she’s reminding him of a word beginning with “B” and the crowd begin to chant “Bitch”.
I’m pretty sure WWE are venturing ever so slightly out of the PG remit at the moment and I have still seen people moaning online. Isn’t this what you all wanted to happen?!
Bryan continues to yell at Stephanie and when she tries to tell him to calm down, he knocks the microphone out of her hand. Stephanie walks straight over to the ropes and asks for another microphone. She tells him to calm down, explains that she won’t be intimidated and calls Security. Stephanie asks them to escort Bryan out of the building and tells him it’s his own fault.
Daniel Bryan backs up the ramp forcing the crowd into loud “NO!” chants. Once he’s out of sight, Stephanie is in for some loud boos.
Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes
A rematch from SummerSlam.
The first few minutes of the match are pretty similar to what happened towards the end of their SummerSlam match.
Things change a little when Rhodes suplexes Sandow outside of the ring. He doesn’t manage to keep control for long after this and is soon thrown out of the ring by Sandow.
The crowd are totally flat for this one and the commentary team spent the first few minutes discussing Daniel Bryan and Triple H. It hasn’t helped to get into this one!
Back from the break and Cody Rhodes receives a side-Russian leg-sweep following a period of offence from Sandow. He follows up with the Cubito Aequet.
Cody Rhodes makes it back to his feet and up to the top rope. He lands a great moonsault onto Sandow. It only takes a moment after this for the crowd to liven up!
A Disaster Kick to Damien Sandow still isn’t enough to ensure a victory for Rhodes. Sandow makes one last ditch attempt to take control of the match but he just can’t get ahead.
Quick pin from Rhodes! 3 count!
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Not quite as good as their match at SummerSlam but the lack of crowd interest and focus from commentary on previous events at the beginning didn’t help me feel excited at home. Another win for Rhodes can only continue this feud further and it is currently one that I am really enjoying.
Backstage with a smiley Brad Maddox. He is addressing comments made by several wrestlers after the happenings of the HHH/Bryan/Orton situation. Dolph Ziggler is up first!
Dolph said “…I wondered what his intentions were. To be honest, I have never really trusted him since I started working here…”
Maddox announces that it is not because of these comments but because Ziggler is a show-off (and the WWE would like to give him a chance to show-off) that he is in a 3 on 1 handicap match against The Shield tonight.
Paul Heyman is seen walking backstage with his arm in a sling. He is up next on the show!
Back from a break and Paul Heyman is now in the ring. He says he will be the first to admit that CM Punk gave Brock Lesnar all he could handle last night, even though he was defeated. It leaves the question of where things go from here. Heyman says it is time to end the “family feud”. He calls himself a father figure to Punk and says big brother Brock gave him a beating yesterday. Heyman ends up by saying he forgives Punk and that he wants his prodigal son to return, he declares that he still loves Punk and is willing to put the feud behind them so he can guide Punk back to the WWE Championship and the main event of WrestleMania.
Heyman’s final line states that together, him and Punk will be the best in the world.
Paul Heyman places the microphone down in the ring and makes his way out.
Backstage with The Funkadactyls. The Bellas are quick to jump into the frame and tell the girls they had better impress in their match as they are representing their show!
The Funkadactyls vs Layla & AJ Lee
AJ and Layla don’t even wait for the bell to fly at Cameron and Naomi.
As the girls make their way back up, Naomi remains in the ring against AJ.
The early attack clearly gave AJ the advantage and she quickly utilises a neckbreaker against her opponent. AJ holds Naomi on the mat and follows up with a huge kick when she breaks free. AJ continues to use several holds against Naomi and prevents her from tagging in Cameron.
Naomi breaks free from AJ and takes a moment on the mat. AJ makes the tag to Layla who quickly flies across the ring and knocks Cameron off the apron just as Naomi is going to make a tag. As Layla does this, Naomi rolls up Layla from behind and pins her for the full 3 count!
Winners: The Funkadactyls
A pretty lacklustre match. Naomi wasn’t allowed much opportunity to show what she can do which was a shame! Maybe next time.
Dolph Ziggler vs The Shield (3-on-1 Handicap Match)
Dean Ambrose starts off against Ziggler.
Ambrose starts by trying to drag Ziggler straight into The Shield’s corner. The two men lock-up but the minute they move in the direction of The Shield’s corner again, Ziggler breaks off and gets out of the corner. Dolph keeps a hold on Ambrose but it doesn’t prevent him making a tag to Seth Rollins.
Rollins takes a little more offence from Ziggler but soon picks himself up, fights back and makes it to the corner to tag in Roman Reigns. A clothesline from the outside takes down Ziggler. Reigns uses his strength to grind Ziggler down a little more before throwing him back into the corner of his team.
A tag is made to Ambrose for some more attack from The Shield, he is only in for a moment before he makes the tag back to Rollins.
Ziggler is still down on the mat when Rollins steps into the ring. Rollins beckons Ziggler to stand up but knocks him back down the minute he tries. A kick to the ribs prevents him from standing up a second time.
Tag back to Ambrose. Ziggler is still down and receives some elbow shots before Ambrose stamps on his stomach. Ambrose locks in a submission and begins to rub his wrist over Ziggler’s forehead. This is enough to allow Ziggler to break away and he comes back with his own Sleeper hold on Ambrose. Ziggler gets the better of Ambrose but ends up staying down.
In comes Roman Reigns. Ziggler takes him off his feet straight away and proceeds to hit Reigns with the ZigZag. Ambrose comes into the ring but is soon ejected by Ziggler. Rollins is already on the floor having been knocked down a second before. Ziggler covers Reigns but Rollins reappears to break up the pin!
Ziggler launches Rollins out of the ring and when he runs to attack Reigns in the corner, he is met with a mid-air Spear! Reigns pins Ziggler for the win.
Winner: The Shield
After the match Dolph Ziggler finds himself on the receiving end of The Shield’s Triple Powerbomb. A good showing from Ziggler and a slick, fluid match from The Shield. Ultimately the result was an obvious one but it didn’t matter much with the quality of the match!
Alberto Del Rio vs Sin Cara
WWE’s two Mexican stars face-off in this match!
ADR takes Sin Cara straight off his feet with a kick to the back of the knee. Del Rio quickly attacks some more but is thrown out of the ring himself by an impressive arm-drag.
As Sin Cara flies out of the ring at Del Rio he manages to injure himself. He beckons the referee over as soon as he lands and the “X” sign is soon thrown up. Del Rio continues to attack Sin Cara but the referee puts a stop to the match due to injury.
Del Rio’s eyes look incredibly painful. Feel for the guy!
Del Rio finishes the time by almost repeating his promo from SummerSlam. As he finishes, Ricardo Rodriguez appears from the back. He tells Del Rio that he isn’t a hero to himself, or to the Latino community.
Rodriguez says he is very happy that he no longer has to represent Del Rio or stand by his side. He announces that he is now aligned with Rob Van Dam.
Random or what?! What an odd pairing.
RVD makes his way to the ring but ADR attacks the moment he reaches the apron. RVD fights back and knocks ADR to the floor. As RVD makes his way to the top rope, ADR rolls out of the ring and backs himself up the ramp.
Well, that was the most unexpected 5 minutes in recent memory. Not Sin Cara injuring himself though, that’s standard. Ricardo Rodriguez with Rob Van Dam though? I wonder where that one is going.
The Real Americans (w/Zeb Colter) vs The Prime Time Players
This is Darren Young’s first outing on WWE TV since coming out last week. Great to see so much support from the locker room and fans around the world for Young, coming out isn’t easy at the best of times so I can’t imagine how that must have been for him in the public eye. A great moment for fans like me, best wishes to Darren Young.
Cesaro and Young start the match. Cesaro takes the fight straight to Young but soon finds himself taken down to the mat.
Cesaro makes the tag to Swagger. Young takes him down pretty much instantly before picking him back up and moving to the corner to allow Titus O’Neil to tag in.
O’Neil pushes Swagger into the corner and connects with several stomps/kicks. Swagger manages to push him away and make his way to Cesaro for another tag.
Cesaro stamps and knees O’Neil several times then picks him up for a suplex. The strength from Cesaro to lift O’Neil is nothing short of phenomenal.
An uppercut to O’Neil leads him to the corner, where Swagger is tagged back in. He keeps O’Neil in the corner with several blows then as the referee makes him back off, Cesaro puts O’Neil in a quick chinlock from the apron. Darren Young is jumping up and down about it but the referee is distracted away from what is happening.
Swagger turns back around and is met by a fighting Titus O’Neil once he’s finished a “We The People” taunt with Cesaro.
O’Neil soon finds himself back on the floor in a submission hold. He breaks free from the hold but is knocked back down by Swagger.
Swagger achieves the Swagger Bomb and Cesaro tags in while Swagger is mid-air. A nice double team move from The Real Americans keeps O’Neil on the floor again.
Cesaro tags to Swagger once again and O’Neil finds himself driven into a different corner. As Swagger tries for more offence, he is met by a powerbomb from O’Neil. This move creates enough space for O’Neil to tag in his fresh team-mate Darren Young. At the same time, Swagger reaches Antonio Cesaro.
Young instantly attacks Cesaro with a lot of punches and uses his combined speed and strength to completely dominate his Swiss opponent. Cesaro finds himself weary in the corner so Young runs across and knocks Jack Swagger off the adjacent apron. Young runs around the ring and shouts “This is my house people!” before turning his attention back to Cesaro.
A suplex into a pin is broken up by Jack Swagger. O’Neil comes in to push Swagger back out of the ring. Young picks up Cesaro on his shoulders and delivers the Gut Check. Young pins Cesaro for the win.
Winners: The Prime Time Players
A good match between these two teams. The Real Americans looked strong and PTP picked up a victory keeping them near the top of the tag-team division!
Renee Young is backstage with The Big Show. He has developed quite the beard since he’s been gone.
Renee welcomes him back to RAW and questions the rumours about Big Show and Henry pairing up to take on The Shield for the tag-team titles. Big Show states that the rumours are absolutely true but before he or Renee can take the conversation any further, Brad Maddox interrupts and tells Renee to “shoo”.
Maddox tells Big Show that he has made some very disparaging comments about the COO of WWE. This time it’s Big Show’s turn to have a handicap match against The Shield but in this one, all three members will be in the ring at the same time.
Big Show finishes the conversation by asking Brad Maddox if he really wants to do that to The Shield before walking away.
Zack Ryder and Justin Gabriel are backstage with a man dressed as a FootLocker employee discussing some orange trainers and a contest. Fandango’s music hits and he appears with Summer Rae. Another two pairs of trainers are showcased and Fandango is given a chance to amuse. It works!
Backstage with bully Ryback once again. This time he’s kicking a guy out of “his” locker room and toying with his bag. I can’t help but wonder where WWE are going with this one, surely he can’t walk around terrorising everybody backstage without somebody coming to the rescue. Just not sure who it will be right now! Most people seem tied up with something.
Big Show vs The Shield (3-on-1 Handicap Match)
Big Show throws Roman Reigns out of the ring quickly and proceeds to take on Rollins and Ambrose.
He slams Rollins to the mat and throws Ambrose out of the ring. It isn’t long before Rollins finds himself flying out of the ring too.
Reigns makes his way back into the ring and is met by a Spear from Big Show! That was even bigger than his own! Ambrose pulls Reigns out of the ring so he can recover on the floor.
Ambrose and Rollins approach the ring from each side of the ring. After trying to trick him into which one would enter, Rollins backs off allowing Ambrose to sneak in and jump onto Big Show for a Sleeper Hold. It doesn’t last long and Big Show once again decimates all members of The Shield.
As Big Show starts to pick up Ambrose for a Chokeslam, Rollins comes in from behind and dives at the knee of Big Show. It doesn’t knock Show down but it makes him stumble enough for The Shield to continue to try and unbalance him.
Big Show is using the ropes for leverage and we can see Rollins behind on the top rope. Rollins jumps and connects his knee with the head of Big Show. Show is down and Ambrose attempts a cover. Big Show kicks out.
Ambrose and Rollins both try to suplex Big Show at the same time but Show reverses and suplexes both of the men instead.
When Big Show makes his way back to his feet, he is met with a Spear from Reigns. It is enough to knock Big Show down.
The Shield take control, somehow lift Big Show up and deliver the Triple Powerbomb. All three members cover Big Show and pin him for the victory.
Winner: The Shield
A strong return from Big Show. His spear looked huge to Reigns and made for the first time Reigns’ spear hasn’t looked as good! The Triple Powerbomb from The Shield was incredibly impressive however.
CM Punk is here! It looks as though he’s in a fair bit of pain while walking to the ring. He had the most brutal match in a long time against Lesnar at SummerSlam so it’s not a huge surprise that he looks like he’s hurting!
He starts by saying that he doesn’t really know what to say. A man in the crowd boos and Punk unleashes some verbal fury! He says he’s pissed off and that isn’t blocked but WWE then block the word balls…odd.
He goes as far as calling him fatso. Once Punk gets going he is golden! I wish they’d stop muting the microphone on TV!
Punk says that Heyman wants an apology and that he wants Punk to once again be WWE Champion. He calls out Heyman and says if he comes out here to face him he might just get what he wants.
Heyman appears from the back with Curtis Axel in tow. Punk immediately addresses him and says that even though the doctor told him he’s not fit to compete tonight, he’s still in his gear because it’s all he knows. Punk says he lost a fight last night but he’s still standing. He tells Heyman he’s sorry he took his eyes off Lesnar last night, he’s sorry he didn’t rip off Heyman’s arm and take it home and he’s sorry he didn’t break his face.
Punk tells Heyman that he is relentless and that he will not stop. He challenges Heyman to a fight straight away. The crowd are right behind CM Punk in Anaheim.
Heyman responds with his own brand of apology. He is sorry for what is about to happen to CM Punk. Heyman tells Axel to go to the back and tape up his hands for a fight and then tells Punk he has pushed him too far one too many times. If Punk is still in the ring after the advert break, Heyman will send Axel to finish the job that Lesnar started last night.
Back from the break and Punk is sat in the ring on a steel chair. Heyman and Axel reappear complete with wrist tape!
Punk doesn’t give Axel a chance to get in the ring before he grabs him and slams his head into the chair. Punk then picks up the chair and hits Axel with it before throwing him out of the ring.
Punk is now outside the ring also and is met by the resilient Axel with enough power to knock him to the floor. Axel tries to throw Punk back into the ring but Punk stays outside. Axel chops the chest of CM Punk but that only adds more fire to the belly of the Best in the World.
Unfortunately for Punk, Axel whips him straight into the barricade and follows up with several punches and kicks. As Axel draws backwards for one final big blow, Punk throws Axel over the barricade. He begins to limp in the direction of the cowardly Heyman before turning around and running towards the barricade. Punk flies over and lands straight on Curtis Axel. A box of some kind is then picked up and slammed straight back down onto the back of Axel.
The ring bell is now in the hands of CM Punk and it swiftly meets the mid-section of Axel. Punk picks him up and rolls Axel back into the ring. the signal for a GTS is delivered whilst looking Heyman directly in the eye. Punk lifts Axel onto his shoulders but Axel slips out and takes Punk down by attacking his bad leg.
Punk looks unable to get up again. Axel begins the vicious attack to CM Punk’s bad leg. Once he finishes the assault with his body, Axel picks up a steel chair and drives it straight into the knee/leg of Punk.
With Punk face-down in the ring, Heyman instructs Axel to “put a beating on him”. Axel positions the chair around the bad ankle of Punk and climbs to the top rope. Punk just manages to roll out of the way, stands on one leg and hits Axel time and again with the chair.
Axel rolls to the outside and is quickly followed by Punk. The young Intercontinental Champion finds himself thrown into the steel steps twice before having his head dropped onto them from the shoulders of Punk.
Curtis Axel is sprawled out across the floor while Punk and Heyman stare each other out. Punk’s music kicks in as Heyman backs himself up the ramp. All the while, he maintains eye contact with CM Punk.
A good segment. Punk and Heyman are telling a great story right now and I can’t wait to see how it develops from here.
R-Truth vs Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is followed to the ring by Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. I don’t expect this match will last too long before they get involved.
The match starts incredibly quickly with R-Truth trying desperately to launch an attack on Wyatt. Wyatt makes himself look so chaotic in the ring. It’s amazing!
Wyatt doesn’t need to do much to finish this match. Every move he lands looks strong and disastrous.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
I hope it is onwards and upwards for Wyatt on RAW. Once Kane returns I would imagine this group will skyrocket to the top.
A tape for “Los Matadores” is screened next. Looks to me like Primo and Epico under the masks! It will be an interesting gimmick for sure.
I can’t help but wonder how many of the moaning internet fans thought the “Ole!” was for Sami Zayn/El Generico. Sorry boys, not just yet!
3MB vs The Usos
Loads of tag-team action during this RAW! It’s been good to mix things up a little.
Jey Uso starts the match against Heath Slater. It’s Slater and Jinder Mahal competing tonight, McIntyre is observing from ringside.
A slow start to this match doesn’t achieve too much before Jey Uso tags in his brother Jimmy. I’m not sure if the velocity of the last match has impacted my speed awareness but this one is definitely slower.
Jimmy knocks Slater to the floor before a double team move with Jey. Some offence to Slater ends with a cheap shot to Uso from Drew McIntyre on the outside. This allows Slater to tag in Mahal while Jimmy Uso is on the mat.
Mahal looks impressive tonight. His offence looks aggressive and strong, it’s a shame these guys aren’t used more seriously.
Slater is tagged back into the match. He taunts Jey Uso before returning to attack the downed Jimmy some more. Slater is also looking good in his offence tonight.
Jimmy Uso eventually counters a move from Slater and kicks him straight in the side of the head. Both men make it to their corners for a tag. We now have Jey Uso vs Jinder Mahal.
Jey doesn’t waste any time in knocking Mahal off his feet twice in a row. He then launches some kicks in the direction of Mahal before knocking him to the floor once again.
Jey squashes Mahal in the corner before attempting a pin-fall. Slater comes into the ring to break up the pin.
Jimmy Uso comes into the ring to kick Slater out and proceeds to take out Slater and McIntyre. Jey Uso then runs and bounces off the rope, tags his brother in on the way through and dives into the two/thirds of 3MB stood on the outside. Jimmy comes into the ring, lands a diving splash on Mahal and pins him for the victory.
Winners: The Usos
A good match from all the men involved. Hopefully we get to see McIntyre have a go next time!
The Miz vs Wade Barrett
Another good match-up, WWE have spoilt us in this episode! Great to see The Miz in action and I will never frown about seeing Wade Barrett in the ring.
Barrett catches Miz in a headlock quickly and when Miz breaks out a moment later, he is knocked to the mat by the Englishman.
Miz uses this opportunity to duck out of the way of Barrett’s next assault and brings some offence of his own. He’s looking quick and sharp, surely it’s time for a push back to the top soon?
Wade Barrett takes Miz down once again with a big boot and continues to attack. I must admit it’s good to see Barrett looking strong after the matches with Daniel Bryan recently. Maybe somebody has realised how good Barrett is!
Miz begins to rise to his feet and receives Wade Barrett’s knee to his gut. Miz manages to slide through the legs of Barrett and almost steals a victory with a quick pin.
Barrett gets back up and once again begins to fight. He drives The Miz into the corner and continues the beating.
A submission on the mat slows the match back down a little. Miz eventually makes it to his feet and starts to finally gain some momentum. Two good clotheslines and three attacks to the hamstring almost set Miz up for the Figure 4 Leglock. Barrett manages to avoid getting caught and once again begins to fight.
Miz tries to roll Barrett through into what looks like it will be a pin but instead he locks Barrett into the Figure 4! Just as it looks like Barrett will tap out, Fandango jumps from the top rope and lands his leg-lock on the head of The Miz! Miz takes the victory via DQ.
Winner: The Miz
A really good solid match between The Miz and Wade Barrett. It ended with the set-up of a feud with Fandango for Miz. As much as I want Miz to get another big push, both him and Fandango are a joy to watch and I think they will make for an entertaining rivalry! Can’t wait to see it unfold.
Brad Maddox is shown backstage and he finds Stephanie McMahon. Maddox tells her that he has just been informed by security that Daniel Bryan is back in the building.
Back from the break and Triple H has gathered all of the roster on the stage for Randy Orton’s Championship Coronation. Stephanie and Vince McMahon are already in the ring with The Shield guarding the ring at the bottom of the ramp. I guess they no longer fight injustice!
Vince McMahon takes the microphone and says there is finally a WWE Champion that everybody can be proud of. He states he is most proud of his son-in-law, even though he didn’t think he could do it.
Triple H takes his turn to talk now. He tells the crowd that they are short-sighted and never see the bigger picture. He explains that he did what he did at SummerSlam to ensure the future of the WWE and for each and every member of the WWE Universe and roster. Teddy Long is clapping randomly. He did it for Vince McMahon to keep the WWE running once he is gone and to ensure the future for his wife and children.
The crowd don’t sound too impressed! Triple H states that he still likes Daniel Bryan and still considers him a friend. HHH calls him a “very good little technician”. He says that Bryan deserved to beat John Cena last night but that there is no way Daniel Bryan should be the face of the company. HHH goes on to say that the fans deserve better than that, we deserve A+ not B.
Triple H continues his speech and says that it hurt him personally to take away the moment from Daniel Bryan. He even admits that he didn’t like doing it for Randy Orton but he had to do it for business. HHH says that Bryan needs to leave his ego at the door when he comes to work as having a personal problem with what happened is selfish.
HHH now introduces Randy Orton. Teddy Long is still the only person I can see clapping along with Brad Maddox this time! Nobody else from the roster looks particularly happy.
The McMahon family stand in the ring applauding Orton. He shakes the hand of Vince McMahon, followed by the hand of Triple H. Orton holds out his hand to Stephanie McMahon but instead she gives him a massive hug.
Orton now has the microphone. The first thing he says is “I told you so.”
Randy Orton says that he’s not normally one for saying thank you but that he owes all of this, his tenth WWE title to Triple H. Orton tells the crowd that they should all rise to their feet and show Triple H the respect he deserves.
Triple H is now back on the microphone and says that he knows Daniel Bryan is in the building. He offers him the opportunity to come to the ring and get whatever he needs off his chest right now. HHH asks The Shield to move to the side as Bryan is probably a little scared as they’re intimidating. He then orders everybody to leave Daniel Bryan alone and not to lay a finger on him.
Vince and Triple H try to coax him out by getting the crowd to chant “YES!” before playing his music. Daniel Bryan eventually appears from backstage. He walks slowly to the ring looking incredibly serious.
Randy Orton holds up the belt to taunt. As Bryan is nearly at the apron, The Shield attack. Bryan manages to fight them off and almost makes it to the ring but Ambrose drags him back out. Daniel Bryan now fights all three men off and begins to once again head for the ring.
This time he is met with a Roman Reigns spear. The Shield begin to stamp on Daniel Bryan. As they pick him up for a Triple Powerbomb, HHH puts a stop to it and tells Bryan to get in the ring and say what he is so clearly desperate to say.
Triple H is constantly belittling Daniel Bryan with every step he takes towards the ring. Bryan manages to climb in through the middle rope and is instantly met by an RKO.
RAW ends with The McMahons and Randy Orton hand-in-hand stood over Daniel Bryan. The final line from Jerry Lawler, “This is a black day for the WWE.”
And so ends another edition of RAW. A solid, jam-packed episode with an array of good quality matches.
Not to disappoint, Sin Cara even injured himself!
The CM Punk/Paul Heyman feud is still as strong as it was prior to the Lesnar fight which can only mean it will continue to impress. The final segment with the McMahons/Orton/Shield against Bryan just ramped this one up to the very top. This is how things will be until John Cena returns and they have started incredibly well!
I’m excited for The Miz and Fandango to start battling each other. Both are good competitors and amusing when talking, it should be a good one!
Bray Wyatt looked very good tonight. I would like to see him pitted against somebody new next week though.
Finally, some more decent action from the Diva’s division. Since Total Divas started, a lot more attention has been given to the ladies and it is really paying off with some quality matches. Hopefully we’ll get to see more of that!
Tonight’s Match of the Night goes to Big Show vs The Shield. It was great to see Big Show back in action, he looks in good shape and as strong as ever. I can’t wait to see him get back into the swing of things a little more. I’m glad he’s dropped the bad guy thing, there are a lot of them in WWE right now and he’s helped bring back a little balance.
WWE aren’t slowing down with their writing right now. It’s great and I can’t wait to see SmackDown this weekend! Until then, I’ve been Lingstar. Leave comments, questions and thoughts below. Find me on Twitter @Lingstar or on Facebook.
Thanks for reading!
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