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Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 10.12.15

October 12, 2015 | Posted by Larry Csonka
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Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 10.12.15  

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MONDAY NIGHT RAW 10.12.15

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Non-Title Match: Champions New Day defeated Ambrose and Orton @ 17:55 via pin [**]
– Nikki Bella defeated Naomi @ 4:55 via pin [**]
US Title Match: Champion John Cena defeated Dolph Ziggler @ 17:50 via pin [***½]
– The Dudleyz defeated The Ascension @ 2:40 via pin [NR]
– Sheamus and King Barrett defeated Cesaro and Neville @3:45 via []
– Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman @ 7:59 via countout [TDFW]
– Ryback defeated Rusev @ 3:02 via pin [*]
Non-Title Match: Champion Kevin Owens defeated Kalisto @ 3:50 via [*]
– Brie Bella and Alicia Fox defeated Charlotte and Becky @ 3:10 via pin [*]
Non-Title Lumberjack Match: Demon Kane defeated Champion Seth Rollins @ 8:20 via pin [DUD]


* Kane kicked off the show backstage, and is in charge because the Authority is running late. Triple H and Stephanie must still be at meetings with Evolve. Kane made a lumberjack match between he and Rollins for tonight.

Dean Ambrose Talks: Well at least it’s someone different. Ambrose got to welcome us to Raw, and then said he wanted a fight. This brought out Orton, who let him know that they were tagging at HIAC against Strowman and Harper. Ambrose told Orton to follow his lead because he had been at war with the Wyatts for years, but Orton pulled the “I’ve been here for years” card and told him to follow his lead. Ambrose and Orton agreed that they both don’t take direction well, and they also agreed that they have some trust issues. So of course THE NEW DAY arrived, offended because they laid waste to everyone last week and all Orton and Ambrose could talk about were the Wyatts. New Day ran down who they beat down last week, and were very proud of themselves noting that the Shield, Evolution, the Authority or Legacy never did that. They then mocked Orton for being in so many groups. Happy go lucky Citizen Kane appeared on the tron and made Ambrose and Orton vs. New Day. I appreciated the new players involved, but outside of a few funny lines from New Day, this was just a 14-minute segment to kill time and set up the opening tag team match. It ended up being predictable and felt like every Raw opening segment ever.

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It was fine.

New Day vs. Ambrose and Orton: They worked 40-seconds and then went to a commercial as Ambrose and Orton play tag team partners that kind of get along, but have relationship issues. It was all Ambrose and Orton after the break, and after a time of them working nicely together, they would start to tag themselves in and try to one up the other. They beat the hell out of Big E, argued, Kofi tagged in and they beat him down and went through another commercial. After the second commercial, new Day had scored the heat on Orton during the break and worked him over. New Day did their thing, it was entertaining to a degree but the match was there, it simply existed. Big E would miss the apron spear, because Orton is smart unlike Cena and moved. Ambrose got the tag, ran wild to a mild reaction. He kept going, hit a dive and started to get the crowd going. Woods distracted Ambrose, Orton tagged in, Ambrose hit a dive and Orton planted Kofi with the hangman’s DDT. Kofi would shove Orton into Ambrose, and steal the win with a roll up. This felt like a house show match, going long to go long and fill time. I am glad the champions won, and I suppose it’s fine that they continued to plant seeds between Orton and Ambrose, but why announce a tag match for the PPV and then, immediately, make them tag team partners that have issues? But this was a match that went way too long, and they really struggled to keep the crowd. It got boring, New Day antics helped and Ambrose did a lot to get them back to a degree, but the first 30-minutes of the show was 30-minutes you could miss and you missed nothing.

* We get a special video for Lesnar vs. Taker at HIAC, which will be their last meeting, allegedly.

* We get a highlight package from NXT Takeover: Respect, showcasing Sasha Banks. This is important because she’s NOT in the next match…

Nikki Bella vs. Naomi: The other chicks are at ringside, and thankfully this is not another meaningless six-women tag. So Nikki and Naomi did stuff, but no one cared because they were chanting for Sasha. Nikki had control early and worked over Naomi. It was fine. Naomi made a comeback, hit kicks and a dropkick and then tossed Nikki to the floor. Naomi then hit a dive onto Nikki and Fox, and then Brie led a chant of “We Want Sasha” to try and fuck with Naomi. Sasha stopped that (Brie took a nice bump off the announce table), but Naomi got distracted and Nikki hit the elbow and rack attack for the win. Team Bella celebrated on the ramp as Naomi looked sad. I get the mind games deal, I really do, and I get that the crowd likes Sasha, but I don’t see positioning her as a face when she is worlds better as a heel. I also appreciate Nikki getting the pre-PPV win, to try and get her momentum, but the title match feels unfocused and like it has no heat.

* Paige was interviewed about being an unconventional superstar. It was all a product placement segment for Payday.

US Title Open Challenge: Champion John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler: Cena put over the venue and the fans, and then called for his challenger. Here comes Dolph Ziggler. I am so glad Cena took time to address the beat down from New Day last week… oh wait. Someone proposed during the match and Cena gave them a shout out; I was hoping that it was a clever ploy by Ziggler to make Cena unfocused, due to his refusal to marry Nikki Bella. So they did next to nothing for over 2-minutes and went to a commercial. Post break, Cena looked to keep control but Ziggler cut him off with the dropkick. Ziggler escaped the STF and survived the AA, and then scored with a DDT off the ropes when Cena was in the corner for a near fall. That looked rough for Cena. Ziggler would counter the AA into a fameasser for another near fall. Ziggler survived the STF again, Cena countered a high cross into an AA try, but Ziggler raked the eyes and hit a superkick for a near fall. Ok, I liked that. They traded big rights, Ziggler then head butted Cena in the face and hit the zigzag for 2. I like Ziggler being a dick here and resorting to more underhanded tactics to try and win the title. But as soon as I say that, Cena scoops up Ziggler and hits the AA for the anticlimactic win. I have to say that I really hate when Cena matches end like that, there is no real set up or anything to it, just finish, fuck you, I win. While I hated the ending, this was a quality match and the best thing on the show. I liked the slight changes and heel stuff by Ziggler, he needs a change and soon because he is very stale, and this could be the start of that.

* Citizen Kane is in the back and talks with Triple H on the phone. We hear Stephanie yelling at someone on the phone for spilling coffee, because it wouldn’t be Raw without her cutting the balls off someone.

The Dudleyz vs. The Ascension: I guess The Ascension’s partnership with Stardust is done since I haven’t noticed them with him in a while. That went nowhere. The Ascension controlled on Devon for about 90-seconds, Bubba got the hot tag and ran wild and tried his best to get the crowd into the match. Since they were in Chicago, they hit the doomsday device and then the 3D for the win. This was a perfectly fine match, where the guys challenging for the tag titles won clean and pretty decisively, gaining momentum on the way to the title match.

Sheamus and King Barrett vs. Cesaro and Neville: This was completely random, but ok. Cesaro and Sheamus had a really fun segment, just beating the piss out of each other and it was great. The heel got the heat on Cesaro for a bit, but he made his own comeback and sent them to the floor. He then tagged in Neville and tossed him onto his opponents on the floor. Barrett then hit Neville with the bull hammer from the apron, allowing Sheamus to score the pin. It had its moments, but almost came off like a clipped match; it felt like there was more planned and they had their time cut. I could see a rematch on Smackdown this week where they get more time.

* Roman Reigns came out for promo time. He explained that the whole thing between he and Wyatt was over the WWE Title. He retold the story of Wyatt costing him MITB, and then tried to play off the “what” chants. He continued to retell the entire feud… story time with uncle Roman. This led to boring chants, and he tried to play those off and continue. Who thought having Roman cut a promo in Chicago, with rehashed material, was a good idea?

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Of course, I mean he wasn’t bad, but rehash promos where you just repeat the story are not usually received well by anyone, let alone a crowd like Chicago. Also, Reigns is not good in long promos where he comes off like he’s reciting stuff that he’d never say. Keep his stuff short, because that has always worked with him. Wyatt came out, and then both men promised to end the other at HIAC.

* The Dudleyz and Dean Ambrose face New Day on Smackdown.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman: Also, who booked THIS MATCH in Chicago? Reigns vs. a man who has had approximately 30 matches, that’s brilliant. Wyatt and Harper are at ringside, but Ambrose and Orton are nowhere to be found. Strowman slowly did big strong man things. Strowman did slams, some clubberin, he yelled and then they had issues doing an Irish whip. So Strowman went to the nerve hold to slow things down even more. Reigns eventually battled back, he hit Strowman a lot but Strowman stayed on his feet. Reigns hit his drive by kick on the apron, but then Strowman cut him off when he tried it again. THIS IS SO SLOW. Reigns made another comeback and slammed Strowman off of the announce table. He hit the Superman punch and Strowman took a delayed bump over the table, and Reigns won via countout. Well that was the dirt fucking worst, I appreciate the big brute trying to beat down Reigns prior to the cell match, but that was painful to watch. How about the big man beats down Reigns, and then since Wyatt doesn’t care about this result, they just jump him and beat the shit out of him? Reigns and Wyatt stared down and then Reigns punched Wyatt to end the segment. Were Dean and Randy in couples therapy? Too busy to come to the ring and help out, although Reigns didn’t need it here. One has to wonder if this was just booked poorly or if they are turning Reigns heel. He avoids the three on one by walking off; he has no help from his established friends and then basically cheap-shotted Wyatt. Whatever, this sucked.

* Citizen Kane again spoke with Triple H on the phone. They were having connection issues, but apparently the Authority is on the way. Triple H wanted to know the main event, Citizen Kane tried to explain, but they got cut off. Citizen Kane is very happy.

Ru-Ru w/Summer vs. The Ryback: And welcome to out Smackdown rematch special of the week. Commentary really did not care about the match, as they were so busy discussing the Rusev and Lana engagement news that “broke” on TMZ. Ryback controlled, but Rusev hit the superkick and used the ropes for a near fall. Rusev would then miss a corner charge, post himself and Ryback won with shell shock. Well, Ryback has an IC Title shot coming up soon at HIAC, so I am glad he won because that made sense. Post match, Summer spoke with Ru-Ru and wanted to show the real man he is to her, and showed the TMZ stuff. She was not pleased by this, and said that Ru-Ru was a whipped little boy. She then slapped him and called him an egotistical bastard. Well the good news is that this angle, which has seemingly lasted forever, will be ending. Poor Ru-Ru. Although babyface Rusev could be a ton of fun, as long as we get away from the bullshit I am good. Summer was actually pretty good there, and hopefully they have something solid planed, like a heel pairing with Ziggler. It feels like WWE knew the angle sucked, we all knew that Rusev and Lana bought a house together and the plans were to get married, so WWE did the “we’ll break the news through real media” deal to bail from the angle. Hopefully it leads to something better.

Non-Title Match: Champion Kevin Owens vs. Kalisto: So last week Owens had a run in backstage with the Lucha Dragons, leading to a match with Sin Cara, which Owens won. This week Sin Cara’s little buddy Kalisto got his chance. Kalisto looked as if he was going to do a dragonrana on the floor, but it did not go as planned and Owens appeared to drop him. Owens controlled early, Kalisto did make a comeback but Owens caught him on a rana try and spiked him with the powerbomb for the win. It had some issues, so it wasn’t very clean, but the correct thought was there. Owens is the IC Champion, he should be winning against guys with nothing to do, and the Dragons unfortunately have nothing to do right now. The champion wins; he wins clean and has momentum. This was what it needed to be, even if the execution was rough at times.

Brie Bella and Alicia Fox w/Nikki vs. Charlotte and Becky Lynch w/Natalya: Paige is on commentary, which meant that they completely ignored that match and spoke about Paige’s issues with Charlotte and Becky. Michael Cole sounded like that one kid at school that always instigated the fights. They got some heat on Becky, Charlotte got the hot tag and then there was dram at ringside. Paige and Natalya shoved each other, Charlotte kicked Brie in the face and worked her over in the corner as Paige bitched at ringside. During the bullshit, Nikki scored with the elbow on Charlotte, allowing Brie to pick up the win. So the match was no good, the commentary was focused on Paige playing pissed off teenage girl and Brie gets to pin the champion. At the very least could they not have Nikki in there so that she gets the pin, you can sell that as revenge and a message heading into HIAC. Either that or have Becky lose, not Charlotte.

This third hour has been rushed and honestly no good.

* Triple H is on the phone again and asking Citizen Kane who Rollins’ opponent is. They played that they couldn’t hear him, and then Stephanie bitched at him. Triple H said that he is not to go out there as we hear some CM Punk chants in the background.

* Rollins tried to kiss Big Show ass to get some help in the main event. Show laughed at him and left. Thanks for coming. Citizen Kane then informed Rollins that he would not be Rollins’ opponent in the main event, but that he would find a suitable replacement opponent.

* They had time to kill, so they showed the Lesnar vs. Taker video package again.

Non-Title Lumberjack Match: Champion Seth Rollins vs. Demon Kane: Oh my gosh, it is demon Kane. I did not see this coming. Rollins tried to run, the lumberjacks stopped him and the match started. Kane would beat on him, toss him to the floor, and the guys would toss Rollins back in. Rollins tried to escape through the crowd but Cesaro cut him off. This oddly enough led to Rollins’s comeback, Kane was sent to the floor and started to take out lumberjacks until Show hit the KO punch. Show then walked away as New Day rolled Kane back into the ring. Rollins then took control and worked the most uninteresting and boring offense on Kane during the lack of heat segment. The ode to Tanahashi connected for 2, which livened things up for a moment and then Kane made his comeback. This does not inspire confidence for their HIAC match. New Day pulled Kane to the floor, beat him down and then the lumberjacks brawled. The heels finally rolled Kane into the ring and did a big group beat down. New Day directed traffic, Kane was still alive as the face lumberjacks entered and we had a big brawl. Chokeslams for Stardust and Woods, and then the tombstone on Rollins and Kane won. We… we couldn’t just do the big brawl, Kane kills some heels and Rollins runs away to sell fear? No instead we used the main event of Raw, in 2015, to make Kane and Big Show the focal points. Rey Mysterio called and says he feels badly for how Rollins is being booked as the WWE champion. And don’t talk to me about how “Flair and other champions lost” because when they DID lose, there was actual heat or an emotional response from the audience that led to a pay off. This…

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* End scene.

* Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

4.0
The final score: review Poor
The 411
Last week was a show that started solidly, and then lost steam and came off as lazy and like an unmotivated effort. This show had some positive points, where some of the people needing wins got wins, angles that needed to end ended and Cena and Ziggler delivered a damn fine match. But that last hour was horrible overall, and not only did nothing to make me actually care about the PPV; the programming is actively turning me off of the product. The third hour is a financial blessing for the company but a destructive force when it comes to creative. I have no doubt that most weeks the show would be average at worst, but they simply lack patience and the simple creativity to fill the three hours with effective and entertaining programming.
legend

article topics :

RAW, Tremendous Tirades, WWE, Larry Csonka