411 Instant Analysis: WWE Monday Night Raw (8.04.14)

I don’t do fancy intros, so let’s crack on.

411 Raw Instant Analysis 4/8/14

The Authority kick us off

I know opening “talkies” are a real pain in the backside for some of you, but I’m all for them if they stimulate interest in the evening ahead and get their points across, and this one ticked all of those boxes with aplomb. Triple H showed hilarious self-awareness with the overt nature of his plugs for the network, Summerslam and the $9.99 price tag, and it was great to see the Authority come down to the ring as a group. Also, I dig the beat the clock idea they announced for Dean Ambrose and Rollins’ matches. It’s a little strange to see it used for only two people but I’ve always liked the concept. Roman Reigns delivered his lines short and sharply and it lead us nicely onto the first match of the night.

Rating: 7.5/10. – Very little wrong with this at all. Ticked every box by promoting Summerslam and the debauchery ahead for the evening. An opening “talky” done just right.

Last Man Standing match: Roman Reigns Def. Kane

Quick tidbit – Not sure if everyone saw this, but as soon as the commercials ended and Raw came back on the air, the bell rings immediately and Kane & Reigns charge at each other. That’s fucking excellent timing and kudos to the production crew for that (or maybe it was a stroke of luck. Even so, it looked fantastic).

Reigns and Kane knocked seven bells out of each other here and I massively enjoyed it. I was a bit surprised they’d give away a Last Man Standing match as an opener on TV when that stipulation would still carry some potential weight as a PPV match, possibly even a main event, but that shouldn’t detract from one’s enjoyment of something like this. It was an excellent brawl with a few toys introduced and although it was a fairly even contest in terms of the momentum, Reigns comes out of it looking like a beast again. I haven’t enjoyed a Kane bout this much in a long time, and if they’re serious about pushing Reigns, more matches with this kind of blueprint would make for a good formula to get him to the next level because it really played to his strengths.

Rating: 8.5/10. – A thoroughly enjoyable brawl which catered to both men’s styles brilliantly.

-WWE’s video production crew knock it out of the park yet again with the The Brock/Cena interview’hype package for Summerslam. Similar to Brock’s one-on-one interview a couple of years ago prior to Extreme Rules, he proved he could actually deliver a decent promo and doesn’t need Paul Heyman to be his mouthpiece 100% of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive Heyman mark too, but when Brock DOES actually speak, albeit edited and not live, he comes across as even more of a badass. It wasn’t as good as that previously mentioned interview before their last match, but it was still great. If this didn’t sell you on the Summerslam main event, nothing will.

Mark Henry Def. Damien Sandow

At least Sandow is getting some decent mic time again in spite of becoming a parody act. When it comes to these kind of angles, if you’re not a fan of either sports team or don’t know the area so well it kind of falls flat unless you’re actually there in person.

Rating: 4/10. – At least it was quick.

-So, that Adam Rose skit. I’m all for pissing about and fun skits, but I can’t help but feel there’s another worker out there somewhere who would be able to take a gimmick like this and really run with it. Look at the work Cody is doing with his Stardust run for instance. I’m just not feeling it with this guy at all.

Dean Ambrose Def. Alberto Del Rio

Dean’s style is a little unconventional, but it worked a treat against a seasoned pro in Del Rio in a real rollercoaster of a bout. The latter would focus on the left arm and taped up shoulder which created a nice little story as the match progressed, and everything flowed nicely around that theme. The fact that the match took a little longer than expected achieved two things: 1) They were given sufficient time to tell a great story and have a very good contest in their own right, and 2) it immediately makes the second Beat the Clock match a more interesting prospect later on to see how Rollins deals with his own challenge.

Rating: 7.5/0 – That’s two really enjoyable bouts so far tonight. I hope Ambrose keeps up with the smash mouth style that goes slightly against the usual WWE grain because it makes him really stand out as a character. Del Rio’s persona might be a little stale by now, but his in-ring work is almost flawless.

Rusev/Swagger flag match build

(note: Rusev’s match with Sin Cara didn’t even make TV, it started and finished on the WWE app. It seems a pity to waste Sin Cara’s gimmick in spite of problems they’ve had with it in the past but that’s another column for another day).

I know we’ve seen angles like this constantly recycled, but it’s recycled because it works. It’s a great vehicle for both Swagger and Rusev to get more TV time and become more popular characters on the show that stand out. I know it sounds bizarre but I can see a Zeb heel turn coming up too. Think about it; After all his preaching about the flag, what it means to be American, We the People, etc, he’d be a massive heel and one of the biggest turncoats in WWE history. It’d make Lana and Rusev even more despised, and Swagger a bigger babyface as a result. Of course you then need to give Swagger someone else to talk for him, but they found Dirty Dutch from the wilderness and I’m sure there’s another good manager out there who could do just that for him.

Rating: 6/10. – Not the best segment they’ve done together so far but the feud is still brewing nicely.

Dolph Ziggler Def. Cesaro

Lightning quick which is a shame because these guys could have an excellent match given enough time, but they did what they could with what they had and it still worked well. It was more of a vehicle to push the IC title match at Summerslam though, and it fulfilled it’s purpose in that regard. Hollywood Miz is just fantastic and I think there’s real longevity in that gimmick. It’s going to totally revive Miz’s career too and quite possibly propel him back up towards the main event scene if they get it right.

Rating: 6/10. – Short match, but looked at as an overall package in terms of building interest in the IC title match between Ziggler and Miz it worked well enough.

Goldust/Stardust def. Ryback & Curtis Axel

Give Cody every credit because he is putting absolutely everything into the Stardust gimmick. Watching his work tonight, it seems like he’s found a new lease of life and looked to be really enjoying himself. He was lightning quick and really got the crowd behind his team, even just with his mannerisms on the apron. I look forward to seeing where he takes the character next.

Rating: 6.5/10. – Great in-ring showcase for Stardust who moved around with so much energy he was like a man possessed.

Chris Jericho Def. Luke Harper via DQ

Harper is one of the best big-man workers in the game right now, and Jericho is one of the best ever, so this was always going to be good. I’d have ditched something like the Sandow/Henry match and would’ve given these two a few more minutes to make the match even better, but it still delivered and it builds more interest in the Summerslam bout, especially with it now being one-on-one. Also, Harper’s entrance with everyone turning on their iPhone torches in the crowd was an absolutely mesmerizing visual, the type of image that makes you go “I want to be in that crowd, I want to a buy a ticket and go to a show and do that!” It’s all about the presentation.

Rating: 7/10. – More time would’ve been nice, but what we got was still very good indeed.

Diego Def. Fandango

I had a wry giggle when Hornswoggle came out as Fandango’s dance partner, but the match itself was almost a carbon copy of all the matches they’ve been having recently. El Torito is a fun act for the kids but there must be a better way to implement him than this?

3/10 One for the families.

Bo Dallas Def. R-Truth

Quite energetic actually considering it lasted about a minute. This was all in the name of putting Bo over, and that’s fine and dandy with me. It’s time to do some more with the gimmick now though, and hopefully after Summerslam it won’t feel like he’s lost in the midcard shuffle and he can get some real momentum going again. Nice touch with the bulldog on the outside.

5/10 Short, but it gets Bo back on track.

-Bray delivers his usual solid promo, but that knuckle-crackling at the end? NICE touch there.

Heath Slater (!) Def. Seth Rollins

Heath Slater wins! Marvelous. First, the swerve won’t exactly be popular with RVD fans (I thought it was some sort of rib on him at first) but in the context of how the heel authority operate it made perfect sense. Ambrose’s interaction with the crowd and the MITB briefcase were a thing of beauty and he played the wind-up merchant to absolute perfection. Rollins’ sold the annoyance of it all masterfully, and Heath Slater getting the upset win was a nice change of pace for a hard-working performer who has done more than his fair share of jobs and comedy skits in recent years, so good for him. Slater looks good, Ambrose looks good, Rollins’ character has more ammunition as a bad guy. Everybody wins.

8.5/10 Really strong portion of the show.

Stephanie McMahon/Brie Bella contract signing

I’m going to go against the grain here and say I think this whole angle has been played out brilliantly. I’d love to see a technically sublime 20-minute pure-wrestling contest as a main event as much as the next person, but wrestling isn’t just about movesets and matches, you have to embrace some of the razmatazz and soap opera shenanigans that come with it. I’ve enjoyed all the work that’s gone into this, and Steph hitting two Pedigrees on the Bella’s and grabbing Hunter for a massive snog to close the show were excellent. It’s good tele, and what’s more it sets the scene perfectly for Daniel Bryan’s triumphant return to TV and he gets to pick up right where he left off in sticking it to the Authority. And MAN can Steph cut a promo!

8.5/10 Great tele. Not my personal main event choice but still a great segment. And the crowds are all over it too. Delightfully trashy television.

Overall

Trim some of that fat and you’ve got a really enjoyable Raw this week. Reigns vs Kane, Ambrose vs Del Rio and Jericho/Harper were both good matches and the last match with Slater getting the upset over Rollins was a great match/segment in its own right. The Steph/Brie contract signing was brilliant WWE soap-opera tomfoolery and there’s a clear direction or Summerslam with the card almost fully booked up now. For once, we have a clear picture of almost an entire card a fortnight before it’s on. You don’t see that as often as you used to. The Cena/Brock promo was first class too.

Rating: 8/10. – Couple of gripes aside, I had a jolly good time watching Raw this week. Apart from not being able to get the WWE Network in the UK till October. October? Are you taking the piss Vince? Thanks for that.

Thanks for reading.