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411’s Instant Analysis 07.23.12: WWE Monday Night Raw

July 24, 2012 | Posted by Sat

Welcome to this week’s Instant Analysis of Monday Night Raw. I’m your humble reviewer, Chad Nevett and it is episode one thousand of Raw. Maybe you’ve heard something about it? And it’s also the first episode of Raw’s move to three hours each and every week. A move that means the show will be airing at 8 pm on USA… and staying at 9 pm (more like 9:15) on the Score here in Canada. So, this “Instant” Analysis is going to be permanently an hour or so behind schedule. My apologies for that, but there’s not a lot I can do about it. And it’s hard not to blame the Score. They have a horse racing/betting show on before Raw and I imagine that it’s quite popular. It might also happen live, making it hard to move around. There we are then. Let’s get to Raw 100… eventually…

SEGMENT ONE: If you’re not down with this, I’ve got two words for ya…

Cheesy, goofy, nostalgic, a little stupid… and a pretty great way to begin the thousandth episode of Raw. The video package was good, Vince McMahon coming out first was damn fine, and the DX stuff was exactly what you want out of a show that’s as much about celebrating the past as it is building the future. DX has been a big part of Raw in its various incarnations and seeing the five-man version that never actually happened was great. They pushed it a bit with the awkward humor, but some parts were just damn funny (like the hair comment by Trips). And if anyone on the roster right now is suited to get humiliated by DX, it’s Damian Sandow. This was a pandering crowd-pleaser of a segment and count me among that crowd.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

SEGMENT TWO: Sheamus, Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio & Dolph Ziggler
Match Result: Sheamus pinned Chris Jericho
Match Length: A little over four minutes (shown)

Not much of a six-man match, but I did like the dynamic on the heel team. None of those guys like each other much right now and the issue between Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler is what ultimately determined the finish of the match. It was part short showcase/faces win and everyone is happy match, and part building on some current stories. Sheamus getting the pin was smart and Jericho eating the pin only adds to the idea that he can’t win anymore. Not a great match, especially short on time, but smart for what it is.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

SEGMENT THREE: Filler Segment #1

Normally, I ignore these, but this one had Mae Young’s son… A GIANT HAND. OH MY GOD. All that moment was missing was Ron Simmons.

Rating: …DAMN! out of 10

SEGMENT FOUR: Jack Swagger vs. Brodus Clay
Match Result: Brodus Clay pinned Jack Swagger
Match Length: Around ten seconds

Dude Love was entertaining. Foley’s got some moves. Otherwise, this one leans a bit too far towards the pandering for my taste…

Rating: 4.0 out of 10

SEGMENT FIVE: The Wedding of Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee

Well, that was awful. Okay, not completely awful, because Slick was entertaining as the minister for the wedding. I do appreciate how the WWE didn’t even try to pretend like it was doing anything other than building to the moment where things would be ruined somehow. AJ is the new General Manager and that’s disappointing. Her crazy character is one that will lend itself far more towards the type of GM that has to be involved in everything instead of one with a lighter touch, which is what seemed like the right direction after the reign of John Laurinaitis. But, hey, I could be wrong. This segment, though, was summed up by the complete silence of the audience as it ended. It wasn’t so much ‘stunned’ as ‘disappointed.’

Rating: 2.0 out of 10

SEGMENT SIX: Finally…

The Rock challenges the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble. I like that idea. It’s a more open-ended point to get to as opposed to setting up a match between two guys well in advance. Now, the title isn’t just about being champ, it’s about fighting the Rock, and that could lead to some interesting stories over the next six months. This segment was alright. The Rock was the Rock, and all that Daniel Bryan was missing was a bottle of booze, especially at the end there. That was two steps away from bitter, drunken wedding toast. Excellent work by him. After a bit of a downturn in the show after the last few segments, Raw 1000 rebounded here nicely.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

SEGMENT SEVEN: Intercontinental Championship Match – Christian (C) vs. the Miz
Match Result: The Miz pinned Christian
Match Length: A little under eight minutes

The end stretch of this match was rather good. From Christian going for the Spear up through the Miz hitting the Skull-Crushing Finale was smooth and very well done. The Miz only returned eight days ago and, yet, this win doesn’t seem out of place at all. Bret Hart’s introduction was good, especially the utter disdain when announcing the Miz. Nice call back to their brief ‘feud’ over the US Title. This match was hurt a bit by almost half of it being taken up by commercials, but that final bit was good enough to win me over. Plus, I’m curious to see if the Miz holding the Intercontinental Championship now will mean anything.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

SEGMENT EIGHT: Brock Lesnar Answers Triple H’s Challenge

The best part of the build to the SummerSlam match between Triple H and Brock Lesnar so far has been the battle of wits between Triple H and Paul Heyman. No matter what, Heyman was always one step ahead of Triple H and tonight was no exception… until Stephanie McMahon came out and managed to get under Heyman’s skin. I loved how it happened and that, immediately after accepting the match on Lesnar’s behalf, Heyman realized what happened. Lesnar came out strong and, given that the last time he and Trips were in the ring, he looked more than dominant, Triple H managing to expel him from the ring was a smart move. It looks a little more even now and should be one hell of a fight. The end point of the segment was obvious, but the journey there was very well done and played into the characters involved perfectly.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

SEGMENT NINE: Heath Slater vs. Lita
Match Result: Lita pinned Heath Slater
Match Length: Just under two minutes

The Fink… and a whole slew of past superstars like Lita, the APA, and everyone that Heath Slater has run up again over the past couple of months. There really couldn’t be any other culmination to this whole ‘Slater vs. the legends’ story building to tonight’s episode of Raw.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

SEGMENT TEN: The Brother of Destruction Reunited

Rumors about the Undertaker appearing were strong, but how he would show up on tonight’s episode was a mystery. I thought him somehow getting involved with Triple H and Brock Lesnar was possible given his history with both men. Or even getting involved with the WWE Championship match. That he would return to stand side by side with Kane and kill six lowcard guys didn’t occur to me and, yet, it was great. These two guys appearing together was fitting and they’ve always been more impressive when fighting on the same side than when fighting one another. Like the opening DX segment, this was cheesy and stupid in its way, but also the sort of thing that brings a smile to my face. And, of course, let the speculation about the Dead Man’s status begin…

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

SEGMENT ELEVEN: WWE Championship Match – CM Punk (C) vs. John Cena
Match Result: John Cena won via disqualification
Match Length: A little over 11 minutes

Let’s put the DQ finish aside for right now. You take that out of the match and this was really, really good. Punk and Cena work well together and had an even, back and forth contest where neither could really land their signature moves with any success. I always love stuff like that, matches between guys who know each other so well that they’re forced to show you something new. The initial involvement of the Big Show did give CM Punk an opportunity to do some fantastic character work as he seemed to struggle with what to do. He basically cowered in the corner, watching as the Big Show ensured that he could keep his title and, then, went after the chance, almost a reminder of what Cena should have done with his Money in the Bank contract — something Punk has done twice. The DQ finish felt cheap after what we saw. A clean finish, with either man winning, would have been better, but the post-match stuff with the Rock, the Big Show, and Punk was good. Is this a heel turn for Punk? Not necessarily. It’s in his character. He’s never been the ‘do the right thing without question’ sort of face and he certainly has no love for Cena or the Rock. The DQ finish is what holds me up a bit. It served a purpose for the larger story, but hurt the match. And it was a very good match otherwise.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

FINAL THOUGHTS

Segment of the Night: The WWE Championship Match

Trash Segment of the Night: The Wedding of Daniel Bryan and AJ

Final Analysis: This was a big episode. Part celebration of the past with video packages and the returns of many, many former superstars, and part ‘Raw as usual’ as stories continued. The mixture was a good one, even if the show dragged a bit after the six-man match until the Rock returned. Obviously, this wasn’t the best Raw ever. But, it did a nice job of balancing everything, of making the show feel big and important, and it delivered in a few key areas including a few really great segments. Not the best Raw ever, but the best one we’ve seen in a while.

Verdict: 7.5

411 RATINGS SCALE:
0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9: Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect