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Seth Rollins is undoubtedly a good heel and he can talk too, but opening the show on his own somehow just doesn’t sit right. His monologue drags as he tells us how he has broken John Cena’s nose and should be awarded the United States Championship. Thankfully he’s interrupted by Cesaro who looks to be sporting the Jason Statham look. Then they’re interrupted by Owens and they’re interrupted by Orton until they’re all stopped by Triple H! I kind of feels like throwing things together in the hope of finding the magic and in the end, Dad comes out to make everything OK again.
For all Seth’s excellent work lately, he needs someone to play off, he can’t do this alone. Cesaro is probably one of the most exciting workers in the WWE right now, but he can’t talk. Orton has always lacked charisma, especially as a face and Owens, while looking like the total package, needs to be built up some more before he can run the place. All in all, a sloppy start to Monday Night Raw.
The opening match is one of the #DivasRevolution and I can’t help but think some of the rub of this is fading off already. I have no idea how Tamina Snuka is considered part of this and I hate to say it, but Foxy, you’re missing it too. They could very easily have called up another from NXT or had Paige on the heel team and finally given Emma a push into this, but it is what it is and I’m happy to see more Diva action getting more screen time. I mean do you remember when Paige lost the Divas title and then went on a run of two minute matches where she got literally no offence in before it was all over?
Looks like Nikki is set to beat AJ Lee’s record for longest reigning champ. It’s how it had to be I suppose. I don’t begrudge her for it, but I think there are more deserving divas out there, Natalya for one – woefully underused. So we get a Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination match at SummerSlam. Instead of three teams, I think we still need to focus on the individual rivalries, Paige v Nikki, Charlotte v Sasha, Brie v Becky, perhaps that’s where they’ll go from SummerSlam as team fights don’t have the investment as individual ones do.
Fast Forward through the tag team matches. This division has moments of greatness and then long periods of disappointment. We’re currently in the down swing. The teams are dynamic in the ring but none of them have charisma nor do any of them excite me. Something needs to change in the way tag matches are booked. Too often it’s the hot tag that wins the match.
In the highlight of the evening we have the triple threat match between Owens, Orton and Cesaro. Orton really needs to expand his playbook. That powerslam and DDT from the ropes are all he has. Yet a good match was had and Cesaro was on top form again as usual, that dive over the top rope, phenomenal. An interesting match that had a good crowd behind it. Orton winning was a trifle stale but it all paints part of the bigger picture which we’ll come to later.
The Wyatt Family vs The SHIELD family really isn’t igniting my interest. I think since WWE forced Roman Reigns down us we’ve all soured a little to him. Which is crazy when you think about it, last year we were calling the 6 man tag of The SHIELD vs The Wyatts the match of the year, yet now, it’s lost something. Does that suggest that Seth Rollins was really the instrumental one in the SHIELD? Probably not, we just don’t like Roman Reigns anymore.
Bray Wyatt is another mystery to me. Such a huge following, such an impressive Rumble and then nothing. His build up to his WrestleMania match against The Undertaker really needed The Undertaker. Can you imagine the crazy supernatural stuff that would have gone on between those two? But then he loses the match and there are no consequences. He then goes onto empty feuds that mean nothing and now has moved onto his latest target Reigns. Again, it showed signs of promise when Bray was leaving messages “Anyone but you” lying around, they really could have run with Bray as the voice of the IWC who were baying for Reigns’ blood. But instead it’s fizzled out and not being given the kick of life it needs from the inclusion of Ambrose and Harper.
The greatest missed opportunity came on MizTV. Miz was having a pop at guest star Stephen Amell’s acting ability who was sitting in the front row. We all know that Amell and Stardust are having a back and forth exchange on Twitter, so really the Miz should have introduced Stardust as his guest and had a confrontation with the Arrow star forcing Neville to run in and make the save. Instead, WWE have decided to continue the story of Miz versus Ryback and Big Slow. The only reason Slow is involved in this is so Ryback can show off his super strength by hitting him with a Shell Shock. The Intercontinental division has lost its shine since Bad News left it.
Speaking of the Brit, it is he who will partner Stardust and go up against Stephen Amell and Neville. He seems shoehorned into this match and it would have made much better sense for him to just swap places with the Miz and finally have a shot at his title. Instead we get the most curious booking decision in a long time. What the devil has Bad News done to be put into this match?
Poor Lana. As we continue to mourn the absence of Dolph Ziggler, Lana has to keep his feud alive with Rusev. Lana has the crowd on her side but is stuck in this Ravishing Russian gimmick still. I bet she’s desperate to pull a Ross and “phase it out”. Come on WWE, we’re grown ups, just repackage her. I don’t know if Lana can wrestle, but I expect a mixed tag team match at SummerSlam, so she’ll have to learn. Let’s face it, she’s probably already better than Eva Marie!
The main event is Rollins v Orton and this barely compares to the triple threat from earlier. Ending with Sheamus interfering and costing Orton the match it really goes to show that the main event scene is in dire straits without John Cena. Orton is boring and Sheamus is ridiculous. Someone needs to take the briefcase from him and quickly! Orton missed a trick, he should have let Sheamus cash in the briefcase on Raw then interfere and cost him the match. Boom, the Money In The Bank problem is solved. Sheamus will never be main event material, no matter how stupid you make him look.
Overall a fairly weak Raw, too many boring segments, too much monotony in the promos. I hear Undertaker vs Lesnar is going to close SummerSlam. It’ll probably be an Undertaker win setting up Brock v Taker 3 at WrestleMania again. Whilst I think these two have the star power to be closing the event, not having the title match as the final match weakens the title. I don’t know how the whole “winner takes all” stipulation is going to play out. Probably the match will get stopped and end in a no contest and everyone will go home happy.