Jonathan Dehn
WWE Monday Night Raw
07/01/2013
Sioux City, Iowa
-Vickie greets us from backstage to start the show. After sucking up to the McMahons, she tells us that our main event is going to be John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio.
-Daniel Bryan comes out now, with a spiffy new t-shirt. “Respect The Beard”. I will. Bryan has the crowd chanting “No!” to him being a weak link and “Yes!” for his chances to win MITB. Bryan talks about joining the likes of Bruno and Austin and psyches himself up. Sheamus comes out to talk about WM XVIII. He gets jeered for that painful memory. The two dish out insults, with the crowd reacting in favor of Bryan. Orton has the third microphone in this segment. It’s been too long since he’s been champion, he mentions. He needs the WWE Title, as he’s starving for it. Bryan reminds him that he did tap out to him last week. Kane comes out next to talk about his ruthlessness. Kane is bitter about Bryan’s actions on Friday, and the two begin to bicker. Christian pops out to remind everyone of his ladder match credentials and that he still deserves one more match. Christian claims that he is the best. Punk comes out, naturally, and makes fun of what everyone is doing in the ring. Punk says that he’s going to win his third briefcase, because he’s untouchable. Bryan takes offense to Punk’s character and tells him to shut his mouth, and insults Orton one more time. Kane cuts off Orton from Bryan, but Bryan doesn’t enjoy this intervention. In the confusion, Orton hits Kane with an RKO and the remaining people in the ring have a nervous standoff before everyone filters out.
Christian and The Usos vs. The Shield
Jimmy and Seth start. Jimmy hits a flying back elbow and tags in Jey. A crossbody gets just one. After a jawbreaker, Rollins tags in Ambrose. Jey tags in Christian, but is caught by a knee from Ambrose. The Shield huddle up on the outside, but The Usos take a dive and Christian comes over with a press. We come back from break with Rollins stomping at Jey. Have you ever noticed that Cole never calls an Uso by their first name during the match?
Rollins hits a back elbow and brings in Ambrose. Double suplex gets two. Reigns comes back in, and hits a belly to back suplex on Jey. Dean returns and makes sure to clap in a mocking way towards Christian but gets superkicked to hell from Jey. Rollins comes in, but can’t stop Christian from getting the hot tag.
Missile dropkick gets two for Christian. Rollins takes a back bodydrop, but uses a distraction to hit an enzuigiri. Ambrose returns. Christians ducks a clothesline and hits a reverse DDT. The Usos and tag champs both wind up outside. Ambrose counters the Killswitch and some interference lets Ambrose get the roll up for the win.
Final Thoughts: This was alright, really. I would have rather The Shield had a better showing after their loss on Smackdown. I’m still waiting on call to call the Usos by their first names.
-Backstage, Kane is quite upset with Bryan. That’s bad. But, Bryan gets him a rematch with Orton. That’s good. However, Bryan is the referee. That’s bad.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Jinder Mahal
Ziggler takes to the mat after a drop toe hold, but misses a dropkick and gets his head taken off with a high knee for two. There’s spit flying and everything. Mahal drops some knees from the ropes. Ziggler hits the dropkick but gets slammed for two. Ziggler slides out of a camel clutch and quickly hits the Zig Zag for the win. After the match, 3MB attempt to corner and beat down Ziggler. However, Dolph uses his quickness to best 3MB and leave them lying.
Final Thoughts: They’re going to have to pull the trigger on separating Dolph from AJ and Big E soon. Hopefully, they don’t make the mistake of attempting to garner sympathy for AJ’s character. She just isn’t there right now. The use of Dolph being a superior athlete to others is something that WWE seems to remember every six months or so.
-HHH drops in to further interrupt and stress out Vickie and Brad. HHH only has nice things to say about the show tonight, and then circles the wagons in saying that Vickie should only listen to him.
Randy Orton vs. Kane
Daniel Bryan is your special referee. When we come back from break, Bryan is preemptively asserting authority over Orton. They slug it out to start. Bryan’s officiating is right down the middle in the early going. Kane takes over and hits the running dropkick for two. Orton gets out of a powerslam attempt and hits the Thesz Press.
Randy stomps away at Kane before dropping the knee for just one. Kane takes back control with a suplex and stomps Orton to the outside. Kane misses a charge in the corner, and Orton pounds away. Bryan DQ’s Orton after Randy shoves him away. But, with Kane upset at the stoppage, Bryan restarts the match.
After the break, Kane is in control. Orton fights out of a headlock but gets caught with a couple of corner clotheslines and the sideslam. Kane goes up for the clothesline, but eats a dropkick on the way down. Orton gets the powerslam but Kane fights out the hanging DDT and goes for the chokeslam, but Randy reverses into the backbreaker. Orton then hits the DDT.
Orton looks for the RKO, but Bryan cuts him off with Kane in the ropes. Kane hits the big boot and Bryan screws Orton with a quick count. Kane teases a choke slam on Bryan, but instead walks off, upset. Orton hits the RKO on Bryan.
Final Thoughts: Bryan was having a lot of fun out there in being the referee. It’s, once again, nice to see Orton out there and performing up to his abilities while being in the middle of an interesting storyline.
-Backstage, Punk claims that Axel just needs to stand on the apron as Punk does all the work. Punk doesn’t trust Axel. Apparently, Punk has never been in a tag team match.
Fandango vs. Sheamus
Fandango is coming off of a concussion, so let’s put him in the ring with Sheamus. Fandango preens to start, dodging Sheamus charges and dancing around the ring to rub it in. Sheamus dances in response after dodging Fandango. Sheamus clubs Fandango in the head quite a bit before hitting a suplex for two.
Fandango hits a couple of chops, but takes a clothesline, a shoulder thrust in the corner, and a knee lift to the head. Fandango gets a foot up into Sheamus’ face for two. “Let’s go Sheamus!” and smaller “Sheamus sucks!” chants begin to duel. Uh-oh. Sheamus delivers some stiff blows and follows up with the clubbing blows in the ropes. Fandango walks out of the match, stumbling up the ramp on the way out. I’ll just say that he’s selling the beating quite well and not suffering through a fresh concussion.
Final Thoughts: This was actually quite disjointed and sloppy, and at points, they both looked frustrated in there together. It’s best just to move on from this.
Ryback vs. The Miz
Chris Jericho joins us on commentary. Miz goes to the knee of Ryback right away. In response, Ryback tosses Miz around a bit and stomps away. Ryback cuts off the comeback bid with a rush. Ryback just clubs away for a couple more minutes and chokes Miz a lot. Miz hits a dropkick to the knee and the corner clothesline.
Jericho mentions that they’re in Sioux City, Iowa. Since this is the first time it’s been mentioned on the show, Jericho is in trouble backstage. Miz works on the knee of Ryback, and actually puts on a few cool moves. Ryback actually quits without a submission, begging for mercy and waving off his own match. Wow. Jericho waltzes in and hits a Codebreaker on Ryback for the hell of it.
Final Thoughts: Uh…Jericho better not lose at MITB, since Ryback seems to be ready for a tailspin down the card. It’s a shame since Ryback is a much improved worker since his debut. Hopefully, they can find a good tag team for him. Maybe put another great worker in there with him. Tyson Kidd.
-Mark Henry graces us with his presence. He mentions that he earned his moniker. Henry talks about doing the right throughout his career and how that never got him where he needed to go. He’s going to now do what’s right for Mark Henry. Looking into the camera on stage, he tells us that he going to kick Cena’s ass.
-Backstage, Vickie and Brad are visited by Mr. McMahon. McMahon voices his displeasure for Daniel Bryan being featured last week despite his protests and gets very dark by mentioning that there’s quite a long list of people blackballed from the industry for not doing what he says. Also, they’re giving away Del Rio vs. Cena for free and Vince doesn’t like that.
Prime Time Players vs. CM Punk and Curtis Axel
At the start, Axel tags himself in following a delay to start. Punk takes great offense to this. Young and Axel slug it out, and I just realized that the average fan has no reason to hate Curtis Axel. He reminds of the Adam Banks character from “The Mighty Ducks”. He’s talented, somewhat bland, and has a bunch of people arguing over him every week.
Curtis hits a big clothesline on Young. Titus comes in and tastes a dropkick. After some arguing between Punk and Axel, Titus clotheslines Axel. Punk and Titus get into it a bit, trash-talking back and forth. Titus puts on an abdominal stretch. O’Neil keeps Axel away from Punk and takes great fun in upsetting Punk.
Axel gets the legs up on corner charge and gets the hot tag to Punk. Punk cleans house with a flurry and hits the high knee in the corner on Young. He follows up the elbow drop from the top. After Punk hits the GTS and dumps O’Neil, Axel tags himself in and picks up the pin.
Final Thoughts: Titus made this segment work with his constant back and forth with Punk. There wasn’t much to the match itself, but there was some good work done by the wrestlers just interacting with each other.
-Throughout the night, they have been showing small video packages for prominent champions from the lineage of both belts. In this segment, they showed a small video package for Sting. ….STING WAS ON RAW!
Alicia Fox vs. Kaitlyn
I think that Alicia is playing a heel this week. Kaitlyn is in control early with a clothesline. Alicia comes back with a dropkick for two and rams Kaitlyn into the corner. Fox hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Fox misses the flip senton and gets her guts smashed in with a spear from Kaitlyn. AJ comes out and says that Kaitlyn is trash, again. She has photographic evidence. And, they photoshopped Kaitlyn’s head on an obese body. Kaitlyn no sells this, because she kind of has to.
Final Thoughts: Well, the spear was actually quite brutal, and in a good way. After the match, AJ’s reveal of Kaitlyn’s past life was quite weak and just made for a lousy segment of a very personal feud.
-Stephanie runs into Vickie’s office and complains about…everything, really. Vickie has a small meltdown, and Stephanie understands that is can be confusing to work with people over your heads. Vickie then tries to connect with Stephanie on a personal level. And, Stephanie takes offense to Vickie trying to be friendly and puts her job up for evaluation next week. Yeah, that totally happened.
Cody Rhodes vs. Antonio Cesaro
Before the match Zeb…oh boy…is now speaking out against that dastardly Supreme Court defending same-sex marriage. It’s a good thing that ratings are in the crapper or someone would have noticed and gotten pissed.
They lock up to start. Cesaro finds the gutwrench and Rhodes gets some advice from Sandow. Cody uses his brother’s move with the sliding uppercut. Cesaro blocks a sunset flip and takes control, knocking Cody outside with a European uppercut. Cody gets caught after a failed backslide and is hit with the Neutralizer for the quick loss. Sandow is distraught at Cody’s loss.
Final Thoughts: For a guy that’s going to be in a MITB match, Cody sure looked like an incapable jobber. Can we just have Zeb the character break his arm in Canada, realize that basic human services are a good thing, and just be known for a great mustache?
-Backstage, the Bella’s are backstage in a backstage segment with two other Divas from NXT. This segment features way too many camera cuts. The Bella Twins gloat about how big of a deal they are with the rest of the Divas, sans AJ Lee and Kaitlyn.
-Before another Wyatt Family vignette, we are told that they will be on the show next week.
Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena
The two trade countering moves methodically to start. Del Rio bails from the ring after squirming out of an AA. Del Rio gets some stomps in the corner and charges with a kick to the ribs for two. Cena hits a bulldog after a whip into the corner, but misses a charge in the corner and tumbles outside. ADR follows with a kick to the shoulder and tosses Cena into the ring. Del Rio hits a double axe handle off of the top and stomps away at Cena. Del Rio misses a charge and falls hard to the outside. We hit the break.
ADR is back in control as we return. Up top, Del Rio comes down but eats a dropkick. Cena misses a shoulderblock and Del Rio rushes in with a dropkick to the downed Cena. John gets knocked down to the outside, but fights back and hits the shoulderblocks. Del Rio rolls out of the usual slam, and hits the Backstabber for two. Cena gets out of the cross armbreaker and slams ADR and hits the old fist drop.
Del comes back with a German suplex for two after getting out of the AA. Cena dodges the Si Kick and gets a belly to belly suplex for two. Cena goes up, but eats an enzuigiri for two. ADR misses a second but kicks out from the STF. Cena charges but takes a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Del Rio hangs Cena in the tree of woe and misses a charge. Cena comes off of the top with a crossbody block for a long two count.
Cena rolls through on the cross armbreaker and gets an STF. Henry walks out to distract Cena. ADR rolls up Cena for two and hits the Si Kick for another close call. Ziggler shows up shortly thereafter and distracts Del Rio long enough for Cena to hit the AA for the win. Henry grabs the WWE Title and walks into the ring, joining Cena. He feigns attacking Cena with the belt and tosses it down to Cena’s feet. He continues to tease John, getting in his head. He leaves the ring with a satisfied smile on his face.
Final Thoughts: It was a very, very good match that had a rather predictable ending. That’s fine, because it gives the main event matches more build heading into the PPV. That’s solid. Furthermore, I find Alberto Del Rio to be terrific right now. He’s really getting nasty and letting a frustrated personality run through him. His headhunting ways, combined with his insistence upon holding the belt high in the face of those that turned their backs on him makes for a great character.
-A Wyatt Family vignette closes the show. I’m eagerly looking forward to their debut next week.
–There was one good, long match on this show. This episode was missing quite a bit of excitement. I can’t blame the crowd for not being passionate, as it was there. They woke up nicely for the main event, and were into the usual suspects. There were a lot of things that dragged and didn’t have solid, satisfying finishes. AJ and Kaitlyn took a step back. The cause of Vickie’s job evaluation stems from being scolded for trying to be personal in a professional environment. Steph was personally offended and then decided to threaten Vickie’s professional life. That sums it up, nicely. Going forward, HHH is due for another storyline divorce from Stephanie. I enjoyed the Bryan/Punk tease for another future match, with Bryan tiring of Punk being too cool for the room. It would be a terrific feud as long as Bryan is out of a comedic role. However, Bryan’s gravitation towards humor could be what has kept him bulletproof with fans for so long.
