Jonathan Dehn
–I’ve been absent from performing my duties on the site thanks to a conflict between work and this. I apologize for this, but I’m happy to report that with the arrival of a DVR, I’ll be back to getting these shows up regularly once more.
WWE Monday Night Raw
09/23/2013
Chicago (Rosemont), Illinois
-I get to the show late because GTA V has consumed my life, but we find out; with terrific insincere talk, that HHH and Stephanie are going to put The Shield in an eleven on three handicap match, as well as give the viewing audience the opportunity to vote for Orton’s opponent for the evening. RVD and Dolph Ziggler are the front runners, I’d say. WWE then teaches everyone how to use the application, again.
Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio
I’m still getting used to Kofi’s pants. Del Rio grabs a shoulderblock to start, and breaks up a comeback attempt from Kofi and slugs away in the corner. Kofi gets a headscissors and sends Del Rio outside with a clothesline. Kofi flies outside with a flip over the top. Very impressive. Back inside, Kofi gets the ten punches in the corner, but Del Rio retakes control with a couple of strikes. Del Rio hits an awkward snap suplex and puts on the chinlock. Del Rio gets a boot up at the apron to keep Kofi down. Kofi gets the boot up off of the whip and sends Del Rio to the apron. Kofi sends Del Rio outside with a dropkick and we hit a break after ADR retreats.
We’re back with Del Rio in control, of course. Del Rio gets two from a kick to the back. Del Rio catches Kofi on a sunset flip and works at the left arm. Kingston battles back with some shoulderthrusts in the corner, but Del Rio gets an armbar in the ropes. Kofi gets a quick roll up for two, but ADR takes him down with a clothesline as the crowd chants for Colt Cabana. The match gets a bit drowned out by the crowd chanting “Ole!” before Kofi gets a dropkick from ADR coming off the top. Kofi gets some comeback offense, but Del Rio gets a kick to the arm. Kofi tosses in a SOS for two and gets the Boom Drop. Del Rio counters the TiP into a nice German suplex for two. Kofi reverses the Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a weird bulldog that sends Del Rio onto the top of his head. ADR counters and batters the shoulder before locking in the cross armbreaker for the win.
Final Thoughts: **3/4, with good time and some great work on that arm from Del Rio.
-Renee is backstage with The Miz, who gets booed. They recap quickly how Randy Orton destroyed The Miz in front of his parents. HHH pops up and tells Miz that he cannot allow him to be beaten up by Orton again, but gives him Miz TV with The Big Show.
The Wyatt Family vs. Prime Time Players
The table continues to talk over the awesome entrance that the Chicago crowd actually claps in rhythm to. Hopefully, that catches on. It gave me the chills, which would have sustained if those idiots would shut up during the best entrance in the company. Luke starts off with Darren. They trade blows to begin, with Luke getting the big boot. He tags in Rowan, who works in the lamb mask. He takes it off after hitting a slam. Luke is back in with Young hanging in the corner.
Darren tries to fight back, but takes a vicious back elbow from Harper. Rowan returns and slugs away in the corner. Rowan gets a backbreaker and tags in Harper, who produces more snug offense. Titus comes on in like house of fire, and gets a terrific reaction from the crowd. The action breaks down, but Harper takes Titus’ head off with a clothesline for the win. After the match, Bray runs in to hit the Kiss from Sister Abigail on Young for good measure.
Final Thoughts: *1/2, as this was just fine. Titus got a gigantic pop, which is fair, since he’s pretty damned cool. This a good look at Luke Harper, whose work is pretty damned snug and intense.
-It’s time for Miz TV, and he picked a suit that the crowd probably wouldn’t like. The Miz delivers a quick and to the point promo, declaring that he will get his vengeance on Orton. He welcomes The Big Show, who sent Dusty Rhodes to the hospital along with him last week. The Miz asks him an assortment of questions and states that The Big Show needs to step up with the rest of the roster. Steph steps out and calls Mr. Mizinan a utility player on the roster who is the guy to call to do stupid local advertisements, and calls him a failure as a son to his parents. The Big Show doesn’t even flinch when Steph tells him to knock out Miz. It’s interesting how quickly Show knocked him out and hopefully we find out that Show just hates Miz.
Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam
Orton beats away at Van Dam to start, and ducks out of the ring after dodging a spin kick. Back inside, Rob hits that kick and gets a running kick into the corner. Orton goes outside, but takes a baseball slide. RVD steps out, but gets tripped up on the apron. There’s a quick commercial break tossed in here.
We return with Orton delivering a stomp to Rob’s head. Randy grabs the chinlock. Rob answers back with a flurry and a couple of clotheslines. Rob gets Rolling Thunder for two. Orton dodges the split-legged moonsault and goes for the hanging DDT. After hitting it, Orton gets ready for the finish. Rob counters the RKO and gets two on a rollup. Rob gets a kick out of the corner and follows with a senton from the top.
Orton crotches Rob on the top rope and dumps him to floor with a big boot. The action stays outside and there’s a double count out. Orton tears apart the crowd barricade and drops Rob on the exposed steel beneath it. Van Dam takes a trip into the stairs and Ricardo is run off. Orton throws him around the ringside area before tossing him back inside. Orton hits the hanging DDT from the top rope on Van Dam to finish the assault.
Final Thoughts: It was a decent beatdown after a ** match. There’s not too much more to say about it, except that these beatdowns make the main event easier to book.
-Afterwards, Orton tries to move in on Bryan’s girlfriend Brie.
-AJ and Stephanie talk in the back, and AJ’s badass character from the last few weeks shrivels once she talks with Stephanie. This was the opposite of a good segment. So it was bad.
Fandango vs. Santino
There’s a dance off to start before Santino misses a crossbody in a comical manner. Santino takes a heavy whip into the corner for two. Fandango puts on a bodyscissors as the crowd chants for Summer Rae. Santino gets a quick roll up for two but gets clotheslined down. Fandango goes to the abdominal stretch, but Santino suplexes out of it. Santino gets the hiptoss and headbutt. Out comes the Cobra, but Summer distracts, leading to the Alabama Jam for the Fandango win.
Final Thoughts: Just an entertaining, comedic squash.
-CM Punk is out to a thunderous pop, of course. He’s even donning a Duncan Keith jersey. I wasn’t aware that Keith is in a band, or is straight edge. Punk starts off by chiding the audience for ruining his perfectly bad mood. Punk beats himself up, verbally, for losing to Paul Heyman in Detroit. He recalls the Blackhawks coming back against the Detroit in May, and sees himself coming back against Heyman. Paul comes out, gloating over his victory. CM Punk has said Chicago about thirty times in this segment. I’m just down the street from this show and I’m getting sick of it. Now, Paul Heyman reminds him that Chicago is second to New York. Paul attempts to retreat, but his scooter dies. Punk charges, but Axel and Ryback cut him off. Punk fights back momentarily, diving off the stage onto Ryback, but the numbers get to him and Ryback winds up press slamming him from atop crate and through a table. Ryback throws him through the corner of the table. Ouch.
Alicia Fox, Aksana, Layla, Tamina and AJ vs. Natalya, The Bellas and Funkadactyls
Alicia and Natalya start and Fox is in control and throws on a chinlock. Brie comes in and gets some babyface offense. AJ steps in and goes after Brie, but eats a facebuster and that’s that. Tamina carries AJ out of the arena.
Final Thoughts: Well, AJ didn’t look too great tonight. Hopefully, this is stricken from the condensed Hulu Plus edition of the show.
-Backstage, The Shield justify their difficult position on the show. Ambrose says that they’re just looking to do their jobs tonight.
-Bryan is out before the main event to get onto the microphone. He says that he doesn’t care about what happened at Night of Champions, and questions the entire conspiracy. Randy Orton will lose at Battleground. The Shield come down after he is done, but get jumped by the Rhodes boys before the match! Cody and Dustin (with black hoodie and facepaint) take it to them before they are dragged away by security.
Bryan Buddies vs. The Shield
Rollins and Jimmy start, and Seth gets a hard right hand. Dolph is in and takes it to Rollins. Seth gets Dolph into the corner and in comes Ambrose. He gets in a few strikes and brings in Reigns, who then brings in Rollins. Dolph is kept in the corner and The Shield work at him before he catches Ambrose with a dropkick. The taped up Rob Van Dam comes in and gets caught and is first to be eliminated. We return from the break with the injured Kofi Kingston being picked apart by The Shield. Kofi gets a crossbody on Ambrose but Dean goes after the arm and hits the headlock DDT for the elimination.
Titus comes in and takes it to Ambrose. Reigns is tagged in and gets Titus into the corner, where they swap tags and wear down Titus. Titus misses the big boot and eats a spear to be eliminated. Justin Gabriel is in but gets taken apart with a spear to be eliminated. Zack Ryder is in and gets the Broski Boot turned into the spear to be eliminated. Bryan enters and chops at Reigns. He flips out of the corner and takes The Shield down, allowing The Usos to double team Reigns and eliminate him with a splash. This is the first time that Reigns has been pinned. We hit a break.
We return with Young being worked on by Rollins and Ambrose. Dean hits the running dropkick in the ropes and slugs away in the corner. Rollins comes in for a bit, but Dean returns and puts on a chinlock. Darren answers with a belly to belly suplex and a northern lights for two. The blind tag leads to the flying knee from Rollins to eliminate Young. Dolph enters and works at Rollins in the corner, the referee gets in the way and allows Rollins to fight back and brings in Ambrose, who gets two from Rollin’s offense. Ziggler brawls with Ambrose and gets the Zig Zag on Dean for the elimination.
Rollins tries to isolate Ziggler, but faces certain doom. Seth gets a few near falls and gets the chinlock. Dolph gets an elbow up in the corner and gets a big, painful looking DDT. R-Truth enters off the tag and gets two from a Falcon Arrow but gets curb stomped to be eliminated. Bryan directs traffic as if he were a Shield member, and the remaining four attack Rollins. Ambrose and Rollins come back, but are taken out by Ziggler and The Usos. This leaves Rollins with Bryan, who makes quick work of him with the flying headbutt and the Cena Stopper!
Final Thoughts: This was something so different and well planned. ****. The booking and execution of the match was flawless and no one looked bad, and a few guys got to look so very strong. Bryan was put over as a true leader, Roman Reigns went HAM before Bryan took him down with some help from his friends, The Usos are major babyfaces with this exposure. Dolph got to get himself some, and even Seth shined when all alone and playing the desperate man quite well. You’d think that Pat Patterson booked this damned thing. Good times.
–I’m sure that this is going to be a terrific 90-minute show for those with Hulu Plus. For the most part, a great show. The one issue I have in the main event is that I’m not sure who the focus is on right now. It just feels like it has turned into a HHH/Steph development. On the bright side, WWE has done good work with building up their midcard faces. It helps when there isn’t Sheamus and John Cena to lean on and you’re forced to uncover the talent you didn’t know that you had. WWE lost their wallet, but tripped over a sack of cash. Now, they just need to take stock of it and move forward.
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