Jonathan Dehn
WWE Monday Night Raw
10/28/2013
Orlando, Florida
-John Cena comes out to welcome us back from the wilderness. The crowd is just as fond of Cena as before. Cena takes the time to acknowledge his adoring fans and detractors. Cena points out JBL to thank him for doubting him. Perhaps we’re planting the seeds for a quick feud between the two. That’ll fix EVERYTHING. Anyways, Cena is back on Raw AND Smackdown! Cena cares so much about the belt that he left on the mat for a belt to explain how he’ll get through his limitations. So, Cena ends his promo telling Del Rio to come out and get his rematch. Sandow comes out with a new theme and claims that the uncrowned champ is here. Sandow says that the reason that Cena is out and hollering is that he is fearful of Sandow targeting him. Sandow threatens to cash in. He goes to walk away, but Cena turns him around. Damien then proceeds to beat the hell out of Cena’s arm. “RISE ABOVE THIS!” he yells before throwing Cena into the crowd barricade. After wedging Cena’s arm in the steel steps and nails Cena in the arm with a steel chair. Damien cashes in! He’s so going to fail.
World Heavyweight Championship Match – Damien Sandow vs. John Cena ©
Cena finally gets into the ring as we get back from break. Cena keeps away from Sandow for a moment, but takes a single arm DDT on the arm. Cena goes into the post, and gets rolled up for two. Damien keeps working, but Cena powers out with a belly to belly suplex. Damien gets an arm drag and goes back to work. Sandow gets two from a suplex. Cena gets a boot up on and hits a back body drop. And, we hit another commercial break. I’m questioning Sandow’s decision to cash in with this match.
We’re back with the match just being a match now. Cena hits the shoulderblock but sells at the arm he used for it. Cena hits a glancing big boot, suplex, and has the fist drop broken up by Sandow yanking on the arm. A two count from a neckbreaker for Sandow leads to more work on the armbreaker. Cena gets a desperation Attitude Adjustment. Doctor Sampson checks on Cena, but John waves him off. Sandow rolls outside after the impact. Cena barely gets Damien back into the ring.
Cena fails on the one armed STF. Sandow gets the Terminus for two. Cena breaks from the full nelson slam and hits a strange half nelson, neckbreaker slam. Sandow locks in the Crossface! John rolls out, but kicks out on the You’re Welcome for two. Sandow is out of arrows in his quiver. They’re up top, and Sandow falls off. Cena misses a crossbody and tweaks a knee. Sandow goes for a piledriver, but Cena hits the AA, barely, and falls on top for three.
Final Thoughts: ***1/2. The crowd was molten for this thing. On the surface, this was great with how Cena sold the arm throughout this encounter. It was damned fine work. Now, Sandow failed on his cash-in. Let’s be honest and say that this was GOOD for Damian Sandow. He had a highlight reel match with John Cena, and was entertaining while doing it, and just couldn’t put away Cena, who is God in kayfabe. This was Federer at Wimbledon versus the #20. It also showed that a MITB cash-in is not for certain. Really, Cena made Sandow look good. However, people may not remember the match and it may just be a footnote.
-Backstage, The Shield have a statement to make. Dean Ambrose says that he has a match for his title versus Big E Langston, a man he’d buy stock in. Still, the entire stable will be there to protect the gold.
U.S. Title Match – Big E Langston vs. Dean Ambrose © w/Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns
Big E and Dean are snug to start, battling back and forth. Dean gets Big E into the corner and pulls him out for a neckbreaker. Ambrose mouths off and gets a clothesline for his troubles. Langston gets a belly to belly, but gets pulled out on the big splash by Reigns and Rollins. The three drag Big E into the ring and stomp away. The Usos slide in to make the save. Guess what? Six man tag.
The Usos and Big E Langston vs. The Shield
We come back from commercial with Ambrose stomping at Jimmy. Dean hits a snap suplex and brings in Seth. Rollins takes Jimmy’s head off with a dropkick. Reigns enters with a stomp. Ambrose takes his place, puts Jimmy in the ropes and hits the dropkick for two. We get the chinlock. Ambrose eats an enzuigiri and Reigns comes in to take the RVD bump on a DDT. Jey leaps around and goes after Rollins, hitting a nice spinebuster. Jey hits the cheeks of fire, but Ambrose interrupts. Big E takes them out to the floor.
Up top with Seth and Jey, and Rollins gets dropped to the mat. Rollins gets the knees up on the top rope splash. Reigns is back but The Usos break up the double suplex. They take out Rollins with stereo superkicks, but Reigns goes into BEAST MODE and hits a double spear for the win!
Final Thoughts: **1/2 for this. It was good, but unfortunately disjointed. Still, some good stuff in here. I’m a fan of double spears.
-Shawn comes out to explain himself. He offers for Bryan to come down to the ring and get an explanation. Bryan comes out, stone faced of course. Shawn explains that his friendship with HHH supersedes everything. I hope HHH turns on him after getting what he wants. Shawn asks for Bryan to accept his apology and shake his hand. Bryan shakes his head. Shawn explains that he tried to teach him a lesson last night. Shawn demands for Bryan to show him some respect and shake his hand. Bryan shakes his head no. Shawn calls Bryan self-righteous and demands that he shake the hand of Shawn Michaels. So, Bryan shakes his hand, alright. Shawn gets the Yes! Lock as the crowd explodes. Before referees can break it up, Shawn taps out. Bryan finally leaves the ring, shaking his head at his fallen mentor. Hell yes!
-Renee tries to get a word in with Bryan before The Wyatt Family attacks him and leaves him convulsing on the ground. “The Devil made me do this.” Bray explained.
Los Matadores and El Torito vs. 3MB
Heath has brought a net with him to catch El Torito with. Jinder starts with, Diego, I think. Arm drag on Mahal, but Heath comes in and helps Jinder hit a high knee. Drew is in and throws on an armbar. Heath is back, and taunts before missing a knee drop. In comes the other matador with a springboard dropkick and some hits on Drew. Drew misses a corner big boot, and both spill in the middle. Heath stalks El Torito with his fishing net, but Torito hides under the ring. Heath gets the fire extinguisher in the face and gets the horns up the ass. Back inside, they’re back to the lame double Samoan drop finish. After the match, Slater gets captured by the net and then hit with a springboard shoulderblock from El Torito.
Final Thoughts: This stuff sticks out like a sore thumb when you have such an intense first hour. Heath’s physical comedy made this much less painful than it may seem.
The Bella Twins vs. AJ and Tamina
AJ gets some offense in and skips around. Brie gets a dropkick, and Tamina comes in to toss her around. Tamina throws on a chinlock. Brie takes some headlocks. Brie is distraught over Bryan heading to a “medical facility”. Nikki should have started then. What a poor tag team partner. Enzuigiri leads to the hot tag for Nikki. Brie gets dumped, and Nikki gets a boot up in the corner. Tamina catches Nikki, takes out Brie, and hits a Samoan drop. In comes AJ to put on her Black Widow for the win.
Final Thoughts: Well, I like that AJ stepped over and put the Black Widow without a tilt-a-whirl start. But yeah, moving on…
Kane vs. The Miz
Kane, kind of missed the action earlier on. Miz and Kane slug it out for a bit. Kane misses the big boot by a country mile for two. Miz hits the corner clothesline and goes up for the double axe handle. Chokeslam catch and…Miz is squashed.
Final Thoughts: Welp, I’m beginning to think that Miz isn’t long for the company.
-After the match, Kane tells Stephanie to come out and says that in this day and age, what they do is best for business. Kane offers his services to Stephanie by giving her his mask and wig. Kane walks off to the backstage area and Steph holds his mask as a trophy to the crowd.
-PTP are backstage and they hawk some merchandise.
-OTUNGA is shown explaining Big Show’s lawsuit against the company
Street Fight – CM Punk vs. Ryback
This was an application vote match. Ryback drives Punk into the corner to start. At the other corner, Punk gets the boot up and gets a crossbody. On the outside, Ryback catches Punk’s body press and slams into the post and barricade. Ryback grabs some plunder, producing a table. Punk grabs a kendo stick and gets a couple shots in before getting hit with a spinebuster. Ryback loads up, but gets the neckbreaker instead. Punk sets up the table, but gets dumped in the corner. Punk fights out and kicks Ryback onto the table. Punk hits the elbow and locks in the Anaconda Vice for the win.
Final Thoughts: *1/2. There are rumors that Ryback is in the doghouse with the office, which bothers me, since he’s improved so, so much since his debut.
-After the match, The Wyatts attack Punk, certainly on a rampage. Punk uses the kendo stick, but Harper and Rowan swallow him up. Punk gets his head taken off with a big boot from Harper. Punk tries to fight back once more, but gets decapitated with a clothesline. Sister Abigail puts Punk down for good. Once again, the Devil made Bray do this as well.
The Real Americans vs. The Rhodes Brothers
Cesaro and Goldy start. Goldust snags a couple of arm drags. Swagger gets one of those as well. Jack gets him into the corner and tags in Antonio. Goldust hits the back elbow from the second buckle and brings in Cody. Cody hits a knee that gets one. They battle in the corner, it ends with Cody getting a facefirst suplex and tagging in Goldust for the bulldog that gets two. Swagger comes in, but Cody comes in and gives him a springboard dropkick. Swagger gets knocked outside and we go to break.
Cody tries to fight out of the corner, but gets clotheslined by Swagger and it’s followed by a slam that brings in Cesaro for the manly gutwrench. Swagger returns with the headlock. Cody goes for the tag, but gets driven back into the corner. Swaggerbomb sets up the double stomp from Cesaro right into Cody’s lower back. That gets two, and Cesaro goes for the chinlock. Cody pushes off, but gets catapulted and leveled with the uppercut from Cesaro. Goldust breaks up the count at two.
Cody fights back with the high knee and that sends Cesaro outside. Goldust gets the tag and takes aim at Swagger. Goldust gets the punches in the corner, adding the tenth with Goldy gusto. The action breaks down, with Cesaro and Cody tumbling out. Cesaro breaks up the rollup from Goldust and spills to the outside with Cody. Swagger reapplies the Patriot Lock after giving Goldust a chopblock and picks up the win, as Goldust can’t get out of it on the second application.
Final Thoughts: **1/2. I was a bit surprised to see The Real Americans pick up the win, but this match was solid. It failed to feature The Giant Swing, but it’s good to get Swagger and Cesaro involved in the tag team title hunt.
-ADR gets the bathroom slot of the show. ADR has his eyes on Cena. He says that he’ll hurt him bad at their rematch. He looks to break his arm. He should be focusing on tendons, and not bones, but whatever.
Summer Rae w/Fandango vs. Natalya w/The Great Khali and Hornswoggle
Nattie takes Summer down to start and follows with a shoulerblock. Natalya reverses Summer’s offense before being run into the corner. A spin kick get just one for Summer. In the corner, Summer chokes away. Rae stretches Nattie’s hamstring and rolls through into a cover for two. Summer moves into an Indian Deathlock. Nattie breaks it up with a right hands and runs Summer into the corner. Rae hits Nattie’s knee and gets two. Summer goes to the chinlock. Nattie fights back, but eats a dropkick for two. Summer goes to get a peck on the cheek from Fandango. Chaos brings Summer to yell at Khali for chopping ‘Go’s brain. This gives Nattie time to take her down and put on the Sharpshooter for the win.
Final Thoughts: *1/2. Summer is pretty good out and has some interesting matwork. Also, she gets mean out there, yelling at Nattie and performing some trash talk. It’s real to her, dammit!
-It’s time to crown Orton yet again. So, the Superstars are on the stage. HHH parts the sea of them, taking a moment to poke at El Torito. HHH talks about putting Orton under the learning tree ten years ago when putting together Evolution. There’s a cute reference there, but HHH cuts at Bryan a bit and brings out Randy Orton. I feel like I’ve been here before. Stephanie demands respect from the roster for Orton. Orton says that he’s better than everyone…not better than a head cold, however, as his face rasps on. The Big Show pops up and fights The Shield. He gets support from The Usos and Rhodes Brothers. So, Big Show sends HHH and Orton out of the ring and take the mic as a brawl breaks out on the stage and spills backstage. Big Show vents and has no problem bankrupting the entire company with his lawsuit, but gets caught by Orton wielding the championship belt. Big Show is able to knock out Orton with an uppercut when Orton loads up again. HHH teases action, but backs off.
–This was a good show tonight. I maintain that Sandow looked good in there with Cena despite not grabbing the belt. Bryan looked great in snapping on Shawn and making him tap out. It’s a big deal that the fans were solidly behind Bryan in his actions. I also enjoy the idea of Punk and Bryan teaming up to go after The Wyatts for a bit. We’ll get our Mega Powers handshake before too long, as well. Sure, Orton versus Big Show needs a bit of work from a wrestling standpoint, but is an entirely hot angle. Everything is moving forward, with some small cracks forming on the inside of The Shield, and Cesaro and Swagger threatening for the tag team titles before long. Also, lots of credit needs to go to the crowd. They responded very well to everything they saw and I hope that Orlando gets a bigger show some time.
