Monday Night RAW 24 November 2014

With a little renovation in my apartment going on, I didn't have time to write yesterday, like I usually do. But hey, it's not like there was anything too badly groundbreaking present. Coming from an event that was suppose to change everything the outcome turned out just a flash from the past. The return of the Anonymous RAW General Manager is basically the way for WWE to not do anything and seem like they did a whole lot. While there is a chance it could be interesting, from experience I can tell you that more or less all we will get is next couple weeks everyone will be saying it was Stephanie and Triple H or maybe Vince himself. Also, does it mean Michael Cole is turning heel? That could be good, if we get rid of Jerry Lawler and turn JBL face. The whole RAW was basically just a fallout episode from the previous night, so don't expect a whole lot of insight from me. We did get an Eric Rowan vs. Big Show beginning, but yes, pretty much.

Mark Henry vs. Ryback

A squash on Henry, perfect. What more to say? Henry gets his ass handed to him in two minutes or so.

Winner: Ryback

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper

The best match of the night and it only served as an extension for the Wyatt Ambrose feud. Bray attack at the end, Harper is nowhere to be seen aaaaand scene. Lovely.

Winner: Dean Ambrose by DQ

 

The Miz and Damien Sandow vs. Dust Brothers - For the Tag Team Championships

I am starting to get The Miz and Sandow. Sandow is the fan favorite and thanks to him the Miz is tolerable for the fans. In a way it's a great idea, but how long they will keep it? WWE loves to split tag teams and there is no doubt that they will do that with them as well. Dust Brothers are on a down slope, but hey, it's WWE, every tag team gets a shot sooner then later, since there is only a couple of them. 

Winners: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

Fandango vs. Justin Gabriel

Another showing of why Rosa Mendes should not dance. I have seen enough "Dancing with the stars" to know how not to dance, and that is more or less exactly what it would be. Short match, sorry Justin, lowcard hell for you.

Winner: Fandango

 

Brie Bella vs. AJ Lee

And we see again why Bella Twins should not try to act. Just keep it to the ring ladies, you are somewhat tolerable there, so yeah. We will get a series of confrontations like this, most likely leading to a rematch between AJ and Nikki. The thing I wonder though is does it mean Brie and Nikki are on the same page again? 

Winner: Brie Bella

 

Adam Rose and Bunny vs. Tyson Kidd and Natalya

A match, all I will say. Both Tyson and Natalya deserve better, as does Adam. The Bunny is just a stupid, stupid concept, let's just have a match between Rose and Bunny and put this down to rest.

Winners: Tyson Kidd and Natalya

 

John Cena and Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury

So there was a vote on... You know, no. I am not going to talk about it, it was a waste of time for everyone. Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury are far too good of a talent to be misused like that. I really disliked this more then I should and I can see that.

Winners: John Cena and Dolph Ziggler

 

Overall: 6 out of 10 - This was basically a rerun of the event from previous night. Pretty much almost every person that did take part in Survivor Series was there, but in a much less significant role. It was ok, I guess, but Survivor Series was suppose to be ground breaking, change the face of WWE for ever and all that good shit and... we go the return of the Anonymous RAW General Manager. 

WWE Survivor Series 2014 Review

I was wondering for a bit from which side should I start my review, top to bottom, maybe the other way, or maybe jump to the point and then talk about the rest. Well, by now I am sure, every one knows what happened at the event, so don't be surprised that I do want to move right to the big match.

 

Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, Eric Rowan) vs. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev, Luke Harper, Mark Henry)

The big match, the main event, the match that will change the face of WWE forever - or it will not, as we will see on RAW next night, but I am getting too far of myself. The actual match was really good, no bullshitting this time. The match vary good, pure and simple. The storytelling was there, we got a twist with Big Show turning on his team and knocking out Cena, we had tension, we had action, we had Ziggler actually finishing the match and we had WWE debut of Sting. Personally as a fan I have to admit this match was exactly what it should have been. I am a master of nitpicking, but this time I will not do that, not that there isn't anything to nitpick on, but I just want to enjoy what I saw. Know the saying giving credit where it is due? Well, for all the shit I throw on the heads of WWE creative, they nailed this one right on the money. And it was for free. Not going to say anything else, it was just good, if you haven't seen it, go and do it.

Winners: Team Cena

 

Fandango vs. Justin Gabriel

So we have Fandango, new music, new attire, new attitude, new partner in Rosa Mendes, great... Same gimmick, same shtick, plus Rosa can't dance. Hey, I might not now how to dance either, but I am not on the stage with thousands of people world wide watching me. I want to see where they will go with that "change", as there is potential here, but WWE is the king of potential... usually followed by a let down in pay off.

Winner: Fandango

 

Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger

So the same Swagger that joined team Cena, for some reason, got kicked out from team Cena, because of injury. Is now wrestling, still as a face, mind you, on the same event team Cena will be fighting. But does WWE use it to do anything with it? Of course not. Cesaro gets his ass kicked again. This is just beyond hopeless. Cesaro, tell me, was the indies REALLY that bad for you? I get money and all, but really?

Winner: Jack Swagger

 

Dust Brothers vs. The Usos vs. The Miz & Daniel Sandow vs. Los Matadores - For Tag Team Championship

When it comes to actual in-ring action, the tag team matches very often are where I go to look for quality. Usually they are fast, action packed, spot filled, but without overdoing it. I am not a fan of "Mizdow" and his antics, but I can see how can it amuse people. Plus he is the one that gets the pin. It is funny tough how absolutely no story can work when you let wrestlers just be wrestlers.

Winners: The Miz & Daniel Sandow

 

Paige, Cameron, Summer Rae and Layla vs. Natalya, Emma, Naomi and Alicia Fox

Face team wins as you could image they did. Those multiperson female tag matches pretty much always end like that. There isn't really anything to say about this since there was no story and the action in the ring didn't last very long and wasn't exactly great either. Predictably Paige was the last one eliminated from the heel team and that's that.  

Winners: Natalya, Emma, Naomi and Alicia Fox

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

I knew from the get go that Wyatt will win, but the only part I was worried was that Ambrose would get the short end of the stick with this one. He did not. Luckily WWE figured out how to make that happen with a DQ loss. But as you probably can figure out, there is always a good side to things as there always exists a bad side. While Dean came out of this match very strong, Bray got, both figuratively and literally, buried. Bray Wyatt didn't come into this match with a strong position. Months of constant failure, cause no one will convince me the career from the debut of Bray was a success, took a toll on his credibility. He became a rambling weirdo and no, that is not a good thing. WWE did try to make him seem like a firce to be recon with, but with each attempt they lower his status even more and more. Ambrose on the other hand just came out from a very big feud and this match seemed like a punishment. Like it or not, we will get another one between the two, this time most likely on TLC, which could work for their advantage. 

Winner: Bray Wyatt by DQ

 

Adam Rose and Bunny vs. Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil

Everyone knows that somewhere along the line, there will be a match of Adam Rose vs. The Bunny. We know, we expect it, the only question is, when it will happen and what kind of stipulation it will have, since I don't really see this match going without a stipulation. The best one is the most obvious one, with Bunny getting unmasked or someone taking over the Exotic Express. The match served the only point it could have served, a comedy one and it was just "meh". 

Winners: Adam Rose and Bunny

 

Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee - For Divas Championship

There isn't a whole lot to say about this match, since it basically ended right when it begun, when Brie kisses AJ for a distraction and Nikki took the pin. The story isn't really anything to talk about either, since the actual story part was about the Bella Twins, which I hate, because in my mind, when there is a feud for the title, said title should be in the main focus of everything related. I get it that they needed to play on the "You are my slave" gimmick, but still, it was for the title and with that kind of booking it seems like it's not worth a whole lot - which is sadly true, but they could at least not point that out so hard. I don't watch Total Divas, so I don't know if it finished, since Nikki got the title, or maybe the whole rumor was just bullshit, which it sometimes is. I will not judge the decision to put the belt on Nikki until I see how they will work from that point. As I stated before, Nikki in the ring isn't horrible, so as long as they give her the mic as little as possible, it might work.

Winner and new champion: Nikki Bella

 

Overall: 8 out of 10 - The whole event was maybe 6, 7 max, but the last match was exactly what I wanted to see and exactly what they should have done in the conditions they created plus we actually saw Sting doing something other then promoting a game. But there is a couple things that do make one wonder. This was a free event in the Network, obvious move to promote the product, and it was really good... I do wonder, how will WWE follow such an event? If you did get new subscribers on board, how are you going to keep them on? After all, there is no obligation to continue the subscription.

Survivor Series 2014 Predictions

What you are about to read was started on Friday, 21st day of November 2014 at 23:06 GMT+1. The card I am using is the one attached to the Survivor Series article on Wikipedia. If any changes will happen after said time, I will not re-write anything.

 

And here we are, another big event is happening, this time we will get Survivor Series and a traditional, elimination tag team match. While there was a lot of problems with booking, seemed very confused and not really well organised, there might be a couple sparks of interest. But as the saying goes, let's dig straight into Survivor Series, the Predictions... Oh, the matches will be in the order of the Wiki article I am using for reference, so it's not best to last or anything like that.

 

Preshow Match: Fandango vs. To be announced

Personal perspective: Each time I think about the fact Fandango won with Chris Jericho I cringe and die a little inside. Change his gimmick already. Supposedly Bad New Barrett might be returning here, so maybe it will be worth seeing, at least for that. This is obviously a match without any real weight or meaning. And with the opponent not yet announced it is almost a guarantee, it will be a debut or a return. Whatever the case it might be, there is almost no chance for Fandango to win. At least in my opinion. 

Who will win: Whoever it might be behind the TBA

 

Team Cena: John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Eric Rowan and Ryback vs. Team Authority: Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev, Luke Harper, Mark Henry - If Authority wins everyone on Team Cena is fired, except for Cena, if they lose, they are no longer in power.

Personal Perspective: This is obviously the biggest match of the night and rightfully so. There is the biggest starpower in this one and there seems to be the most at stake, at least in storyline, cause outside of that, there is a solid debate about it. While I do understand the reason of putting John Cena as the team captain, I do not agree with this decision. Even looking from the obvious point of view, the heel team. We have the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry, that had a beef with the Big Show in recent weeks. The pair seems reasonable in storyline, good start. Then we have Rusev, who won the United States title from Sheamus. Another very good pairing, there is a motivation, a reason for Sheamus to be on team Cena... Nah, let's take Sheamus out. We have Luke Harper who got "freed" by Bray Wyatt and captured the Intercontinental title from Dolph Ziggler. While it does give Ziggler a reason to be on the team, that doesn't really give a whole lot of reason to the last two pairs. 

We have Eric Rowan, who literally joined Cena, because reasons. There was no segment pointing into that direction, no interaction between anyone from either teams with him, he just came out and BOOM! He's with Cena. The problem he isn't a surprised appearance by anyone, the problem here comes from the fact that a surprise appearance has to come out from something to make sense. Last time Rowan and Cena had any interaction was a couple months ago on RAW the night after Cena got decimated by Lesnar and they did not act like great friends. There is absolutely no reason for Rowan to become Cena's ally. Rowan would be a far better counterpart to Harper, but since WWE decided to pair Harper with Ziggler, there is a piece missing here from the puzzle. There is a very good chance that Rowan will turn on the face team and if that does happen, there is a chance Randy Orton will make the save for the face team. Why Orton? Because he has a reason to want Authority out of business and this would be the best moment to come back. Plus if Orton makes team Authority lose, it could restart the feud with Seth Rollins and that would give both something to do. 

Another guy there is little reason, outside of "because fuck you, that's why", to join team good guys, is Ryback. While there was a couple interactions between the Big Guy and Cena, there wasn't anything that could make Ryback decide to join. Storyline-wise Authority was telling the truth. They can give him more main event, more title matches, more spotlight, more money. Ryback's current gimmick seems self absorbed and that's good, it suits him, but it doesn't explain why he would want to play for anyone other then him. He even says it himself, Ryback plays only for team Ryback. Adding him might be reasonable to a certain degree, but it seems desperate. 

And then there are the captains of the teams, John Cena and Seth Rollins. First of all this pair doesn't work, it just don't. The only counterpart for Rollins right now is currently busy in a different match. The only thing that connected those two is that after the match with Ambrose, Rollins said he is going after Cena. Ambrose should have been the captain of the team and couple start the program with Rusev, who would be replaced in the heel team by Cesaro.

As I wrote before, there is a very good shot on interference by Randy Orton, so you technically shouldn't set anything in stone, but WWE basically gave the spoiler for this match with the stipulation they added. If Cena loses his team is fired, yeah, right. WWE is not going to fire five workers, it just won't happen, and would they have to fire? That is just not happening. Ryback barely returned and is rebuilding himself after the break, a loss now could waste weeks of work. There is no way they will do this. Plus the whole Authority gimmick is used up. I am taking into account there is a chance of Authority winning and then Vince is reversing the decision or the possibility of a draw and the match ending in a no contest. But I am fed with Steph and HHH every week saying the same things. Authority has to go.

Who will win: The good guys team (but not very clean)

 

AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella - For the Divas Championship

I really hate myself for saying this, but I want Nikki to win. AJ is just not anything people try to make her to be. She is NOT that good in the ring, she is NOT that good on the microphone and she certainly is NOT looking as good as people like to think she does. The only thing she had going for her was the fact she is the wife of CM Punk and in the eyes of some wrestling fans that is enough to actually mean something. And no, it doesn't mean anything, at least for this wrestling fan. AJ Lee doesn't grow as a performer, she doesn't do anything new, this title run is seriously lackluster. And while I will not back out from saying that the Bella Twins suck on the mic, cause they do, I will give some props to Nikki. Looking objectively and comparing her to the rest of current diva roster, Nikki is standing out, not just because she has fake tits. She actually looks in the ring like she trained to achieve something. I did not like this storyline, I think there was too much emphasis put on the sisters relation then the title, which should be the focal point of any title storyline. Still it might be watchable at least. When it comes to who will win, it all depends. There is that rumor going around that Total Divas will not get titles, because the show is taped so far in advance it wouldn't make sense continuity wise and then we have Brie... It is almost certain at this point that Brie will do something in this match, intentionally or not, to influence the outcome.

Who will win: AJ Lee

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

Have I ever said I don't like Bray? Well, I don't like Bray. Or rather I don't like the booking of his character. While with the Wyatt Family, he didn't really achieve anything. Losing pretty much everything he went after. He won that feud with Bryan, but the goal was to have him in the family, he left a week later, so I am not counting this as a win. Other then that, there was that Jericho story, but Jericho will put anyone over, so it's not that big of a deal to win with him. Right now, it seems like Bray will get another bigger push and for better or worse, Dean Ambrose is in the way.

And speaking of Ambrose, why is he getting a downgrade? Cause he is. Dean went from the hottest feud in WWE against Rollins, to something of truly midcardian proportions. Now don't get me wrong, I am not dissing Wyatt, but when you main event a pay per view and at the next one you fight someone, who's track record isn't exactly all that great, the meaning of the match is lost somewhere in translation. I am kind of afraid that what I was talking about is happening. Dean didn't impress at the Cell so they will feed him to Bray Wyatt. Two internet darlings, WWE can't do wrong here. I do hope Dean will win this, since his level is much higher now and staying in the midcard for too long will hurt him, but I am a realist. And if you didn't get it from the part earlier, he should be the captain of the face team.

Who will win: Bray Wyatt

 

The Dust Brothers vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Sandow - For the Tag Team Championships

This quite possibly will be the most enjoyable match to watch out of the whole card. Looking at who is involved, this should be fun to watch. Hopefully his will be action packed, fast paced, hot tags, lots of everything. I am quite confident WWE will want to cash in on the popularity of Damien Sandow and they will give the title to the Miz and Sandow. If they will not win this, then the champions are keeping the belts. We just finished a story with the Usos and Los Matadores are a joke.  

Who will win: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi and Natalya vs. Paige, Cameron, Layla and Summer Rae

Let's not give this match much thought, let's just put together some divas and call it a traditional Survivor Series match, but for women. Oh shut up. This is lazy, pure and simple. Matches like this require the least amount of work from the creative team. Knowing WWE this will last around 5-10 minutes and will end with the good team winning. 

Who will win: Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi and Natalya

Monday Night RAW 17 November 2014

Hello everyone in the weekly dose of my rumblings and this week there isn't exactly whole lot to rumble about without going into predictions for the Survivor Series event. I will not do it now, since I do plan on putting that in it's own thing later in the week, but you will still get a piece of my mind as always.

The show starts with Authority, who else talking about how they have the superior team and how John Cena has absolutely no chance of winning anything. They also say that John Cena's team will have a lot of problems tonight since they will be decimated... blah blah blah. You know what I mean? I know you know. We head that part so many times that I am sure anyone could repeat it in their sleep. So yeah, I am not exactly excited by the build up to the Survivor Series, the booking on this one is very chaotic, as I will point out later.

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper - For Intercontinental Championship

Ziggler gets attacked right before the whole thing started and ends up losing the title. Which basically automatically gives Dolph an opponent for the next couple shows. I do get why WWE decided to put the belt on Harper, he just got back and there was literally no reason as to why we should care about him. Now he is the champion, so there is at least a bit of legitimacy behind him, but I prefer to wait and see what will be the next move on WWE's part. They are masters at creating great potential, but failing completely to capitalize on the momentum behind it, so yeah. The match could've been ok, if it would be clean, as it was it was sub par. Waaaaay below of what Ziggler is capable of. 

Winner and new champion: Luke Harper

 

Adam Rose vs. Tyson Kidd

Tyson Kidd is really an unlucky guy, when it comes to wrestling at least (hey, his wife is Natalya and that's a personal win on his part). For a long time he was non-existing - outside of an unimportant match here and there, then he resurfaced... on Total Divas. Now he plays a part of... a guy? I really don't know what gimmick is he supposed to have. He is arrogant like a typical heel and all, but other then that, he doesn't really do that much or has an actual character. Plus this match was only used to build up the story of... Adam Rose and the Bunny. Seriously. I am unimpressed. 

Winner: Tyson Kidd

 

Ryback vs. Cesaro

Again Cesaro shows why he should be much bigger star then he is. He actually manages to pull a decent match out of Ryback and it was not a squash. I mean, there was no doubt who will win here, but at least they didn't make Cesaro lose in five seconds. Ryback continues his returning winning streak, it shouldn't last very long this time, since it is only a refresher and not a character builder, but still... We should see a few more singles win before the Big Guy loses.

Winner: Ryback

 

Rusev vs. Heath Slater

Yawn... Another Rusev squash. Do I really need to comment? Slater came out dressed as U.S.A. flag and got his ass handed to him in few seconds. Did you expect anything else?

Winner: Rusev

 

Big Show vs. Sheamus - Winner gets a WWEWHC title shot

I really don't know what to think about this. The match was below average, but that is not the point. Stephanie came out and announced that not only Sheamus and Show will fight each other, but the winner will get a title shot at the WWEWHC title. Now I know it was not announced, but technically when Henry and Rusev attacked, Sheamus was hit first... And in every wrestling book that means Sheamus wins by disqualification, and Stephanie didn't say anything about the way he had to win. It is on camera, Sheamus has a title shot. The thing I am confused is, did they do it on purpose? Cause from storyline perspective, why would Stephanie give a shot to any of them? But it was made official, and due to interference Sheamus wins, cause a win by DQ is still a win. 

Winner: Technically Sheamus

 

Nikki Bella vs. Fake AJ Lee (Brie)

While I stopped having issues with the matches Bella twins are in, they aren't great, but they aren't horrible either... I still do have a problem with pointless storylines and this one is pretty darn pointless. I get it, she has a title shot, then make it about it, focus on the title and as even AJ herself noticed on commentary for this match "It's just another way to humiliate Brie". Exactly my point, it's not about the fucking title, which should be the main point. It's a short match and barely worth watching.

Winner: Fake AJ Lee

 

The Usos and Los Matadores vs. Dust Brothers, The Miz and Damien Sandow

A quick paced and action packed match. Lots of tag-in and tag-outs and heels win. No one really cared about the match itself, the crowd just wanted to see Sandow in the ring. The match was decent, but it would really benefit if given more time.

Winners: Dust Brothers, The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

 

Overall: 4 out of 10 - As a go home show, the last episode of RAW before a big event, it didn't really do it's job. So in the end John Cena comes out alone, then a beat up Ziggler joins him and and beat up Big Show. After that we get a surprise addition of Eric Rowan. Why? As I said last week, Luke Harper needed a counter part on the babyface team, as that is how it usually works, but why Rowan? He never interacted with Cena and they never gave a reason as to why he joined the team, he just did. Fuck you, that's why. And then Ryback joins in, again, why? He had one segment with Cena in which he told Cena to fuck off. Why the change of heart? We don't know, there was no follow up. Fuck you, that's why. 

Monday Night RAW 10 November 2014

Is it just me, or does WWE really is lacking in star power? When I seen the teams for Survivor Series, all I could say was "ok... that's it?". I mean, no disrespect to anyone involved in that match, but it does feel a little lackluster. Now, while the heel team seems kind of ok-ish, the babyface one is nothing special. We have John Cena, of course, Dolph Ziggler and in this episode they were joined by Big Show and Sheamus. Apparently Jack Swagger was a temporary addition and now they are missing the fifth one, which could go for either Ryback or Orton. Sure, there are other options, And even a couple plausible ones, but I don't think there is a place for other people within the storyline. The heel team consists of Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev and if what they are hinting at is happening, Luke Harper is joining as well. Usually the members in teams in those traditional matches have something linking them... We have Sheamus going after Rusev, Big Show seeking revenge on Mark Henry, Ziggler that had a lot to do with Kane in recent weeks and John Cena facing Seth Rollins. Now, if the fifth heel member is Harper, there isn't really a pair for him. Harper was gone for quite some time and there isn't really any unresolved business with anyone in the roster. If we are going this route, then the best choice would be Ryback, since he doesn't have any ties with anyone currently either. Personally I would keep Ryback away from this team match, unless face team is meant to win. Ryback just came back, he cannot lose a big profile match, even in a tag team.

 

Seth Rollins vs. Jack Swagger

I like Jack, people like Jack, really. You can say someone is pretty damn over when the United Kingdom is cheering "We the People!". And yet he never gets any love from the management. While it wouldn't raise the level of stardom in the babyface team, it's quite low anyway, why not give Swagger a chance? He fucked up in the past, but that was when? Over 2 years ago?

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

Paige vs. Alicia Fox

And here ladies and gentlemen is a great example of a pointless match. It was short, it was fast and Paige won to make the home crowd happy. Yay! Carpenter dream wins!

Winner: Paige

 

Sheamus vs. Rusev - For the United States Championship

I still don't give a shit about Rusev story arc, but I have to admit matches with Sheamus are his biggest challenge to date. It's kind of weird that we won't see any of the singles titles on the line at Survivor Series (yes, Diva title will, but I am talking only about titles that kind of matter). The match was ok and it served as a bridge for Sheamus to join Cena's team at SS.

Winner: Rusev via Count Out

 

Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow was very well received, again. And that is all that I will say, since the match itself was kind of "meh". Nothing terrible, but not worth watching.

Winners: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Mark Henry

The match started and almost immediately finished with Henry getting disqualified on purpose. Big Show runs out to make a save and announce officially he joins team Cena. Really not much to say here otherwise. 

Winner: Dolph Ziggler by DQ

 

Brie Bella vs. AJ Lee

This was purely pointless. Match started and I am almost certain, that it didn't last even 2 minutes. Maybe I would say something about it, if there would be something to say about it. 

Winner: AJ Lee

 

Tyson Kidd vs. Adam Rose

I know that WWE gave up on the Adam Rose character and I know they don't have much faith in Tyson Kidd, so... Not much weight in this match. Nothing at stake and the commentators not caring about it. It was decent, while it lasted. Rose attacks the Bunny again, and supposedly that means Bunny will get a match. Natalia this time was not with Tyson, but we did get an Eric Rowan appearance. 

Winner: Tyson Kidd

 

John Cena vs. Ryback

It was a match, I can tell you that. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but since the whole heel team for Survivor Series was there, no one cared about the action in the ring. Everyone knew heels will attack eventually and just waited for that. And we were not disappointed. Kane attacks, gets Ryback disqualified, Ryback attacks Rollins and then everyone stormed the ring. Everyone except Dolph Ziggler, who was thrown into the Authority office be Luke Harper who seemed like he wanted to join the team. 

Winner: John Cena by DQ

 

 

Overall: 5 out of 10. If you watch WWE just for wrestling there isn't anything I would recommend, matches were either pointless or extremely short. I guess if I had to choose... Sheamus vs. Rusev at least was a normal match, but the ending sucked. Very heavy on the story episode and I know there is quite a few people that watch it just for that, so there is that.

Monday Night RAW 3 November 2014

This week's RAW starts of with a nice surprise, for a change... It's Authority, again, but this time Vince McMahon comes out with them. From what I read online, so take it with a grain of salt, it might be related to a storyline that was not started from around Wrestlemania. Back then Vince was meant to come back and a power struggle was meant to happen between the two fractions for who will rule over WWE. Now, I am not one of the people that believes in what he reads online, but the announcement made by Vince - that if Team Authority loses at Survivor Series, they will no longer be in charge - could very well be the start of that. 

The question now is, does that mean Mr McMahon will be appearing in a greater role in the coming weeks? If the rumors are true, I would expect that to be happening. After all, what's a power struggle if there is no one to fight against. Many people are wondering as well, does that mean, WWE finally sees "The Authority" project has run it's course. Personally I think it did. It wasn't all that great in the first place and in recent months it was pretty much the same, week after week. Don't get me wrong, I am all for eating pancakes, but how many weeks can you eat pancakes in a row, before you decide you don't want to touch another pancake in your life? Know what I'm saying? So yeah, the current situation has a potential to bring a very needed freshness to a very stale idea. But, as I always, we shall see what the future will bring, as this might as well be just a work in progress, to build up interest in the PPV aaand... Nothing will change, Authority will win and we go back to stuffing pancakes down out throats every weeks until we puke everything out.

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro

Cesaro seems to become a complete jobber. I know that technically, he is jobbing to someone way higher on the food chain then him, but Ambrose is - like it or not - not yet a main event star. Oh, I don't mean he doesn't have abilities, I know very well what he is capable of doing, but in WWE he is not in the first row of a marching band, barely in the second row. So the loses Cesaro is gaining from those encounters seem to hurt him more then helping Dean. If you don't follow, let me explain better... Remember how Jericho puts over pretty much everyone WWE asks him to put over? That is because Jericho used to have something called "Rubbing off power". You fought Jericho and won, some of the credibility "rubbed" off him onto you. I say used to, cause while I love Chris and I know he can still go, in terms of WWE status, his credibility is very low, because of all the loses he gained over the years. And with lowered credibility, the "rubbing off" power fades as well. Now getting back to Cesaro, he didn't have a whole lot of credibility since he sided with Heyman, when WWE dropped the ball on an organic face turn that was happening with him. Everything was lost and now Cesaro is on a downhill slope. His credibility is slowly getting ruined and a win against him now has almost no "rub off". It's sad to see that happen to a great talent like him. 

Winner: Dean Ambrose

 

Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz

So I am guessing this will be a reoccurring thing we have here. First it's a tag team, then a singles match, are we going to get a tag match next? Or a singles match, but with the other half of the teams. The match itself was ok at best. But with Usos coming out from a series of very entertaining matches against the Dust brothers, the quality and my expectations a far, far lower with Miz being involved. Another great showing... for Damien Sandow, at least in the eyes of the crowd. Let's be honest here, the actual, serious part of Sandow's career is done. You do not get back from a comedy role like this, not without a whole lot of work WWE is almost 100% guaranteed not to put in, just to give Damien some actual credibility back. He took over the role Santino Marella had, and while he does it well, it's a shame, he is getting wasted on stuff like that. 

Winner: The Miz

 

Sheamus vs. Tyson Kidd

I really cannot get into what they are trying to do with Kidd these days. Is there an actual idea behind his character or is just "a guy" that comes down to the ring with his wife? Cause that's what is looks like. Don't get me wrong, I know Tyson is a workhorse, and all... But this is the big leagues, this just doesn't generate interest. His bad on the microphone, when I listened to him on the commentary during one of Natalya's matches, every word he said sounded so forced. Nothing about him feels natural and I don't know at this point is it his fault or the material he was given. A win by count-out is a lousy win, always was, always will be, but I guess he won.

Winner: Tyson Kidd

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins - For the Intercontinental Championship

One of the two matches that actually mattered in this episode of RAW. The continuation of the Survivor Series team storyline. The Authority comes out to meat Ziggler in the ring and they try to pull him away from Cena. He tells them basically to fuck off and we get a match against Rollins. Since there is no actual contender for the title and Dolph is not involved in any story other then the team one, there is no chance Rollins is taking the belt. Rollins is not going to get demoted to being the IC champion. And yes, it does pain me to say "demoted to IC champion". As a match it was ok, at least while it lasted. At the finish we get Orton RKO'ing Rollins.

Winner: Technically Rollins via DQ, but I don't remember was it actually announced or the match just stopped

 

Ryback vs. Titus O'Neil

I really don't have a whole lot to say here. Ryback has his old babyface gimmick back and it suits him far better then the failed heel attempt. It's a squash match with little value, I see quite a few of those in his future.

Winner: Ryback

 

Mark Henry vs. Big Show

Another try at Mark Henry being heel. Ekhm... Let me tell you how this will go. Henry will be dominating and everyone will be happy, but since he doesn't have a whole lot of personality or the wrestling ability, he will start to become more and more boring. Then we will either see him getting hurt, again, or turn face for no apparent reason. Big Show is Big Show, he does what he can do with what he has, but you can see it very well he doesn't have a whole lot left in the tank. The days of giants are passing and it will be a sad day when the last one of them goes away.

Winner: Big Show via DQ

 

Nikki Bella vs. Emma

Nikki wins. Do you really expect me to say more? It was a mediocre, short match that ended with Brie being forced to slap AJ Lee that sat in the commentary. I try to get invested, I honestly try. I even don't skip the Diva matches when I watch. I try, the universe be my witness I try. I just can't find it in me to actually care about ANYTHING a Bella is involved in. 

Winner: Nikki Bella

 

Rusev vs. Ryder

Poor, poor Zack. Once so full of potential and it all goes down the drain of wrestling past. You were once on the top of the world and now... It's just sad to see that happen. Ryder isn't a great performer, but he has his strengths and one problem... WWE never gave him an actual chance. People say that Cena killed Ryder and that is just a bunch of bullshit. What killed Ryder was that stupid storyline with Eve Torres and Kane. That is what stopped his momentum, that is what halted his push. Relationship storylines almost never work and when you are chosen by the brass at the scapegoat, then you might as well pack your bags and go. Honestly that is what I hope Ryder will do. While WWE probably pays nicely, how much Ryder could actually be earning if he is almost never on TV, never on PPV. Run Zack, run while you still have a couple years left in your body. The match was a squash.

Winner: Rusev

 

Fernando vs. Stardust

Are we really going to give Los Matadores a title shot? I know WWE is short on tag teams, but Los Matadores? Stardus loses this one in a very insulting fashion. I am starting to get afraid WWE is giving up on Dust Brothers... First they get steam rolled by Show and Henry, now this. I have bad feelings about this.

Winner: Fernando

 

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

And here we get to the part of the show I like to call... "Guess when and how Randy will get injured!". If you read any wrestling news sites, you probably already know that Orton is going to film a movie, so he needs some time off. And what happens when someone needs time off? Usually they do an injury angle, it's simple to execute, doesn't take a whole lot of thinking and gives a perfectly good reason for why someone is not appearing on TV. Here the injury came after the match, which I am thankful for, first main event in a long time that actually ended with a clean finish and after a nice match as well. After the match Orton is livid and fakes some hands shakes, just to RKO Rollins and then get attacked by everyone after punching Triple H. Well, it is official, Orton might not be a full on babyface, but he is definitely not a part of Authority anymore. That makes you wonder, does it mean he will join team Cena in the end? Maybe, probably, but let's not run that far in the future. For now Randy is gone, can you guess who will brag about it next week?

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

Sheamus vs. Rusev - For the United States Championship

This one actually makes sense, for once. United States championship is the perfect title for Rusev, at least for now. It actually fits the whole bad Russian gimmick. But of course, I wouldn't be myself if I would not see a problem here. Creative REALLY needs to give Rusev something other then being the "big, bad, evil Russian". When he loses, and eventually he will lose, he needs to get a place to land. He needs a hook to grab on the way down to stay relevant and you don't achieve that in a week or even a month, not for that kind of character. For now let us applause an actually good decision made by WWE. And Sheamus, well, he didn't really do anything with that title and at least now he has a reason to fight. He will lose the rematch without a doubt, but maybe that will let him get back to the main event. If Team Authority gets Rusev into their team, Sheamus will probably join Cena.  

Winner: Rusev

 

 

Overall: 6 out of 10 - Storyline-wise the only really meaningful parts are, again, at the beginning and at the end. If you care about matches, I guess the main event wasn't bad, just don't expect fireworks and you might get some entertainment out it.