The Recap for WWE Raw 8.18.14, live from Las Vegas, NV.
We open with "Flight of the Valkyries," but it's just Stephanie McMahon, complete with a "STEPH!! STEPH!! STEPH!!" shirt. Hell, she even gets the crowd to chant her name! Steph says that social media is abuzz with critical acclaim for Summerslam, and tonight the Authority will present a new belt to Brock Lesnar. She wishes John Cena the best in his recovery, and goes on to run down all the faces who lost. But the biggest loser of the night was, of course, Brie Bella. Brie learned that the Authority always wins, and we can revisit Steph's glorious victory for just $9.99! Steph thanks HHH for always being faithful, unlike Daniel Bryan. So, we're still doing the Daniel-Bryan-Is-A-Cheater angle. Steph introduces Nikki Bella to tell us who Brie Bella really is. The crowd regales her with "You Sold Out!" Nikki claims that she's not the one who sold out; it's Brie who's betrayed her. Nikki hates Brie for taunting her for having no husband. Brie's mistreated Nikki her whole life! And now Brie Bella's out to remind Nikki that they'll be sisters for life and that she can forgive Nikki for last night's events. That earns her a slap because Nikki will never forgive her, and Brie tucks her tail between her legs and leaves. If only she'd never come back. 0 for 1. That was quite possibly the worst opening they could've chosen given last night's show. The Bellas are both awful, though different kinds of awful - Brie is wooden, and Nikki looks like she's in a rap video when she's delivering her lines. I kept waiting for her to bust a rhyme that never came. I imagine it would've been better than the noise we got.
Match 1: Luke Harper and Erick Rowan v Big Show and Mark Henry They have a German announcing team at ringside! There is no adequate reason I can think of for the existence of this Henry/Show combine. Henry starts off with Rowan and beats on him and Harper doesn't fare much better when he comes in off the tag. Big Show comes in with his huge chop to an inordinately loud (and worrisome) face pop. JBL notes that facing Show is like being "headbutted with a Volkswagen." Lolwut? Show dominates, slowly, in the corner until Harper strikes back with an elbow and some strikes. That doesn't last very long as Show shrugs him off and dumps him outside as we head to a break.
Back from the break, Harper turns the tide by hanging him up on the ropes. Rowan runs interference, allowing Harper to bust out a dropkick that sends Show sprawling. Rowan works him over outside with a boot to the face. The Wyatts work him over with quick tags, and this crowd chants "Let's Go Big Show!" What. the. fuck? Vince is probably creaming himself somewhere. Harper's not impressed, so he takes Show's head off with a superkick, but it only gets 2. Harper breaks out the Gator Roll! YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH. Big Show fights out with a back suplex, but Rowan tags himself in and knocks Show off his feet. BODY SLAM(!!) only gets 2. Rowan goes to the well once too many times, allowing Show to drop him with a DDT. Now it's HOT TAG Henry, and he dominates Rowan until Harper breaks up the World's Strongest Slam. The resulting cover only gets 2, however, and Show returns to WMD both Wyatts. World's Strongest Slam on Rowan finishes in 13 minutes. 1 for 2. That's a surprisingly decent match made better by the crowd being absurdly into Big Show. Did I miss something here? Going by the commentary, it appears that World's Biggest Show are headed for a clash with the Usos, and if tonight's crowd reaction has convinced Vince that having the Usos lose to the hosses would be a good idea, then fuck YOU, Las Vegas!
Backstage, Ric Flair congratulates Dolph Ziggler on his newly won Intercontinental Championship, but The Miz interrupts their bromance to tell Ziggler that he's winning back the title in their rematch tonight.
Elsewhere, Renee Young interviews Seth Rollins, and he's so very happy - he proved that he's the future of the entire WWE. Dean Ambrose shows up to dump a bucket of ice over his head, and then...
"What? It's for charity!" Effin. Brilliant.
Dean proceeds to beat him up WITH THE BUCKET! The usual suspects rush in to pull them apart. 2 for 3. That's a hit just for Deano.
An irate Seth Rollins goes to Triple H to put an end to Dean once and for all, but HHH wants Seth to take on Dean in a match tonight. He wants the Universe to choose the stipulation for that match, so when Seth finishes the job tonight, Dean won't be a martyr. His blood will be on the WWE Universe's hands.
Match 2: Non-Title: Paige v Natalya : Paige cuts a prematch promo professing her love and respect for her "little AJ" and dedicates this match to her. Nattie has new gear. They fight over a backslide, but Paige escapes away and kicks her in the back of the head. Paige slithers all over Nattie but now AJ's out to skip around the ring. Paige stupidly stares at her and rightfully gets rolled up to lose in 2 minutes. AJ, too, loves and respects Paige, and dedicates her LIFE to her! AJ NEEDS to shake Paige's hand, but Paige wants none of that. 2 for 4. What's up with Paige's slithering? When did her character gain that Mickie-James-lite lesbian undertone?
So the stipulations for the Deano/Seth match can be: no holds barred, falls count anywhere, and no-DQ. Aren't two of those the same?
The Authority grace us with their presence for the championship presentation. Steph's ditched her awesome shirt for a more formal dress. HHH unveils the new belt for the WWE World Heavyweight Title, which is the same belt that made the rounds on this forum a few days ago. The crowd don't particularly care. HHH introduces Brock Lesnar and they do a little photo-op right in the ring, posing for each side. Brock looks downright giddy. "My name is Paul Heyman, and I'm the one behind the one who beat the one who thought he was the one to beat the one in 21-1." Beautiful. Paul gives Brock the proper championship introduction he deserves. Paul wants to get down to business and announce that John Cena's not here tonight, which is greeted by loud cheers. Paul can't remember a top superstar taking an asskicking of the magnitude that Cena took last night, and he's been in the business since he was fourteen! Heyman watched Cena get destroyed last night and he saw what the little kids see in him because he never gives up. Hell, if Paul had time on his hands, he'd make Cena a Paul Heyman guy, but Brock doesn't agree. Heyman declares Cena, the Cenation, the Undertaker's streak, Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect all DEAD in Brock's universe. Paul wants to warn anyone who might dare to take on Brock in the future - Brock's a beast, and he will lay wreckage to anyone stupid enough to step in the ring with him. There's a new mantra in town: Eat, Sleep, Suplex, Repeat (x16). Basic Brockanomics. 3 for 5. Do you even need to ask? Paul Heyman's one of the few reasons to look forward to this show on a weekly basis. I contend that there's not one man in the E today who could've done that better. Find this promo and watch it.
Match 3: Intercontinetal Championship: Dolph Ziggler v The Miz Ziggler takes over with a hiptoss and grabs a headlock, but Miz corners him and grabs his own headlock. Dolph tweaks his knee on a leapfrog, and Miz is all over it as we head to a break. Back from the break, and Miz is still in control but Dolph conuters a shinbreaker with a rollup for 2. Miz blind charges into the corner but gets planted with a DDT for 2. Dolph messes up his knee further and Miz stops his big boot and grabs the Figure-4 but Ziggler fights his way to the ropes. Dolph tumbles out of the ring, but Miz gets tripped up on the apron as he goes after him. They fight it out on the apron, but Dolph dropkicks him BACK INSIDE, falling off the apron and getting counted out in the process at the 7-minute mark. 3 for 6. An utterly awful ending, and just as the match was gathering pace. Postmatch, an irate Miz attacks Dolph but eats the ZigZag for his troubles, sending JBL off on an annoying rant about Dolph faking his injury.
Backstage, Jack Swagger promises to bounce back from his loss and defend his country, because that's #WeThePeople.
Match 4: Jack Swagger v Cesaro Zeb Colter's missing after yesterday's attack. Cesaro goes right for Swagger's taped ribs, but he gets caught and pummeled in the corner. Swagger misses on a charge in the corner, further injuring his ribs. Cesaro grabs an abdominal stretch but Swagger fights out only to be bowled over by a big boot. That only gets 2, and Cesaro continues his work on the ribs with a seated stretch. Swagger comes back with the Swagger Bomb, but it only gets 2. Cesaro hangs him on the ropes, and they fight over the apron where Swagger grabs the Patriot Lock. Back inside, he tries it again, but now Cesaro gets to the ropes, thumbs him in the eye, and finishes with the Neutralizer in 4 minutes. Afterwards, Bo Dallas is out to chastize Swagger for letting down 318 million Americans. Swagger's lost his dignity, but he can have it all back if he just #BoLieves. 3 for 7. The match was too short to mean anything, and the less said about JBL's ridiculous over-the-top rant the better. I thought that they'd never mention Swagger again as Rusev moves onto bigger things, but they've piqued my interest with this little arc for Swagger's character.
Chris Jericho joins Renee Young to talk about Bray Wyatt. Chris noticed the emptiness in Bray's eyes last night, but he knows that he has three things that Bray will never have: the fire inside him, his fighting spirit, and the world's best fans.
Match 5: Randy Orton and Rybaxel v Sheamus, Rob Van Dam, and Roman Reigns 8.53 Axel starts off with Sheamus and that doesn't go very well for him. Orton comes in and runs into a Kamikaze roll and Rolling Thunder combo and wisely bails. That takes us to another oddly-timed commercial break. Back from the break, Curtis Axel gets decimated by the Beats of the Bodhran, and Ryback gets his in turn. An Orton cheapshot turns the tide however, and he suplexes Sheamus backfirst into the guardrail. The crowd inexplicably wants to see Ryback, so Orton obliges. "RYBACK RULES!" - Las Vegas. Ryback controls Sheamus in the corner, much to the delight of the crowd. "Feed Me More," they chant. Ryback gets a big delayed suplex and brings in Orton, but he gets hit with White Noise. And now it's HOT TAG Reigns, and he knocks down anyone that moves. Apron Kick sets Axel up for the Superman Punch, and Ryback gets one too, which the crowd doesn't really appreciate. Orton stops the Spear, so RVD comes in with a crossbody for 2. Axel misses a charge in the corner and falls victim to a split-legged moonsault. Ryback breaks that up but gets Brogued for his troubles. RKO for Sheamus! Spear for Orton! Axel sends Reigns into the post, but that leaves him alone with Van Dam, and the stepover enzuigiri and Five-Star Frog Splash finish in 13 minutes. 4 for 8. . The crowd was just RABID for that shit.
Backstage, Ric Flair wants to offer friendly advice to Randy Orton, but Orton's not interested. He tells Flair to stay away lest Orton needs to remind him why he was called the Legend Killer.
Bray Wyatt joins us to assert that Chris Jericho will never truly understand what he is. #FollowTheBuzzards.
Match 6: Non-Title: The Usos v Stardust and Goldust Jey starts off with Goldust and rolls him up for 2, while JBL impresses me by namedropping the All Blacks with reference to the Usos' entrance. Only one problem - The Usos are not from New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Usos work over Goldust and Jimmy comes in for a doubleteam. Eventually Goldust fights off Jimmy to bring in Stardust and he controls Jimmy with a following forearm until the Usos put a stop to that with some smart teamwork. Jey gets 2 off an elbow and grabs a chinlock, but Stardust fights out as the crowd start a dueling chant. Jey cuts him off and goes back to his chinlock and follows with a back suplex for 2. The Usos are effectively playing heels here and the crowd's all for the Dust Brothers. Jey stops a hot tag, but gets rolled up and pinned in the process at 7 minutes. 4 for 9. Forgettable match, terrible ending, which is especially disappointing considering how awesome a match these four would certainly be capable of having.
Is JBL on his period or something? He's usually good for a laugh or two, but tonight he's been aggressively irritating with his constant over-the-top, loud rants.
Rusev and Lana are out to share their thoughts about Summerslam. Rusev dedicated his match at Summerslam to Vladimir Putin, and President Putin is very proud of what Rusev has achieved. Mark Henry interrupts to talk about American pride, as he's represented his country twice at Olympic level. Henry couldn't stand the sight of the Russian flag flying high after the disrespect shown to Old Glory. Mark wants to give Rusev a guided tour of the Hall of Pain, and that leads to a staredown. Rusev attacks, but Mark smartly goes after his bum ankle and lays him out with the World's Strongest Slam and a big splash. Props to Rusev for selling that like a champ. 5 for 10. That promo by Mark Henry was more effective than any Zeb promo over the entire buildup to Summerslam.
Match 7: Falls Count Anywhere: Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins The Universe has chosen Falls Count Anywhere as the stipulation here. Deano starts off hot but runs into a throat chop and beaten up in the corner. Seth stops too long to show off and gets dropkicked out of the ring and tossed in the crowd. They brawl away towards the stage where Rollins tries to murderize him with a powerbomb(!) but gets suplexed for 2 instead. Dean knocks him back towards the ring and it's time to grab some PLUNDAH! He gets off some satisfying shots with a chair but the crowd want tables. Ambrose drops a chair onto him off the top for 2 and wedges that chair in a corner but the fickle hand of irony strikes and Deano goes into it headfirst in a sick bump. That only gets 2 and we head to a break.
Back from the break, Seth is in control after WAFFLING Dean with a kendo stick mid-dive. Sick! "This is what you asked for!" They fight over the kendo stick, and Seth avoids the rebound lariat and kicks his head off for 2. Great spot as Seth got nailed by that lariat last night and seems to have learned his lesson. Ambrose absolutely PLANTS him with a tornado DDT for 2. They counter each other's finishes and it's double-KO time. They lay into each other with some manly strikes, and Seth gets the best of that but his kendo stick attacks get countered by a monkey flip. Dean gets in his shots with the stick, but it only gets 2. Dean starts tossing in chairs, and wants to kill off Seth with a superplex onto a pile of chairs, but Seth drives Deano into the pile with a fucking sitout powerbomb! Yikes! It only gets 2, though, and now Kane is out to observe. Seth sets up a table, sending the crowd into delirious fits. Seth wants to Curbstomp Ambrose through the table but gets superplexed through it instead! Kane's interference fails, and Dean wipes them both out with a dive. Back inside, Seth gets FUCKING BOWLED OVER with the rebound lariat and Dirty Deeds looks to finish, but Kane stops that. Ambrose absolutely owns HIM all around ringside and then goes back to beating Rollins' ass. Deano preps the announcers' table for Dirty Deeds, but Kane reasserts himself by chokeslamming him on the table. Rollins demolishes him with a Curbstomp on the table, but he's not done! Kane reveals a CINDER BLOCK, and Seth drives Dean's head THROUGH that with a Curbstomp. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd put an end to him. Charles Robinson calls the whole thing off at 22 minutes. 6 for 11. An awesome, chaotic brawl capped off by quite the coup-de-grace.
Wrestling Counter: 68 minutes.
This show started off horribly, but boy did it pick up. Aided by a rabid crowd, that was one of the best Raws of the last three months.
(edited by used2bcool on 19.8.14 1012) In a coat of gold or a coat of red, a lion still has claws And mine are long and sharp, my lord, as long and sharp as yours!
- I thought they dropped Daniel Bryan is a dirty cheater. Garbage opener.
- Great tag match. I don't understand why they just don't pull the trigger with Harper and Rowan especially since Mark Henry has some Commie wigs to split. Big Show was game tonight too. Nothing wins my heart quite like a great big man fight.
- Paul Heyman sold The Network in one sentence better than the company has in six months. Monster promo from him. I love that he is going with the watching Brock destroy people is a must see prize fight event.
- RVD getting weird wins has me worried he might be in line for a shot at Brock, maybe.
- Poor Cody Rhodes. I never thought Stardust would crash and burn the way that it has, but WWE doesn't get weird ie The Wyatts.
- Great finish. I guess cinder block curb stomps are cool, just don't choke with ties or bleed on stuff. Corporate Kane is just like the creepy kid who always takes things too far. Rollins look when he realized what he had done was perfect. From whoa shit that's bad what did you make me do to eventually fuck it whatever.
The show really dragged in spots, but the good stuff was more than enough to make this the best Raw since The Shield broke up.
Originally posted by used2bcoolAn irate Seth Rollins goes to Triple H to put an end to Dean once and for all, but HHH wants Seth to take on Dean in a match tonight. He wants the Universe to choose the stipulation for that match, so when Seth finishes the job tonight, Dean won't be a martyr. His blood will be on the WWE Universe's hands.
In which trainers would rush down to whipe the blood off them as fast as they could.
Figures, I decide to take a week off to punish WWE and they put out a great RAW. Bastards!
I did catch the final match, which was freaking amazing. I could watch Ambrose and Rollins wrestle each other every week for years to come. I was kinda annoyed at the kinda screwjob-ish ending. I thought the cinder block Curb Stomp could have been just as effective if Ambrose had gotten the pin after a Dirty Deeds, and they attacked him post-match.
Also, apparently all 3 options were really the same, because Falls Count Anywhere apparently now operates under No DQ. So our options were: -No DQ -No DQ and FCA -No DQ
Clearly they really, REALLY wanted to let Rollins put Ambrose's face through a cinder block and still win I wonder if we're gonna get a Dreamer/Raven style feud here, where the face loses over and over by more and more narrow margins, and forcing the Authority to go to more and more extreme lengths to stop him each time. Hopefully he will eventually get the duke.
Also, the cinder block spot is one time where the strict 'no blood' policy makes them look ridiculous. Apparently not only is Dean Ambrose's skull harder than concrete, so is his skin! Never mind Cena, Ambrose is the one true Superman!
Other than that, all I can say is the new Unified belt looks nice, and I'm glad that Cesaro finally got to stop jobbing to that Tea Party loser every freaking week.
Was that cinderblock made out of chalk or something? I'm pretty sure curbs don't work that way, but kudos for attempting the curb stomp on something that resembles a real curb.
That match was absolutely aces and it's nice to end Raw on...you know...a wrestling match. I know, crazy, right? I swear that arena was ready to pop huge for Ambrose overcoming the odds and getting the pin and it would totally blown the roof off the joint, so what the hell is the point of popping everyone's balloon with the Kane interference? It's not like there wasn't room for the ceremonial curb stomping afterwards, but at least lets the fans have SOME moment, however fleeting it may be.
I guess this is it for Ambrose as he heads off to Hollywood for a bit. That's going to be an epic pop he gets whenever he comes back, but that just means the company's about to hurt for babyfaces even more in the next couple of weeks.
There's nothing that indicates more how tone deaf The E is right now than opening the show with the Stephanie McMahon vanity promo while relegating Brock Lesnar to the B-slot second hour opener.
Aside from the Lesnar/Cena rematch, I honestly don't know where anybody is going right now and it wouldn't shock me if the writers don't, either. It leaves me feeling a bit uneasy about where things are going, but hey, Jack Swagger and Bo Dallas should be fun, right?
Originally posted by used2bcoolWhat's up with Paige's slithering? When did her character gain that Mickie-James-lite lesbian undertone?
It's kinda sad, because you just KNOW they want to do the full-blown homage to the Trish/Mickie angle from 10+ years ago, but the PG rating will never allow anything even close to it. And thus we get the sad, pale (no, I'm not talking about Paige's complexion) imitation of a derivative angle. I still really like it, but it's hard not to turn on Trish/Mickie on the Network (only $9.99!) and see that they pulled it off so much better.
(edited by It's False on 18.8.14 2048)
"Playing guitars. It's hard to sing while playing...guitars."
Originally posted by Blind_GuardianI did catch the final match, which was freaking amazing. I could watch Ambrose and Rollins wrestle each other every week for years to come.
I came to post this very thing. Ambrose is just fun to watch, but why were there cinderblocks sitting around ringside.
I could watch a fresh match between Dean y Seth every single week. What a great feud. Surely this HAS to wind up with Dean somehow getting the briefcase and becoming a red-hot challenger to Lesnar, right?
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
Need a big goofy guy to do goofy things? Mark Henry.
Need a temporary monster heel to smash people? Mark Henry.
Need an American Hero? Mark Henry!
On the other hand, this is Rusev (and the WWE) going back to a controversial well since I don't think Mark Henry is going to be the one (and really, how perfect would Kurt Angle be in coming back for one more match). And it definitely marks the end of the Xavier Woods thing. Or does it?
And if you sent your TV to "Cover the left/right sides of the screen to simulate pre-HDTV"-mode, the USA bug gets covered up, "LIVE" gets covered up, but the new WWE logo remains! That cant be an accident, right?
Originally posted by LostInUbeNeed a big goofy guy to do goofy things? Mark Henry.
Need a temporary monster heel to smash people? Mark Henry.
Need an American Hero? Mark Henry!
On the other hand, this is Rusev (and the WWE) going back to a controversial well since I don't think Mark Henry is going to be the one (and really, how perfect would Kurt Angle be in coming back for one more match). And it definitely marks the end of the Xavier Woods thing. Or does it?
It's really times like this that I wish that Mark was able to stay healthy and that the writing team had shown any willingness whatsoever to keep him looking strong, because he could have been a great token challenger for Lesnar, especially from a storyline logic standpoint.
(edited by It's False on 18.8.14 2238)
"Playing guitars. It's hard to sing while playing...guitars."
If there's one lasting, hopefully permanent, impact Brock Lesnar should be known for in wrestling, it's being the guy responsible for splitting the WWE's top title into two belts, and then coming back to merge them back together into one.
Okay, hopefully this is the last time Ambrose has to lose to someone for a while. At least he went out in a blaze of glory with one of the best matches on RAW in years. Wish we got that last night. I fully expect Ambrose to kick Rollins' ass when he gets back and retire Kane.
I think I might like the New Logo better than the previous Big Logo belt. It's cleaner and more symmetrical. I wish it had more gold on it, though.
RIP Big Gold Belt. It began with "RIC FLAIR" on the nameplate, and ends with "JOHN CENA." Obviously, WWE stopped caring about that belt a long time ago and it's not even the same physical belt that was used in the NWA/WCW, so it's really a just an expendable belt, but that design has probably seen its last days in wrestling.
Originally posted by It's FalseI guess this is it for Ambrose as he heads off to Hollywood for a bit. That's going to be an epic pop he gets whenever he comes back, but that just means the company's about to hurt for babyfaces even more in the next couple of weeks.
Well, there's always Roman Reigns. Actually, there's only Roman Reigns. Probably a coincidence, right?
I liked Ambrose/Rollins even more than Sunday's match, but I had the same problem with the finish. Having Kane be the deciding factor makes Rollins look weak, and it makes Ambrose look stupid because it keeps happening exactly the same way. This thing needs a clean resolution before people give up on Ambrose, who, I think we all agree, is easily the best thing going on in the entire company.
They're hurting for established babyfaces (it especially sucks that Barrett's out), but I think they can create new ones pretty easily. In 2014 all displays of personality get cheered*, and there's no credibility problem that can't be solved with a couple clean wins over Sheamus. Push Big E Langston! Push Heath Slater. Turn Damien Sandow. Sin Cara. Tyson Kidd. Kalisto. Anything. It's so much harder to create heels that will get actual heat in an era where half the fans are reacting to the performers not the characters. A heel surplus is a good thing.
*... but I'm afraid I've got some bad news. Next 4 Raws: Anaheim, Baltimore, Des Moines, Lafayette (LA). Maybe it won't be that easy. Immediately followed by Memphis, Chicago and Brooklyn.
Originally posted by MoeGates in the Summerslam thread#1) During the part where Seth Rollins escapes all the lumberjacks & is heading to the back, only to run into three random lumberjacks - why the heck wasn't that Roman Reigns?
Roman Reigns apparently does not care about Seth Rollins turning on him or about his friend Dean Ambrose at all, since he couldn't be bothered to chase of Kane at Summerslam or Raw. Truly, he is the next John Cena.
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoRVD getting weird wins has me worried he might be in line for a shot at Brock, maybe.
If you need someone to die for Brock in one of the throwaway PPVs, RVD does seem like the guy on the payroll most likely to actually deliver on blood, urine and vomit.
Originally posted by SKLOKAZOIDIf there's one lasting, hopefully permanent, impact Brock Lesnar should be known for in wrestling, it's being the guy responsible for splitting the WWE's top title into two belts, and then coming back to merge them back together into one.
I think I might like the New Logo better than the previous Big Logo belt. It's cleaner and more symmetrical. I wish it had more gold on it, though.
I was hoping they'd have Brock physically demolish the Big Gold belt, either just punching it into dust or tearing it in half or something, so they could have added that to the list of sacred things destroyed by The Beast.
Re: the new belt, agreed on liking it a little better than the previous one, but also agreed that it needs more gold. Or, more directly, it needs fewer diamonds. The bling feels dated.
With everyone, I thought Heyman's promo and the main event were A+ material. One or both of Ambrose/Rollins should get an "all my matches are falls count anywhere" permanent stipulation, because they are both amazing at using the real estate. Ambrose's recurring move of throwing people over guardrails, often just to increase the degree of difficulty of then diving on to them, is especially entertaining. It's strange that they made them wait so long to get this match, but let's go with the people in charge wanting them to have a solo spotlight, I guess.
Opening with the Bellas (I'm moving Nikki slightly ahead of Brie in my Bella acting rankngs) was probably a bad move, but again, let's be charitable and assume it was them realizing that Brie/Steph was murdering ratings for Hour 3 and just getting it out of the way.
Orton randomly teaming with Rybaxel was strange and probably funny to only me. I kind of want Orton to become King of the Undercard, possibly taking on Kofi and Big E's crusade. Orton suddenly claiming to be improperly used and taking up the charge of the forgotten worker would be pretty funny, especially if he retained Otunga as his legal advisor.
So, does Swagger feud with Bo or become a Boliever? It would be really, really weird to push Swagger that aggressively and then immediately turn him into Shannon Moore, so let's assume the they're turning him into Shannon Moore.
Originally posted by It's FalseI guess this is it for Ambrose as he heads off to Hollywood for a bit. That's going to be an epic pop he gets whenever he comes back, but that just means the company's about to hurt for babyfaces even more in the next couple of weeks.
Well, there's always Roman Reigns. Actually, there's only Roman Reigns. Probably a coincidence, right?
I liked Ambrose/Rollins even more than Sunday's match, but I had the same problem with the finish. Having Kane be the deciding factor makes Rollins look weak, and it makes Ambrose look stupid because it keeps happening exactly the same way. This thing needs a clean resolution before people give up on Ambrose, who, I think we all agree, is easily the best thing going on in the entire company.
All will be forgiven if Ambrose's return includes the theft of the Kane mask/hair -- either for his own personal use, or to control the monster a la Rumpelstiltskin's dagger.
So, where are the heroes? Tonight should have been the night for someone to fill the Cena/CMPunk/Bryan void. Yes, its nice for Cena to be away, but there is no one on that roster that people will view as a threat to Brock. Putting the belt on Brock was always going to be a dicey. Tonight validated a lot of things.
First that WWE has done a shit job on building new face stars. Hell, even heel stars. Rollins is fine as well as Rusev, but all of the wrestlers not named Ambrose in the WWE are older and stale or too young to be taken seriously. Ambrose is really the only one who seems to be able to take on Brock. Yet, he is gone too now. So, that leaves really no one to stop Brock unless its Cena again which the fans will shit all over.
Second. The Authority storyline will not die, but is killing this company. All the $9.99 trolling, the 20 minute Steph segments and jobbing out the faces makes no sense. There seems to be no end in sight even though there should have been multiple points where it could have ended.
Laslty, This company has no long term plan. Everything is a short term fix. Bryan has to have surgery, lets give the belt to Cena. Batista is leaving, lets break up Shield. Cena is leaving for a movie, lets give it to Brock who has no real challengers. Brock is coming up, lets dump Cesaro. Some of those ideas worked, some of bombed. At this point, the great hope is Bryan will be back by Survivor Series. I could see it happening, yet I am not sure it will happen.
On December 22nd, 2013 I officially resigned from TNA Entertainment. Thanks to everyone involved for all the fantastic memories! #grateful— Jeff Jarrett (@JeffJarrettTNA) December 23, 2013 The big list of questions. Is this just a work?
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I wonder if we're gonna get a Dreamer/Raven style feud here, where the face loses over and over by more and more narrow margins, and forcing the Authority to go to more and more extreme lengths to stop him each time. Hopefully he will eventually get the duke.
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