WHAT I LIKED:
HBK!!!: I still LOVE this guy. I HATE that he's going to be the Special Guest Referee in the Hell in a Cell match, but I LOVE the guy. No matter what he says, I'll never come around to the belief that a WWE superstar - even [one of] the best WWE superstar of all-time - can do a better job of officiating than an actual WWE Official. They have the name 'official' in their job title. Another reason I don't want HBK in this match is because WWE won't be able to help themselves from having HBK hit the Sweet Chin Music on somebody. In some form or fashion, he's going to factor into the decision of the WWE Championship match and it'll be just as tainted as the last two WWE PPV main events were, even if it's in favor of Daniel Bryan.
Miz vs Orton: I LIKE the symmetry of having The Miz attack Randy Orton in front of his hometown family & friends like Orton did to him a few weeks back in Cleveland. At least WWE can't hire fake parents for Orton because he's a third generation wrestler and we already know who his father is. It is a little amazing to think that Miz won his WWE Championship from Randy Orton, given that Orton is back on top of WWE and Miz is still middling. To be fair, even Orton went through a phase where he shouldn't have been considered a main-eventer. The only difference is that we know that Orton's fall from grace was planned and Miz's wasn't. I'm glad to see that Miz lost this match due to a distraction from the Wyatt Family. I was afraid that after the injury Bray Wyatt was diagnosed with, he'd be unable to continue the rivalry that was hinted at last week between the two of them. But honestly when feuding with Bray Wyatt, it's really going to be Harper & Rowan who handle the physicality. I used to HATE that but now it actually comes in handy. I just want Bray Wyatt to succeed in WWE and I want Miz to get back to at least upper-mid-card status. I feel this rivalry could benefit them both.
HHH/Stephanie: I LOVED this segment so much that I had to rewind it and watch it again. I really enjoyed the anger that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H portrayed on the microphone. I'm glad that they called out the ridiculous rumors that had him having his jaw wired shut. That was a ridiculous rumor to begin with. I'm glad that The Administration has finally taken the gloves off and that Triple H has hit his breaking point. I wanted them to be villains all along and I HATED when they tried to be fair. It didn't fit right. For instance, when they put The Shield in that 11-on-3 Handicap match. There's no way The Shield was okay with that, yet they still do the bidding of The Administration. There's been no explanation for that. Mostly, I just LOVED how well the audience gave it to Triple H and Stephanie. The 'You Got Knocked Out' and 'Yes!' chants were awesome. And Triple H, being the professional he is, did an amazing job of making them even more riled up by responding to their unrest with antagonism.
Tons of Funk vs Real Americans: The first thing I thought when The Real Americans' music hit was: "Oh, I wonder which Tons of Funk member Antonio Cesaro will hit the Big Swing on." That's obviously the only reason this match is happening. I'm actually okay with that. Even though I think the Big Swing is a ridiculous move and even more ridiculous to use as a finisher, it's getting Cesaro noticed and that always a good thing. Plus, I LIKE that in the little mini-promo before the match, Zeb Colter called out Los Matadores. It'd be good to see both of those teams in a real rivalry. And to my surprise the Big Swing didn't even come into play - at least not during the match. Cesaro finished Brodus Clay off using the Neutralizer (which shows off his strength far more than that stupid swing does). But WWE couldn't help but give the fans what they wanted to see. Alright, I kinda wanted to see it too. Just to see if he could pull it off. Not because I enjoy it...
Bryan vs Del Rio: Hey! The World Heavyweight Champion insists on being introduced in Spanish. Just because Lillian Garcia isn't there doesn't mean Justin Roberts can slack off. He better buy some Rosetta Stone software. But then again, Alberto Del Rio did have a personal ring announcer before he unceremoniously fired him. This was a pretty decent match in what was essentially a Champion vs Champion match. At least it was until Randy Orton appeared on the screen and very sternly implied that he was about to rape(?) Brie Bella. I mean, what were we supposed to think he went in the trainer's room to do? Attack her? Not any better than rape. I'm a little miffed that instead of allowing Del Rio to pin Daniel Bryan after the distraction like always, they made it to where Del Rio won by count-out. I understand that they want to protect Daniel Bryan before Hell in a Cell, but doesn't Del Rio deserve a little pumping up since he's going to face John Cena? Anyhow, I'm no fan of count-outs but this isn't PPV so I'll allow it.
The Rhodes' vs The Shield: So much for that Tag Team Title match that the Usos won a few weeks back. A better storyline has come along and completely made them irrelevant. I would give WWE credit for having the announcers at least mention the point that The Usos are the #1 Contenders, but they gave no explanation as to why Cody & Dustin Rhodes got to leapfrog them in a Tag Team Title match. Technically speaking, their win over The Shield at Battleground shouldn't make them #1 Contenders because they weren't technically WWE employees until the three count happened. But I'm not HATING that this match is happening, mostly since I knew the Uso's title shot wouldn't be forthcoming anytime soon. I completely understand WWE wanting to capitalize on the popularity of the Rhodes Family right now. They don't know if this momentum will be sustained, so you have to use it while you have it. And boy do they have it. I have to admit that the threat of Big Show never even crossed my mind. I thought it'd be Dolph Ziggler - who faces Dean Ambrose for the US Championship on Smackdown - was the person who'd interfere to help the Rhodes' out. In fact when the crowd erupted, that's who I was looking for. Instead it was Big Show KOing all three members of The Shield and paying back Cody & Dustin for knocking out Dusty. This match was great. We have new Tag Team Champions!!! Screw the Usos.
WHAT I HATED:
The Heart & Desire of John Cena: Does anyone in WWE really think that this is the way to endure John Cena to the fans again? In case they had forgotten, when Cena announced that he'd be leaving WWE the fans cheered. In his last match, he was booed heavily in favor of Daniel Bryan. Bringing him back under his good guy, tough guy persona again will only end the same way. He's going to be booed again. He might receive a good pop upon returning, but that won't last long.
Torn Apart and Sewn Back Together: On the opposite spectrum of the feel good video they showed hyping Cena's return was the commercial they played about Cena's body being 'torn apart and sewn back togther' like he just survived a Saw movie or something. It was a freakin' elbow injury. Elbow. It wasn't a career-ending injury and there was no life-threatening procedures done. It was an elbow injury - a triceps tear to be specific. To insinuate that there's going to be 'hell to pay' is a bit much, especially considering that nobody did anything to him to make him sustain that injury.
Ryback vs R-Truth: I suppose I should LIKE this match because it's almost guaranteed to be short and I'm not exactly chomping at the but to see either of these guys in an elongated match, but I HATE it because it's a 'Beat the Clock' challenge. Beat the Clock challenges are the antithesis of what I want to see in any wrestling match. I want the matches to be competitive and a beat the clock challenge promises that the contest will not be so. It might be the match concept in WWE that I DISLIKE the most.
Brie vs Tamina: I LIKED the reason why this match was made with Stephanie McMahon using Brie Bella to get to Daniel Bryan. I didn't LIKE the match at all though. Tamina Snuka is a big, intimidating woman but that does not translate at all in the ring. Brie Bella actually did a better job performing than Tamina did. And when you get outwrestled by a Bella, something is horrible wrong. Especially when you come from one the best wrestling lineages in history. The best part of this whole segment was when AJ Lee came in and put the Black Widow on Brie. Of course it didn't hurt that AJ looked all kinds of sexy in her short shorts and rocking the pigtails again.
Punk vs 5:44: And this is the reason I HATE the Beat the Clock challenge. I don't want Punk trying to beat a clock. I want Punk paying no attention to the clock and wrestling his ass off every night. His opponent tonight isn't really Curtis Axel, it's the time set by Ryback earlier. We all already know that Punk can defeat Curtis Axel. He's done so every time they've met in a match. The onus of this match is to see if Punk can do it in under five minutes and forty-four seconds. Thankfully, Punk truly is the best in the world and can even make a 5 minute match exciting. I'm surprised that the St. Louis crowd responded to proud Chicagoan CM Punk the way they did. I don't LIKE the Handicap Hell in a Cell match made by Punk as it again puts Punk at a disadvantage and makes his desire to get his hands on Paul Heyman a major distraction.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"Does the [Divas] Championship have a tattoo of AJ?" - JBL
The most interesting part of any divas match that AJ Lee isn't physically involved in is listening to the announcers make jokes about them. Jerry Lawler started it by saying tht AJ Lee was having a conversation with the Divas Championship belt. Micheal Cole further personified the Divas Championship by wondering if it talked back. And, of course, it was JBL with the coup de grace.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT:
Oh, it has to be the main event. The show as a whole was pretty fun because the crowd was into it, but they definitely went home happy as Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs The Shield ended with new Tag Team Champions!!!
BEST IN SHOW:
Surprisingly, I haven't awarded this to Stephanie McMahon since she returned, even though she's been playing her role as a conniving, scheming bitch to perfection. Triple H may be the one who gets all the credit for the Administration, but behind every great man is a great woman telling him exactly what to do.
REACTION:
No wonder the Bella Twins failed as actresses. I didn't believe their screams of help at all and this was for their future husband and brother-in-law. Good thing Daniel Bryan is an athlete and can protect himself because his betrothed would be useless in an actual emergency situation.
I literally just read an article today that showed that Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins of The Shield had hit a milestone by becoming the fifth-longest reigning Tag Team Champions of all-time. And they will not progress any further. There are new Tag Team Champs in town and they deserve it. Cody Rhodes & Goldust - more specifically, their storyline - have been the best thing going in WWE for a while now. They had the
Thanks to the rowdy St. Louis crowd, this was a very fun and anticipatory episode of RAW. The news going around is that WWE is stacking the deck, so to speak, for Hell in a Cell after two less than stellar PPVs in a row. The good thing about that stacked deck and the lack of time between PPVs is that WWE has to cram a lot of story into three weeks, which means the pace will be quick and there can be no wasted motion. That leads to nothing but good, meaningful shows in the interim. I LIKE that a lot. Good job tonight, but let's try not to force CM Punk into anymore matches that have to be less than five minutes long.
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