WHAT I LIKED:
Opening Segment: I LIKE the power-grabbing on display in the opening segment because it's the logical thing that would happen when there are too many cooks in the kitchen and the cat is away, if you'll excuse my usage of two idioms in one sentence. I'm surprised at how well-received Brad Maddox was and you can tell be the look on his face that he was as well. And I submit that this version of Kane might be the most frightening I've ever seen. He's in a suit, he has no mask and he has [real] hair again. I worry about his effectiveness in this role due to the fact that WWE doesn't really need another suit-in-charge, given how often Triple H is on-camera nowadays. But I have no doubt in Kane's ability to be successful in whatever role he's in.
Orton vs Rhodes/Goldust: I saw this match coming as soon as Kane and Brad Maddox starting arguing. As soon as that thought crossed me head, the next one was 'I hope they don't bury Cody Rhodes & Goldust.' For as much work as they've done to successfully rebuild the Tag Team Championship and the tag team division as whole, one loss in a Handicap match by the Tag Champs can undo all of that. How are we as fans supposed to take the Tag Team Champions as as a serious threat to defeat two superstars, when they can't even defeat one? Thankfully, they didn't go that route and instead opted for a count-out loss for Randy Orton. That's a weak finish, but it's acceptable for an episode of RAW. Plus, Big Show came out to give the fans something to cheer for as he put Orton through the announce table. Color me surprised that this happened at the start of the show and not the close, but I - and I hope no one else - was surprised that Big Show was in the arena. Everytime they say he's banned or not there... he's there. It'd be better if there just brought him along and invited him to everyshow, but kept someone on him so these surprises will happen less often.
Intercontinental Championship: I think WWE knows how well their European fans respond to Dolph Ziggler and title matches. They didn't even have to say anything during the graphic showing that Ziggler would face Curtis Axel for the IC Title. The crowd instantly responded positively. It seems that every time WWE comes to the UK, there's a title change that occurs and given the opponents in this match, I hope that trend continues. I guess you could call this the 'Perfect Match' because it includes Mr. Perfect's son versus the superstar in WWE that most resembles Mr. Perfect both in looks and ability. Very good match that didn't go the way I thought and hoped it would. I thought for certain we'd see a title change tonight. It has me worried because there's still one title that might be up for grabs and it currently sits around the petite waist of a very pretty, very sexy, very talented diva that I'd rather it remained. I'm not upset that Axel won, though. Like I said last week, Ziggler deserves better than to win a title because of the venue he's in. If anything, I'd rather them build some type of rivalry between Axel & Ziggler, maybe ending in a title match at Survivor Series. One thing is for certain though, they have to get the Intercontinental Title off of Axel and soon. Far be it for me to agree with people on Twitter, but Axel has no charisma and he's floundering on his own without Paul Heyman.
Paul Heyman Returns!: Speak of the devil. I'm so glad to see Paul Heyman mack on my television screen. I'm sort of surprised to see that he's cutting ties with Ryback, but given that Ryback lost to CM Punk twice in a row, it's only logical that he does so. Of course, given how many times Curtis Axel has lost to Punk, Heyman should cut ties with him as well. I assume that after the attack from Punk tonight, Heyman will be out of action for a while again. Let him take some time off, as long as he comes back. I don't want to live in a Heyman-less WWE Universe.
Punk/Bryan vs The Shield: Since CM Punk and Daniel Bryan will most likely be teaming up together at Survivor Series against The Wyatt Family, it'd be good to get a little taste of them as a tag team. For the record, I LIKE what I saw. I already admitted to getting a little excited when I see them in the ring together. Tonight was no different. Well, tonight did get a little different what with The Wyatt Family and The Shield going at it and then teaming up. That was strange, but it was pretty cool too. Maybe I was the only one, but I didn't want there to be a save, I wanted for The Shield and The Wyatts to take out Punk & Bryan and stand victorious united. I'm glad for the save because it painted the picture of what I believe we will see at Survivor Series, but I was hoping the heels would stand tall tonight.
WHAT I HATED:
Veteran's Day: I've ranted before about how I'm not a Nationalist and don't support the military, so I won't go on about that again. WWE is a huge supporter of the US Military and I commend them for that. Even though I don't support the military doesn't mean I don't understand why some people do. But one would expect that when portraying support for a cause, you'd put someone with connections to that cause on display. Kind of like how WWE put Titus O'Neil and Layla - both of whom lost someone close to them to the devastating condition - on the commercials and vignettes for Susan G. Komen. Yet for some reason, when it comes to anything dealing with the military, it's John Cena - who has no connection to the military whatsoever - that WWE puts front and center. It makes no sense to me. There are plenty of WWE Superstars and staff that actually do have military experience and affiliation. Why not put them on display? It's more genuine. Also, how hilarious is it that the RAW on Veteran's Day isn't even in the United States? Do they not realize that national holidays aren't international holidays? Good thing there are no Revolutionary War veterans alive today. They might take that personally.
Sandow vs Kingston: I HATE when matches occur based on something that happened on the WWE App. Not everyone has that damned app on their phone. I don't know anyone who has it. I don't know anyone who wants it. I'm not against the match itself. It's an impromptu match, but almost all the matches on TV are impromptu. The crowd which was active and vocal during every other match and segment tonight was quiet for this match.
Tamina vs Nikki: The only reason I was glad to see this match take place is because it meant that AJ Lee would most likely not have to wrestle and not be in jeopardy of losing the Divas Title. This might also be the only time I'm ever glad to not see AJ Lee wrestle.
Fandango vs Kidd: Based on what we already know, the UK crowd is not going to be any more active during a Fandango match than during his entrance when they're singing and dancing along with his theme music. Who makes the call to go to commercial break during this time? This should be the time when the cameras are rolling. I think the one thing that bothers me the most about Total Divas is that I was expecting it to be a reality TV show where you see behind the scenes the divas division. It breaks the fourth wall. It eliminates kayfabe. But it's not. It's just another WWE program. It's just as scripted and fake as RAW or Smackdown. And because of that, matches like this happen on RAW and Smackdown which do nothing but set the stage for more fake drama on Total Divas.
Real Americans vs Cena: I don't even have to worry about whether or not the Real Americans will be buried by losing to one superstar. Because I know they will be. It's interesting that this is the first time the Real Americans will be competing on other than American soil. I was surprised to hear them get a pop during their entrance, but I think that has more to do with the UK fans being anti-Cena, rather than pro-Real Americans. Albeit, I'm sure they, like myself, LOVE Antonio Cesaro. And for as pro-military as WWE likes to book John Cena, it'd be funny to see them actually have him defeat a team called 'The Real Americans'. I found myself LIKING this match more than I thought it would mostly due to the crowd being anti-Cena than anything else. I feel the UK fans were cheated out of seeing the 'Cesaro Swing'. You know they would have eaten that up. I don't understand why Big E Langston of all people would come out to make the save for John Cena. I know WWE is back on their BIG MAN kick, so I guess this is a way to get him more exposure. I'm all for that.
Langston vs Del Rio: I would have been more into this match, if not for the way it came about. The crowd wasn't hot for the match because they had just watched them both a few minutes earlier. Instead, the crowd amused themselves by doing the wave during the match. It would've been better if they'd waited 'til Smackdown to have this match, which is what I thought they'd do initially.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"He's a bully, just like a thug; he got that face only mommy could love." - R-Truth (about Ryback)
Good the hear Truth put some custom lyrics into his entrance rap. Too bad this was the best part of the match.
BEST IN SHOW:
It's gotta be Paul Heyman, even though he wasn't on the microphone for an extended period of time and left the show on his back. He was the highlight of the night because I wasn't expecting to see him so soon. Unfortunately, I don't expect to see him again anytime soon either.
REACTION:
I don't know if this concept of RAW where it was all handicap matches would have worked anywhere but in a hot crowd area like Manchester or New York City or Philly or Chicago. It was definitely novel, which I always LIKE. But the concept didn't play out so well. The first Handicap match pitting Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes & Goldust was the biggest headscratcher. I don't why Vickie Guerrero would think that this is what The Authority would've wanted. I expect that Triple H will give her a stern looking-at for that decision. Then having The Real Americans, who defeated the Tag Team Champions a few weeks back, lose to John Cena only lowers them on the Tag Team totem pole - just when I thought WWE was about to start taking them seriously. And the final handicap match was pretty good and well-booked. But it ended in a No Contest, which I HATE - even on episodes of RAW or Smackdown. But you can't argue with the ending. I LIKED that very much.
Speaking of that ending, I suspect that picture is what we will see at Survivor Series. The Shield and The Wyatt Family on one side. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Goldust & The Usos on the other. It's been a while since we've seen the actual 'traditional' Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match where it's seven-on-seven. Recently, the most we get is five-on-five. Yes, as of now it's only six-on-six, but I expect that to change once Curtis Axel and Dolph Ziggler get added to the mix. That pending match gets a huge stamp of approval from me.
As far as the already cemented matches, WWE did a good job continuing the storylines for them. Well, at least the WWE Championship. Big Show got his revenge for being put through the announce table last week on RAW by putting Randy Orton through the announce table this week. By the way, I LOVED The Shield's reasoning for assisting Orton. They don't work for him. Hey, like they said before, "Justice isn't free." As for Alberto Del Rio versus John Cena and the World Championship, it was a whole lot of nothing. So what Del Rio attacked Cena's 'injured' arm? Cena doesn't sell injuries for longer than the segment in which it happens in - and sometimes, most times, not even then. And so what Del Rio was able to defeat Big E Langston? The way he's booked, whatever he does in non-title matches, he does the opposite in title matches. So it just means he's going to lose at Survivor Series. And trust me, he's going to lose t Survivor Series. That's a fact.
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