(Editor's Note: Don't be fooled by the header above. Since Stan's departed from the RAW Review job for Smark Henry, we're auditioning new people for the role. Say hi to Miggy, everyone, and let him know what you think of his review in the comments!)
This
week's Monday Night RAW would have to deal with a pretty shocking blow in terms
of building up for Battleground's blockbuster main event: the Triple Threat
between all three former Shield members with the WWE Championship on the line.
Roman Reigns, the champion heading into Money in the Bank, was suspended after
committing his first Wellness Policy violation.
But
the two other participants in said Triple Threat match, however, delivered. Seth
Rollins and WWE Champion Dean Ambrose of course had to address the elephant in
the room, and it was handled very well. A promo that blurred the line between
reality and show came from Rollins, which in turn led to Ambrose steering the
wheel away from that topic. Seeing as he was a fighting champion, it would only
make sense that he focused on his opposition.
Some
added potential challengers came in the form of AJ Styes and John Cena, who
wanted to lay claim to a spot at the Battleground title match, which led to
Stephanie McMahon announcing respective matches for Styles and Cena in order to
earn their way in. Nothing bad came out of this, except the ham-fisting that an
Ambrose title reign is actually worse than a suspension from the man (or rather, the Guy) being groomed to be the top star.
We
also saw two women's matches on this edition of RAW, which is still quite a
novelty. However, we only technically witnessed one. Summer Rae vs. Becky Lynch
was nothing more than to further the Becky/Natalya feud, but it can't be helped
but be seen as pointless. Summer was given an entrance, yet was not able to do
anything in the ring. It doesn't need to be said that Natalya is excellent in the
ring, but is horrendous when on commentary. Thus, she wasn't able to get her
new character across, but Becky capitalized on this and brought out the emotion
necessary for this feud moving forward.
The
women's match we did get to see, however, was a solid outing from all four
competitors. It was a tag team match between unlikely allies Paige and Sasha
Banks taking on Dana Brooke and the Women's Champion Charlotte. This match
set-up was simple yet effective, and it yielded some great offense from both Paige
and Sasha as they dominated the second half of the contest. A massive kick from
Paige to Charlotte led to The Boss making Dana tap out to the Bank
Statement, cementing her own statement that she is coming for Charlotte's
title.
In
what was perceived to be just a one-match feud, Titus O' Neil and Rusev have
been at it with each other longer than anyone expected, and the feud is leading
into some very personal territory after Rusev got in the faces of Titus'
children. Tonight, Titus got a count-out victory over Rusev in a slow but
steady match, but it is to be expected that Rusev will get another win back
very shortly.
Apollo
Crews and Cesaro sound like a downright amazing team on paper, and they even
get more of an advantage when paired against the likes of Alberto del Rio and
Sheamus. Still reeling out from all the drama surrounding the League of Nations
months ago, del Rio delivered an enzugiri on Sheamus and walked out on him.
This allowed Crews and Cesaro to take the win, but aside from some big-time
offense from our victors, it was sadly a dull affair that served little purpose
in advancing anything.
Meanwhile,
Enzo and Cass had a confrontation with the Social Outcasts, and Miz defended
his Intercontinental Championship against Kane and got himself counted out.
These were two segments that, unless could lead to rivalries down the line,
were simply unneeded for a three-hour show that looks like a chore to fill up.
The
encounter between The New Day and The Wyatt Family was one of the best parts of
this episode. At first glance, these two trios have absolutely nothing in
common and would look like victims coming out of a far-fetched feud. But both
teams delivered with their words, with The New Day heralding the power of
positivity as "a way of life" (while mockingly dressed in Wyatt garb,
no less) while the cult leader that is Bray took a more pessimistic, if not
realistic, approach to his worldview.
It's
a rivalry that could have layers of depth on it as long as it's on the right
track, and with Xavier Woods showing signs of restraint upon messing with the
Wyatts, there could be more depth to this than initially thought. Or perhaps
he's just secretly salty over his loss to NJPW's Kenny Omega at CEO 2016?
Losing at Street Fighter V could get under one's skin at times
Another
segment that stole the show came in the form of the Highlight Reel with Sami
Zayn and Kevin Owens. Detailing about their friendship and descent into hatred,
Zayn goaded Owens in to a match at Battleground. However, Chris Jericho put the
spotlight on himself instead of his them for way too long, and he paid for it
by eating up two boots from his guests. The chemistry between Zayn and Owens is
near-flawless, and their confrontations are sure to evoke memories of another
storied rivalry stemmed from a friendship and rooted in betrayal and in chaos—Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
Two
high-profile matches that were made at the start of the show were Cena against
Rollins and Styles against Ambrose. Cena and Rollins was a contest to behold,
having great chemistry with one another. The flow of the match was smooth, and
both displayed impressive power moves and graceful counters. A Pedigree into an
STF that saw no rough edges, and Rollins' superplex-Falcon's Arrow combination
are two sights that are sure to impress. In the end, however, Rollins gained
the win after an unwelcome appearance by the Club.
The
main event came in the form Styles and Ambrose in a non-title match, and Cena
got his payback by getting his hands on the Club, which led to Ambrose hitting
the Dirty Deeds on a distracted Phenomenal One for the win. The match was
relatively okay for the most part, though the initial clash of styles (no pun
intended) between both men was a stark contrast to the chameleon-like
adaptability AJ displayed when against Cena at Money in the Bank. Still, it was
a good match from these two, but when compared to other past outings within
AJ's year so far, it doesn't measure up there.
The
addition of John Cena and AJ Styles to spice things up more than made up for
the lack of Roman Reigns, and it made his absence much easier to swallow for
those foaming at the mouth at more confrontations between the former Shield
brothers. Yet, now that the Triple Threat stipulation was not modified in any
way and as we enter week two of Roman's 30-day suspension, how can Raw cover up
the glaring hole next week? Also, with the draft coming this July, can a
depleted roster actually even cover 3 hours' worth of showtime for the red
brand? These are all burning questions that will be answered in the coming
weeks, and one can't help but hope for the best.
Match rundown
- Sasha Banks & Paige def. Women’s Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke via submission. (3/5)
- Titus O’Neil def. U.S. champion Rusev (w/ Lana) via count-out in a non-title match. (2/5)
- Seth Rollins def. John Cena, as a result Cena will not be added to Battleground main event. (3/5)
- Enzo Amore & Big Cass def. two unknowns. (no rating)
- Kane def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz via count-out. (1/5)
- Apollo Crews & Cesaro def. Sheamus & Alberto Del Rio. (2/5)
- WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose def. A.J. Styles, as a result Styles will not be added to Battleground main event. (2.5/5)
Awards
Best segment: New Day and The Wyatt
Family
Best match: Seth Rollins vs. John Cena
Worst segment: Enzo & Cass vs. two
jobbers
Worst match: Enzo & Cass and the
Social Outcasts
Male Superstar of the Night: Seth Rollins
Female Superstar of the Night: Sasha
Banks
Photo from WWE
Photo from WWE
: Onward Ever, Backward Never){kind=link}