Wednesday 28 August 2013

Raw Quick Hits - 26 August, 2013



Hit: Daniel Bryan vs. The World
At first it was starting to look like Bryan was going to get some help in his pursuit to regain the WWE Championship off Randy Orton. Both Big Show and Dolph Ziggler spoke out against Triple H's devious authoritarian attitude, which to me, insinuated that both men were going to side with Bryan and have his back. 

But, that's not exactly where they're going with it after all. And that's OK. In fact, it is something which I quite like. I like the idea of Daniel Bryan having to be the lone underdog who takes on the corporate powerhouses of the company. Seeing Triple H lay down his authority in front of everyone on stage was a really nice touch, as they all looked on as Bryan got mauled by The Shield and Randy Orton. 

I don't know when we'll see the payoff for this storyline, especially with WrestleMania so far away, but right now I'm just really enjoying what they're doing here. 

Miss: Punk Beatdown
A minor miss of sorts, but still a segment that I just didn't care for. The idea was there, and it sets up Punk wanting to get more revenge than ever at Night of Champions (when he takes on Axel and Heyman in a Elimination Handicap match), but overall I felt it really overstayed its welcome. I mean seriously, this segment went on forever. 

Heyman beat up Punk with the Kendo Stick, shouted how much he loved him and then did the EXACT same thing when outside the ring as well. Paul Heyman really has been a joy to watch since his return last year, and is one of the best people on the mic in the WWE, but in this case it seemed like Heyman was trying too hard. They looked for effective and engaging television, but for me, I was bored after two minutes. 

Hit: Pipebomb!
What the hell happened here? First we were watching a boring Divas match and the next witnessing one of the best Divas promos ever. Seriously, this was just so awesome and totally unexpected. The way she ripped into every single person in front of her (apart from Natalya, who got a little dig simply because she was there) was just excellent. Every word invited more attention from the crowd until it was obvious that we were witnessing something really great.

Not even The Bella's and Eva's tantrums could stop AJ, and if anything made them look worse as they shouted High School insults while AJ destroyed them on the mic. I'm guessing this was all for AJ to turn heel, which would make sense because there's literally no other face to defend the title against apart from Natalya and Kaitlyn.  This opens up something new for AJ to delve into, and I'm actually really looking forward to it. 

Miss: STOP MAKING DEL RIO LOSE
Seriously, there are other ways to make someone number one contender. One idea? Make a number one contender's match that DOESN'T INVOLVE THE CHAMPION. Crazy, I know, but it's something that would actually work better. If not that, then just put RVD in the title match at Night of Champions anyway. Would it really matter how he didn't do anything to really warrant a title shot? I don't think so. It really is only the World Heavyweight championship after all. 

Miss: Randy Orton vs. Christian
There wasn't exactly anything wrong with this match, I just found it to be pretty boring. And considering how long the match went on for, I think that's enough to warrant a Miss from me. 

This probably wasn't just a one off either. Randy Orton is boring in the ring when he's a heel. Simple as that. He doesn't control a match in a way that's engaging, but rather just bides his time until his opponent is ready to make a comeback. Randy's only been a heel for a little over a week and already he's showing how he's better in the ring as a face. All of a sudden his  dreadful 2009 stint feels like yesterday. 

Hit: Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins
We didn't get the Gauntlet match we were hoping for (or most of us anyway), but we were treated to a really fun bout between Bryan and Rollins, two guys who work very well together. The match had a nice flow to it,  was given enough time, and of course, consisted of an awesome Release German Suplex off the top rope. Rollins sold like an absolute champ in this match, and right until the very end, when Bryan hit his new running knee finisher. The director did miss it unfortunately, but here's a live recording to see just how great it was. 

Stray Observations:

  • Anyone else picture Jerry Lawler sitting at home in his underwear watching the VMAs when he brought up Miley Cyrus? I imagine that's how he finds out most news stories regarding teenage pop stars. 
  • Are WWE really trying get Tout off the ground again? I think even Tout have given up on Tout at this stage. 
  • It's funny how the most frequently used weapon in today's PG environment is a weapon that legitimately leaves people bruised and welted up.
  • Big Show did a great job of showing his desire to go out there and help Daniel Bryan when he was getting beatdown. He could have done so as well considering he has an ironclad contract, but you know, the last time that was brought up was a whole 12 months ago so of course it doesn't exist anywhere. 
  • Did Renee Young really have to interview Show, Ziggler and Miz for their reactions? She knew they couldn't say anything due to a risk of being fired  and yet she asked them anyway, egging them on to say something they'd later regret. What a sneaky bitch. 


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