RAW REPORT: 09/02/15
- Burgess Matthews
- Feb 11, 2015
- 5 min read
Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan def. Kane & Big Show via DQ
Ryback def. Seth Rollins via DQ
Paige def. Brie Bella via Pinfall
Bray Wyatt def. Dolph Ziggler via Pinfall
New Day - Kofi Kingston & Big E def. Goldust and Stardust via Pinfall
Tyson Kidd & Cesaro def. The Usos via Pinfall
Sin Cara def. Damien Mizdow via Pinfall
Dean Ambrose def. Curtis Axel via Pinfall
Daniel Bryan & Roman Reigns def. Seth Rollins, J&J Security, Kane & Big Show via Pinfall
As of late the WWE has felt very repetitive, and this edition of Raw was no different. As fans we saw many of the same matches with the same outcomes on what was a poor episode.
Opening Promo
One of the few positives of this episode of Raw was the opening promo. It wasn't dragged out, and didn't take up nearly 20 minutes of air time. It was simple promo between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, with The Authority interrupting and creating a match to kick off the show. The shorter promo played to the strengths of Reigns and Bryan, as neither are the most comfortable on the microphone. However, barring one minor slip up, Reigns' development as a talker has continued , which is good to see.
The match between Bryan, Reigns, Kane and Big Show was a good way to kick off the show as any match featuring Daniel Bryan will garner a great reaction from the crowd. They tried to give us new matchups throughout this match, but it still felt like we have seen this match for nearly 3 consecutive weeks. The match ended in disqualification as Big Show attempted to take out Daniel Bryan. Reigns would come to the rescue, but the action ended with Bryan attempting to dropkick Kane, but hit Reigns instead.
As the tension builds between Reigns and Bryan leading into Fastlane, Triple H then set up the main event where they would again team up to take on Seth Rollins, J&J Security, Kane and Big Show. Overall, the match quality was lacking, but this segment was able to draw more heat between Reigns and Bryan leading into the main event.
Poor Singles Action
Poor singles action filled up a large part of this edition of Raw. Ryback's DQ win over Seth Rollins was hardly a match, and leaves him treading water with no meaningful rivalry in place. The lone divas match of the night was very short, which saw Paige send a message to Nikki Bella by comfortably defeating her sister. The match between Sin Cara and Damien Mizdow was completely focussed on The Miz and his personal assistant. As tension between the pair has nearly reached its limit, it will be interesting to see when WWE Creative will pull the trigger on their inevitable match.
Repetitive Action
Following the theme of seeing the same thing over and over again, Dean Ambrose defeated Curtis Axel, again. What followed was Bad News Barrett refusing to give Ambrose a title shot, again. To me this is lazy booking. I understand that this is supposed to make us feel like Ambrose is being treated unfairly, but at least explore other ways of doing so. For instance, have Barrett interfere and force Ambrose to lose a number one contenders match, then refuse to give him a title shot.
In the Tag Team division we saw much of the same as we have over the last few weeks. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd picked up a dirty win over The Usos, which will set up a title match at Fastlane. In my opinion, the big match feel will be lost at Fastlane as we have seen this matchup for three consecutive weeks now. I feel like WWE Creative should have learned from the rivalry between The Usos and The Miz and Mizdow.
The other match showed how little the WWE universe care about The New Day. The WWE have done an awful job in re-packaging these three, and as they try their best to get the crowd involved, you can't help but feel bad for them. Their match against Gold and Stardust was poor, but was in no way their fault as the match was only a few minutes long. The hostility continued to become more prevalent between Gold and Stardust, with Stardust leaving the match almost immediately, resulting in yet another backstage confrontation. Much like the Ambrose and Barratt situation, this is lazy booking.
Addressing the Universe
On three separate occasions we saw Rusev, with Lana, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, take to the middle of the ring to address their upcoming opponents. Personally, I enjoyed the Lana, Rusev and Cena segment, and I absolutely love Rusev when he's on the microphone. They did not reinvent the wheel with this segment, but we did see Rusev and Cena going at it, with Rusev coming out on top. This rivalry is beginning to pick up some steam, and I'm glad to see the that Rusev will be putting his championship on the line at Fastlane, as it's a great way to re-establish the United States Championship.
Sting finally accepted Triple H's offer for a face-to-face confrontation at Fastlane, and was briefly met by a fake Sting in the ring (Yes, we could easily tell that wasn't actually Sting).
Finally, Brock Lesnar made what felt like a mandatory appearance as he and Heyman did little to further any rivalries with either Roman Reigns or Daniel Bryan.
What's Next for Dolph Ziggler?
Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt can put on a fantastic match whenever its needed. Although there match this week was not as good as last weeks, it was still one of the best matches of the night. However, after suffering back to back losses at the hands of Bray Wyatt, I am struggling to see where they are taking Ziggler. After Survivor Series I was expecting huge things for him, and with the WWE Universe firmly behind him, the sky was the limit.
Conversely, with the return of The Authority and Daniel Bryan, it feels as if the yes movement has taken Ziggler's place against The Authority. As a result Ziggler has dropped down the card and has been left without a significant rivalry, and as Wrestlemania nears, it is worrying to see one of the best workers in the WWE without a rival.
Main Event
After establishing they can work together to thwart a common enemy, Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns were set to face off against The Authority in a 5-on-2 Handicap Match. What would follow was a number of systematic, 5-on-2 beat downs that would see Ryback, Ziggler and Erick Rowan come out to help. The match at this stage was all over the place, and left Bryan in the ring against J&J Security. As Bryan looked set to pick up the victory, Reigns, who had been unable to compete for most of the match, tagged himself in so that he could hit the spear to Joey Mercury and pick up the win.
Drama follows as Bryan angrily confronts Reigns, which ultimately lead to Reigns hitting Bryan with a spear. A smart move from the WWE to build the rivalry between Bryan and Reigns as we head into their match at Fastlane, and with the seeds now already planted a full-blown Reigns heel turn could be on the cards.
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