Opening Segment Review:
Triple H starts off by apologizing about what went down at Summerslam, and not seeing his leg on the rope. Furthermore, he says he had nothing to do with Kevin Nash’s involvement after the match. He left him tickets, but had no knowledge of him attacking C.M. Punk. He speaks of inviting Nash tonight to explain himself. Alberto Del Rio cashing in is just something that happens when you win the briefcase. Out comes the new champion, Alberto Del Rio. He gives his speech on how it is his destiny to be WWE Champion. He says he never intended to cash it in at Summerslam. He says he could not resist cashing it in after Nash’s involvement. He says he wants to please the fans, by signing autographs and taking pictures with the kids. He talks about Rey Mysterio, how everyone loves him, and how Del Rio loves Mysterio, and how he started his career by beating him. He continues to talk about beating Rey, and what he will do tonight.
Reaction:
I enjoyed the beginning, but did not like how any of the questions were answered besides the Triple H explanation. I would have loved to see Cena or Punk come out before Del Rio to confront Triple H about what happened. Kevin Nash was teased for later, which I understand to keep us wanting more. Del Rio’s speech was good, but we have heard it before. We have heard this same speech the past six months. So, we still need to see Punk, Cena, Nash, and more Triple H explanations tonight. It feels like we may not get a ton of wrestling. This segment gets a C, should have had more than H and Del Rio in the ring talking. Your biggest storyline with the biggest stars will be shown later, which I am okay with, but feel like we should have had at least Cena confront Triple H.
R Truth vs. John Morrison Review:
A falls count anywhere match pits these two rivals one on one. Morrison and Truth exchange offensive moves, and both counter as well. Truth gets taken to the outside, as Morrison hits a corkscrew splash to the outside. Morrison follows with a kick to the head, using the barricade as leverage. Truth hits a front suplex to gain the advantage, as we head to a commercial. We get back from commercial, and Truth is still beating down on the body of Morrison. Truth works on Morrison with some running knees. Morrison gets clotheslined into the crowd. A pele kick gives Morrison some much needed offense, but Truth throws him into the steel steps. Morrison flips Truth over a chair, and hits the running knee to the face, and picks up the win.
Reaction:
An entertaining match between these two superstars. There were some great athletic spots, and some creativity to keep the long time feud from being exactly the same as other matches. Morrison was beaten down, but came back and really worked on Truth. The spots were clean, and the finish was executed perfectly. Great bout of wrestling between these guys, and I hope both can move onto a fresh feud. This segment gets an A, with enough time to see a beginning, the climax, and the finish of a wrestling match with a few wrinkles of attitude.
In Ring Segment Review:
The Miz says hi to Jared from Subway. He talks about how he can better a better spokesperson for Subway. He pitches the new sub. He says he will be a champion again. A limo pulls up, and out comes Kevin Nash.
Reaction:
A terrible, meaningless segment. It was pointless, and showed that it is still a business, and Subway pays a lot of money for a 5 minute segment. Miz did what he was told to do, but it was absolutely ridiculous. Maybe on Smackdown, Mark Henry will pitch Arby’s. One can hope. This segment gets an F, waste of time, and would rather have seen something that made sense, maybe a new Miz feud. Come on, that was plain awful.
Kelly Kelly & Eve vs. The Bella Twins Review:
Kelly Kelly gives a bulldog and a stink face to Nikki. Nikki gets on the offensive and kicks her in the leg. They work on the left leg a little more, as the match moves along slowly. Kelly Kelly tags in Eve, and Eve dropkicks Nikki, and hits a clothesline. She reverses a suplex into a neck breaker, and Eve goes to the top and hits a moonsault for the win.
Reaction:
Besides the match starting off slow, it picked up when Eve came in and hit a few nice moves. Beth and Natalya come out on the top of the stage to clap for the victors, and then stares them down. This segment gets a C, because the match was actually not terrible, thanks to Eve’s athleticism and her ability to hit a few clean spots. After a strong performance last night, Kelly Kelly looked off and her timing seemed to be a half a second late, which is an eternity for a divas match. It is hard to cover that up. Glad to see the Divas of Doom come out after. Keep building those two up, even after a loss.
In Ring Segment Review:
With no music, Kevin Nash makes his way out to the ring. He thanks Triple H for inviting him out to explain his actions. He talks about his friendship with The Game, and talks about asking him to attend Summerslam. He says before the main event, he got a text that read, “Hey big man, do me a favor. No Matter what happens in the main event, stick the winner for me.” He talks about the thrill in the ring, and talks about what he did was business. He says him and Triple H need to get on the same page. Out come CM Punk. Punk says he does not believe that load of crap from Nash. He says Nash would do whatever his best friend says. He talks about how he heard that Nash does not know what is good for business. Nash tells Punk he needs to watch his mouth. Punk tells Nash to watch the show, as he does whatever he pleases. Punk calls Nash a liar, and reads a text from his sister, which is very comical. He says it is only Nash’s career is dead. He is pissed off, and points fingers to a lot of people. He is not pissed at Del Rio, but he is to everyone else. He says Triple H is bringing his cronies back. He bases Nash some more, and Nash says how he changed the company. He tells Punk to hit the showers, hit the weights, and get a clue. Punk says he is ready to fight, and heads to ring side. Security blocks him off.
Reaction:
If you wanted answers, you got them… kind of. Nash knows how to work a mic, but Punk is absolute gold in everything he says. He is not a mechanical voice that we hear from many of the superstars in the business today. There was realism in the confrontation, and the usual rehashing of history in professional wrestling. This segment get a B, because it shows they have more to come in this developing storyline between Punk, Nash, Triple H, and maybe Cena. When you build a storyline, you never find the answers in one week. This is a building block to what seems to be a pay off between Punk and Triple H. I love how we still are in the dark with what will happen next. Still a lot of questions to be answered, and time will tell. It kept the intrigue and interest in something that has many weeks, and months to build.
Backstage Segment Review:
John Lauranitis wants to take Nash into his office to talk about something important.
Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger Review:
Ziggler and Vickie are on commentary. Riley unloads right punches to Swagger in the corner. Swagger attacks the leg of Riley, and then hits his patented splash off the middle turnbuckle to Riley. We se the ground work of Swagger on Riley, very Oklahoma-esque.( I know that is not a word) Swagger hits a side suplex, and grapples the arm of Riley. The announce team is hilarious, side note. Riley hits a spinebuster on Swagger, followed by a few running clotheslines. We see Vickie steal JR’s cowboy hat, and tries to distract the referee. This allows Swagger to hit a side powerbomb, with a third effort. He pins Riley.
Reaction:
A good match that ended awkwardly. Swagger completely missed his finisher, and looked tired in the ring after a few minutes. We see Vickie and Dolph argue, and they tried to distract Riley. I feel like that overshadowed what could have been a very good in ring bout between two young and talented superstars. I just did not get it, with the hat, the constant bickering, which was funny for a hot minute. It shows that Riley and Ziggler will fight for the IC Title soon, with Vickie either costing or helping Ziggler in the match. This segment gets a C. You need to build your mid card stars with good in ring abilities and let the storylines fit themselves, not the other way around.
Backstage Segment Review:
Vickie and Swagger exchange words, and Swagger talks about how she has helped superstars become champions. He says she looks great, how she is a great manager, and how he maybe wants her to expanding her roster of superstars. I really liked this, because she is a heel who gains heat for basically anyone. She speaks, and boos come out. She, like it or not, is a reason Dolph was battling for World Titles.
Backstage Segment Review:
Stephanie McMahon talks to CM Punk, and says she is sorry about what happened, and John Cena having his leg on the rope. She says people always get what they deserve. We need to continue to see Stephanie McMahon because she is a polarizing figure in Vince’s absense.
Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs David Otunga & Michael McGillicuddy Review:
Mc starts off working on Kofi, but good tag team work from Bourne and Kofi ground Mc. He hits a drop kick on Bourne and hits his face in the boot of Otunga. Otunga hits a hard shoulder block, and follows up with a body slam. He continues to power over Bourne. Kofi gets the hot tag, and drop kicks both men. He tags in Bourne for the Air Bourne, and the pinfall.
Reaction:
There was some good spots here, with Kofi and Bourne showing their athleticism throughout the match. The tag champs, who need a name besides their full names, looked good working together, but just seem misplaced together. It looks forced at times, and their ability to feed off each other are the only thing they have going for them. Bourne and Kofi seem to be contenders, which I am okay with. Two good guys who know how to entertain the crowd, and who are mature in the ring. Neither of these superstars miss big spots often, and are always reliable to make some exciting moments inside the ropes. This match gets a B-, for the sole purpose of Otunga not having much ability in the ring, while Mc is far ahead of him with his talents. Give them time, which is what I am doing. Even Lawler said they are bland, which I can begin to see here and there.
Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio for the Undisputed WWE Championship Review:
Both men start off countering one another, and Del Rio gets a few offensive moves in, until Rey hits a hurricanranna. Del Rio retreats, as we head into a commercial break. Del Rio gets Rey into a submission hold. Both men head to the top rope, as Rey hits a spinning DDT on Del Rio. Mysterio hits a reverse body splash on Del Rio, and grabs a few near falls. Del Rio falls to the outside, and Rey hits a kick, and a high flying body to body to take down Del Rio. Seated Senton connects, but Del Rio hits a strong clothesline to derail Rey. Del Rio hits a backbreaker and gets a near pinfall once again. Del Rio continues beating Rey in the corner, and hits a perfect kick to the back of the head. Rey hits 619, and tries to hit Del Rio with a splash, but the knees hit Rey, and he covers him for the victory. He attacks Rey after the match, until John Cena saves Rey. He speaks on how Del Rio is a target, and rips apart Del Rio for getting lucky and not earning it.
Reaction:
What a pure and entertaining main event we got here. Both men were spot on and connected with every move. This is what happens when you pit two men against one another with similar backgrounds. Timing, execution, and athleticism were what made this match so entertaining. I criticize Mysterio on Chair Shot Reality, but he puts on a great match with his body who has had surgery 5 times in his left knee. Both men deserve a round of applause. This segment gets an A. Finally, we see Cena come out and talk to Del Rio, which seemed forced and did not fit. He is upset Del Rio cashed in on Punk, which every other Money in the Bank winner has done besides RVD. An okay ending after a great match.
Overall Review:
Raw had good matches, intriguing build to more storylines, and the continuation of what is to come in the following weeks. The end was a little weak, with Cena coming out. We had to see him somehow, so I assume this was what they had to do for him to be seen. I hope Punk makes it a triple threat match at Night of Champions, because he is who everyone wants to see…still. Kevin Nash meeting with John Lauranitis was money, because none of us know what his role in the company is at this point. Let the speculation begin, but he is still a guy who people want to see. Overall, Raw gets a B. I am interested to see what happens next week.
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