Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro
Both men kicks things off with some suplexes. Roman applies an armbar and then Cesaro hits a flying uppercut. He tries to go for the Cesaro Swing, but Cesaro throws him into the corner. Roman spills to the outside and the ten count begins. Roman gets hit with an uppercut on the outside as Raw goes to commercial. Roman caught Cesaro with a big boot, which almost knocks his head off. Roman hits a clothesline and then gets hit with an uppercut, followed by another and another. Reigns stopped it with some elbow shots and then ten clotheslines in a row. Reigns misses the drive-by and gets caught with a Cesaro Swing. He applies the Sharpshooter.
Cesaro transitions into an armbar and then a cross face. Roman Reigns powers himself out and hits a Samoan Drop for two. Cesaro gets tossed to the outside and his elbow hits the mat. He sells the elbow hard and barely gets in from the ten count. Roman finally hits the drive-by and throws him back into the ring. He hits a clothesline and more in the corner, picks him up with one arm and slams him back down. Cesaro countered a Superman Punch and hit a big uppercut. Reigns hit a Superman Punch from the top rope. He sets up a Spear and a series of reversals almost gets Cesaro the win. Roman Reigns hits a Spear for the win. Roman moves on to the next round.
This was an excellent fight between two great athletes. You can tell that Roman Reigns is ready. He kept up and even helped himself throughout the match with some excellent spots. His attack on the elbow of Cesaro made him look like a heel, which could be some foreshadowing. 20 minutes of great storytelling, a match that had so much on the line. The power of both men, the skill and the dramatic elements made this match excellent as well.
Part of me wanted to see Roman lose to shake things up, but WWE will not shy away from the plan. Roman Reigns will be part of a long-term plan and we can only hope Cesaro is utilized in a bigger capacity consistently.
Reintroducing The Tag Team Division
Six man tag team match between Ryback, The Uso’s and The New Day take place on Raw. Furthermore, The Dudley Boyz pick up a win over The Ascension in quick fashion. Here is my issue…
Dudley Boyz come back hot and the fans love them. The energy in a division that had ONE relevant team was turned up to the max with the legendary team. They lose and fall all the way down to squash matches against The Ascension. The Uso’s come back and are immediately in contention for the WWE Tag Team Championships. I think they are back where they deserve to be, but why are we just throwing aside Bubba Ray and Devon? Can’t we have more than 1-2 tag teams in contention? That is what has been the problem for so many years. WWE focuses too much on 1-2 teams when they can have 4-5 successful teams. Uso’s, New Day, Dudley Boyz, Prime Time Players and (with a ton of help) The Ascension. It could be an intriguing division, if there is emphasis on competition and not complacency.
