TRIPLE H vs. CURTIS AXEL (w/Paul Heyman)- DUD!
Hunter beats the sh*t out of Curtis Axel, then Vince comes down and declares Axel the winner by DQ. Hunter orders the match restarted and goes back to beating Axel up until Vince comes down once again declares Axel the win, this time as the result of a forfeit. Then Hunter restarts the match as a sixty minute Iron Man match. That was clever. Then Vince tells Axel to leave, and then takes away the ring bell and the ring announcer’s mic. I’m getting pretty tired of getting screwed out of this damn match.

STEOH & HUNTER BACKSTAGE- I don’t care for this stupid angle, but I have to admit that this was well done.

KANE vs. DEAN AMBROSE (w/the Shield)- 5/10
The DQ finish protects the upcoming match at Payback, though not having Kane get destroyed by Ryback on Smackdown would have helped with this, too.

TEAM HELL NO & RANDY ORTON BACKSTAGE- very good. Vickie then shows up and says that Dragon and Orton will have a WWE Tag Team Title shot at Payback as a result of beating them by DQ on Smackdown and that Kane will have a US Title match against Ambrose as a result of the match earlier tonight. Oh. And Brad Maddox was there. Does he even serve a purpose anymore?

THE MIZ vs. CODY RHODES (w/Damien Sandow)- 4/10
A complete and total waste of Cody’s talents.

HEYMAN TELLS US THAT THE IC TITLE MATCH AT PAYBACK WILL BE MIZ VS. BARRETT vs. AXEL- well… at least Axel’s BS victories are getting him somewhere, though I think that, based on where WWE seems to want him to be, he should be above the IC Title.

MARK HENRY VIDEO PACKAGE- good

VINCE & STEPH BACKSTAGE- not so good

JERICHO & ZIGGLER PROMOS- good

RANDY ORTON (w/Daniel Bryan) vs. ROMAN REIGNS (w/Seth Rollins)- 5.25/10

DANIEL BRYAN (w/Randy Orton) vs. SETH ROLLINS (w/Roman Reigns)- 6.5/10
Dragon get s win to get his confidence back up and they use some teamwork afterwards to show they can win as a team.

WHO IS KAITLYN’S SECRET ADMIRER?- Good segment.
If you are going to meet your secret admirer for the first time, you don’t wear such a skanky top. Anyway, the secret admi9rer is Big E… who dumps Kaitlyn right away, just to be a jerk and get inside Kaitlyn’s head for the match with AJ at Payback. AJ’s promo was awesome. You can see how it all comes together in AJ’s own twisted world-view. I popped huge when Kaitlyn started pounding on AJ.

WYATT FAMILY VIDEO PACKAGE- The good news is that it seems like WWE is finally going to give Husky Harris the push he deserves. The bad news is that I am going to have nightmares of that f*cking goat mask.

DAMIEN SANDOW vs. R-TRUTH- 3/10
The match was short, but was exactly what it needed to be. To contrast, something that wasn’t needed, was Sheamus coming out here and cutting a promo that stole all of Sandow’s momentum.

VINCE, STEPH, & HUNTER BACKSTAGE- dumb. This was just a set up for f*cking hug? (and pointing out that Vince is slightly homophobic because he won’t hug another man)! And here I was thinking that it was the wrestling and Triple H’s drive to compete that were important. Thank you, WWE for wasting my time.

CENA & RYBACK CONFRONTATION- eh. Both had some good points. This went a lot better than I thought it would.

My recording seems to have goofed and entirely missed the Big E. vs. Jericho match. Anyone know what happened?
P.S. I also seem to have missed something about Zeb Coulter and Antonio Cesaro

Ziggler WILL be at Payback, ADR cost Langston by throwin Ziggler into the apron for a momentary distraction.

And Coulter sat at the table for Cesaro V Cara...Which surprisingly, he worked EXTREMELY well with Cara...Coulter tore the house down on the commentary though...It was a highlight of the night for me...And Cesaro could very well be finding himself a new manager soon.

This review has surprised me a lot, BRM.

I'm surprised you aren't liking the McMahon angle, esp considering how you regard Stephanie.

I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away (considering it was just an episode of Raw; not to mention the FINAL Raw before a ppv). I do think they should have let Rollins do a bit more of his great moves (the buckle bomb was great, but I want him to start doing that stomping charge from the corner he'd do on the indies; I think it'd play really well with the WWE Universe.

Lastly, I'm surprised you think Axel is being pushed above the midcard; I doubt he'll win or even challenge for it again after sunday.

badnewzxl wrote:I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away

I think the 6.5 is fair, if not a bit generous. It DID blow everyone away, and I'm wondering if it was just the novelty of Danielson vs Black in a WWE ring, because beyond that I didn't feel like these two were clicking at all. I wasn't feeling any chemistry between the two of them, which is odd because at this point I feel like Bryan wrestle a bag of garbage for 10 minutes and get a 5.0...

Maybe Seth Rollins just isn't for me. All I've really seen of him is his WWE/nXt work, and he's yet to win me over. I'm not hating here either, I REALLY want to like him, unlike somebody like Sin Cara who could tight-rope walk all four ropes in succession and I'd say it "wreaked of effort" or something else unflattering. He's got an awesome look, his bump at TLC was sick, but I feel like he was a little over-hyped coming in (hence the Sin Cara comparison). Maybe somebody can help me out here, but I feel like I'm missing something with Rollins. What am I not seeing?

badnewzxl wrote:This review has surprised me a lot, BRM.

I'm surprised you aren't liking the McMahon angle, esp considering how you regard Stephanie.

I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away (considering it was just an episode of Raw; not to mention the FINAL Raw before a ppv). I do think they should have let Rollins do a bit more of his great moves (the buckle bomb was great, but I want him to start doing that stomping charge from the corner he'd do on the indies; I think it'd play really well with the WWE Universe.

Lastly, I'm surprised you think Axel is being pushed above the midcard; I doubt he'll win or even challenge for it again after sunday.

I love Steph as either a bratty heel or as a serious businesswoman or a concerned wife/daughter/sister. When her dialogue gets too scripted, though, she wears thin, like any authority figure. I thought her segment with hunter was great, but her segment with Vince was too scripted, and therefore I didn't like it.

It's not that I don't like the angle... I just get pissed off when what should be a serious angle is just used to set up something lame like a "hug it out."

I guess the reason I'm not going so nuts about Tyler vs. Dragon is that they spent a large portion of a tag match against each other recently and that was better than this.

I think they want Axel to be pushed above the midcard (he wouldn't be in the ring with Cena or Hunter they didn't). I just think they are botching the push horribly with it's booking.

Bob-O wrote:

badnewzxl wrote:I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away

I think the 6.5 is fair, if not a bit generous. It DID blow everyone away, and I'm wondering if it was just the novelty of Danielson vs Black in a WWE ring, because beyond that I didn't feel like these two were clicking at all. I wasn't feeling any chemistry between the two of them, which is odd because at this point I feel like Bryan wrestle a bag of garbage for 10 minutes and get a 5.0...

Maybe Seth Rollins just isn't for me. All I've really seen of him is his WWE/nXt work, and he's yet to win me over. I'm not hating here either, I REALLY want to like him, unlike somebody like Sin Cara who could tight-rope walk all four ropes in succession and I'd say it "wreaked of effort" or something else unflattering. He's got an awesome look, his bump at TLC was sick, but I feel like he was a little over-hyped coming in (hence the Sin Cara comparison). Maybe somebody can help me out here, but I feel like I'm missing something with Rollins. What am I not seeing?

If you haven't seen anything before NXT, you need to check out the following ASAP:
1. His serious of matches with Ambrose in FCW (especially the last one, but watching the first two make the last one feel even more epic)
2. His stuff with Nigel and Davey in ROH
3. Pretty much anything he did as champ in FCW
4. A good chuck of his other ROH matches (especially the stuff from 2010)

Bob-O wrote:

badnewzxl wrote:I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away

I think the 6.5 is fair, if not a bit generous. It DID blow everyone away, and I'm wondering if it was just the novelty of Danielson vs Black in a WWE ring, because beyond that I didn't feel like these two were clicking at all. I wasn't feeling any chemistry between the two of them, which is odd because at this point I feel like Bryan wrestle a bag of garbage for 10 minutes and get a 5.0...

Maybe Seth Rollins just isn't for me. All I've really seen of him is his WWE/nXt work, and he's yet to win me over. I'm not hating here either, I REALLY want to like him, unlike somebody like Sin Cara who could tight-rope walk all four ropes in succession and I'd say it "wreaked of effort" or something else unflattering. He's got an awesome look, his bump at TLC was sick, but I feel like he was a little over-hyped coming in (hence the Sin Cara comparison). Maybe somebody can help me out here, but I feel like I'm missing something with Rollins. What am I not seeing?

For me, the novelty was def why I wanted to see the match, but I was pretty surprised by the way the match went. I've seen them in ROH, but I never so them have a match that was THAT hard hitting. That was one of the best matches on raw in years and one of the stiffest. It told the story of Bryan's anger and showed the Shield's aura of invulnerability perfectly. It raised BOTH guys' stock, imo.

I'd have to give that a 7.5

Big Red Machine wrote:

badnewzxl wrote:This review has surprised me a lot, BRM.

I'm surprised you aren't liking the McMahon angle, esp considering how you regard Stephanie.

I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away (considering it was just an episode of Raw; not to mention the FINAL Raw before a ppv). I do think they should have let Rollins do a bit more of his great moves (the buckle bomb was great, but I want him to start doing that stomping charge from the corner he'd do on the indies; I think it'd play really well with the WWE Universe.

Lastly, I'm surprised you think Axel is being pushed above the midcard; I doubt he'll win or even challenge for it again after sunday.

I love Steph as either a bratty heel or as a serious businesswoman or a concerned wife/daughter/sister. When her dialogue gets too scripted, though, she wears thin, like any authority figure. I thought her segment with hunter was great, but her segment with Vince was too scripted, and therefore I didn't like it.

It's not that I don't like the angle... I just get pissed off when what should be a serious angle is just used to set up something lame like a "hug it out."

I guess the reason I'm not going so nuts about Tyler vs. Dragon is that they spent a large portion of a tag match against each other recently and that was better than this.

I think they want Axel to be pushed above the midcard (he wouldn't be in the ring with Cena or Hunter they didn't). I just think they are botching the push horribly with it's booking.

1. Makes sense. That's exactly where I thought the segment went slightly awry.

2. They didn't spend nearly as much time against one another in the tag matches as they did in that match tho. They both got to show off moves they don't get to perform as often and it lit the crowd on fire. If they'd have hit that Chaos Theory the way I'm sure they meant to, several people in the crowd would have crapped their pants.

3. I think they're doing a good job of getting heat on Axel, but it's all through Heyman; I didn't expect him to actually start off with a high profile feud and stay at that level. Fandango got the push against Jericho but he didn't move on to face Sheamus or Orton. Heyman already manages two World title contenders; I feel like Axel is there to be our vehicle to get more Heyman. I think he'll remain on tv and prolly always have something to do, but I don't think any of what they've done is a foundation for HIM to build a name; it's more about Heyman causing turmoil between the McMahons.

Big Red Machine wrote:

badnewzxl wrote:This review has surprised me a lot, BRM.

I'm surprised you aren't liking the McMahon angle, esp considering how you regard Stephanie.

I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away (considering it was just an episode of Raw; not to mention the FINAL Raw before a ppv). I do think they should have let Rollins do a bit more of his great moves (the buckle bomb was great, but I want him to start doing that stomping charge from the corner he'd do on the indies; I think it'd play really well with the WWE Universe.

Lastly, I'm surprised you think Axel is being pushed above the midcard; I doubt he'll win or even challenge for it again after sunday.

I love Steph as either a bratty heel or as a serious businesswoman or a concerned wife/daughter/sister. When her dialogue gets too scripted, though, she wears thin, like any authority figure. I thought her segment with hunter was great, but her segment with Vince was too scripted, and therefore I didn't like it.

It's not that I don't like the angle... I just get pissed off when what should be a serious angle is just used to set up something lame like a "hug it out."

I guess the reason I'm not going so nuts about Tyler vs. Dragon is that they spent a large portion of a tag match against each other recently and that was better than this.

I think they want Axel to be pushed above the midcard (he wouldn't be in the ring with Cena or Hunter they didn't). I just think they are botching the push horribly with it's booking.

1. Makes sense. That's exactly where I thought the segment went slightly awry.

2. They didn't spend nearly as much time against one another in the tag matches as they did in that match tho. They both got to show off moves they don't get to perform as often and it lit the crowd on fire. If they'd have hit that Chaos Theory the way I'm sure they meant to, several people in the crowd would have crapped their pants.

3. I think they're doing a good job of getting heat on Axel, but it's all through Heyman; I didn't expect him to actually start off with a high profile feud and stay at that level. Fandango got the push against Jericho but he didn't move on to face Sheamus or Orton. Heyman already manages two World title contenders; I feel like Axel is there to be our vehicle to get more Heyman. I think he'll remain on tv and prolly always have something to do, but I don't think any of what they've done is a foundation for HIM to build a name; it's more about Heyman causing turmoil between the McMahons.

badnewzxl wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:

badnewzxl wrote:This review has surprised me a lot, BRM.

I'm surprised you aren't liking the McMahon angle, esp considering how you regard Stephanie.

I'm also surprised you aren't raving about the Rollins/Bryan match; it blew everyone away (considering it was just an episode of Raw; not to mention the FINAL Raw before a ppv). I do think they should have let Rollins do a bit more of his great moves (the buckle bomb was great, but I want him to start doing that stomping charge from the corner he'd do on the indies; I think it'd play really well with the WWE Universe.

Lastly, I'm surprised you think Axel is being pushed above the midcard; I doubt he'll win or even challenge for it again after sunday.

I love Steph as either a bratty heel or as a serious businesswoman or a concerned wife/daughter/sister. When her dialogue gets too scripted, though, she wears thin, like any authority figure. I thought her segment with hunter was great, but her segment with Vince was too scripted, and therefore I didn't like it.

It's not that I don't like the angle... I just get pissed off when what should be a serious angle is just used to set up something lame like a "hug it out."

I guess the reason I'm not going so nuts about Tyler vs. Dragon is that they spent a large portion of a tag match against each other recently and that was better than this.

I think they want Axel to be pushed above the midcard (he wouldn't be in the ring with Cena or Hunter they didn't). I just think they are botching the push horribly with it's booking.

1. Makes sense. That's exactly where I thought the segment went slightly awry.

2. They didn't spend nearly as much time against one another in the tag matches as they did in that match tho. They both got to show off moves they don't get to perform as often and it lit the crowd on fire. If they'd have hit that Chaos Theory the way I'm sure they meant to, several people in the crowd would have crapped their pants.

3. I think they're doing a good job of getting heat on Axel, but it's all through Heyman; I didn't expect him to actually start off with a high profile feud and stay at that level. Fandango got the push against Jericho but he didn't move on to face Sheamus or Orton. Heyman already manages two World title contenders; I feel like Axel is there to be our vehicle to get more Heyman. I think he'll remain on tv and prolly always have something to do, but I don't think any of what they've done is a foundation for HIM to build a name; it's more about Heyman causing turmoil between the McMahons.

3. It hasn't been portrayed that way, though. Heyman has not once mentioned the issues between the McMahons. Heyman might have two top-tier clients, but Brock is only on TV a few times a year and is, in a way, above the titles. Brock is a special attraction, like Taker and Hunter. Punk actually seems like the babyface in this feud with Jericho, and I have a feeling that he will go babyface and feud with Axel (and later, with Brock).

Fandango didn't get a push by being in there with Jericho. Fandango is f*cking joke and has been mostly booked like it. The Fandango gimmick does not have the potential to be a main-event gimmick. Axel, on the other hand, does have main event potential and has only been in there with main event guys (Hunter, Cena, Jericho). WWE seems to want him to be on that level, but the way they are booking his matches is hurting that. WWE has shown that they know how to have some one come in at the top of the card and stay up there (Del Rio is a great example of that). They are just screwing it up here for some reason.