OPENING SEGMENT- Dragon comes out to celebrate with the belt, but Hunter comes out and claims that there was a fast-count. This is idiotic. The babyface wins the belt on PPV, then, the next night they come out, and make the decision irrelevant?! WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS WCW BULLSHIT?!
Don’t they realize that if they keep putting the belt on Dragon and then immediately taking it away from him, it won’t mean anything when he finally wins it for a proper run because people will just assume they are going to screw him again?

ORTON, STEPH, & HUNTER BACKSTAGE- oh come on! This is idiotic! What is so hard about just having Orton be a f*cking heel?! There is no reason to do this unless they are making him a babyface which would be idiotic!

DEAN AMBROSE vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER- 6.25/10
Better than last night’s PPV match.

MADDOX, THE MCMAHONS, & BIG SHOW BACKSTAGE- This is the sort of thing that scares me that they really want Big Show to be the top babyface here instead of Dragon.

R-TRUTH vs. FANDANGO (w/Summer Rae)- 4/10
We got some Summer Rae chants, which are well-deserved. Aside from Paul Heyman, she is easily the best non-wrestler in WWE. Also, she looked REALLY f*cking hot tonight.

To hype up Dusty’s in-ring segment, we saw Dusty backstage, interacting with a gaggle of superstars, and the whole time Nattie has her hand on Hornswoggle’s shoulder like he was a child and she was his mother. It was just weird.

DUSTY SEGMENT- he starts off by breaking kayfabe for no reason. He also used Hunter’s legit last name to refer to Steph. WHY?! Other than that, this promo was great, but the breaking of kayfabe, especially when it is done for no reason at all, really pisses me off.
Great. Now Steph is doing it, too. Anyway, Steph says that Dusty can choose which one of his sons WWE will employ. Great heel stuff from Steph. Dusty tells Steph to go to hell, so Steph calls The Shield out… then calls Big Show out, too, and has Show knock Dusty out. Show won’t do it, so Steph orders The Shield in. The Shield grab chairs and get ready to destroy Dusty. Show screams something that needed to be bleeped, and then knocks Dusty out himself. Dusty has to be stretchered into an Ambulance.

ALICIA FOX, LAYLA EL, & AKSANA vs. THE FUNKADACTYLS, & BRIE BELLA (w/Nikkie Bella, JoJo, & Eva Marie)- 2/10
Nattie and AJ are on commentary, but Nattie’s headset doesn’t work… and both Lawler and Nattie are seriously accusing AJ of sabotaging Nattie’s headset! Really?
Lawler finally gave Nattie his headset, which was great because it meant that we wouldn’t have to listen to Lawler.
Anyway, Nattie came off sounding like the heel here, which hurt this a lot. 98% of the focus seemed to be on the argument between Nattie and AJ, which makes me wonder why they didn’t just do a promo segment between these two? It would put the focus where they want it and also not make one of the other divas look pathetic by losing in two minutes in a six woman tag team match.

At one point during this show, Cole referred to Miz as “the awesome Miz,” which makes him sound like some sort of corny magician.

DAMIEN SANDOW vs. ROB VAN DAM (w/Ricardo Rodriguez)- 4/10

HUNTER FIRES SCOTT ARMSTRONG- you this whole thing actually was a kayfabe f*ck-up rather than an evil plot by the McMahons? WHAT THE F*CK?!
Anyway, Lawler then blasts Hunter for firing Armstrong. He is a referee who claims that he entered into a conspiracy to fix a WWE Title match! Whether Dragon was actually in on this or not (we all know he isn’t, but for kayfabe argument’s sake, he might be), Armstrong still PURPOSELY CHEATED SOMEONE DURING THE FINISH OF A WWE TITLE MATCH! That is ground for firing a referee if I have ever heard of any!
Lawler really pissed me off on this show. He kept saying that Orton didn’t deserve the title back, which, given the circumstances, seems ridiculous. Orton lost the title because a rogue ref made a fast-count on him. How does he not deserve to the champion right now if he didn’t lose the belt fairly?
And Lawler’s justification for this is equally stupid: Because STEPHANIE said it. Stephanie also thinks that Dragon doesn’t deserve to be the face of the WWE! Are you going to start preaching that, too, Lawler?
THE MIZ vs. RANDY ORTON- No rating. Great segment.
I figured something like this was coming after Steph’s speech earlier.

HEYMAN & RYBACK PROMOS- good heat-getting promo, but nothing you actually need to see.

#1 CONTENDERSHIP ELIMINATION MATCH: The Usos vs. Tons of Funk vs. The Real Americans (w/Zeb Coulter)- 6.5/10
All three of these teams were in a #1 contendership match last night, and all three of them lost. What have they done since then to earn this opportunity? This is freakin’ TNA-level sh*t right here.
Anyway, once Tons of Funk got eliminated, this was got good. The Usos are super-over and after their showing the last time they faced The Shield, giving them another PPV shot is a good idea.

Cole tells us that Miz has a “damaged thorax.” Not a “chest.” A “thorax.” I didn’t realize that Miz was a fruit fly. Either that or Michael Cole randomly slipped into Latin. I’m also wondering how a Pillmaizer on the neck somehow injured Miz’s chest.

BRAY WYATT PROMO- awesome.
I need to learn to stop watching Raw late at night because these Bray Wyatt promos make it impossible for me to go to sleep.

DANIEL BRYAN vs. ROMAN REIGNS (w/The Shield)- 7/10
Good post-match beatdown. I loved Dragon immediately locking Randy in the Yes Lock and The Shield having to save Randy. The beatdown was great and the most of the locker room coming out to make the save really felt like great babyface moment. I’m just wondering why, of all the people who had to take a finisher from The Shield, why they had Kofi do it instead of a jobber like Ryder or a low-level guy like R-Truth.

Overall, not a good episode of Raw. There was some entirely stupid sh*t on this show that really eroded my confidence in the direction of the WWE.

STUPID ANNOUNCER QUOTES:
1. Jerry Lawler, the babyface announcer, says that the only good decision Triple H has made is not giving the title back to Randy Orton.
So now that we have established beyond a shadow of a doubt that a fast-count occurred, Jerry Lawler does not believe that we should give the title back to the man who never really lost it?

Big Red Machine wrote:
#1 CONTENDERSHIP ELIMINATION MATCH: The Usos vs. Tons of Funk vs. The Real Americans (w/Zeb Coulter)- 6.5/10
All three of these teams were in a #1 contendership match last night, and all three of them lost. What have they done since then to earn this opportunity? This is freakin’ TNA-level sh*t right here.
Anyway, once Tons of Funk got eliminated, this was got good. The Usos are super-over and after their showing the last time they faced The Shield, giving them another PPV shot is a good idea.

PTP failed to do it, they go back to the bottom of the list and we get a triple threat from the rest. it sucks, but it makes sense

Big Red Machine wrote: I’m just wondering why, of all the people who had to take a finisher from The Shield, why they had Kofi do it instead of a jobber like Ryder or a low-level guy like R-Truth.

to me, kofi IS a jobber, i was quite glad he took it

cero2k wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:
#1 CONTENDERSHIP ELIMINATION MATCH: The Usos vs. Tons of Funk vs. The Real Americans (w/Zeb Coulter)- 6.5/10
All three of these teams were in a #1 contendership match last night, and all three of them lost. What have they done since then to earn this opportunity? This is freakin’ TNA-level sh*t right here.
Anyway, once Tons of Funk got eliminated, this was got good. The Usos are super-over and after their showing the last time they faced The Shield, giving them another PPV shot is a good idea.

PTP failed to do it, they go back to the bottom of the list and we get a triple threat from the rest. it sucks, but it makes sense

It makes sense only if you assume that you absolutely have to do a #1 contendership match tonight. Why not give them all some wins on Raw, Main Event, and Smackdown and do the #1 contendership match next week?

Big Red Machine wrote:WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS WCW bulls**t?!
Don’t they realize that if they keep putting the belt on Dragon and then immediately taking it away from him, it won’t mean anything when he finally wins it for a proper run because people will just assume they are going to screw him again?

I disagree. I think it adds to the substance of the story. When Dragon wins it, really wins it, we'll know and it'll be good. I actually think this works out well for everyone. The whole angle has come under question with the Corporation looking too strong, and people wondering how many times Bryan could get beat down before he lost his heat. I think the underlying idea here puts the heat back back on Dragon, showing that Hunter knows they can't beat him in the ring. I know that's been the idea the whole time, but they've kind of screwed it up by making Dragon look weak time and time again. I think this is the best way to right those wrongs and keep Bryan as the top face without blowing off the angle.

Big Red Machine wrote:ORTON, STEPH, & HUNTER BACKSTAGE- oh come on! This is idiotic! What is so hard about just having Orton be a f*cking heel?!

Ask Randy! The whole segment was them telling Randy that he wasn't being heel enough. Why they want Psycho Randy as the face of their PG company is beyond me, but that's what I took away from this.

Big Red Machine wrote:MADDOX, THE MCMAHONS, & BIG SHOW BACKSTAGE- This is the sort of thing that scares me that they really want Big Show to be the top babyface here instead of Dragon.

I see Big Show's involvement as nothing more than a vehicle to get heel heat. The focus of the angle has been on the Title (for once!), and I wouldn't worry until Big Show's getting title shots. I see Show as nothing but substance for the time being.

Big Red Machine wrote:HUNTER FIRES SCOTT ARMSTRONG- you this whole thing actually was a kayfabe f*ck-up rather than an evil plot by the McMahons? WHAT THE F*CK?!

I still see it as an evil plot by the McMahons. That's why Hunter kept telling him they'd take care of him with the severance package and what-not...

cero2k wrote:to me, kofi IS a jobber, i was quite glad he took it

This.

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS WCW bulls**t?!
Don’t they realize that if they keep putting the belt on Dragon and then immediately taking it away from him, it won’t mean anything when he finally wins it for a proper run because people will just assume they are going to screw him again?

I disagree. I think it adds to the substance of the story. When Dragon wins it, really wins it, we'll know and it'll be good. I actually think this works out well for everyone. The whole angle has come under question with the Corporation looking too strong, and people wondering how many times Bryan could get beat down before he lost his heat. I think the underlying idea here puts the heat back back on Dragon, showing that Hunter knows they can't beat him in the ring. I know that's been the idea the whole time, but they've kind of screwed it up by making Dragon look weak time and time again. I think this is the best way to right those wrongs and keep Bryan as the top face without blowing off the angle.

I don't think Dragon has been made to look weak at all! Since when is it weak to lose to a four-on-one beatodwn?

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:HUNTER FIRES SCOTT ARMSTRONG- you this whole thing actually was a kayfabe f*ck-up rather than an evil plot by the McMahons? WHAT THE F*CK?!

I still see it as an evil plot by the McMahons. That's why Hunter kept telling him they'd take care of him with the severance package and what-not...

I had the advantage of watching this on Tuesday night, and if this were the case, I would have expected Armstrong to start Tweeting the Truth aleady.

Bob-O wrote:

cero2k wrote:to me, kofi IS a jobber, i was quite glad he took it

This.

The man just had a great match with the IC Champ!

Big Red Machine wrote:I don't think Dragon has been made to look weak at all! Since when is it weak to lose to a four-on-one beatodwn?

It's not, but how many weeks in a row did Raw and Smackdown close with Bryan on his back? I lost count.

I just think we're taking different things away from the show.

Dragon is the top babyface at the moment, and he needed the big win at NOC to cement that, especially after weeks and weeks of beatdowns. But, at this stage in the angle you can't really have the almighty corporation CHASING the title, and I much prefer the shady ref screwjob/loophole than seeing Bryan lose it in the ring for whatever reason. I like that they suspended the title instead of just giving it back to Orton, as this doesn't take the Win away from Dragon. I think we're in a GREAT spot right now, with the right guys doing the right things!

Big Red Machine wrote:I would have expected Armstrong to start Tweeting the Truth aleady.

...and risk losing the severance Hunter promised him!? I took this as a "You're gonna go away for a while and keep your mouth shut until this blows over" type of thing, whether it was a scheme or an honest mistake.

Big Red Machine wrote:The man just had a great match with the IC Champ!

Yeah, but... it's Kofi Kingston. They've messed up with him so bad. I expect him to lose, and when he wins I don't care. His wins are usually non-title matches over whichever champion so they have an excuse to job him in title matches. He's a jobber to the stars.

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS WCW bulls**t?!
Don’t they realize that if they keep putting the belt on Dragon and then immediately taking it away from him, it won’t mean anything when he finally wins it for a proper run because people will just assume they are going to screw him again?

I disagree. I think it adds to the substance of the story. When Dragon wins it, really wins it, we'll know and it'll be good. I actually think this works out well for everyone. The whole angle has come under question with the Corporation looking too strong, and people wondering how many times Bryan could get beat down before he lost his heat. I think the underlying idea here puts the heat back back on Dragon, showing that Hunter knows they can't beat him in the ring. I know that's been the idea the whole time, but they've kind of screwed it up by making Dragon look weak time and time again. I think this is the best way to right those wrongs and keep Bryan as the top face without blowing off the angle.

Big Red Machine wrote:ORTON, STEPH, & HUNTER BACKSTAGE- oh come on! This is idiotic! What is so hard about just having Orton be a f*cking heel?!

Ask Randy! The whole segment was them telling Randy that he wasn't being heel enough. Why they want Psycho Randy as the face of their PG company is beyond me, but that's what I took away from this.

Big Red Machine wrote:MADDOX, THE MCMAHONS, & BIG SHOW BACKSTAGE- This is the sort of thing that scares me that they really want Big Show to be the top babyface here instead of Dragon.

I see Big Show's involvement as nothing more than a vehicle to get heel heat. The focus of the angle has been on the Title (for once!), and I wouldn't worry until Big Show's getting title shots. I see Show as nothing but substance for the time being.

Big Red Machine wrote:HUNTER FIRES SCOTT ARMSTRONG- you this whole thing actually was a kayfabe f*ck-up rather than an evil plot by the McMahons? WHAT THE F*CK?!

I still see it as an evil plot by the McMahons. That's why Hunter kept telling him they'd take care of him with the severance package and what-not...

cero2k wrote:to me, kofi IS a jobber, i was quite glad he took it

This.

I agree with all this except the last point. They do job Kofi out to get guys over, but it's only bc he's their best midcard talent all around. It IS what keeps him from gaining a lot of momentum, but whenever they DO push him, he gets busy and he gets over....

badnewzxl wrote:They do job Kofi out to get guys over, but it's only bc he's their best midcard talent all around. It IS what keeps him from gaining a lot of momentum

Ah yes... the symptoms of a condition known as Ziggluenza...

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:I don't think Dragon has been made to look weak at all! Since when is it weak to lose to a four-on-one beatodwn?

It's not, but how many weeks in a row did Raw and Smackdown close with Bryan on his back? I lost count.

Six, I assume. All but the last two. Dragon kept getting beaten down all month until he first came back from a vicious beating after a distraction by the Big Show to knock Randy out with his new finisher. Then, on Smackdown, Randy tried to jump him, but Dragon made Randy tap out in the middle of the ring. The fact that Dragon was the one laying out at the end of the first six shows doesn't matter. What matters is the odds. Every time Dragon was put in a one-on-one situation, he won (aside from the one time when Orton jumped him from behind after his match on the 9/6 Smackdown, and he overcame that by still winning the next week, even after Randy jumped him from behind). Not only could he beat any of Hunter's guys one-on-one, they implied that he could beat two members of The Shield in back-to-back matches. They did everything right in the build-up to this show.

Bob-O wrote: I just think we're taking different things away from the show.

Which I find totally awesome. That we can look at the same show with the same considerations in mind and come away from it with vastly differing opinions on the way this angle is going.
[/quote]
Dragon is the top babyface at the moment, and he needed the big win at NOC to cement that, especially after weeks and weeks of beatdowns. But, at this stage in the angle you can't really have the almighty corporation CHASING the title, and I much prefer the shady ref screwjob/loophole than seeing Bryan lose it in the ring for whatever reason. I like that they suspended the title instead of just giving it back to Orton, as this doesn't take the Win away from Dragon. I think we're in a GREAT spot right now, with the right guys doing the right things![/quote]
I agree that Dragon needed some sort of victory, but I think there were some major missteps in their planning:
1. There is no reason for Orton not to be given the title back because he didn't really lose. Orton is deserving of sympathy here, which is not what you want in your top heel.
2. Dragon DIDN'T win here. He got a two count with the ref counting too fast. I think the best way to do this would have been something like the original Dusty Finish formula. Have Orton shove Dragon into the ref, causing a ref bump. Then have Orton go for the RKO, but Dragon counters it, then hits the Busaiku Knee. Have Dragon get the visual pin on Orton for a good five or six seconds before The Shield comes out and beats him down while Orton recovers. New ref comes out. Orton hits the RKO. One!
Two!
Thre-KICKOUT!

Have them go for a few more minutes before giving Dragon the clean, decisive win. Then have Raw open up with Triple H dragging the original referee down to the ring and ordering him to change the result of last night's match to a DQ win for Orton because Dragon bumped into the ref. The ref, fearing for his job, does as Hunter says and Hunter declares that Dragon's title reign will be stricken from the record because it never happened.
Dragon comes out and cuts a promo about how this is BS and he has now won the WWE Title fair and square for a second time and now Hunter is screwing him out of it again. Have Dragon point out that Orton pushed him into the ref and that accidents like this are never called as DQs and that the decision of the ref who makes the count is the one that is considered to be final... have him point out all of Hunter's double-standards here. Have him say that he will never give up this title, and if Hunter wants it back, he'll have to pry it out of Dragon's cold, dead hands. Then have The Shield come out and beat Dragon down and take the belt and give it back to Orton.
It would get major heat on the heels actually gives Dragon both the moral victory, the in-ring victory (temporarily) and reassures the fans that Dragon can definitely beat Orton, and creates a result in which Hunter does not have to give Dragon a rematch, setting up for the next phase of the angle, (which would be Dragon overcoming impossible odds to earn another title shot to be paid off at Mania)... and come on... It'd be a Dusty Finish with Dusty in the building!

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:I would have expected Armstrong to start Tweeting the Truth aleady.

...and risk losing the severance Hunter promised him!? I took this as a "You're gonna go away for a while and keep your mouth shut until this blows over" type of thing, whether it was a scheme or an honest mistake.

Fair point, though they should have made that more clear on the show.

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:The man just had a great match with the IC Champ!

Yeah, but... it's Kofi Kingston. They've messed up with him so bad. I expect him to lose, and when he wins I don't care. His wins are usually non-title matches over whichever champion so they have an excuse to job him in title matches. He's a jobber to the stars.

He is more than a jobber to the stars. R-Truth is a jobber to the stars. Kofi is a guy who they have identified as having a lot of potential. Their mistake is that they never let him run with the ball. One good run with good follow-up will completely eliminate that perception.

Bob-O wrote:

Big Red Machine wrote:HUNTER FIRES SCOTT ARMSTRONG- you this whole thing actually was a kayfabe f*ck-up rather than an evil plot by the McMahons? WHAT THE F*CK?!

I still see it as an evil plot by the McMahons. That's why Hunter kept telling him they'd take care of him with the severance package and what-not...

first thing i thought when i saw this segment was, the Business just screwed over the Rhodes Family, and now they're gonna screw the Armstrong family. I'd love to see Road Dogg come out and try to talk to Triple H about his brother's job using the old DX days as a hook.

Next week they fire Vicky Guerrero

McMaho-Hemlsley's pushing around some wrestlings biggest families would be a good little twist and angle, a way to push themselves on everyone as the most dominant family in the business, there's stil quite a few families they could use, they could also use it to re-integrate Guerrero's daughter (forgotten her name right now!) by going after Vicky and have the daughter try and fight for a contract and her mother's job.

Rhodes down.

Armstrongs Down.

Guerreros Down.

They then could go at the Uso's, fed up with bweing screwed on the tag team title scene they approach Triple H... This brings in Samoa's VAST wrestling family, this could bring Rikishi as their father and mouthpiece in for a potential angle AS WELL AS potentially bringing in one Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for a further angle. I'd buy The Rock vs Triple H on PPV... even at their ages... who wouldn't?

There's a lot of subtle ideas they could use to enhance themselves with by pushing around and destroying wrestlings other families.