BRM Reviews the 10/21/2013 Raw

[Big Red Machine]

OPENING SEGMENT- Major props to Steph for wondering HOW Big Show took over the TitanTron! Hunter & Big Show were good, as was Hunter’s comments about Shawn also did a good job of putting some doubt in our minds about whether or not Shawn will truly on the up-and-up.

DEAN AMBROSE vs. DANIEL BRYAN- 6.75/10
(Might rewatch and rerate it when I’m less sleepy)

CM PUNK PROMO- awesome.

HUNTER, STEPH, & HBK BACKSTAGE- great!

HEATH SLATER (w/3MB) vs. SANTINO MAR-ELVIS (w/Hornswoggle & the Great Khali)- fun comedy match.

DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. RANDY ORTON- 6.5/10
I was expecting a lot more out of this match.

THE BELLA TWINS vs. AJ LEE & TAMINA- 3.75/10
The matcvh wasn’t much, but it was a good win to build Brie up for her title match on Sunday.

RENEE YOUNG INTERVIEWS PAUL HEYMAN & CO.- Props to Axel and Ryback. I doubt I would have been able to keep a straight face through that promo. Big E. Langston comes up to them and winds up being challenged to a match by Curtis Axel. What they didn’t say was if this match would be tonight or at HIAC.

KOFI KINGSTON & THE MIZ vs. THE WYATT FAAMILY (w/Bray Wyatt)- 4.75/10
This needed more time. They build up to the hot tag well, and Kofi then got some offense in, but the finish seemed to come out of nowhere and was so soon after Kofi’s burst of offense that it made him look weak. Wyatt cuts a great promo after the match.
Basically this was just a worse version of their match from Smackdown. If you are going to do the match on Raw, why do it on Smackdown first? Just use Smackdown to set the match up with promos. This way not only does someone not have to lose twice, but you also don’t show us basically the same thing twice!

BIG E. LANGSTON vs. CURTIS AXEL (w/Paul Heyman & Ryback)- no rating
Both heels jump Big E, and though he tries to fight back, he is eventually overwhelmed. Punk comes out to make the save, then Vickie Guerrero comes out and makes this a tag team match, playah.

CM PUNK & BIG E. LANGSTON vs. CURTIS AXEL & RYBACK (w/Paul Heyman)- 6/10
Punk was Ricky Morton, then made a hot tag to Big E. which got a big pop. Punk chasing after Heyman was good hype for the PPV.

R-TRUTH TRIES TO SELL US MERCH- Don West > R-Truth

THE REAL AMERICANS (w/Zeb Coulter) vs. TONS OF FUNK (w/the Funkadactyls)- 2.25/10
Didn’t we just see this last week?
After the match, Zeb Coulter reveals that he has brought a bullwhip to the ring.

WINNER BECOMES #1 CONTENDERS TO THE WWE TAG TEAM TITLES: The Usos vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose)- 6.75/10
Wait a minute. As Cole reminded us on Smackdown, the Usos won a #1 contendership match last month for which they have yet to receive a title shot, so why do they need to earn this shot? The Shield are entitled to a rematch for their titles… so why do they have to earn this shot? If they are just fighting to see who gets the title shot on PPV, the announcers should have made that clear. Cole & Lawler addressed this a bit.
This went to a disappointing double DQ, which should give us a good triple threat match on the PPV.

HIAC MAIN EVENT CONTRACT SIGNING- Everyone was good, Hunter and Shawn in particular. This was a GREAT go-home segment that was ruined by some stupid Attitude Era crap with Big Show at the end. This show should have ended with Orton and Dragon staring reach other down, with Shawn and Hunter in the background. Instead we got Big Show driving a truck to ringside, then the babyface attacking the heel from behind. BOOOO!