WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact

Columnist Corner

Monday Night Raw Review - May 4, 2015

5/5/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureDean Ambrose and Seth Rollins go head-to-head.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day Interrupted Randy Orton and Roman Reigns

We haven't had many "anti-Reigns" cities since WrestleMania (not even Chicago rebelled against him at Extreme Rules), so I was surprised they booed Reigns as much as they did. Then again, this is Canada, which is known for being a rowdy crowd at times (in a good way). The back-and-forth between Reigns and Orton was good and it seemed like Reigns was more comfortable on the mic than usual. The New Day's interruption was random, but they were hilarious here. They are so much more at home in this new heel than they ever were as babyfaces and they're finally turning their "cheap" heat into real heat. The announcement of a Handicap match (while not exciting) was a nice hook going into the break.


WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day def Randy Orton and Roman Reigns in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match (Non-title)

What's WWE obsession with putting Orton in Handicap matches against the tag champions? It wouldn't have made any sense for Orton and Reigns to win given the damage it would have done to The New Day, so I was pleasantly surprised to see them lose. It also made sense with the story they were telling with Reigns inadvertently costing Orton the victory and teasing tension between the two, also effectively hyping up their singles match in the main event.

PictureRoman Reigns and Randy Orton sulk in defeat.
Bray Wyatt Interrupted Ryback

I love a good Canadian crowd, and this audience was electric, but were the "Goldberg" chants really necessary? It's 2015, folks, not 2012. That said, Ryback did an excellent job of acknowledging and subsequently silencing the chants and getting the crowd on his side. It's amazing to see how far he's come on the mic in the last few years and he appears to be genuine with his words. Meanwhile, Wyatt continues to cut the same promos he has for the last feud. I more so blame the material than Wyatt himself; would it kill them to switch it up with Wyatt for once?


Cesaro and Tyson Kidd def. The Ascension

As I've said on a few occasions over the last week, it'd be nice to hear from Cesaro and Kidd about losing the tag titles (and no, Twitter comments don't count), but that's simply wishful thinking. Cesaro and Kidd taking on The Ascension was a refreshing change of pace and they worked a really nice match. The Ascension got in more offense than I expected them to and they had a good outing. Cesaro and Kidd were beloved in Canada and they continue to build steam as a team, likely before they contend for the WWE Tag Team Championship again at Payback.


Dean Ambrose def. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to Join the Fatal 4-Way at WWE Payback (Non-title)

I just absolutely love the chemistry these two have together. Their feud was my favorite of 2014 and although their SmackDown match last week was great, I thought this encounter was even better. The in-ring action was extremely entertaining and the crowd ate up everything they did. I could honestly see this match headlining a pay-per-view for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (one-on-one, that is) down the line, so hopefully they don't do this match too much too soon. Ambrose winning elicited a major reaction and it made for a memorable moment considering he's never beat Rollins before. I love the addition of him into the title match main event and the best part is that they could always save the Triple Threat between the former Shield members for later down the line.


Rusev def. Fandango

It's something small, but the pre-match backstage segment with Rusev, Lana and Fandango added to the match they were about to have. It was a glorified squash, sure, but the subtle tease for a Lana face turn was interesting. We all knew it was only inevitable since it was more a matter of if than it was when, but I still don't agree with it being so soon. I'm hoping it's all a ruse for Rusev to "attack" Lana at Payback only to reveal they're on the same side, but that's a stretch. Rusev will come out of his Payback match a giant loser unless they come up with something clever and creative for the ending.


Stardust def. R-Truth

The match was total throwaway, but my biggest fear is that they're going to have these two feud going forward. Please, please let that not be the case. It would be a complete waste of Stardust, who (I apologize for stating the obvious) needs go to back to being Cody Rhodes. Truth's fear of spiders costing him the win was one of the stupidest things we've seen on this show in some time, and that's saying something. What's worse is that finish actually got by Creative. Unreal.


United States Champion John Cena def. Sami Zayn

Where do I even begin? The Canadian crowd, which has always been anti-Cena, was perfect for the promo Cena was trying to cut about "not giving up." I'm still not looking forward to his upcoming "I Quit" match with Rusev (though I am intrigued), but that was a great promo. Bret Hart coming out to introduce a debuting Zayn in his hometown of Montreal was freaking fantastic. Seriously, how could that have been booked better? And to boot, the match was magnificent! Zayn looked like the ultimate underdog, looked very strong in defeat and Cena showed respect toward him afterward. It was a small teaser of what's to come for these two down the line, but let's hope they follow up on this properly. Did this remind anyone else of Cena's debut against Kurt Angle all those years ago?


Naomi and Tamina Snuka Attacked The Bella Twins

I couldn't even tell you the last time Tamina was on Raw, but it's been long enough. I love her in the role as Naomi's new bodyguard as it will only get the both of them more heat. I know she did the same thing for AJ Lee for several months in 2013-2014, but she worked well in the role and it's far better than having her flounder on her own. Plus, the acknowledgement of the real life family connection between the two was a great touch.


Bad News Barrett and Sheamus def. Neville and Dolph Ziggler

Now that he's King Barrett, can WWE please drop the "Bad News" name have him go back to being Wade? It's the little things that matter most. Anyway, the match was very fun and everyone involved had their talents showcased. Ziggler and Sheamus were able to further their feud while Neville and Barrett got to work with each other a bit more. Barrett needed the win coming off his King of the Ring victory and Neville looked good in defeat, so this was wisely booked.


Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns Ended in a No Contest

You had to know the match wasn't going to last long because it happened so late in the show, which is a shame because they've had some pretty good matches in the past. The interference from The Authority was predictable, but the tension teased between Rollins, Orton, Reigns and Ambrose was the perfect set-up for the Fatal 4-Way. Also, Ambrose being the last man standing established him as a threat to the title, and he was made into a main event star in one night. Amazing!


Overall Show

From Sami Zayn's debut match against John Cena (and more importantly the way it was handled) to Dean Ambrose being added to the Payback main event to the fantastic Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins match, this was an awesome episode all around. Everything else was equally solid and set up the Payback pay-per-view card effectively. The Canadian crowd was red hot all night long and deserves credit for providing an electric environment. I've been more than satisfied with the direction of the product as of late and this show was a treat for fans that gets two thumbs up from me.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2023 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact