TV Show Review 014 WWE Raw Recap & Review 111615
WWE RAW in Greenville, South Carolina (Pre-Survivor Series) 111615 [1993->] 4/5
} On the Ramp + All of the WWE roster stood beside each other on top of the ramp in a moment of silence for the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks last week. (* Karma Boost *)
} In Ring
+ The Brothers of Destruction entered the arena to an excited crowd and they continued to cheer on as the duo gave a short but sweet promo on the upcoming Main Event match. Speaking of which, their upcoming opponents, the Wyatt Family, came onto the ramp and their leader answered their threats by proclaiming his own power over the legends. He then showcased it by 'conjuring flashes of lightning' and converting the Dead Man's followers but the brothers swatted them away like flies and sent a warning with simultaneous Choke Slams on the turncoats.
(+1 for the Brother's characters & Bray Wyatt's as well & +1 to the story)
> Running Thread: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
1. Neville vs Kevin Owens [1st Match of the Quarter Final]
+ It was a standard exchange at the start of the match until Neville got the better of Kevin Owens early on with his high-flying athleticism but then the Intercontinental Champion took the chance to throw the smaller wrestler all around the ring during the commercial. As Kevin tried to keep him down with grounding techniques, the British kept coming back and retaliated but a swift Superkick knocked him out of the ring and the aftereffect was long enough that he barely rolled back into the ring with the count-out almost got to the ten count. With the Canadian fuming, he proceeded to land more finishes but when he tried to execute a running Swanton Bomb, the flexible Neville moved out of the way and countered it with a Snapped German Suplex, followed it with a Red Arrow from the second rope but it was kicked out to his surprise. When he tried to followed it with a full-on Red Arrow, Owens moved quickly to make him lose his footing but his finishing attempt was countered with another kick to the head and a Reversed Hurracanrana by the highflyer. With another close call, the Man that Gravity Forgot was desperate to land his Red Arrow but when Kevin moved out of the way again, Neville just ran straight to his setup of a Pump-Up Powerbomb.
(Kevin Owens won by pin fall [PuP], Rating = 4/5, Duration = 07m 12s, +1 to Neville's form & the Champion's endurance)
2. Tyler Breeze with Summer Rae vs R-Truth
+ A match-up between two wrestlers with similar leg-based skills but different level of experience and it definitely showed in the opening as Tyler Breeze tried his heel-ish way to gain the advantage rather unsuccessfully while R-Truth skillfully ran circles around him all the while entertaining the audiences at the same time. When Prince Pretty tried to fight back but was taunted instead by the babyface, he took a timeout to apply some lip gloss with the help of Summer Rae (yes, he really did) and blindsided the veteran when he wasn't careful enough. Since both of them are using their legs primarily, the freshman knew how to effectively immobilize him and proceeded to execute a Half Boston Crab on the injured left leg but it wasn't enough to make him tap. As he tried to fight back despite the injury, the audiences was behind him as R-Truth landed a string of finishes but the eager Breeze was still in the game. With the injury still in effect, he countered his Suplex and pushed away the veteran to land the Beauty Shot on him.
(Tyler Breeze won by p/f [the Beauty Shot], R = 3.5/5, D = 04m 07s, +1 to R-Truth's & Tyler's form)
3. Dolph Ziggler vs Dean Ambrose [2nd Match of the Quarter Final]
+ What a match-up between two of the hottest babyfaces in the current roster with similar skills but different approaches, which was proven early on when they showcased a series of grappling skills in wrestling and at the same time showing their determination to go to the next stage. They represented the original foundation of the business wonderfully as they showed the technicalities that was lacking recently in the WWE and both tried to ground each other down. As hard as they tried, they both remained unfazed and even thought alike when they collided with each other with a Cross Body Check and the stalemate continued when they punched each other off the top rope. Coming after the break, Dean Ambrose tried to keep Dolph Ziggler down but it backfired when he countered it with a Zig Zag and followed it with a DDT. The momentum kept changing as they exchanged their finishes and countered whenever they can, the Showoff's resilience were evenly matched by the Lunatic Fringe's unpredictability. When Dean was face-planted from the top rope by Dolph, he smartly rolled out of the ring to recover and when he got caught with a Superkick, he barely managed to kick out. With both of them wore themselves out, they stood to trade blows with each other as Ambrose got a second wind and despite Ziggler's best efforts, the former SHIELD got the last word with his Dirty Deed thus sealing his spot in the Semifinal.
4. the New Day vs the Usos & Ryback
+ The New Day came out to address the 25th anniversary of the Undertaker and the return of the Usos, in their own way of course, by mentioning their own one year anniversary and took 'credit' for the Samoan's injury. Xavier Woods starting the match again for the third straight week showcasing his position in the team and as the Usos just started to gain momentum, their teamwork managed to subdue that quickly, and it's given it was behind the referee's back. They then proceeded to execute their trademark Unicorn Stampede on the downed Jay Uso and followed it by the grounding of the twin but when the tag seemed inevitable, the trio managed to distract the referee again to avoid the detection of the opponent's tag. When their plan worked, Big E decided to keep rubbing it in on Ryback and subsequently slapped the Big Guy, frustrating him enough to make him step into the ring and blew through all of the New Day crews and the referee as well in the heat of it. Ryback then managed to throw all of them out of the ring with the help of the Usos in the end.
(the New Day won by Disqualification [Referee] - R = 3.5/5 - D = 5m 48s, +1 to the New Day's heel form)
} Backstage + The next competitor against Roman Reigns, Cesaro, received a visit by the COO, Triple H, which at the first sight seemed to be veiled with ulterior motive behind but the legend instead gave an impassioned pep talk for the Swiss Superman to fulfill his potential and grab the opportunity with both hands. (+1 for Triple H's wonderful speech/pep talk)
5. Roman Reigns vs Cesaro [3rd Match of the Quarter Final]
+ Although Reigns was being dominated during the commercial, he bought himself a room to breathe by countering with a Big Boot. In the proceeding, it was apparent they both were battle-weary as they traded blows with blows and had moments to shine and land their finishes, giving treats after treats to the pumped crowd. They were evenly matched in the ring but when Roman got a leg up, his attempt for a Drive-by was countered by Cesaro into a Cesaro Swing (five rotation!) which followed by a Sharpshooter. When the Samoan appeared to be fighting back, the Swiss changed it into a Cripple Crossface and it appeared to be effective baring in mind the earlier injury, which was until Roman powered through it and countered it with a Samoan Drop. He then gave Cesaro a taste of his own medicine when he threw him off the apron and injured his right hand in the process. A Drive-by was quickly executed as Reigns came in swinging to gain the momentum back and even landed a Sit-Up Powerbomb despite his bad arm but when he tried to line up his Superman Punch, the still energetic Swiss countered it with a devastating Uppercut. Cesaro tried to power Roman over into a Superplex but the latter fought back and countered it with a Superman Punch to a rapturous applause. With the finale approaching, the atmosphere was tense and it was a rollercoaster ride as his Spear was countered with another Uppercut and Cesaro's Neutralizer attempt was unsuccessful but he quickly followed it with a Backslide Pin. When that didn't materialize, the Samoan quickly Superman Punched the Swiss and landed the deciding Spear to finally end the match.
(Roman Reigns won by p/f [Spear], D= 17m 20s, R=5/5, +1 to both Roman Reigns's and Cesaro's form, +1 for one of the best match in recent times & +1 for the sportsmanship shown by both athletes)
6. the Ascension vs the Dudley Boyz
+ With the focus still on the tournament, a side tag team match between returning veterans and a novice duo was necessary as a breather after that blockbuster of a Quarterfinal. The always over Dudley Boyz started well against the fumbling Ascension who just can't find their footing yet in the main roster. Their confidence was always at sky high but the heels took that chance to tag and blindsided the oblivious Buh Buh Ray. The Ascension did get time to lay down some of their finishes but it wasn't long before the Dudley brother sneaked in essentially a Rock Bottom and tagged in the energized D-Von Dudley who used the momentum to sweep through the competitors. The end result: 3D!
(the Dudley Boyz won by p/f [3D], R = 3.5/5, D = 3m 11s, +1 to the Dudley Boyz's form)
} Backstage + Renee came up to the coalition of Zep Colter and Alberto del Rio before the last Quarterfinal and the COO again appeared to give a nice little 'pep talk'.
7. Calisto vs Alberto del Rio /US Champion\ with Zeb Colter [4th Match of the Quarter Final]
+ After the surprise upset on par with the David and the Goliath fable, the fairy tale journey continued for one half of the Lucha Dragons who had to fight a compatriot who was on a returning winning streak. The start was almost identical to his previous match with Ryback: Calisto was surprising with his agility and Lucha skills but it wouldn't last the whole match since the opponent would overpower through that. Alberto del Rio especially would be familiar with his hometown brand of wrestling and he used it to his advantage as he dominated the exchange early on. This was further demonstrated when he tried to take off the mask a sign or disrespect but Calisto's quickness enabled him to get out the way of the Champion's rushing shoulder check which landed on the steel post instead. There were a few faults made by del Rio that detracted a bit from the experience but they were both professional and kept the match going and it was going great with Calisto's athleticism matched by the champion's resilience and counter attacks. It was appropriate for the climax to be at the turnbuckle as the diminutive Lucha tried to executed an elevated Hurricanrana but again get caught at the top rope which propped himself perfectly for Alberto's Double Stomps.
(Alberto del Rio won by p/f [Double Foot Stomps], R = 4/5, D = 06m 48s, +1 to Alberto's & Calisto's form)
> Running Thread: Divas Championship Title Defense - Charlotte vs Paige
} In Ring
+ The contract signing has always been a tradition of WWE for any championship that deserved the spotlight and in lieu of recent events, this certain storyline certainly did. With Michael Cole calling in both competitors into the ring, they started to reminisce about their past together in their own way of course, the Champion thought about the good times together and even touched on a heavy subject i.e. her brother's death while the challenger seemed to agree silently but then twisted every story to fit her own agenda. The contrasting personalities played well against each other but how the conversation went could've been better although Paige save the best word for last as she got personal against Charlotte which deservedly earned her a thorough beating by the enraged former friend.
(+1 for both characters & +1 to the storyline)
"A blockbuster of a match being put on by two biggest crowd-pleasers which would be remembered for a long time as the tournament moving on to its penultimate end and the other chess pieces come into places for the upcoming Main Event."
(WWE Channel, Rating - TV-PG, Founded 02211980, Episodes >>, Founders Vince & Linda McMahon, Duration - 2 hrs 15+ mnts, Genre - Wrestling, Action, Drama, Comedy, WWE Universe, Violence)
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