HomeTelevisionTV Recap: RAW Rolling on to WrestleMania

TV Recap: RAW Rolling on to WrestleMania

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I have been reading online these teases where suddenly Brock Lesnar will “unify” both the WWE and UFC Championships.

Does anyone realize that will not happen, even if Brock, somehow possessed both titles simultaneously? It’s not like the Welterweight and the Featherweight Championships. Two completely different organizations, so I just can’t see it. It will be teased, but it won’t happen.

Earlier today WWE broke the news before some other website did, Larry Zybysko is the next inductee into the Hall of Fame.

Wow. He was a WCW mainstay, plus part of TNA/Impact for a long time. Having recently signed one of those “Legends” deals with WWE made this announcement somewhere inevitable, but you never know when these event will finally be put into motion.

RAW kicks off in an interesting way tonight, starting with a whining Seth Rollins about last week’s sneak attack by Randy Orton. However, J&J Security along with Big Show and Kane offer their apologies for “not seeing this coming” considering everyone else in the known universe did. Show and Kane exchange some light verbal barbs, but when Rollins takes the mic, he demands a one-on-one tonight with Orton. The Viper enters the arena and accepts the challenge.

We kick off RAW with Nikki Bella defeating AJ Lee. Huh, odd way to start RAW.

Backstage: Kane orders Big Show to be in the corner of Seth Rollins. Show does not like being bossed around, but Rollin interrupts calling both big men “stupid.” Kane reminds Mr. Money in the Bank that while Stephanie and Triple H have free reign to say what they want, Rollins has not earned that right. Kane instead informs Rollins he will not be helping the “spoiled brat” tonight and Big Show can now choose whether to be in his corner or not. Suddenly, Rollins isn’t so sure of himself.

Ryback demolished the Miz while Damien Sandow looks on. Post match, Sandow gloats, but eats a Skull Crushing Finale for it. We are not getting this one-on-one match as both Miz and Mizdow are the in Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

We get a “contract-signing” between John Cena and Rusev. Rusev comes out with some douche-dressed lawyer. Crowd chants “we want Lana” over and over. The lawyer, or actor, has the worst Russian accent I have ever heard. Even JBL mocks the guy, saying “that’s a Texas accent if I ever heard one!” So, yeah. Rusev bashes America, and then signs the contract even after his lawyer advises him not to. Pointless.

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd defeat The New Day, post match Los Matadores take out both New Day and The Brass Ring Club. This… makes no sense. I guess it is a setup for some sort of Fatal-Four Way Tag Team Title match.

Backstage: Seth Rollins tells off both Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury. J&J Security quit. So, Rollins is now all alone against Randy Orton tonight? Not likely.

Recap of Bray Wyatt’s promo last week and Undertaker with his message of accepting the challenge.

A “special promo” from Brock Lesnar runs, which really means WWE just opted not to fly him in for this week, where he can cut a promo using a large print teleprompter with big, shocking, words to sound all menacing, since he is completely unable to do that verbally on camera without Rabbi Paul Heyman. He taunts about “leaving WWE” and promises if he does, he will do it as WWE Champion. Sigh, how many times are they going to mimic the CM Punk gimmick?

Big Show vs. Erick Rowan goes nowhere, as Show decks him with the KO Punch.

Larry Zybysko is officially announced as the next inductee.

Impromptu Battle Royal with a number of jobbers and mid-tier folk. Kane gets on the mic and promises to make an example out of everyone. However, Mark Henry arrives to foil that plan. Kane and Henry dispatch everyone, however Curtis Axel was hanging outside the ring, and suddenly eliminates Kane. His attempt to toss Henry fails, and #Axelmania stops running wild for tonight.

Rabbi Paul Heyman cuts yet another great promo putting over the brutality of Brock Lesnar, and points out how Roman Reigns is being put down by everyone that he cannot beat Lesnar. This cues Reigns to come out, wearing a new catchphrase t-shirt, “I can… I will” and actually cut a pretty decent promo. Very much improved. Gets the point across that he plans on winning at WrestleMania, and if he doesn’t, he will still kick Brock’s ass.

Backstage follow up by Renee Young w/ Paul Heyman – The Rabbi of Wrestling will give Roman Reigns he wants, because next week on RAW, Brock Lesnar will be live and ready to confront Reigns face-to-face in the ring.

Well, I’m happy. After weeks of being the laughing stock of the upcoming Intercontinental Championship ladder match, Wade Barrett takes back his title belt after blasting everyone with Bull Hammers. This was after a solid six-man tag team match pitting Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose against Stardust, Luke Harper, and Bad News Barrett. Great match with a ton of action, but things got interesting towards the end when Ziggler accidentally superkicked Bryan, Barrett tossing Ziggler on top of Stardust and Harper. Ambrose pins Barrett following the Dirty Deeds DDT, but the crazy did not stop there. During the match, R-Truth, sitting at ringside wearing the title belt behind his back. Clever. After the match was over, everyone chased him around to get to it, until he tossed it to Bryan. Ziggler made a grab for it, resulting in the two fan favorites to tear into each other until Barrett clobbered them both.

I cannot wait for this Ladder Match. It will be the highlight of WrestleMania.

Backstage: Seth Rollins pisses off Triple H and Stephanie, who tells the so-called Future of WWE to man-up and face his battles on his own. Ouch.

Another recap of Bray Wyatt’s demand for an answer, with lightning setting his rocking chair on fire. We get another creep-fest-filled promo from Wyatt. I really wonder what sort of Undertaker we will get at Mania. It seems clear we will not see him until then, I just wonder who we get.

Our main event tonight is Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins. In a complete shock, the entire Authority is out to support Seth Rollins. However, we all got a surprise of our own… before the Authority can strike…

STING! It’s Sting! Sting is here! Bat in hand, Sting and Orton take out everyone. Okay, I never thought I would have seen the day where Sting would step into a WWE ring, but I NEVER, EVER thought I would have seen Sting standing next to Randy Orton in a closing segment of RAW. Good grief.

Overall, not a bad show, but not great either, the end of the show was certainly a wake up call. The undercard certainly trumped the main event hyped matches tonight, but also keep in mind next week is likely to be a massive show. They couldn’t pull out everything tonight, they are easily going to save it all for Monday Night RAW next week. Next week’s RAW is the true “go-home” show for the company, and SmackDown will feature the tying up of loose ends.

Tonight’s RAW served its purpose. Next week I imagine will deliver.

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