Wow. Character killer much? Damien Sandow is now the second man to unsuccessfully cash in the Money in the Bank contract. We open Raw with John Cena talking about his big win over Alberto del Rio, and out comes Sandow, to cash in on a fresh Cena. The match was really good, with Sandow easily the MVP of the match. Cena spent most time on the defensive, commentary playing up the injury and recovery. Sandow could have won the match, however it was not to be. I will give Cena credit, he did hit a half-nelson neckbreaker very similar to one once used by William Regal. Sandow unleashed a variety of an unseen arsenal, but it was all in vain as Cena tossed Sandow with a one-armed Attitude Adjustment for the pinfall victory. This makes Sandow the second man to fail in cashing in, however, he is the first to be pinned in the attempt. Remember when Cena failed to win, it was due to a disqualification.
My guess is WWE Creative has lost faith in Sandow as a title-holder and opted to essentially strip him of being Mr. Money in the Bank. Perhaps history with Jack Swagger, a mid-carder suddenly thrust to a World Championship gave WWE Creative enough reason to be concerned. It really ticks me off, Sandow has one of the best gimmicks in the company right now, yet he has been jobbing, mid-carding, and main featured on C-shows. Unless this will lead to a bigger feud, which seems unlikely at this point, I remain disappointed with this decision. Sandow proved tonight he can main event. Time will tell if we will see it again.
The big talk is regarding Shawn Michaels. If you look at his history, being a special guest ref almost rarely works out well for anyone. It is HBK after all. You really thought we were getting a clean finish last night?
A match between Big E. Langston and Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship gets turned into a regular six-man tag after interference from Rollins and Reigns and a subsequent save by The Usos. Good paced match, ultimately The Shield got their act together and earned a victory. Building a feud between Langston and Ambrose, and inevitably Rollins and Reigns will regain the tag titles and have a proper feud with The Usos.
Big Show was not at Hell in the Cell. He was banned from the building. #Sadface
HBK does an apology the only way he can, which means he doesn’t at all. Instead he does the ol’ heel turn and might as well have said he was the son of god. Belittling Daniel Bryan, the Heartbreak Kid demands a handshake, but the taunting and bragging earns him a Yes-Lock. Awkwardly, Bryan is then beat up by The Wyatts backstage. Possible collusion with The Authority?
Los Matadores made short work of 3MB. El Torito had some fun too.
AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka defeated The Bellas. Yawn.
Kane destroys The Miz, and then calls out Stephanie McMahon. He first rants about her abuse of power, but then agrees it is what is “best for business” and then announces he is hers to control. As he leaves, he takes off his mask and turns it over to her. So, second time Kane unmasks. Not like we haven’t seen that before. Interesting turn, guess he does not seek revenge on the Wyatts anymore.
David Otunga rears his ugly head.
CM Punk annihilates Ryback in a Falls Count Anywhere match. So, the WWE Universe gets to vote by App if the match would be Falls Count Anywhere, Street Fight, or a Tables Match. IS THERE A GODDAMNED DIFFERENCE?! Punk wins the match after crushing Ryback with a Macho Man top-rope elbow drop through a table, and then forcing the tap-out victory via the Anaconda Vice. Post-match, the Wyatts come out and beat up on CM Punk. Interesting…
Great comedy moment where The Prime Time Players sell WWE merchandise. I love Titus. He can really entertain.
If you want awesome, just watch Goldust and Cody Rhodes. If you asked me if I would ever see the day they teamed together, AND wear the championship straps, I would have thought you crazy. This is real, and this is awesome. Their match tonight against The Real Americans was just that, and Swagger forcing Goldust to tap to the Patriot Act came as a nice surprise. Let’s hope The Real Americans get a big push here.
Alberto del Rio cut the shortest sore loser promo ever.
Natalya defeats Summer Rae by submission. Not one, but two Diva matches? Oh lord WWE must have needed to kill time badly.
In the main event, we have yet ANOTHER Championship Celebration for Randy Orton. Did we not just have one in August when Orton cashed in on Bryan at SummerSlam? Orton berates the roster, Triple H berates the roster, and Stephanie berates the roster. Orton has his speech cut short when Big Show charges the ring and KOs the champ with a right hook. Triple H teases a fight, but eventually backs off.
So, if we weren’t confused enough by Hell in a Cell, we are even more confused now. Quick points:
• Kane unmasks and proclaims his loyalty to The Authority
• The Wyatts beat up both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, with Bray claiming “The devil made me do it.” If he is working at the behest of Triple H and Steph, this would be a nice modern-take on The Corporate Ministry angle from the Attitude Era.
• Big Show clobbers Randy Orton
• Damien Sandow either starts main eventing, or this was his last highlight on RAW for the next year.
• The Miz is done.
• Tag Team Division is HOT right now.
• To think, it was only back in April we saw Dolph Ziggler cash in the day after WrestleMania 29 and win the World Championship. Now, he’s a jobber.
