TV Review: WWE Monday Night RAW #1168

The penultimate Monday Night RAW before Hell in a Cell brought us a preview of the PPV with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins facing his opponent at the show, Kane in a Lumberjack match, with the main event getting plenty of build-up throughout the show. Elsewhere John Cena put the United States Championship on the line against Dolph Ziggler as part of the Open Challenge and The New Day battled Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose in tag team action, but would WWE pick up any momentum heading into the PPV? Let's have a look.

The opening backstage segment with Kane, set up the concept that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H wouldn't be on the show, due to a delayed plane...because the two people in charge only arrive a few hours before the show begins apparently...

Kane was all over the show, with the Director of Operations Teddy Longing a match between The New Day and the odd couple tag team of Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose. This was probably one of the strongest parts of the show, with Orton and Ambrose having some nice back and forth on the mic and The New Day back to their usual fun selves. Kofi Kingston especially was on fire here, with some funny writing, as he listed Randy Orton's various factions and why the New Day were better than them. There was also the reveal that Orton and Ambrose would be facing Braun Strowman and Luke Harper of the Wyatt Family at Hell in a Cell on 23rd October.

Match 1 

Tag Team

Dean Ambrose & Randy Orton 

vs. 

WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day's Big E & Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods

A solid tag team encounter, that did exactly what it needed to do. There was tension teased between Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose, carrying on from the previous segment, with the pair arguing at various points. Whilst this makes sense to do heading into Hell in a Cell, it perhaps felt a little forced, it would have been nice to have seen this narrative picked up earlier in the build to the PPV. It did also mean that Kofi Kingston and Big E got a little lost in the story of the bout from time to time/ However, it made me very happy to see The New Day pick up the win here, as I was convinced we'd see the Tag Team Champs lose to help put over Orton and Ambrose as a unit before the PPV. It appears that Kingston may be the wrestler equivalent of a bogey team for Randy Orton.

Winners - Big E & Kingston via pinfall 

(Kingston on Orton (School boy roll-up) 

in 17 minutes, 52 seconds.

After Michael Cole hyped it so much, I was expecting more to a Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker promo package, than exactly the same clips shown in Paul Heyman's promo last week. Also, calling their WrestleMania XXX bout, "Chapter 1" is insulting to the intelligence of fans that have watched for more than 2 years.


Clips from Sasha Banks and Bayley's Iron Man Match from NXT Takeover: Respect were shown, as an attempt to get the fans chanting "We Want Sasha", it worked pretty well.

Match 2

Diva's

Team B.A.D.'s Naomi with Team B.A.D.'s Sasha Banks & Tamina

vs.

Team Bella's Nikki Bella with Team Bella's Alicia Fox & Brie Bella

This was a poor match, with a stupid gimmick of Brie Bella chanting "We Want Sasha" on the announce table as a "distraction" for Naomi, allowing Nikki to win with a forearm following up with a Rack Attack. It was probably the only time in the match the crowd refused to chant for Sasha Banks, it was pretty cringy to watch. 

Winner

Nikki Bella via pinfall 

(Rack Attack) 

in 4 minutes, 58 seconds 

Things got worse with a thinly veiled advert for one of the shows sponsors, involving Byron Saxton and Paige. I felt embarrassed for them.

I was hoping that John Cena's Open Challenge would pick things back up for the show, but I had to wait a little bit, as Cena spent his promo desperately pandering to the Chicago crowd. His "Some places claim to be the most famous arena in the world, but there is only one Allstate Arena" promo didn't hit the spot for me. I'm sure it was great if you were in the arena and we were from Chicago, but on television it didn't translate very well. There was space for Cena to talk about The New Day's attack last week or even offer to face Dolph Ziggler who would have been his opponent if not for the New Day's attack last week, but that would make too much sense. Ziggler answered the challenge anyway, of course. 

Match 3 

United States Championship

Dolph Ziggler 

vs. 

John Cena (C)

Easily, the match of the night, this was quality television bout with the pair going back and forth with some big moves and near falls. Some lovely transitions by the pair were the highlight from me, with the early STF attempt from Cena getting switched into a Sleeper Hold by Ziggler being done especially well. Cena attempting to hit the AA at various points put Ziggler over strong as he escaped time after time, including an eye-rake with Michael Cole emphasising the Show-Off's desperation well from the commentary table. The crowd even whipped out a small "This is Awesome" chant, and whilst I wouldn't go as far as to call it Awesome, it was definitely an enjoyable watch from start to finish and hopefully we'll get to see these two battle it out again soon, as there's potential for them to one up this match on PPV and with a strong story behind it.

Winner

John Cena via pinfall 

(Attitude Adjustment) 

in 17 minutes, 40 seconds 

*STILL CHAMPION*

Backstage, Kane chatting away to the Authority on the phone was a weird segment, with Stephanie McMahon's outbursts at various airplane staff being a needless and unfunny addition.

Match 4

Tag Team

The Ascension 

vs. 

The Dudley Boyz 

Squashy McSquash. The Dudley Boyz whipping out a Doomsday Device was a nice nod to Chicago's favourite tag team the Road Warriors.

Winners 

The Dudley Boyz via pinfall 

(Bubba Ray on Viktor (3D)) 

in 2 minutes, 43 seconds

Match 5

Tag Team

Neville & Cesaro 

vs. 

King Barrett & Sheamus

There were flashes of brilliance in this match, but it was 10, 15 or even 20 minutes short of reaching it's full potential, with a shit flash finish. A big waste of four talented European workers.

Winners

King Barrett & Sheamus via pinfall 

(Sheamus on Neville (Bull Hammer from Barrett) 

in 3 minutes, 48 seconds.

Roman Reigns' Bray Wyatt focused promo was so dull that I ended up watching the 1993 Doctor Who Children in Need special, Dimensions in Time, instead. I'm usually a big supporter of Reigns, but his mic work is not up to scratch of someone performing at this level. Everything was all on one level and the material he was given was unimaginative to start with. Even when referring to the crowd chanting "Boring" at him, he was devoid of any personality. Why WWE hasn't given him a manager or anyone who will talk for him, I really don't know. It worked for Brock Lesnar, why wouldn't it work for Reigns? A

Match 6

Tag Team

Roman Reigns 

vs. 

The Wyatt Family's Braun Strowman with The Wyatt Family's Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper

This was super basic encounter, with Reigns taking a beating from Strowman before making a comeback. Reigns did his best with the green-Strowman and the match was actually watchable, without ever becoming what anything close to resembling a good match. The finish of Strowman being unable to make it into the ring after being thrown into the announce table was an interesting way to protect Strowman put give Reigns momentum heading into his match with Wyatt at Hell in a Cell. I imagine we'll see Reigns face Luke Harper next week, which has potential to be a much better encounter.

Winner 

Roman Reigns via countout 

in 7 minutes, 50 seconds

More phone stuff backstage with Kane, with Triple H working nicely as the foil for Kane's shenanigans. Why this was supposed to make root for Kane later tonight, or more importantly at Hell in a Cell, I have no idea.

Match 7 

Singles

"The Bulgarian Brute" Rusev with Summer Rae 

vs. 

Ryback

I couldn't tell you how good this match was, because I was too busy getting all wrapped up in the stupidity that is the Rusev, Lana and Summer Rae story. Rusev's real life engagement to Lana was bought up throughout on commentary, despite Rae proposing to the Bulgarian Brute the week before on RAW. 

Winner 

Ryback via pinfall 

(Shellshocked) 

in 3 minutes, 5 seconds.

Fucking hell there was more of this God forsaken storyline to follow, with Summer Rae turning on Rusev because of the engagement to Lana. Her promo felt so disingenuous that I honestly stopped listening to her, until she went and swore. You rebel, Summer!

Match 8 

Singles

Kalisto with Sin Cara 

vs. 

Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens

An enjoyable contest, it was a shame that this match only got just under four minutes. Kalisto and Owens connected well in the ring, with a appreciative crowd (even if Owens still struggles for heat in places like Chicago) and strong finish.

Winner

Kevin Owens via pinfall 

(Pop-Powerbomb) 

in 3 minutes, 48 seconds

Match 9

Six Diva Tag Team

Team NCB's Becky Lynch & Diva's Champion, Charlotte with Team NCB's Natalya 

vs. 

Team Bella's Alicia Fox & Brie Bella with Team Bella's Nikki Bella

Another shoddy Diva's match here, with little to no emphasis put on the wrestling, which was a real shame considering there was some real talent in the bout. A missile dropkick getting the win for Brie, didn't feel like the finish, despite Natalya and Paige's argument at ringside allowing for the distraction.

Winner

Team Bella's Alicia Fox & Brie Bella via pinfall (Bella on Charlotte) via pinfall

Another backstage skit with Kane, lead to Stephanie McMahon banning Kane from competing in the main event with Seth Rollins made it super clear what was going to happen later on in the evening. Rollins' attempting to suck up to The Big Show was, at least, mildly amusing, even if it made absolutely no sense for Big Show to not be interested in helping Rollins in the Lumberjack match.


The exact same promo for The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar's Hell in a Cell match aired. I get that many viewers might not have been watching earlier, but was there no something else they could have aired to promote the PPV instead?


Despite The Authority stating Kane couldn't be in the main event, he was anyway. He came out in the mask as "The Demon", the problem was that Stephanie McMahon had explicitly said "Kane" couldn't compete, not just "Corporate" Kane, so it made very little sense.

Match 10

Lumberjack

Kane 

vs. 

WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins

Possibly as a result of what I mentioned earlier, the crowd were much more interested in getting behind Rollins than they were Kane. The WWE crowd has been trained for years that stacking the deck against the Champion is a heel move...so they rightly chanted "Let's Go Rollins". The bout itself wasn't bad at all, making decent use of the Lumberjacks, with both Kane and Rollins having run-ins with them. The New Day getting a big spotlight again in a main event, leading a heel attack on Kane (perhaps the only indication that he's supposed to be a babyface) before Kane sat up (before a Big E splash). The back and forth finish with Kane escaping a Pedigree to hit a Tombstone Piledriver was done nicely, and means the fans have a reason to believe Rollins could lose the title at Hell in a Cell. It's a shame that the World Heavyweight Champion had to lose clean (again) in the process.

Winner

Kane via pinfall 

(Tombstone Piledriver) 

in 8 minutes, 21 seconds.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating: 4.36/10

This was an improvement on last week, but not by much. John Cena and Dolph Ziggler's United States Championship match was clearly the best contest of the night, with the pair just about saving the show from falling to new depths. However, Cena's pre-match speech didn't hit the spot, although it was decidedly better than Roman Reigns effort later on, and Reigns' match with Braun Strowman didn't help either. The booking of Kane as a babyface has been completely miss handled and affect his encounter with Seth Rollins, just two weeks before they tangled over the World Heavyweight title at Hell in a Cell.


Plenty of matches with potential (Neville/Cesaro vs. Sheamus/Barrett, Owens vs. Kalisto) were allowed to run way too short, whilst both Diva's match were handed awful gimmicky interferences that did nothing for those in the matches. A spell of short matches and Kane backstage skits harmed the final hour also. Lets ignore Rusev and Summer Rae's segment and pretend it never happened.


Here's hoping for a much better go-home show for Hell in a Cell next week, with Ric Flair, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels all scheduled to appear.

WWE All Star Search #6: 17th March 1985 (ft. The War to Settle the Score) - Adam Ross

Welcome Turnbucklers! Its edition #6 and we are back in MSG for another house show on our road to the very first Wrestlemania. Not going to lie, finding shows between October 1984 and March 1985 was hard, very hard. So to make up for it, I'm adding two HUGE events into this edition. First I'm going to look at an IC Title match, followed by a key match in the Rock 'n' Wrestling era which is the WWE Title match from the War to Settle the Score. Then it's onto the last big show before Wrestlemania 1 and we have a massive list of new faces in this one so let's see how they make their first impressions on the All Star Search. Finally, the main event is a Lumberjack Match so let's hope that turns out to be fun. Would like to add a big thank you and hello to any new readers out there, last edition broke my viewing records by x5 which is overwhelming and very humbling! Shall we begin...?

The Card:

Tito Santana (IC Champ) vs Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine [IC Title Match]

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Rowdy Roddy Piper [WWE Title Match]

Rocky Johnson vs Charlie Fulton

Barry O vs Rene Goulet

Jim Neidhart vs SD Jones

King Kong Bundy vs Jose Luis Rivera

David Sammartino vs Matt Borne

Andre The Giant/Jimmy Snuka/Junkyard Dog vs Ken Patera/Jesse Ventura/Big John Studd

Ricky Steamboat vs Terry Gibbs

Greg Valentine (IC Champ) vs Tito Santana [IC Title Match - Lumberjack Match]

The Show:

Let's begin with an IC Title match from September 1984 between the champ, Tito Santana and Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine. They've had a run of good matches each in this series so far with Hammer made to look strong in his contendership. They had a decent match a few months earlier but it was overshadowed by the whole Jimmy Snuka stretcher job going on at the time.

Tito Santana (IC Champ) vs Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine [IC Title Match]

Its September 1984 here and Tito is your defending IC champion. They've had previous interactions and this feud has been simmering nicely. Albano is with Hammer in this one and both are getting solid heat. Tito is nursing a poor leg in this one and Valentine uses it to his advantage in his normal methodical way. Crowd is solidly behind Santana in this one with many a chant. Valentine works over the injured leg but Santana escapes and manages to hit his Flying Burrito for a close two count. He continues on the offense and gets another close two. He thinks he's won though and while his back is turned, Hammer nails him with a knee to the back...and that gets the 3 and we have a new IC Champion! Crowd chant bullshit and everyone seemed slightly confused about the finish. Santana did a great sympathy job and Valentine looked crisp as always. Match Rating: **1/4

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Rowdy Roddy Piper [WWE Title Match]

Talk about a money match! This was hyped up beyond another level at this point in time. Hogan being Hogan was riding high as champion but oh boy, Piper was generating unparalleled heat! This was shown live on MTV much like the Brawl to End it All and again, drew HUGE numbers. Piper comes out to major heat accompanyed by his bagpipe players and Cowboy Bob Orton (with a cast on his arm). Piper to generate some extra heat...destroys a nice looking guitar! In the words of a friend...SOME GUY! is our special ring announcer...but being from anywhere that isn't America...no clue who he is. Eye of the Tiger hits to a monstrous pop...as per! You can't even dream of comparing Cena to Hogan watching this. Cyndi Lauper, her fella and Captain Lou Albano are accompanying Hogan. By the way, Albano is a face now after realising the errors of his ways. Crowd is hot as they start off like a house of fire trading shots. We hear Mr T is in the crowd as Hogan takes control in the early going with slams. The crowd is unglued. Piper does take control eventually with boots and gets solid heat. Sleeper by Piper and Hulk...Hulks up...but doesn't get too far with it. Piper with more offense than I was expecting at this point. Orton tries to get involved and fails so Hogan regains control. Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff comes out to support Piper from the outside and the ref gets bumped. Orndorff gets involved and he and Piper double team Hogan. Lauper gets on the apron to do some mouthing off and the heels get sucked in but hold on...crowd pops HUGE...and Mr T of all people gets involved to even the odds. Mr T however ends up getting double teamed until Hogan is up and bails him out. The match itself is thrown out as a no contest. Well, well, well, that was certainly a fun little match. If Piper got the belt here in time for Wrestlemania...the reaction would have been catatonic. The heat for everyone involved was smoldering. Of course, this puts us firmly on the road to Wrestlemania 1! Exciting! Match Rating: **1/2

Onto the MSG House Show now and our commentary team are Gorilla Monsoon and Mean Gene Okerlund once again. At this point its worth me mentioning that their commentary dynamic is a little off. Both play very similar roles and are obviously both face. More balance is definitely needed soon.

Rocky Johnson vs Charlie Fulton

What a way to start us off! Boring, slow paced match with literally nothing to mention. Punches and stalling head scissors is the peak of this one in fact. The crowd were somewhat dead during this one. At one point, Rocky is referred to as 'Rock' which is a fun little precursor. Johnson gets the win with a sunset flip. Match Rating: DUD

Barry O vs Rene Goulet

Into the next match now and we have a first debut of this edition. Barry O is Cowboy Bob's brother and Randy Orton's uncle. Rene Goulet is my 1984 foreign heel of the year...a trophy is on his way to him. 'Who knows what that O could mean' - Gorilla Monsoon. The match itself is as dull as dull can be. The commentary team spend the majority of the match discussing Wrestlemania and its tag team main event. Nice powerslam by Barry for 2. It picks up slightly towards the end of the match and a small package gets the win for Barry O. Dull, simple as. Barry O looked as vanilla as a discount Vienetta. Match Rating: 1/4*

Jim Neidhart vs SD Jones

Its blog debut number 2 and it's Jim 'soon to be Anvil' Neidhart! His appearance instantly makes him stand out from most of the roster in a positive way. His opponent is SD Jones who is slowly becoming more and more of a jobber as months drift by. Neidhart is with Jimmy Hart who I think is also making his blog debut. Fun early goings with both men trading offense. Neidhart shows off the personality we'll become accustomed too over time with his overexaggerations. He does show off his size and power though which is a good thing. They do the scoop slam/reversed into an armbar spot which I've seen numerous times since starting these reviews but I haven't seen it before. SD Jones uses the hard-head gimmick but its all in vain as Neidhart eventually gets the easy win with a crisp Powerslam. Good debut from Neidhart, I found it hard not to be entertained by him. Match Rating: 3/4*

King Kong Bundy vs Jose Luis Rivera

Blog debut number 3 - King Kong Bundy! We're going to be seeing a lot of him over the next year. Jimmy Hart is back out with Bundy. Rivera, much like SD Jones is slipping further into jobber territory. In comparison to everyone but Andre and Big John Studd, Bundy is just ridiculously big. He puts his size to good use, easily overpowering Rivera on a number of occasions. The crowd are quiet but seemingly because their in awe of Bundy. Rivera gets 2 dropkicks in but Bundy is barely phased. Bundy gets the win not long after with a massive elbow drop. Utter squash match but Bundy looked impressive as a beast, if not just for his look. Match Rating: 1/2*

Into the back with Hulk Hogan and Mr T. Hogan says Mr T is the best partner he could've found for Wrestlemania. Mr T says he specialises in work, torture and pain...his words, not mine. Bottom line 'they dead meat!' says T and Hogan says he apologizes for whats the come.

Well, well, well, we're getting a live Piper's Pit! Out comes Piper with 'Cowboy' Bob Orton alongside him to major heat. The microphone is annoying dodgy. Piper says that he's out there talking because no one wanted to fight him. He rips on New York as a heel would...but slightly funnier. He trolls the crowd something fierce by hyping up his next guest making it sound like Mr T...but it's Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff. Big boo's for that one. Orndorff tries talking but just makes sound...I think I heard him say 'outhouse'. Piper tells Mr T to stop snorting Cocaine and come join him in the ring. Which he promptly does to big cheers and he's brought Hogan and Jimmy Snuka with him. Snuka hasn't been mentioned since he was stretchered out months ago which is nice. Piper tells T to sit down and of course, rips into him while still trying to play it friendly and cool. It doesn't last long and tensions soon rise but the crowd eat it up. Piper runs down T's life acheivements and tells him he's giving T the chance to back out the fight to save face and there will be no shame! T fires back and says he ain't quitting. Piper brings out a painting of Mr T with his arm in a sling but T ain't scared! Things start getting physical but no brawl. Heels bail out the ring leaving the faces to soak up mild cheers. Mr T says Piper gonna pay! He promises! Good promo and I am actually hyped for Mania 1! Piper was gold here and Mr T was great in his role too.

David Sammartino vs Matt Borne

Blog debuts number 4 and 5! David Sammartino is the vanilla looking son of Bruno and Matt Borne is the son of 'Tough' Tony Borne...but you'll know him better as Doink the Clown. Borne looks like Charlie Fulton and here's me thinking I'd never get Charlie Fulton in a reference. Slaps and shoves to start before we get into some back and forth. Sammartino shows of some decent greco roman skills and Borne nails a lovely belly to belly suplex. Borne showing good aggression that we'll see later down the road. Of course it breaks down into restholds and strikes before Borne eats a big back body drop. More restholds before Sammartino gets a suplex and takes control. Sammartino goes up top but Borne slams him down for a slow 2 count. He goes for a powerslam but Sammartino rolls through for the 3 count! Sammartino looked...vanilla and Borne looked decent but too many restholds. Match Rating: 1/2*

Andre The Giant/Jimmy Snuka/Junkyard Dog vs Ken Patera/Jesse Ventura/Big John Studd

We have blog debut number 6 in this one and you better grab dem cakes as it's the Junkyard Dog! Lots of big names in this one. Andre and Studd are developing a feud that will lead towards Wrestlemania. Jimmy Snuka makes his first blog appearance since turning one of my previous editions into an episode of Casualty. Jesse Ventura is back from his bloodclot late last year and Patera is enjoying a decent push since his return. Bobby Heenan is with the heels in this one and Cpt Lou Albano is with the faces. Andre wastes no time getting to Studd but Studd bails to the floor. Faces control the early stages with JYD hitting his unique strikes and headbutts and Andre nailing a double noggin knocker on the heels. Everyone brawls with both sides getting a brief advantage. Eventually Snuka comes in and finds himself as face in peril as each of the heels take turns working him over. Eventually Snuka gets the tag to Andre who comes in and nails Studd with strikes. Ventura gets tagged in but realises he's out of his depth. A big boot and a superfly splash get the win for Snuka and his team! I really enjoyed that one, good flow, good balance and everyone played their role well. JYD is already proving popular in the WWE and his brief in ring appearances in this were harmless. Andre and Studd continued their feud towards Wrestlemania and showed good heat between the two. Snuka played a good face in peril, which makes sense as he has the least reason to be protected. Jesse found himself with little to do but that's a good thing considering his recent health issues. Match Rating: **3/4

Ricky Steamboat vs Terry Gibbs

Another debut here as we have Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat making his first blog appearance. He's another performer who was on the 1983 Starrcade card and I think, also the 1984 card too. Terry Gibbs...is also here. Lots of back and forth with Gibbs getting a decent amount of offense in. Steamboat looked as crisp as ever hitting his usual arsenal of moves. He makes Gibbs look great when Gibbs is on the offense. Steamboat shows off his array of chops and strikes. With a couple of poses thrown in for good measure. Steamboat gets the win with a flying cross body! Nothing special, just a way to get Steamboat some ring time. Match Rating: *

Greg Valentine (IC Champ) vs Tito Santana [IC Title Match - Lumberjack Match]

It's the main event! As mentioned earlier, Valentine is now the IC Champ and is now with Jimmy Hart at his side and Tito wants his belt back! This is Lumberjack rules so we have an array of superstars around the ring. Big pop for Tito which is always a good sign. Hammer pearl harbours him to start put to no avail as Hammer quickly ends up outside. The heels seem to protect him but ultimate babyface Ricky Steamboat, calm as you like, walks over and throws him back in. Santana keeps control for a few minutes while Hammer sells like gold but the tide shifts with an atomic drop for Hammer. Santana regains control, Hammer tries to escape but the faces throw him back into the ring. Hammer selling so much like Flair its silly....that includes flops and all. Someone randomly rings the ringbell but its ignored so I have no idea what that was about. Hammer in control now and works over the legs of Tito...good psycology working his way to the figure four and what's even better, Tito sells it! Tito thrown outside and then thrown back in like he's just a corpse. He's thrown back outside to the faces who...protect him...no! That's not your job lads. Hammer goes for the figure four but its countered into a cradle for 2. Tito fights back and Hammer Flair flops again. Suplex by Santana and he goes for his own Figure Four. Hart distracts the ref while the heels help out Hammer. Tito distracts himself with the outside heels but gets pearl harboured by Hammer. They hit a shoulderblock on each other, Hammer falls on top of Santana and that gets the 3! Hammer is completely KO'd too though. Really enjoyed that one and the Lumberjack was a nice tweak to the usual formula between these two. Santana is by far the best at gaining sympathy from the crowd and Valentine is WWE's very own Flair (just not as good). Match Rating: ***

Wrestler Scores:

(I'm taking into consideration the two extra matches reviewed and the live Piper's Pit. Mr T gets a rating therefore as he played a crucial role in a main segment in the show.)

• Tito Santana +12 (29)
• Greg Valentine +13 (26)
• Hulk Hogan +7 (25)
• Roddy Piper +14 (21)
• Rocky Johnson +2 (6)
• Charlie Fulton +1 (4)
• Barry O +2 (2)
• Rene Goulet +2 (7)
• Jim Neidhart +4 (4)
• SD Jones +2 (4)
• King Kong Bundy +4 (4)
• Jose Luis Rivera +1 (4)
• Mr T +4 (4)
• David Sammartino +3 (3)
• Matt Borne +3 (3)
• Jesse Ventura +5 (7)
• Ken Patera +5 (10)
• Big John Studd +5 (8)
• Andre The Giant +5 (10)
• Jimmy Snuka +4 (14)
• Junkyard Dog +4 (4)
• Ricky Steamboat +3 (3)
• Terry Gibbs +3 (3) 

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TheWreslinDork and I shall see you next time...for Wrestlemania 1!!

WWE Payback 2014 Review

It was a card that promised much and above my expectations it managed to deliver on the majority of those promises, with each match more or less getting the time they deserved. It’s only detractor being the main event couldn’t quite live up to what had gone before it.

WWE Championship Three Stages of Hell Math: John Cena © vs. Ryback

As a regular pay-per-view main event, this match probably would have been good enough match. However on a night of epic contests throughout the show, there just wasn’t enough substance in this match to end the pay-per-view on a high note. We kicked off on with the first fall which was a Lumberjack Match. It was slow start for the match and didn’t really help get the crowd onto Cena or Ryback’s side with them content to chant for other wrestlers for most of the contest. There was a nice spot with Cena jumping onto all the Lumberjacks from the top rope, which lead to the finish with Ryback hitting a Shellshock for the first fall, but apart from that this match was basically a throwaway Raw main event.

The contest upped a little with the second fall, a table match. With the steel stairs being quickly incorporated into the contest with Cena dodging Ryback’s attack twice sending the steel through the tables, the sense of danger was certainly upped here, although not quite as high as previous Three Stages of Hell contests. The match was well paced, and Ryback even managed to derail the regular Cena comeback with a Spinebuster, before Cena slipped out of a Shellshocked attempt to AA Ryback through the table. With Ryback essentially no selling going through the table to help keep him looking strong, we headed into the final fall of the match which would turn out to be the best.

The match started with Ryback power bombing Cena through the announce table, forcing the contest to up it’s game from this point forward and for the most part it did. The rest of the bout revolved completely around the use of the ambulance, with a number of decent spots once Ryback had carried Cena up the entrance ramp. Parts of the ambulance were broken off and used including parts of the body work and a crazy amount of crutches. The most impressive spot saw Cena irish whipped Ryback into an open door, which came clean off, which looked really good on screen. There was an awkward moment with Ryback not quite being close enough to the ambulance when going for a powerbomb, and the resulting back body drop look painful. The finish was something that probably sounded good in a meeting and on paper should have worked, but in practice, seeing Cena AA Ryback through what looked like the paper roof of the Ambulance didn’t quite work, mainly because you could see how the roof was rigged up earlier in the contest.

Cena’s win is a sensible one by WWE, as Ryback’s heel turn hasn’t quite been as successful as they would have hoped and handing him the WWE title wouldn’t have helped changed this. He needs to improve on his microphone skills if he’s going to get any investment from the fans in his storylines, or at least partner up with some who can speak for him. I’m not quite sure where WWE will go with Ryback from here as the amount of losses he’s suffered when it matters haven’t exactly built him as the indestructible monster they refer to him as. I’d expect Cena to hold the WWE Championship for a while yet, mainly because no else seems quite ready to step up and it will be interesting to see who gets the nod to face him at Money in the Bank. 

CM Punk w/Paul Heyman vs. Chris Jericho

CM Punk in Chicago. That’s all you need to know to realise how huge the crowd reaction to the Voice of Voiceless was here, add in the fact that Punk hadn’t been seen on television for two months and you had some really special. From the moment Cult of Personality hit to the final ring bell the crowd were red hot for this one all the way through. Punk walking out in his hometown had a real epic moment feel and it was great to see him back on WWE Television.

The opening of the match however couldn’t quite live up to this epic reaction. As is usual with CM Punk’s longer matches, it takes a while for him to warm up and feel his way into the contest, similar could be said for his opponent Chris Jericho. The two exchanged holds for the first five or six minutes, with a number of submission holds which were well put together, bar an awkward armbar for Punk, and built the foundation for what the match would become. It was a slow start but one that was needed for such a hotly anticipated contest. The match really got going once Punk answered a charging Jericho with a knee to the face and headed to the apron. Punk took his time, looking around the entire arena and you could just feel that the pace of the match was about to up itself.

With both men spending what felt like an age in each other’s submission holds, with a lovely transition from the Walls of Jericho into the Anaconda Vise, the selling ability of both men really made these moments feel like they could finish the match, with Jericho in particularly doing a great job in the Vise, before reaching the ropes. With each fall of the match adding a newer layer onto this match, made even better by both men managing to make those near falls look like they were going to end the match, like a really tight roll up from Jericho with Punk kicking out at the very last moment. With Jericho kicking out of the GTS, and Punk looking to the Chicago crowd for inspiration, this was a real spine tingling moment when watching live, as you could really feel the emotion of both Punk and the entire of Chicago emanating through the television screen. With too many spots to mention here, the finish saw Punk fight out of the Walls of Jericho, to hit not one but two GTS for the victory. It was a great finish to great contest, with both men playing their roles well throughout.

I’m interested to see where both men go from here, hopefully Punk will return to television full time as his presence alone would certainly help with Raw. As for Jericho, he won’t really be harmed by this loss as it was a competitive contest, I could see Jericho going into a feud with Curtis Axel around the Intercontinental Championship, which could be a good contest and help Axel get over more with the WWE Universe, as well as Jericho being a record setting Intercontinental Champion playing well into this potential storyline. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler © with Big E Langston & AJ Lee vs. Alberto Del Rio with Ricardo Rodrigues

Considering this match essentially only had a week of build-up due to Ziggler being off television with a concussion, this contest managed to tell an unbelievable story, whilst also being a sound technical contest. With Ziggler starting the match as a heel, even going as far as to leave the ring when things didn’t go his way at the start of the contest, things were about to change as these two wrestlers took the viewer on an incredible journey through the match and it’s aftermath.

The match started off regularly enough with the two exchanging holds and irish whips, until Del Rio hit a big punch on Ziggler and it really got interesting. From this point onwards Del Rio dominated with Ziggler offense limited to a number of spots. With Del Rio showing a much more vicious side than we have come to expect from his recent face run, as he focussed almost solely on Ziggler’s head, including smashing Ziggler’s head into the announce table after Ziggler had taken a crazy bump to the outside. It was about this point in the match were the roles began to switch, with Big E Langston trying to protect his friend, only for Del Rio to push him, once Langston fought back he was ejected from the arena to loud boos from the crowd in the Allstate Arena.

Ziggler’s fantastic selling ability really made this match, as it was easy for the crowd and audience at home to begin to get behind Ziggler when they could see he was hurt but still trying to fight. Whilst Del Rio’s facial expressions whilst in control were also a big part in telling the story of this one. After Ziggler refused help from the doctor and AJ Lee, it really did cement his new role as a fan favourite, with Del Rio taking advantage pushing it even more. Every Ziggler comeback felt important and a last gasp attempt to keep his title. With Del Rio gloating and laughing at Ziggler, Dolph surprised everyone by hitting a Zig Zag, but unable to capitalize The Show-Off got struck by a Superkick and we had a new World Heavyweight Champion. It was superb ending that felt fitting for the contest, although I hope Ziggler will be getting his title back soon.

It really is something in todays modern age of wrestling and the internet, that match is able to tell such a fantastic story and have even the smarkiest of fans willing on Ziggler to turn the contest around. Although it seemed a strange decision to take the title of Ziggler after leaving it on him for his five weeks of television, the title change made sense when put in context of the match. This rivalry certainly has the legs to keep going for a long time and I’d expect to see a big payoff come Summerslam. 

Best of the Rest

There was also a Tag Team Championship match between The Shield’s Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns and Team RK-No. This match was another slow burner which suffered in terms of crowd reaction being place directly after the match between Chris Jericho and CM Punk. Randy Orton dominated the opening of the contest taking control of Seth Rollins, including a good looking version of his regular slam, this time with Rollins flying from the top rope. With The Shield eventually gaining control of Orton, wearing him down with a number of submissions, it did become a little slow during this part of the match, with the crowd not caring enough about Orton to will him into a comeback. When the comeback came it looked to be going well with Orton’s usual crisp style, until he botched a T-Bone suplex on Rollins, where Rollins was meant to connect with Reigns in the corner, but with Orton too far away it didn’t quite reach and looked messy.

After the hot tag to Daniel Bryan this match really came alive, as the pace lifted and as well as the game of all four competitors. The tension between Bryan and Orton was teased as Bryan flew through the ropes only for The Shield to move out of the way and for Bryan to clatter into Orton. Then followed some great chain wrestling from Bryan and Rollins, with a crazy butterfly superplex from Bryan and The Submission Specialist locking in the No Lock numerous times only to be thwarted by Reigns. Once Orton recovered the four headed for the finish, with Orton almost crashing into Bryan, before The Viper side stepped Reigns’ spear and Bryan got clattered. Orton then took out Reigns with an RKO, before he was dispatched of by Rollins. Rollins got the victory for his team with a Blackout on Bryan. It was another great finish to a Shield match, although this probably won’t go down as one of their best contests in WWE.

The Intercontinental Championship was also on the line in a triple threat contest with Preston’s Wade Barrett defending against The Miz and Curtis Axel. The opening of the contest was good with some nice wrestling by all three guys, although it focused a little too heavily on one on one action in various combinations. It was once this match started to toy with the triple threat concept that it really got going. There was nice spot where Barrett went for a Wasteland on Axel and took out The Miz in the process, with Axel getting free and hitting a Perfect Plex for a near fall.

The ending saw some really good work from all three men, with The Miz very impressive as he set up the Figure Four Leg Lock in another innovative way. With Barrett holding in the Leg Lock for a very long time, selling well, it really helped to raise his profile during the match, and when Axel slid in to steal a pinfall and the title, it didn’t particularly harm Barrett as he had looked so strong in the hold. An emotional moment for Axel followed as he looked to the sky, referencing his father Mr. Perfect on Father’s Day. After the match Axel was spotted backstage in a segment with Triple H and Vince McMahon, in which it was teased Triple H might get a shot at Axel’s title, although Triple H is now strangely reluctant.

Kaitlyn and AJ Lee put on one of the best Diva’s Championship matches in a very long. The bout was hard hitting from the outset, with AJ sent flying over the announce table and then delivering a vicious drop kick to Kaitlyn on the outside. Kaitlyn’s development was also handled well with her looking strong by staying in AJ’s Black Widow and selling fairly well. With Kaitlyn looking like she might have the win after a thunderous spear, she took her time to blow a kiss to AJ and only got a two count. It was great to see an actual storyline in a Diva’s match and it really added to the contest, allowing for an emotional investment in the characters. With Kaitlyn back in the Widow’s Peak one more time, she attempted to fight out but eventually had to tap out for the finish, as AJ won the Diva’s Championship.

The United States Championship Match between The Shield’s Dean Ambrose and Kane was a solid contest technically, but never really got out of the starting gates, despite being ten minutes long. The early part of the match was slow as it seemed to be building as a number of matches on the card did throughout the night, however when the match looked to picking up it’s pace it was quickly over. With Ambrose and Kane on the outside, Ambrose slapped the Big Red Monster who went into a rage removing the lid from the announce table. With Ambrose reversing Kane’s chokeslam into a DDT for the Countout victory, it was another frustrating match between Ambrose and Kane, as it was a good match, but it could have been even better, if a number of constraints were removed, such as time. It would be great to see these two go at it for a good fifteen minutes in a Falls Count Anywhere contest, it would have the potential to be an absolute classic.

The Payback Kick-Off contest was Sheamus against Damien Sandow. I was surprised by how long this contest got on the Pre-Show and it really did benefit from being longer than five minutes. I was also pleasantly surprised by the booking of Damien Sandow throughout the contest as he controlled a lot of the match and looked impressive throughout, nearly winning with his old finishing neckbreaker. The ending saw Sheamus hit three stiff looking Irish Curse Backbreakers, before setting up the Brogue Kick for the victory. It was a good way to start the show, as a much more serious side of Sheamus allowed for some hard-hitting action that warmed the crowd up well. Damien Sandow also looked strong as it took so much offense from Sheamus to get the victory, hopefully this booking of Sandow continues going forward.

Finally…

What have we learned from WWE Payback?

1. Chicago isn't afraid of letting WWE know how they feel!

2. The Three Stages of Hell Match, probably could have just been an Ambulance Match, allowing Punk/Jericho to go on last.

3. Dolph Ziggler should make a fantastic sympathetic face, whilst Del Rio looks a lot more comfortable as a heel.

Announced For July 14th's Money in the Bank

The return of Rob Van Dam.