WWE Seth Rollins: Building the Architect Review

WWE Seth Rollins: Building the Architect is out on DVD in the UK now from all reputable outlets as the two time WWE World Heavyweight Champion gets the Home Video treatment. The set takes the form of an interview with Rollins which is spread across the set, around a total of 18 matches, including The Sheild against John Cena, Ryback & Sheamus and then Team Hell No & The Undertaker, a Triple Threat match with Brock Lesnar and Cena, a Ladder match with Dean Ambrose, a title for title match and then a Steel Cage match with Cena, the injury return against Roman Reigns, a triple threat with former Shield stablemates Ambrose and Reigns, the first WWE Universal title match opposite Finn Balor as well as appearances from Triple H, Randy Orton, The Big Show, Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes. But is it any good? Let's take a look.

Rollins Interview

Overall the interview goes just over half an hour as Rollins sitting down to talk about each match or moment which gives a good insight and sometimes a new spin. The interview is extremely candid, included moments like Seth discussing almost signing with TNA, demanding to be the first NXT Champion, disagreeing with splitting The Shield, as well as not wanting to do The Shield triple threat at Battleground. Rollins comes across confident, yet humble, putting over a number of his opponents and seems to have a real connection with the audience and an understanding of how a crowd will react and what the die-hards want to see.

The Matches 

The first match sees Rollins in the Finals of the Jack Brisco Classic facing up off with a masked Hunico [Sin Cara] (FCW TV, Feb '11) in a 15 Minute Iron Man Match, a bout that doesn't really get going until the later stages. The sudden death period with the pair trading near falls and throwing out big moves wakes the crowd up and we even get appearances from Steve Keirn and Gerald Brisco, although the medal the winner receives is ridiculously lame compared to pretty much every other wrestling prize in history. Another 15 minute Iron Man bout is next and is a much better use of the gimmick, in the form of the first of what is currently 63 matches with Dean Ambrose (FCW TV, Aug '11). The match builds well to it's conclusion, with the pair working at much higher pace and creating a couple of crisp back and forth sequence with the door left wide open for a rematch. Rollins' FCW Florida Heavyweight title win against Leo Kruger [Adam Rose] (FCW TV, Mar '12) takes a little while to find it's groove and a sequence where Kruger gets dragged back to the ring after trying to leave is completely cringe-worthy. However, the last five minutes as the two trade false finishes amidst a number of really good reversal sequences, manage to turn things around with the finish being particularly strong. 

Rollins dropping the NXT title to Big E. Langston  in a No DQ (NXT, Jan '13) tells an effective story and got a good reaction out of the early Full Sail crowd. The Shield (Rollins alongside Ambrose & Roman Reigns) battling John Cena, Sheamus & Ryback (Elimination Chamber, Feb '13) is a good example of how well the trio were booked over the first few months of their WWE run, as they look magnificent when working as team. The bout is part wild brawl, part classic tag team bout, featuring a marvellous Ryback hot tag and concluding with a slick momentum swinging sequence. The trios match with Sheamus, Randy Orton and The Big Show (WrestleMania XIXX, Apr '13) is a step down, but still has a couple of cool moments. The bout is much more focused on the relationship of the opposing team, but as Rollins' first WrestleMania match it deserved to be on the set.

A rare TV appearance from The Undertaker sees the Deadman tag with Team Hell No (Kane & Daniel Bryan) against The Shield (Monday Night RAW, Apr '13) in a good six man tag from London. Part of the excitement of 'Taker appearing on RAW is gone on rewatching, but there's still a lot of strong action including Bryan and 'Taker hot tags and a great angle at the start with Undertaker having to go it alone. The drama is turned up to 11 when Rollins tags with Reigns against Cody Rhodes & Goldust (Battleground, Oct '13) as the opponents battle for their WWE careers . The finish as Dusty Rhodes gets involved with Ambrose gets

nuts. The break-up of The Shield with Rollins turning on Reigns and Ambrose, to side with Triple H and Randy Orton (Monday Night RAW, Jun '14) is one of the most iconic moments in The Architect's career, it's dramatic and at times uncomfortable as we see Rollins and then Orton brutalise the former Shield brothers. 

A triple threat over the WWE World Heavyweight title with John Cena and Brock Lesnar (Royal Rumble, Jan '15) features a star-making performance from Rollins in what is still his best match as a singles competitor in WWE. Alongside two bonafide megastars the then Money in the Bank contract holder more than holds his own in a thrilling near 25 minute epic that is full of dramatic near falls and awe-inspiring highspots. There's almost always something brilliant going on, but the stretch Rollins' has with Cena before the finish is particularly special and a big part of what makes this the best triple threat match of the decade. Randy Orton provides Rollins' first WrestleMania singles match (WrestleMania 31, Mar' 15) and it's a bloody good wrestling match to boot. The two put on a crisp bout, full of twists and turns and with the help of J&J Security, a shit load of RKO's out of nowhere. From the same show, the history making moment of Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and interjecting himself into the Lesnar v Roman Reigns main event is one of the most shocking conclusions the Show of Shows has ever seen. 

Arguably the best match of Rollins' 221 day title reign is a Ladder match with Dean Ambrose (Money in the Bank, Jun '15) that see's the two mix cute storytelling with huge creative highspots. It's a lengthy at over 35 minutes, but fills it's time well, starting as a slower paced traditional wrestling match before incorporating the toys. When the narrative of Ambrose injuring his leg comes into play, the bout gains depth as Rollins effectively hams it up as the bouts antagonist, targeting in on the body part and drive the second half of the match. The finish is a little disappointing after such a long match, but this is still an epic match. Rollins' open challenge (with brilliant specific regulations laid down post-match) getting accepted by Neville (Monday Night RAW, Aug '15) produces a very good TV bout with two of the best near falls Monday Night RAW ever seen, as well as some lovely crisp and pacy wrestling. 

 The winner take all bout with Rollins' putting his World Heavyweight Championship up against John Cena's United States Championship (SummerSlam, Aug '15) is a belter of contest, as the two use the work rate template that made Cena's US title run. The big moves, near falls and glossy reversals are complimented by a number of story threads and a lively Brooklyn crowd. The finish leaves the bout without the satisfying finish that it deserves, but Jon Stewart's interference got a sizable pop and earned mainstream attention. A Steel Cage rematch with Cena (Live at MSG: Lesnar v Big Show, Oct '15) over the United States title didn't exactly jump to my mind when I was considering bouts that might be on this DVD, in all honesty I remember not enjoying the bout all that much when it aired on the WWE Network. However on a rewatch (when it's not silly o'clock) this match is much better than I had originally considering, as the two get creative with the cage, making some nice spots and incorporating the escape rule to produce some fun near "falls". The conclusion with Kane is a little lame, but considering this was essentially a televised house show it more than surpasses what it needed to be and both men deserve credit for that.

Rollins' return from injury against Roman Reigns over the World Heavyweight Championship (Money in the Bank, Jun '16) is a strong WWE-main event style bout with finisher kick-outs, ref bumps and outside brawling. At points the sequences feel a little contrived and the decision to keep Rollins heel despite the crowd desperately wanting to support him was questionable, but Rollins and his doctors deserve a tonne of credit for how he was able to step back into a match of this quality straight away. The crowd reaction throughout is loudly behind Seth and at points it looks like Reigns might heel it up as he picks on the leg injury, but this isn't fully realised leaving what could have been an interesting story on the table. The booking of Rollins' initial comeback was almost completely fumbled and Dean Ambrose cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase post-match is a big part of that, even if the crowd pops for it. 

A triple threat against former Shield buddies Ambrose and Reigns over the WWE World Heavyweight title (Battleground, Jul '16) might not have been as massive as it could have been, but all three guys bring it in a pacy main event in front of a loud Washington crowd. There's plenty of call-backs to their time in the Shield and various matches together that make the match as the rich history the three share pays dividends. It's a shame that WWE didn't hold off to do the bout at a WrestleMania because the broad strokes and little touches would've worked perfectly in a gigantic stadium full of die-hards. The first ever WWE Universal Championship match with Finn Balor (SummerSlam, Aug '16) displays Rollins ability to help showcase new stars as he offers up a giving performance that makes Balor look incredible. It's a shame that the Brooklyn crowd became fixated on the new title belt for the first five minutes or so as it then takes them another ten to get into the action in front of them, which is of a high standard. The bout is made even more spectacular and at times uncomfortable, with the knowledge of the damage that Balor does to his shoulder after taking a powerbomb into the barricade very early on in the match. 

The final match is a No Disqualification match with Kevin Owens for the Universal title (Monday Night RAW, Nov '16) which features some fun plunder based offence, as well as one significant spot out in the crowd. The bout is a good watch, but doesn't have the same impact as some of their PPV bouts, whereas Rollins' bout with Triple H at this year's WrestleMania would've been offered a much better conclusion so it's strange that WWE didn't hold off this release to include that match. 

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.22/10

Building the Architect is a very good DVD and obviously a must-buy for anyone Seth Rollins fans. The interview portion gives the match extra depth and offers a number of nice tidbits of info on the backstage goings on, as well as how Rollins was feeling at that point in his life. There could have been more focus on how Rollins broke into the business, but with no footage available of clashes with the likes Davey Richards, Nigel McGuinness or Bryan Danielson in ROH, it's understandable that it's quickly skimmed over. The match quality is strong, especially when focusing on The Architect's singles run with bouts like the Royal Rumble triple threat with John Cena and Brock Lesnar, the Ladder match with Dean Ambrose and the title for title bout with Cena all standing out as great examples of the The Man's work. Rollins' time in FCW and The Shield is perhaps under-served in the bouts chosen with better matches against Dean Ambrose and The Wyatt Family (amongst others) not being included. However, that doesn't stop this being a stellar effort in presenting a look at Rollins career to date, which will make any Seth fan very happy for hours and hours.

TV Review: WWE Monday Night RAW #1187 (Shane McMahon Returns)

Broadcast on the 22nd February 2016, the 1187th episode of WWE's Monday Night RAW aired from the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Shane McMahon returned to interrupt Mr. McMahon presenting Stephanie McMahon with the Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award, The Wyatt Family took on Kane, The Big Show and Ryback in a rematch from the previous night's Fastlane and Roman Reigns faced off with The League of Nation's Sheamus...but was it any good?

match card

Match 1 - Six Man Tag Team - Neville & The Lucha Dragons vs. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day

Match 2 - Tag Team - The Usos vs. The Ascension

Match 3 - Tag Team - Chris Jericho & AJ Styles vs. The Social Outcasts (Slater/Axel) with Adam Rose & Bo Dallas

Match 4 - Six Man Tag Team - The Wyatt Family (Wyatt/Rowan/Harper) with Braun Strowman vs. The Big Show, Ryback & Kane

Match 5 - Singles - Sasha Banks vs. Naomi with Tamina

Match 6 - Singles - Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus w/League of Nations 

Commentary Team: John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Michael Cole & Byron Saxton

fast-forward...A quick recap of the WWE Fastlane main event, where Roman Reigns become the Number One Contender to Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship, after pinning Dean Ambrose in a Triple Threat match that also included Brock Lesnar...The commentary team ran down a few of the things in store for tonight, including the presentation of the Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award, whilst also showing a clip of Brock Lesnar attacking Dean Ambrose in the parking lot prior to the show...

shane mcmahon returns 

So there I was expecting a pretty run of the mill Monday Night RAW opening, Mr. McMahon presented the newly created Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award to his daughter Stephanie and the crowd were loudly booing. I was thinking "Yeah this is decent, Stephanie has good heat, they'll use it to tie into Triple H's WrestleMania match" and then BOOM out comes Shane McMahon for the first time in almost six years and then all sorts of things happened.  The chat between Vince, Stephanie and Shane was WWE's brand of soap opera done right as the trio all put in performances that drew me into the developing storyline, with Shane in particular standing out for me. Dropping a number of "kayfabe bombs" as he listed of flagging ratings and the current long list of performer injuries for reasons why Stephanie didn't deserve the award and why her and Triple H shouldn't be in control of WWE. The use of real life facts to bolster WWE's fiction tends to be pretty successful strategy and judging by the crowd reaction this worked a treat.

If the segment had ended with the Shane and Stephanie stand off then I think most people would have been pretty pleased with the return of the former WWE European Champion, but boy, had we only begun to scratch the surface by this point. When Shane revealed to Vince that he wanted to take control of Monday Night RAW, the pace of the drama sky rocketed. Vince losing his shit and dropping an F Bomb on live TV, offering Shane the chance to control RAW if he could win one match against the opponent of Vince's choosing at the time of Vince's choosing and then the final reveal of what Vince had in mind for his son was chaotic television that was difficult not to be mesmerised by. Both men's history with each other on WWE TV over the years meant that any long-term WWE viewer would surely get a kick out of the two at loggerheads once more, even if just for the nostalgia element. The fact that Vince revealed that Shane would in fact face The Undertaker at WrestleMania on 3rd April, and then that it would be inside Hell in a Cell was the huge pile of icing on the already big piece of cake. Whether that match will still be in place come 3rd April, I'm still not 100% sure, but I'm happy to see where things go between now and then.

the new day defeat the lucha dragons & neville

After a near twenty five minute opening segment, it was time for the first match of the night and it continued to keep the good times rolling as Neville teamed with the Lucha Dragons in a losing effort against the WWE Tag Team Champions, The New Day. Whilst the bout was spliced a fair bit, to make up for the lack of advert breaks during the McMahon's segment, the six men more than made up for it with a blistering hot finish that featured one of the best continuous spot sequence that I can remember WWE ever doing. My particularly highlight of the closing melee was Big E missing his trademark spear through the rope and Neville replying with a 450 Splash of the apron. This coming in the middle of load of silly spots and some surprisingly physical strikes between Xavier Woods and Neville. Finishing off with Kofi Kingston levelling Sin Cara with Trouble in Paradise for the victory, WWE looks to be keeping the New Day strong as Tag Team Champions, with their potential challengers at WrestleMania yet to surface and the all hints of a babyface turn seen on FastLane the night before extinguished. 

fast-forward...Jo-Jo interviewed Roman Reigns who gave his thoughts on his WrestleMania match with Triple H, with a performance which didn't exactly inspire confidence in their feud going forward...

brock lesnar vs. dean ambrose street fight confirmed for wrestlemania

Just when I began to think that WWE couldn't keep things going at this pace for the next segment, out comes Paul Heyman and cuts a killer promo about Brock Lesnar fury at Dean Ambrose costing him his shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and outlining a potential path of destruction for Lesnar between now and WrestleMania. Wow, Heyman could make a turkey get hyped for Christmas dinner. This was perfectly pitched emotional speech. Dean Ambrose driving into the arena in an ambulance almost verged on the wrong side of ridiculous, but Ambrose gives so much to his character that I quickly forgot about the silliness of the situation. The Lunatic Fringe dragging himself towards another beating from The Beast Incarnate, only to challenge him to a No Holds Barred Street Fight at WrestleMania was more compelling television. I wanted to see what was going to happen to Ambrose and what he would do next. With Heyman accepting by putting a lovely exclamation mark on the segment, I was wondering just how exactly the trio would be able to keep this up across the next 41 days to WrestleMania. I'm looking forward to finding out though.

the usos defeat the ascension

The Dudley Boyz and Usos feud began to develop further as the freshly heel Bubba Ray and D-Von cut a promo on the twins before their match with The Ascension. There is certainly a freshness that has been bought back to the 2 time IWGP Tag Team Champions that had been lacking from their babyface run of 2015. A reference to The Usos father, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Rikishi was intriguing develop, I wonder if we'll see Rikishi back on WWE television to help push the feud soon? The tag match between The Usos was pretty much a squash, as after the Ascension blindsided the San Fran tandem, it was all Usos. With a dominant win in 2 minutes, before a tease of a scrap with The Dudleyz, this was a cool bit of build up for a future clash between the two teams.

chris jericho and aj styles defeat the social outcasts

Whilst the tag bout between Chris Jericho & AJ Styles and Social Outcast members' Curtis Axel and Heath Slater was decent short encounter, that showed of Styles' offence well and allowed Jericho to pull back some momentum by getting Axel to tap out, it was the segment between Y2J and the Phenomenal One that preceded it that was the most important thing here. It was refreshing to see a straight up show of respect from Jericho to Styles, as he told us why he was initially skeptical about the 2 IWGP Heavyweight Champion, before going on to say that Styles was as every bit as phenomenal as he said he was. If the tap out victory and the handshake at Fastlane wasn't enough, this was another huge rub for Styles as he continues to receive a big push from his new company. It would seem like Styles and Jericho are done for the time being following this bout, hopefully we'll begin to get a picture of where they will slot into the WrestleMania picture in the next few weeks. 

fast-forward...A recap from the opening segment featuring Shane McMahon's WWE return...Stephanie McMahon told Roman Reigns that he'd be facing Sheamus in the shows main event, with implications that Reigns could get battered by the League of Nations...Goldust had baked R-Truth as an apology for costing him his match with Curtis Axel at Fastlane, of course, the cake ended up in Goldust's face...

the wyatt family defeat kane, the big show and ryback

This wasn't quite a rematch from Fastlane as Bray Wyatt replaced Braun Strowman for The Wyatt Family, but I found myself struggling to stay engaged in the action anyway. The crowd seemed much the same way as they chanted referee Mike Chioda, which was nice of them. The commentary team made a massive point of putting over Ryback whenever he was in the ring, to the point that it was becoming annoying. At one point, Luke Harper put a chin lock on the Big Show. Erm...Erm...Then Ryback fucked off, when Kane seemed to be about to win the match, which then allowed Wyatt to hit Sister Abigail to win the match. I've no idea. Ryback is turning heel it would seem. I'm convinced this was the role initially earmarked for Titus O'Neil before he went coco loco.

sasha banks defeats naomi 

To put the feud to bed, Sasha Banks and Naomi put on a decent TV contest, that told a simple story. Whilst the live crowd didn't seem to be particularly into it, especially for Naomi as a heel, I think that they were worn out by this point after a number of red hot segments. Sasha and Naomi put together some solid sequences, whilst Tamina at ringside allowing the former Funkadactyl to remain in control at various points. The pay-off came when Becky Lynch charged down to ringside to even the score and Sasha, almost immediately, got the submission victory with the Banks Statement. With one feud done with, it was time for another to come off the back burner as Charlotte interrupted Becky and Sasha's celebration and revealed that the two would face off in a Number One Contender's match at some point, with the winner facing her at WrestleMania. There's potential for this story to become a real highlight of WWE's television product over the next month and half, if done the right way. Before then, just look at Charlotte and Ric Flair's cackling picture above.

fast-forward...Another recap of Shane McMahon's return, because why the fuck not at this point, right?...Backstage, Vince McMahon explained to Stephanie his reasoning behind choosing The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania for Shane's match, saying that not only did Shane have no chance, but that Vinny also had another main event match for his PPV...The Godfather was announced as joining Sting in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016...

triple h interupts roman reigns' match with sheamus

I was actually rather enjoying Roman Reigns match with Sheamus, a lot more than I was expecting to when it was announced. Sheamus focusing on Reigns' arm after the damage of Brock Lesnar's Kimura Lock at Fastlane was a neat piece of storytelling, that played out nicely throughout the time the two had, when they could have essentially just gone through the motions before the big end to the show. Kudos to The Juggernaut for doing a bloody good job of selling his arm here. However, the bout never got to reach it's conclusion as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and Reigns' WrestleMania opponent, Triple H headed out and the two got in brawl all around ringside. A brutal start to their WrestleMania programme, with Triple H looking like a non-good piece of shit for having to nail Reigns with a ring bell to take control, but somehow simultaneously also looking like a bad-ass motherfucker for the beating he dished out after. The crowd cheering for The Game took a little bit of the shine off things, but a Pedigree on the steel steps and Reigns ending the show covered in blood provided a solid foundation for the rest of the programme to be built on.

finally...atpw scale rating - 6.47/10 

I quite liked Fastlane, but this was the better show, by quite some way. Not perhaps in terms of wrestling matches, because there was nothing on this show that was on the same level as the Triple Threat main event, or Styles vs. Jericho or Owens vs. Ziggler, but in terms of sheer entertainment this was the better show. Shane McMahon's return and all the hullabaloo that surrounded it, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar confirmed for WrestleMania amidst a ridiculous ambulance gimmick and a superb Paul Heyman promo and Triple H and Roman Reigns starting their WWE World Heavyweight Championship programme with a bloody brawl, this show had a look to enjoy. The only major drawback for me was the dull Six Man Tag bout with The Wyatt Family vs. Kane, Ryback and The Big Show took up so much time on the show, otherwise we'd be seeing stupid ATPW Scale Rating here!

For me, this was the best Monday Night RAW of 2016 and could take some beating. Five more episodes like this before WrestleMania and we'll have a very special show come 3rd April...

TV REVIEW: WWE Monday Night RAW #1175

After last week's poor edition of Monday Night RAW and with this being the penultimate show in the build towards TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, surely WWE would be looking to come out fighting? With the newly formed League of Nations teaming with The New Day to take on Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & The Usos in the main event, the WWE Tag Team Champions also being involved in the opening segment with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Roman Reigns, an episode of Miz TV with Rusev, Lana and Ryback, would RAW manage to close November with a bang? Let's have a look. 

The New Day kicking off Monday Night RAW can never be a bad thing, the trio did a great job of working the crowd up (Big E using the Pittsburgh Steelers towel got a shed load of heat!) for WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Sheamus to make his entrance. WWE were clearly hoping that some of the WWE Tag Team Champions undeniable popularity would rub off on Sheamus and in a way it kind of worked. The crowd continued to pour heat on the Celtic Warrior, who looked like he'd just come from a wedding in his suit, whilst the Irish did a pretty good job with his promo. Whilst it was clunky towards the end, thanking Roman Reigns for his title win and riffing off Stone Cold's famous promo with "Sheamus 5:15", in reference to how long Reigns held the main belt for at Survivor Series, were both well crafted and well performed. The pay-off of Reigns running in to attack Sheamus was left just long enough for it to be surprising and with Shamo's celebration fireworks still going off provided a brilliant visual to close the first part of the show. The Juggernaut walking out with the title seemed to be to set up an angle for their TLC bout in two weeks... 


Fast-Forward...The story continued backstage with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon managing to get the belt back from Roman Reigns, booking an intriguing World Heavyweight Championship contest with a 5 minute, 15 second time limit for later in the show...Tyler Breeze (and Summer Rae) already being in the ring for his match with Dolph Ziggler when we came back from the ad break didn't bode well for Prince Pretty...

Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze's bout was a slight improvement on their bout at Survivor Series just eight days earlier, but still didn't have enough time on TV (Just over 10 minutes in the arena) to really have a chance to take things to the next level. The back and forth sequence that would lead to the finish with both men attempting a number of different pinfall combinations made the bout feel almost like a Beat the Clock challenge, and whilst it was fun to watch, you wouldn't have guessed that the two had had any involvement with each other storyline-wise prior to the encounter. Ziggler getting his win back with a flash superkick doesn't really help anyone in the long run and stunt any momentum that Breeze heading into final few weeks of WWE's Autumn programme. 

MIZ TV! Who doesn't love Miz TV? I'll tell you who, me! This was wank, it really was. The Miz was inconsequential and I have no interest in Rusev and Lana's relationship any more, because of how much flip flopping WWE did with the duo over the spring and summer. The crowd however did seem to be enjoying themselves, getting involved when both Rusev and Lana denied "going all the way" with previous flames Summer Rae and Dolph Ziggler by chanting "Yes you did". Whilst the content was cringe worthy it was nice to see a creative crowd getting involved with the story. Ryback coming out to interrupt the duo big ol' heel snog made absolutely no sense either, made even more clear by Michael Cole only managing to utter the words "The Big Guy" when Big Hungry came out. Maybe Ryback just hates PDA. 


Fast-Forward...Ryback then beat Rusev via countout after a silly angle that saw Lana get injured by the steel steps and Rusev help her and lose (Because that's going to get heel heat)...Ryback looked awkward as fuck, whilst Rusev carried his fiancée up the ramp...Triple H adding another stipulation to the Sheamus/Roman Reigns title bout later was intriguing development as he placed Dean Ambrose's Intercontinental Championship shot on the line as well...

Another in-ring segment because everyone loves in-ring segments! Okay, so this one was actually pretty sweet, with The Dudley Boyz now deeply embedded in a feud with The Wyatt Family and the gimmick of having tables with the names of the Family on them was a cool idea (even if Bubba had used it before in TNA) The build towards the WWE return of Tommy Dreamer in his first TV appearance for the 'E since 2012 was great, with the crowd popping big for Dreamer coming out to even the score for his former ECW (and erm...TNA) pals. "This is Awesome" chants might have been a little bit over the top, but still this was nice way to further the issues between the Dudleyz and The Wyatt Family whilst bringing back a popular face near to his old stomping ground. 


Fast-Forward...For me, it should have stopped there, the six man tag bout felt way too much like filling for time, especially with the screwy no contest finish...However, Bray Wyatt's "Get the tables" call was cool as, and the Family matriarch getting sent through a table by Bubba Ray Dudley finished things off nicely...Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Colter continuing to struggle to find anything resembling chemistry during their entrance, but the WWE United States Champion getting in Goldust's face before their bout allowed the champ to show some real fire...It was a shame that their bout ended up being a complete squash, WWE has quickly forgotten how popular Goldust was upon his return, a lengthy contest would have done much more for Del Rio...WWE continued to paint Del Rio's feud with Jack Swagger by the numbers, as Swagger ran out to make the save for Goldust post-match...Just in case you weren't sure who Charlotte's Dad was, she agreed to a match with pal Becky Lynch only if her Daddy could be in her corner...I was pretty damn excited to see The Usos and The Lucha Dragons duke it out to become Number One Contender to the New Day's WWE Tag Team Championships, as the four made their entrances...Whilst their were flashes of what the match could have been and The New Day were brilliant on commentary, having the trio cause a double disqualification was a disappointing and lazy piece of booking...We got an in-vision promo from Team B.A.D. as Sasha Banks made her entrance for her match with Brie Bella, what a time to be alive...

I couldn't quite get my head around the booking of the Sasha Banks vs. Brie Bella contest. Sasha is clearly the more popular of the two heels, and constantly get's "We Want Sasha" chants during others matches, and no one particularly cares for Brie Bella, so WWE had Sasha dominate the contest, before Brie made a babyface comeback (Yes Kicks and all) before The Boss got a clean submission victory. Whilst the action was decent (if not a little clunky at times), the crowd never seemed to interested in what was going on, because they couldn't buy in to a heel vs. heel contest, where they were supposedly supposed to root for the least over participant of the bout. Some one like Natalya would surely have been a better option as an opponent for Sasha to go over. 


Fast-Forward...The commentary team hammered home the various stipulations for Roman Reigns and Sheamus' WWE World Heavyweight Championship contest, which was oddly placed as the lead-in for the 2nd hour...It was disappointing to not see the bout go the full time limit as I thought the action before hand was of a high quality with a real drive and urgency about it, but Rusev attacking Reigns with a minute to go put an end to things...A new faction being born and involving more than the fashionable three men was an interesting development with Alberto Del Rio joining the European trio of Sheamus, Rusev and King Barrett as The League of Nations, hopefully this means Mex-America is dead...It was absolute dreamland time, as The New Day advertised some products for WWEShop.com...More Ric Flair as the 2 time WWE World Heavyweight Champion made good on his promise and escorted his daughter, WWE Diva's Champion, Charlotte to the ring for bout with Becky Lynch...This bout deserved so much more than the couple of minutes it got on TV, the wrestling between Charlotte and Becky was so damn good, with a surprise finish of the champ faking a knee injury to pick up a roll up victory, there just wasn't enough of it...Becky's lingering face of disappointment in the ring, was complemented by Paige's mad rambling at the commentary desk...The two Divas knocked their backstage segment out of the park, adding fuel to fire of interest that their match started, before Paige added a well-timed exclamation mark...Adam Rose has a new gimmick, as a gossip, and it's actually glorious, how it will transfer to the wrestling ring I'm not quite sure...With Michael Cole announcing a Eight Man Tag as the main event, The New Day went and changed things, by the League of Nations side, turning it into a 7 on 4 handicap bout...

A little bit of something different for the main event with the aforementioned League of Nations/New Day alliance taking on Roman Reigns and his allies The Usos and Dean Ambrose. The early part of the bout showed promise with the face shine including a nice moment of the babyfaces using the New Day's Unicorn Stampede on Xavier Woods and Woods selling the attack like it was life threatening. An Uso (why did they stop wearing red and blue so I could tell them apart) worked well as the twin in peril, with the heels focusing in on a leg injury (with JBL putting his best piece of commentary in years, trying to convince his partners that Uso was doing the same as Charlotte did earlier),  allowing the contest to settle into a pretty familiar pattern as the heels made some quick tags. I would have liked to have seen a bit more cheating and classic dirty tactics from the League of Nations and New Day, as the seven on four setting was a real opportunity to build and build the crowd support for the babyfaces.

We did get to see some decent psychology however with the heels being able to take advantage of their numbers to quell a Roman Reigns hot tag and take the Usos out of the equation for most of the bout as well. I thought the build to the second hot tag to Dean Ambrose was spot-on with heels continuing to work over Reigns for a long time and the crowd steadily getting drawn into the action and chanting "We Want Ambrose", you could feel what was coming and the anticipation felt really quite nice. Of course, Ambrose's hot tag was great, he's an exciting wrestler to watch, especially in this kind of setting, give him more moments like this and he'll go the same route as Daniel Bryan did a few years ago. It was Sheamus however who claimed the victory for his team, after a frenetic closing sequence, hitting a Brogue Kick on Ambrose. It feels strange to be writing "A Huge victory for the WWE World Heavyweight Champion" but after how he was booked last week, it was superb to see the Irishman looking strong in the victory and not falling to a team with less men on it, which would have left his title reign dead in the water.


Fast-Forward...The show closes with The New Day and The League of Nations standing strong after holding back a fight back from Reigns, please WWE keep these stables looking this strong, it'll mean so much more when someone takes their titles from them...

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 3.94 (Poor - Average TV) 

This week's edition did manage to the dubious honour of improving on last week's show but was still had a lot of problems. There wasn't enough of the stuff that was good (with Charlotte and Becky's bout standing out in particular) and too much of the stuff that was shit (Miz TV, Sasha vs. Brie etc.). The booking was all over the place and at times felt like it was being done on the fly, why on earth did Rusev walk out of his match with Ryback to help Lana, only to join a new faction later on? Same could be said for Alberto Del Rio's inclusion in the group. There was way too much focus on the Roman Reigns and Sheamus feud that absolutely dominated the show this week, opening the show, the 3rd hour and closing the show, in a show that is supposed to be about having different elements that appeal to everyone, if the feud isn't doing anything for you, then you were pretty fucked this week. That's before I've even got into those long-ass fast-forward sections (including anything that doesn't get longer than five minutes) towards the end of this week's review.


With just one week of RAW left before TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs and ratings continuing to slump, WWE needs to start putting more effort into the show. The booking ranges from unimaginative and lazy to down right baffling. I'm sure TLC with a fine show with plenty of weapon spots and the like, but WWE needs to give people more of a reason to keep tuning in each week soon or they'll end up in an even worse position than they are now.

TV REVIEW: WWE Monday Night RAW #1171

Following a good episode of Monday Night RAW last week, WWE looked to build towards Survivor Series this week. With a traditional Survivor Series Elimination match with Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Ryback and The Usos taking on Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and The New Day, The Wyatt Family revealing more about their attacks on The Undertaker and Kane, a Fatal 4Way between Paige, Becky Lynch, Brie Bella and Sasha Banks to determine the Number One Contender to Charlotte's Diva's Championship and more, could WWE improve on last week's 5.56 on the ATPW Scale? Let's find out...

For me, the opening segment was solid, in that it confirmed a match for the upcoming Survivor Series PPV (Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship), as well as the main event for this evening (Team Rollins vs. Team Reigns in a Traditional 5v5 Survivor Series Elimination Match) . Roman Reigns opening promo however, didn't get things off to a great start. Part of that is to do with Reigns' performance, which was admittedly wooden at points and unnatural in it's delivery, but the content was also weak, feeling repetitive and losing my attention pretty quickly. Luckily, once Seth Rollins interrupted, the energy lifted and the WWE World Heavyweight Champions words put Reigns over as a much more believable challenge than Reigns had managed to do earlier. The Juggernaut comes across as much more threatening and charismatic when he has someone to bounce off, WWE need to stop putting him in situations where he is out there on his own as it only extenuates his weaknesses on the mic. 

Match 1 - Singles
Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

A sweet opening contest for TV, Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens worked well together here. Owens focusing on The Show Off's left knee from the bell (with Michael Cole doing a stellar job of getting over that Tyler Breeze had injured the knee previously) gave the match a clear narrative throughout. Ziggler may be one of the best in the company when fighting from underneath, his scrappy fighting back and whilst selling the injury, worked into Kevin Owens style well. The handful of hope spots that were thrown Ziggler's way were well placed, his massive DDT being the highlight. The crowd could have been into this a little bit more than they were, especially considering Owens and Ziggler are usually two favourites with certain portions of the fans. Tyler Breeze's involvement at ringside was focused on a little bit too much for my liking at times, but having him involved in the finish, allowed Kevin Owens to gain momentum whilst allowing the feud between Breeze and Ziggler to continue to gain traction. 

Winner - Kevin Owens via Pinfall (Pop-Up Powerbomb)

Fast-Forward... Breeze and Ziggler's post-match back and forth continued to make Breeze look like a threat to the Show-Off, there's a lot of potential for this feud going forward... To build to the Surivor Series match, some highlight's packages from past matches aired, the first from the original PPV, with a Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat, Brutus Beefcake and Jim Duggan going over The Honky Tonk Man, Hercules, Danny Davis, Ron Bass and Harley Race...Seth Rollins recruiting Kevin Owens for his team backstage was a fun little segment, with talk of a WrestleMania main event between the two being mouthwatering for sure...A replay last week's six Diva tag team match between PCB and Team Bella was shown, mainly to show Paige's attack of her former team mates, Becky Lynch and Charlotte....I found Becky Lynch and Renee Young's relationship to be adorable in a backstage interview, Brie Bella was less believable....

Match 2 - Singles
The Miz vs. Cesaro

This wasn't a terrible contest, but for me it was the least enjoyable of the show this week. Whilst The Miz did allow Cesaro to look like a beast, there were moments that I found myself being pulled out of the action. Miz' chinlock on Cesaro looked ridiculous, with both men for some reason going really over-the-top in their performances. Maybe that's what WWE wants from the "Swiss Superman" as they seem to be positioning him for a feud with Stardust, who was in crowd with The Ascension. I guess they're playing of the "Superman" moniker. At least Cesaro seems to be getting a bit of momentum again, as he managed to pick up the victory with a Cesaro Swing transitioned in a Sharpshooter. Here's hoping the Stardust feud is just a springboard for the former United States Champion.

Winner - Cesaro via Submission (Sharpshooter)

Fast-Forward... The "Thank You" to the fans that aired was bizarre to say the least and anytime WWE mentions "Brock Lesnar Guy" is going to piss me off anyway...

Bray Wyatt explaining what exactly he and his Family had done to The Undertaker and Kane was a strange one. If you missed it, Wyatt let us know that he'd taken their souls and now had their powers. The Eater of World's emotive language "the rotting carcas of the Undertaker"..."scorched body of Kane" was great, it kept me hooked to the screen. His use of language is different to everyone else in the WWE and that makes him incredibly watchable. It was a shame that when he began to use his new powers, proclaiming it was "well within my power to take your world and burn it straight to hell", that all the happened was he "made" some pyro go off on the entrance ramp. If you had the power to destroy the world, why would you even bother wrestling? Things went a little too far into the supernatural to sit inside the WWE product for me.



Fast Forward... As The Lucha Dragons, King Barrett and Sheamus made their way to the ring, a Lucha Dragons slick promo package aired, which was curious addition...

Match 3 - Tag Team 
Sheamus & King Barrett vs. The Lucha Dragons

As TV tag team bouts go, this was pretty damn good. The two teams gelled well together, as WWE seems to be going forward with Barrett and Sheamus as a duo. The pace of the Lucha Dragons made for a smashing contrast with the brawling stylings of Sheamus and Barrett, which gave the bout a lovely flow. I was literally expecting this to be a four or five minutes squash for Barrett and Sheamus, but as the match continued and continued I found myself getting more and more into the action, with all four men performing very well. The fact that the more experience team managed to pick up the victory, with Kalisto pinning Barrett off a Salida del Sol, made me very happy indeed. Hopefully there's more to come out of these two teams, as this bout felt like to top of the ice berg for the four. 

Winners - The Lucha Dragons via pinfall (Kalisto on Barrett (Salida del Sol)

Fast-Forward....The Lucha Dragons were allowed to celebrate their victory with no shenanigans, let's see where WWE is heading with this team...Jack Swagger's relationship with Zeb Colter was quickly swept under the carpet in a backstage segment, here's hoping WWE don't go for another Swagger/Del Rio feud...Colter's little cart with a Mex-America flag on board is different, at least...Alberto Del Rio squashing R-Truth was a sloppy mess of a bout...The next Survivor Series highlight was Team Smackdown (Batista, Rey Mysterio, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Bobby Lashley & Randy Orton) going over Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito & Chris Masters) from 2005...In another fun backstage segment The New Day joined Team Rollins for the main event, whilst we also got the return of Xavier Woods, all is well with the world again...Jo-Jo chased down Sasha Banks to talk about the upcoming Diva's Four Way, with Banks grabbing the opportunity to display her character with both hands...As Becky Lynch, Sasha, Brie Bella and Paige made their way to the ring, we got another recap of the goings on from last week...

Match 5 - Diva's Championship Number One Contenders Fatal Fourway
Paige vs. Team Bella Member, Brie Bella vs. Team B.A.D. member, Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

Before the main event, this was the longest match of the show, going nearly fifteen minutes. With a solid structure, all four performers put in an effort to keep my attention for the entire contest with a lot of different stories playing out throughout the match. We had Paige's character developmental as she stayed on the outside of the bout taking her chances, as well as Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks putting on a fine technical display, before Becky mixed it up with some pleasing brawling on the outside with Paige. Whilst her performance wasn't bad, Brie Bella looked a little out of place with the other three, and whilst she had some heat early doors it was thrown away when she did the "Yes" kicks off her husband, Daniel Bryan. After some nice near falls for Becky and Sasha, it was Paige he walked out victorious after hitting a Ram-Paige on Becky in a satisfying finish. Part of me wishes WWE had given Sasha the win here, and had two women's singles matches on PPV with Paige and Becky getting another shot at each other, but maybe that was just wishing for a little too much.

Winner - Paige via pinfall (on Becky (Rampaige))

Fast Forward...`I didn't think much of Paige's victory promo, it was generic and forced as she called everyone losers...The final Survivor Series flashback of the evening looked at 2014, when Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Erick Rowan & Ryback) defeated Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev & Luke Harper)...Whilst the content of Charlotte's interview with Renee Young was fine, the delivery could have done with some work...

Before the main event could get under-way, we still needed to find out who would be on Roman Reigns' team. I thought the idea of keeping Reigns' partners under wraps and knowing Rollins team heading in was a clever one, as it begged fans to tune in for the main event to find out who would be on the teams. It kept a thread of unpredictability that we'd seen work so well for John Cena's Open Challenges over the past six months. The Usos return was a nice surprise, that will bring even more depth to WWE's growing tag division and whilst Dean Ambrose involvement was a little predictable, that's only because it made perfect sense due his on-screen closeness with the Juggernaut. I sighed when Ryback came out however, he certainly the least inspiring choice on that team, especially after he lost his feud with Kevin Owens at Hell in a Cell. 

Match 6 - Traditional Survivor Series Ten Man Elimination Tag Team
Team Reigns (Dean Ambrose, Ryback, The Usos & Roman Reigns) vs. Team Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens & WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day)

I can't remember a Survivor Series Elimination bout airing on RAW, I might be wrong though. This provided a unique setting to further the feud between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, whilst allowing eight other guys the opportunity to shine and produce new feuds, that can never be a bad thing! The early part of the match showcased The Usos well, with their new red and blue attires being a good way of telling the twins apart! With the duo quickly eliminating Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston off Frog Splashes, whilst Jey being dominated by the heels early doors was sound psychology in his first match back from injury. Whilst the twins were the first two members of Team Reigns to get eliminated (Jey off a Big Ending from Big E and Jimmy off a Pop-Up Powerbomb from Owens), they looked excellent upon their return and having eliminated two New Day members they're surely next in line for a tag title shot straight away. 

With the match going over half an hour, the pacing was even more important than usual, especially with the show having to go to two commercial breaks during the match. Roman Reigns spent plenty of time in the ring, perhaps as a way to continue to get him over as a contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. He took a beating from both Rollins and Owens at various points, selling his injuries well on the outside, after we got treated to a hot tag from Ryback. I was especially impressed with Rollins leading into this hot-tag as whilst the crowd was chanting for Dean Ambrose, The Architecht made sure Ambrose couldn't be tagged in by knocking him off the apron, therefore instead of the crowd being disappointed when Reigns tagged Ryback (instead of Ambrose) the crowd could only see The Big Guy on the apron and began to chant "Feed Me More" quality stuff.

The crowd was super into this one, especially as the field was wittled down to two on two, with Ambrose and Reigns ending up opposite Rollins and Owens. The villainous duo worked so well together, with their character work being spot on in this section, with Rollins only continuing to shine after Owens had succumbed to the Dirty Deeds of Dean Ambrose (Side note - An Ambrose vs. Owens feud of the IC Title would be brilliant!) Whilst I'd be criticising this finishes if it occurred on PPV, having Rollins try to run away from Ambrose and Reigns made perfect sense both for the character and as a build for PPV. The World Heavyweight Champion levelling his challengers with a Steel Chair to get the disqualified and hand Team Reigns the win was sound booking. It made me want to see more and that's exactly what a television product should be doing.

Winners - Team Reigns 

Order of Elimination

1. Xavier Woods (by Jey Uso)
2. Kofi Kingston (by Jimmy Uso)

3. Jey Uso (by Big E)

4. Jimmy Uso (by Kevin Owens)
5. Big E (by Ryback)

6. Ryback (by Seth Rollins)

7. Kevin Owens (by Dean Ambrose)

8. Seth Rollins (Disqualified)

Fast-Forward...A little back and forth between Rollins and Reigns, with Reigns managing to catch the Champion with a Superman Punch was the icing on the cake of a strong TV main event...

Finally....

ATPW Scale Rating: 6.39/10 - VERY GOOD TV

A big improvement on last week's show, which was still a good episode of Monday Night RAW in it's own right. The main event took up 30 minutes of air time and was a delight to watch, great action, enjoyable story-telling and the potential for some interesting new feuds to develop, whilst furthering the issues between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns and simultaneously promoting their match at Survivor Series and any potential Traditional Elimination bouts that might occur on the PPV. The tag team match pitting The Lucha Dragon against King Barrett and Sheamus, Kevin Owens contest with Dolph Ziggler and the opening segment were all enjoyable also.

Cesaro and The Miz's encounter was the weakest (decent length) bout of the evening, but even that had it's plus points ie. Cesaro looking great. Everything else that had a good length to it was somewhere in between, which for Bray Wyatt's funky firework show was little disappointing considering it got a good deal of promotion before airing.

After a good week last week and a very good week this week, here's hoping that WWE can continue to build momentum over the next two week's heading toward Survivor Series on the 22nd November.