The WWE “Raw is War-rior” Report 4/14/14

[spacer height=”20px”]Raw Pre-Show 4/14/14

– We start the show off with an “In Memory Of Ultimate Warrior” image. Josh Matthews makes the announcement of his passing as the panelists discuss the Warrior. Our panel this week is Matthews, Alex Riley, Booker T, and Sgt. Slaughter. Rather than mourn his passing, they will celebrate his life.

– Rather oddly, they pretend to start the show off all over again, and introduce the panel. I guess we move on to the current product. Well it was a nice first minute, anyway…

– Clips from last weeks Raw with the Authority vs. Daniel Bryan angle continuing. The Shield make the face turn complete when Reigns spears HHH… The panel discuss the angle… The Shield made the full turn after Kane revealed HHH had ordered an attack on them several weeks back… Right now we’re looking at Brian and the Shield vs. HHH, Batista, Orton, Kane feud right now…

– A #1 contenders tournament for the IC Title will begin tonight. All four first round matches will happen this week on Raw… Now if only the IC Title meant anything… Not to spoilt anything, but it’s been reported that Big E is supposed to be feuding with Alberto Del Rio soon… Of course, that could have already changed… Supposedly Christian is the #1 contender, but with his concussion a tournament just HAD to be held…

– WWE Legend’s House Promo. Starts this Thursday… I dunno about this… I became even less impressed when I read that they filmed new footage A YEAR LATER to work into the stories…

– Clips of Cena vs. Bray Wyatt from WrestleMania… Last week on SD, the Wyatts send a message to Cena… The panel discuss the feud… We should be seeing some type of build up soon for their rematch at Extreme Rules… Wyatt plans to go to new extremes to bring out the monster in Cena for their potential Extreme Rules Match… Too bad it’s PG, this would be a good time to work Nikki Bella into the angle… Anyway, panel discusses the feud…

– Superstars matches in the background, Big E defeated Titus O’Neil, Los Matadores over the 3MB…

– Renee Young interviews Paige… Paige will defend her Divas Championship for the first time, tonight!

– Adam Rose Promo. Of all the people to bring up from NCT… Him? Really???

– This week is Warrior Week on the WWE Network!!!

– IC Title Contender Tournament matches… Cesaro vs. Mark Henry, RVD vs. Del Rio, Swagger vs. Sheamus, Ziggler vs. Barrett. The panel discuss who they think will win.

– Renee Young interviews Big E about the tournament…

– The announcers make their way out, it must be time for Raw…[spacer height=”20px”]

 

WWE Monday Night Raw 4/14/14 from the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) in Birmingham, AL.

– Raw begins with all the wrestlers on the stage and Michael Cole announcing the Warrior’s passing. Vince McMahon is even front and center… Jerry Lawler introduces a tribute video for the Warrior… The video includes some of Warrior’s comments from last week…

We pause in silence for ten bell tolls…

Tonight, we celebrate the life of the Ultimate Warrior… Warrior’s Music begins to play… All fans are wearing an Ultimate Warrior mask…Big “Warrior” chant…

Tonight, we’ll be seeing tributes to the Warrior in between action tonight… RVD vs. Del Rio is next!!!

 

-Commercial Break-

#1 Contender for IC Title Tournament – 1st Round
1. Rob Van Dam vs. Alberto Del Rio. These guys get things going fast, some fun stuff with Del Rio knocked to the floor… RVD plays to the crowd while Alberto reenters… Del Rio looks for a jumping inzuigiri in the corner but looks like he hits RVD in the arm… ADR takes over on the offense while JBL is fed comments to mock Jim Ross… It’s good to see Vince is feeling better from the Warrior stuff if he can make JR jokes… RVD fights back, tries a moonsault off the aprom, ADR moves but RVD lands on his feet… Del Rio clotheslines RVD down and drops on the floor as we take a commercial break….

Back from break, RVD with rolling thunder for 2… ADR comes back with a DDT for 2… Wayy too many 3 letter abbreviations here… Del Rio tries a slingshot in the corner, RVD not only botches landing on the middle rope, but he misses the counter spot as well… terrible… RVD tries a split legged moonsault lands on ADR’s knees… Del Rio with the Back Stabber for 2… Del Rio comes off the top rope but lands right into a spin kick to the face from Van Dam…. Big E is shown in the back watching the action… RVD hops up for the frog splash, but Del Rio crotches him on the top rope and lands a springing jumping kick to RVD’s head for a near fall… Lots of stalling from Del Rio before calling for the cross arm breaker… RVD counters with a body scissor roll up…. RVD runs into an ADR knee in the corner… Del Rio goes up but RVD yanks him off and Alberto bounces the back of his head off the top buckle… RVD follows up with the Five Star Frog Splash for the win in 10:30….

Do we REALLY need to look an the updates brackets??? There’s been ONE match in the tournament…. I guess so much for the Big E vs. ADR feud… Looks to me like there are going to be better matches in this tournament than whoever wrestles Big E at the Extreme Rules PPV…

– Video of last week’s situation with the Authority vs. Daniel Bryan and the Shield…

Back to live feed we see HHH in the back talking with Orton & Batista…..

ULTIMATE MOMENTS: Ultimate Warrior defeated the Honky Tonk Man for the IC Title: SummerSlam 1988!

-Commercial Break-

– HHH is still backstage with Orton & Batista… HHH says Bryan is away on his honeymoon, so they need to handle the Shield…How sad is it that it takes newer stars to make the fans give a crap about Orton and Batista??? Anyway, Orton & Batista tell HHH that the Shield are his problem and they want no part of it…. Suuuurrre….

2. Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel. Goldust & Axel start… It’s amazing to see who fluid Dustin is moving at this age… He hasn’t tried this hard in a ring since he left WCW the first time… The Rhodes Brothers work on Axel… Ryback tries a cheap shot from the apron and distracts Goldust long enough for Axel to land a blow from behind… Rybaxel takes over on Goldy… Ryback hits a sper lame falling splash from the middle rope… Goldust breaks a Ryback chinlock and hits him with a springing back elbow from the middle rope. Goldust hot tag to Cody… Ryback tries a press, Cody wiggles out and knocks Axel off the apron… Cody with an awkward moonsault on Ryback and sends him to the floor… Cody with a double jump body block to the floor on Ryback, and a springboard dropkick back inside for 2 when Axel breaks it up… Goldust comes in but Axel tosses him outside…

Cody with a Disaster Kick on Axel, and tries one on Ryback but runs into the Meathook Clothesline for Rybaxel to gain the win in 6:00….

-Commercial Break-

– You better BOlieve in Bo Dallas!

3. Divas Champion Paige vs. Alicia Fox. Fox hits an impressive tilt-a-whirl backbreaker early on… Fox with a gut wrench into a backbreaker as well… Alicia looking pretty good when permitted to have some offense… Northern Light Suplex from Fox for 2… Fox has complete control, showing more offense than she’s had in the past 5 years combined… Paige fires back with a mule kick to the ribs of Fox, and a short arm clothesline series… Some screaming and from Paige leads to a nice dropkick, and that inverted Indian Deathlock chicken wing finisher she used at the live NXT Special, and Fox is forced to tap… Paige gets the win in 3:30…

Frickin Bo-lieve is trending on Twitter… I’m starting to smell a boom period when Bo Dallas starts trending…

– Usos have called out Orton & Batista for a rematch… and it’s NEXT!!!

-Commercial Break-

4. WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Batista & Randy Orton. Usos sporting Warrior shirts and face paint to honor UW… After last week, the Usos jump the challengers and hit a double dive on the floor on the heels… Orton starts things off in the match, but takes a beating… Orton takes over with the backbreaker across his back. Batista tags in to boos. Lots of slow crappy heel offense follows from both men.. “Boo-Tista” chants… Batista lands a SPINEBUSTER for a near fall… Tister tries to whip off the ropes, but Uso counters with a Samoan drop for a near fall… Orton attacks the illegal Uso off the apron… THE SHIELD SHOW UP OUT OF NOWHERE AND ATTACK ORTON!!! Usos are DQ’d in 4:30…

The Shield surround Batista in the ring, Tister tries to make a go but eats the SUPERMAN PUNCH from Reigns… and the Shield run off Orton & Batista to further drive them back to their Evolution buddy HHH….

ULTIMATE MOMENTS – The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title @ WrestleMania VI!

-Commercial Break-

– Backstage, Tister & Orton are pissed off… They run into HHH, who simply says “told you”… Orton and Tister stare at each other as if to say HHH was right…

– Paul Heyman shows photographs of Brock Lesnar beating the Streak at WrestleMania…

#1 Contender for IC Title Tournament – 1st Round
5. Mark Henry vs. Cesaro (w/Paul Heyman). Cesaro has no music, just like on SD last week… I can dig the throwback gimmick, but he needs a catchy theme… Maybe they’re waiting for the right one… Henry sporting a Warrior shirt… “Cesaro” chants as Henry tosses him around the ring and then to the floor… Cesaro regroups and takes over with forearms and nasty looking European uppercuts… Henry battles back and mauls Cesaro over to the mat for 2… Henry looks rocked from the European uppercut shots… World’s Strongest Slam, but Cesaro hops out and hits a European uppercut to Henry’s back, then a flying uppercut from the middle rope, and finally the Neutralizer for the impressive win in less than 3:30… Poor Mark Henry…

I think with Cesaro’s new found success, Big E’s time as champion is likely numbered…. At least maybe it will lead to the IC Title meaning something again, unlike the attempt with Curtis Axel…

Cesaro wins, no music is played… So odd to see these days… Cesaro will meet RVD in the semis, presumably next week on Raw…

-Commercial Break-

– HHH tells Brad Maddox to find the Shield, they have a match in the main event tonight, but they don’t want to announce who….

6. Alexander Rusev (w/Lana) vs. Xavier Woods. Wow, they gave up on Xavier pretty quickly… NXT comes to WWE with this match… Rusev mauls Woods, beats him down, hits a swinging sidewalk slam and applies the Accolade “Camel Clutch” for the win in maybe 40 seconds…

R-Truth comes in on behalf of his friend Woods… Truth wants to tangle with Rusev but Lana holds him back… As Truth checks on Woods, Lana sends Rusev back in with a FLYING SIDE KICK that taker R-Truth out…

Quick segment for sure…

-Commercial Break-

ULTIMATE MOMENTS – The Warrior defeats Rick Rude in a Steel Cage. SummerSlam 1990

#1 Contender for IC Title Tournament – 1st Round
7. Sheamus vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter). Sheamus is all over Swagger early and sends him to the floor… Sheamus tries the forearm clubs on the apron, but Colter distracts and Swagger breaks free… Sheamus tries to dive off the apron, but Swagger ends up hitting a nice looking spine buster type move on the floor… Fans chant along “We the People”… Some near falls follow by Swagger… Sheamus comes back with the forearm clubs on the apron and a top rope shoulder block for 2…

Swagger dumps Sheamus to the apron, but Sheamus tries a slingshot shoulder block, but Swagger sidesteps and catches him in an Ankle Lock as Sheamus dives into the ring… It took Swagger THIS LONG to figure out cute ways to go into the ankle lock??? Well, it’s helping him… Swagger goes after Sheamus’ knee on the floor and throws him back inside… Swagger follows Sheamus back in the ring but runs right into a BROGUE KICK… Sheamus with the win in 7:00… Sheamus advances…

What happened to the Swagger/Cesaro program… Not that I’m complaining… Just sayin…

– Adam Rose Promo… Not really feeling it…

-Commercial Break-

– Warrior Week Promo

– Damien Sandow promo in the ring… Why does he still have this theme music? They’ve killed his gimmick and his career… Then for no reason, the un-pushed Big Show comes out while Sandow puts over his past accomplishments… Sandow refuses to leave the ring, he has some things to say… Sandow doesn’t want to hear Big Show, he has things to say… Sandow rambles on, talking about what he deserves… Show just stands in the corner, letting Sandow speak… Damien starts poking Show as he puts himself over, finally leading to Show hitting the KO punch…

What purpose did that fulfill? I mean seriously? Why do you take a guy that was over and just bury the hell out of him… I’ll give Sandow credit… He delivered the promo nicely, just a shame it led to absolutely nothing, but he did get the TV time… Not exactly sure if that’s a good thing in this instance though…

– A short backstage Wyatt Family bit… They’re next…

-Commercial Break-

– It’s Swagger vs. Big Show on Main Event tomorrow…

Birmingham…..We’re here! As the Wyatts make their way to the ring, the fans clap along… Wyatt with some more of the usual good stuff, how he’s never lied to the fans, but that’s all that Cena does is lie to the fans… Bray says all Cena needs is one last little push in order for him to show his monster inside… Wyatt doesn’t want to slay the monster Cena just yet, he just wants to play with Cena tonight… Bray calls John Cena out….

And out Cena comes with his usual smiles and salutes… Sort of kills the feud… Cena starts making stupid jokes and acting goofy, ugh, he’s killing everything… I hate comedy Cena, not only does he suck at it, he kills all serious angles…. Stop trying to be the Rock…. Cena makes some lame jokes on the Wyatts, not taking these guys seriously… Weren’t they just in his head a week ago???

To make things even more lame, Cena introduces a picture of “Sister Abigail Wyatt”, which is Bray in ladies clothes photoshop… Then a pic of “Bray’s mother”, which is Luke Harper in a chair… Picture of the Wyatt family baby, Rowan’s head superimposed on a baby body… ARE YOU FRICKIN SERIOUS????? PHOTOSHOP PICTURES FOR COMEDY????? Are we entertaining strictly 5 year olds here???

Bray wants Cena serious.. Cena says when he gets serious Bray gets beat… Cena says the tables have turned, if Wyatt loses a rematch, he will be the one with nothing… Cena makes a fat joke about Cinnabon… Cena lays out a challenge to take on Bray Wyatt at Extreme Rules inside a Steel Cage…

Bray likes that… Wyatt says the world belongs to him… He’s Got the Whole World In His Hand….

Whoever thought comedy Cena vs. the Wyatts was a great idea should be fired…. You take a serious group of characters, a serious feud, and crap all over it with comedy… Not just comedy, but comedy for pre-schoolers…

-Commercial Break-

8. Santino Marella & Emma vs. Fandango & Layla. Santino goes for the kill early on Fandango, so he tags to Layla. Split screen interview with Fandango, as he announces he’s dumped Summer Rae for Layla… The announcers discuss that, then mock Emma for some flubs in the ring… Emma with the Tarantula lock on the ropes, Emma goes to the middle rope, Fandango distracts but is knocked off the apron by Santino. Layla uses that time to sweep Emma’s legs off the middle rope and Emma takes a bump. Layla makes the cover for the win in 1:30…

– Backstage, Stephanie berates Kane… Ripping him a new one and calling him a shell of himself… McMahon just verbally rips Kane apart and points out all his failures… Steph wants to know what happened to Kane… Kane is PISSED, he looks at his old mask inside a glass box, and the crowd pops as Kane picks it up…. Kane says he will eviscerate Daniel Bryan and send him to hell… It’s clear Stephanie did this to rile Kane up so that he can unleash the monster inside… Looking like D Bryan vs. Kane, and Shield vs. HHH/Orton/Batista for Extreme Rules… Poor Daniel… All this fighting for the title and gets stuck in a PPV…I’m sorry… A “Special Event” match with Kane straight away… Well at least he won’t be wearing dress pants and loafers….

-Commercial Break-

– BO-LIEVE!

– Warrior Week Hype… We go back to last week and part of Warrior’s promo… It begins with the prophetic comments of every man’s heart beating it’s final beat… Still crazy to think about…

– Who will the Shield face tonight???

– Ziggler on his way to the ring in a cut up Warrior shirt… very cool

-Commercial Break-

#1 Contender for IC Title Tournament – 1st Round
9. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett. I’ve got some BAD NEWS for Ziggler… Barrett looks like his push is finally starting, plus the winner of this will face Sheamus, so everything is pointing to BNB… Some feeling out by both to get things going, Barrett eventually gets the upper hand… Ziggler comes back with a nice dropkick and a clothesline that takes both him and BNB over the top rope to the floor… Ziggler continues on the offense until Ziggler tosses him into the ring post, and we go to commercial…

Back from break, Barrett misses a shoulder charge into the corner… This match is really dragging, these guys just aren’t clicking at all… Fans don’t seem into it all that much either… Ziggler with some of his basic comeback spots, the mounting punches in the corner, neckbreaker, etc… Ziggler just looks lethargic… Ziggler jumps at BNB, Barrett catches and hits WASTELAND for a near fall… Ziggler counters a Pump Handle Slam with the Famouser for a 2… Dolph misses a splash in the corner and Barrett climbs to the middle rope… Ziggler stops Barrett and goes for as Superplex… Wade counters and knocks Ziggler off… Dolph comes charging back with a Super Face Buster off the top rope for a soooo clooose near fall….

Ziggler tries the Zigzag, but Wade holds the ropes… Barrett comes back with the “Winds of Change” spinning sidewalk slam for a near fall… Barrett calls for the Bull hammer Elbow… Ziggler ducks and a roll up on Barrett gets Dolph 2… Barrett comes back by tossing Ziggler up in the air and dropping him on his stomach, and then the BULL HAMMER for the win in 10:30

– After the match Barrett has some BAD NEWS… He is the next IC Champion… He will met Sheamus in the semi finals…

I’m worried for all of these new pushes advancing into the semis… Not sure how you can handle jobs going forward without hurting anyone involved…

-Commercial Break-

10. The Shield vs. ????. Now we find out the Shield’s mystery opponents…. Alberto Del Rio…. Jack Swagger… Fandango… 3MB… Titus O’Neil… Ryback… Curtis Axel… Alexander Rusev… Bad News Barrett…. Great, not Heath Slater can say he main evented a Raw… It’s 11 on 3 and I’m not even going to tell you how crappy and lazy booking this is… This is something you stick in the middle of a show… “Shield” and “Hounds of Justice” chants as they work over Heath Slater, keeping him in the corner… Interference by Barrett allows Heath to tag out and Rollins gets trapped in the 11 man corner… Titus gets his 5 seconds of barking in the ring, then Rusev with some things… Swagger in next, does little, then it’s Ryback’s turn with a press into a powerslam, Goldberg style… Rollins is thrown outside, Ryback follows but gets met with a SPEAR ON THE FLOOR BY REIGNS!!! It breaks down with everyone on the floor…. Ambrose with a dive, then Rollins comes diving out taking everyone down!!! Bell sounds for a no contest in 3:00…

The Shield stand united in the ring, but 11 men are too much… The 11 men beat the Shield down… The Shield are beat down, and then the obvious happens….

CUE EVOLUTION THEME…. HHH, Batista and Randy Orton come down to their old faction theme to pick apart the already fallen Shield… The other 11 men leave the ring…

Evolution beat down on Rollins, but Roman Reigns tries to make the save… RKO on Reigns, and the Evolution theme accidentally begins to play, lol….

BATISTA BOMB ON REIGNS…. Rollins continues to take a triple team beating… RKO on Rollins… Batista tries to Bomb Rollins, but Ambrose tries to make the save… Rollins takes the Batista Bomb ride anyway….

And last, but not least, Batista Bomb into a neckbreaker by Randy Orton on Ambrose…

HHH tells Reigns to crawl towards him… When Roman gets there, HHH tells Reigns to “Believe in Evolution” and hits him with a Pedigree…

Evolution theme hits as the heels stand over the fallen Shield… Well I guess when you’re not over, you stick them in a feud with the Shield… Orton & Batista attempt to matter once again…

Raw ends… This was a Warrior tribute show???

[spacer height=”20px”]WWE Raw “Backstage Pass” Post Show

– Discussion of the reformation of Evolution and the attack on the Shield… We see Evolution leave the ring. Officials try to help the Shield back, but they want no help, but rather support each other… The panel continues to discuss the situation, how to counteract HHH’s power…

– IC Champ Big E joins the panel to talk about his potential opponents at Extreme Rules… Big E says there is no weak link in the semi finals… They continue to play up a Sheamus leg injury, not sure if that’s going to lead to anything or what the deal is…

And we’re out… Disssssmisssssssed!

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