05/30 Powell’s WWE Raw Live TV Review: John Cena returns, Money in the Bank six-man showcase, Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Dudley Boyz

By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Green Bay, Wisconsin at Resch Center

[Q1] Lilian Garcia stood in the ring and the WWE crew stood on the stage. She asked fans to join the crew in standing in silence in tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country. The bell rang ten times while Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Stephanie McMahon hung their heads along with the wrestlers on the stage… A Memorial Day video aired. Footage of Ronald Reagan delivering a speech was shown with a number of WWE personalities reading Reagan’s lines…

The Raw opening video aired… Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton were on commentary. Cole hyped that the venue was sold out… Shane McMahon made his entrance. Before Shane could speak, Stephanie McMahon’s entrance music played and she walked to the ring. Stephanie asked if he was really going to do the segment without her. Shane indicated that the fans didn’t want to hear from her.

Shane said July 19 will be a momentous day for WWE, explaining that Smackdown will be live each Tuesday. He said it will lead to better shows and better opportunities. Stephanie hyped the return of John Cena to Raw, which drew a mixed reaction (what else?).

New Day interrupted Shane and Stephanie. New Day said “wow” when they found out that Smackdown was going live. They set up a brief video that Cole narrated from the broadcast table about all the media attention that the move received. New Day praised Shane’s shoes and told Steph that her shoes look okay.

Kofi Kingston said New Day is all about the new era. Xavier Woods and Big E laughed at how long Kingston has been with WWE. Woods said Kofi was his favorite wrestler when he was in middle school. Kofi asked where New Day would be going. Stephanie said “we” haven’t made any of those decisions yet. New Day accused her of dodging.

Shane said nothing is off the table. Big E dropped a big Game of Thrones line from last week’s show, then questioned whether they could break up the New Day. Stephanie said nothing has been officially decided yet. Big E asked who is going to run Smackdown live. Their non answer gave New Day the idea that it hasn’t been decided and there’s a sibling rivalry.

[Q2] New Day got Shane to dance with them, then called for Stephanie to join them. Stephanie played it up big by asking if they want to see some dancing. She lined up to dance, but The Vaudevillains entrance routine interrupted her. Somehow, this led to the broadcast team announcing New Day vs. The Vaudevillains for after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: My lord, that was one awful segment. The live crowd liked New Day when they came out and were sitting on their hands by the end. The “we don’t know” routine was completely deflating when it came to the roster split, er, extension. It’s not that I expected them to give away everything tonight, but I also didn’t think they would scream “Nothing to see here!!!” as far as potential updates on Raw. Heck, it also screamed, “Go ahead and watch the NHL or NBA games tonight.”

1. Kofi Kingston and Big E vs. The Vaudevillains in a non-title match. The match was joined in progress. JBL dropped a weird reference to glory holes by saying New Day was stomping one in Aiden English. The Vaudevillains took over and had Kingston lying at ringside heading into the break. [C]

[Q3] New Day was on the offensive when Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows showed up and attacked the trio for the DQ. The Vaudevillains put the boots to Big E in the ring as Anderson and Gallows watched. Anderson and Gallows entered the ring, leading to the Vaudevillains leaving. Anderson and Gallows performed their finisher on Big E and then stood tall while Cole said they took it to the next level by sending a message to the tag champs… [C]

New Day beat The Vaudevillains by DQ.

Powell’s POV: It’s logical to move Anderson and Gallows into the tag title picture, but I am worried about how this will go. New Day are all comedy and have reacted to previous beatdowns with gags and skits. The last thing Anderson and Gallows need is to be in a comedic program. The other side of the coin is that New Day develop a mean streak to go along with the comedy antics if creative opts to give the act another layer.

Backstage, Renee Young approached Anderson and Gallows and asked what that was all about. Anderson said they showed that they can inflict just as much damage without AJ Styles. Gallows said Styles is going his way and they are going their way. He put the tag division on notice and said they are not going anywhere. Anderson said they are just getting started…

The broadcast team recapped footage of Sheamus attacking Apollo Crews on Raw last week…

Crews was shown doing pushups backstage. He jumped up and asked if a person who entered had a problem with the new era too. Big Show said he’s been knocking guys out since the Jurassic Era. Crews said he doesn’t know why Sheamus is picking on him, but he will regret it. Show said Crews has potential. Show said Sheamus is in panic mode because the new era is a threat to him, so he will do everything he can to “keep the status quo the same.” Show said Sheamus picked on Crews because he thinks he will back down. “The question is, Apollo, are you?”…

Goldust and R-Truth made their entrance. Truth worked in new Golden Truth lyrics in his usual song. Cole hyped that Golden Truth would join them on commentary… [C]

Powell’s POV: Wow, worst hook heading into a commercial break ever! Anyway, the Anderson and Gallows promo left me wondering if they are just another tag team now. Granted, they could end up being tag champions, but are they just another team in the sense that The Club is no more and we can stop speculating over potential leaders?

[Q4] 2. The Usos vs. Tyler Breeze and Fandango. R-Truth and Goldust were on commentary and Truth thought Saxton was Jonathan Coachman. Truth referred to Breeze and Fandango as Gomer Pyle and Beaver Cleaver. Sigh. Fandango was pinned by one of the Usos. After the match, Breeze and Fandango approached Goldust and Truth and ended up taking a beating from them. There was a brief “Golden Truth” chant…

The Usos beat Tyler Breeze and Fandango in 1:40.

The broadcast team recapped still shots of Seth Rollins attacking Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules, then hyped their match at Money in the Bank. Cole said Roman Reigns would address it coming up after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: I’m surprised by the lack of hype for Cena’s return so far tonight. I thought we might see some video packages or just more teasers. At this point in the show, it feels like WWE is phoning it in because of the strong sports competition.

The broadcast team recapped still shots of Seth Rollins attacking Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules, then hyped their match at Money in the Bank. Cole said Roman Reigns would address it coming up after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: I’m surprised by the lack of hype for Cena’s return so far tonight. I thought we might see some video packages or just more teasers. At this point in the show, it feels like WWE is phoning it in because of the strong sports competition.

Roman Reigns made his entrance to a mixed reaction. JBL said there’s a big fight feel whenever Reigns walks into an arena. Reigns entered the ring and soaked up the crowd’s mixed reaction. Reigns said Seth Rollins sold out and broke up The Shield two years ago. He noted that Rollins calls himself The Man. He questioned how he could call himself that when he keeps running from The Guy.

[Q5] Reigns delivered his “The Guy” line again, then invited Rollins to come out and prove he’s the man. Rollins’ music played and he headed toward the ring before stopping and then heading back up the ramp. Rollins got a mic and teased speaking from the stage. Rollins dropped the mic and then headed toward the ring with a determined look on his face.

Rollins stopped at the bottom of the ramp and then laughed at Reigns. Rollins started to walk up the ramp, then turned and ran toward the ring before stopping again. One guy yelled “boring” several times. Roman stood with his arms crossed in the ring. Rollins blew off Reigns and walked up the ramp and picked up the mic.

Rollins teased talking and then dropped the mic and went backstage. Roman’s music played. Rollins ran to ringside and once again stopped. Rollins laughed again and backed up the ramp. “We’re going to do things my way around here,” Rollins said before heading to the back…

Cole hyped the return of John Cena for later in the show. JBL hyped the six-man tag match with the MITB qualifiers… [C]

Powell’s POV: A fitting segment on a night when WWE apparently doesn’t want to give away anything due to the strong sports competition. The idea is to make viewers anxious to see Reigns get his hands on Rollins. I’m sure it worked for some while others are surely venting about this being a waste of time. By the way, a WWE video game commercial showed Goldberg is a downloadable player. No word yet as to whether you can put a Goldust wig on his head. The video game company created some buzz with #Hatch teases. It’s amazing that they do a better job of creating mystery and social media buzz than WWE seems to do despite how much they boast about their social media following.

A shot of the Vince Lombardi statue outside Lambeau Field was shown while Cole set up a sponsored video game spot…

[Q6] 3. U.S. Champion Rusev (w/Lana) vs. Zack Ryder in a non-title match. Lana introduced Rusev, then a Ryder promo was shown as he headed to the ring. He said the match is an opportunity to proves he belongs in WWE. The was a loud chant for Ryder at one point. Ryder performed the Broski Boot on Rusev and got a one count a short time later. Rusev applied The Accolade for the win…

Rusev beat Zack Ryder in 2:35.

After the match, Rusev was cutting a promo about being a great America when Titus O’Neil interrupted him. Titus was pissed about Rusev calling himself a great American on Memorial Day. Titus said great Americans fight for what they believe in. Titus said Rusev is more of a Bulgarian blowhard than a brute. Titus sucker punched Rusev and knocked him out of the ring…

Cole hyped a look back at the Charlotte and Ric Flair split… [C]

Powell’s POV: The new Accolade sucks. It worked when he did it to Kalisto, but he went from using a Camel Clutch to making it look like a face lock that puts no pressure on the opponent’s back. Meanwhile, Titus apparently thinks great Americans sucker punch foreigners. If nothing else, I’m happy that it looks like Rusev is tied up with Titus rather than dropping the U.S. Title to John Cena tonight.

The latest Shining Stars vignette aired. They still like Puerto Rico… The Charlotte and Ric Flair recap video with comments from various WWE wrestlers was replayed…

[Q7] The broadcast team spoke about the Charlotte and Flair angle. JBL spoke about how horrible it was. Byron read tweets from outraged fans. Cole said Stephanie McMahon had plenty to say about it…

Footage aired from “earlier today” of Stephanie telling Charlotte that she is embarrassed to have her as champion and in a WWE ring. Stephanie said Charlotte is a selfish, self-important brat. Charlotte started to say something about that line coming from Stephanie, who said she has no idea who she is talking to. Stephanie told her step back and shut her mouth. Stephanie said Charlotte is not a champion, she’s a waste of talent…

Saxton hyped Natalya vs. Dana Brooke for later in the show… [C]

Powell’s POV: Stephanie is an equal opportunity emasculator. I guess her character thinks it’s okay to slap Charlotte’s father two weeks ago, but it’s not okay for Charlotte to kick her father to the curb last week.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass made their entrance and got a really good reaction. Cass said he’s serving up size 16s with all the fixings. Enzo said they are in Wisconsin and questioned what type of cheese. Cass said a cheese type and Enzo followed with “How you doin’?” It kept going and the fans took over for Enzo. Cass closed by saying he wasn’t even going to mention the cheese from down under. Enzo acted like he was worried about that line. The Dudley Boyz made their entrance…

4. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Dudley Boyz. Enzo and Cass performed some comical double team spots heading into the break. [C]

[Q8] The Dudleys got a late near fall on Cass. Bubba went up top and stood there while Enzo trash talked him and until Cass threw him down. Moments later, Cass tagged in Enzo for the Rock Launcher spot for the win…

Enzo Amore and Big Cass beat The Dudley Boyz in 9:20.

Powell’s POV: A crowd pleasing win. As flat as the crowd was early (and who could blame them?), they came to life for Enzo and Cass.

Backstage, Sami Zayn told Dean Ambrose and Cesaro that they need to work together despite being opponents at MITB. Ambrose said they need to watch out for Kevin Owens because he’s Canadian. He took another jab at Canadians. “You know I’m Canadian, right?” Zayn asked. Ambrose said that explains so much…

Saxton hyped John Cena’s return for after the break… [C]

John Cena made his entrance to a lively reaction from the crowd. He listened to the live crowd and then opened with a John F Kennedy speech about protecting liberty. Cena said there are many heroes who have fallen, proving those words to be true. Cena said Memorial Day is a celebration of that sacrifice.

[Q9] “I am very grateful to finally be back home,” Cena said. “But on this day, it is with the utmost respect that I honor the friends, the families, and most importantly the heroes who have paid the ultimate price to keep our liberty intact.” The fans responded with a USA chant.

Cena said liberty is freedom. He said it’s our pulse and it’s what makes us feel. He said it is freedom that allows him to plant his feet and say loud and proud that he is back on Monday Night Raw. Cena said that poses a whole new question. Cena said the question is whether he still belongs here.

Cena said many say that a new era has arrived in his absence. Cena said it means new names and faces, and they are all thinking that his best days are behind him, and it’s only a matter of time before they move up and he moves out. Cena said he will not go quietly into the night. Cena the future damn sure must go through him.

AJ Styles made his entrance. Cole put it over as a big deal to see Cena and Styles in the same ring. There were dueling “Let’s Go Styles” and “Let’s Go Cena” chants. Styles and Cena held off and let the fan chants continue.

Styles told Cena that he’s been waiting for this for a long time. Cena said so has everyone else if the crowd’s reaction is any indication. Styles said Cena has a bad reputation. He praised him for busting his butt inside the ring and for everything he has done for the company outside the ring. Styles said he respects Cena’s hard work and he’s sure the rest of the locker room does too.

Styles said he wanted to be among the first to welcome Cena back. Styles offered his hand to Cena, who looked down at his hand and then backed up to survey the fans before accepting the handshake.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson made their entrance and spoke as they walked towards the ring. Gallows said they agreed to go separate ways. He mentioned what they did to New Day. Gallows said it looked like the Styles way was sucking up to Cena. Anderson said they are there to kick ass, not kiss it.

Styles and Cena took their shirts off and stood ready for a fight. However, Styles suddenly struck Cena. Styles, Anderson, and Gallows worked over Cena while the broadcast team questioned what happened to The Club members going separate ways. With Cena down, The Club members made the too sweet hand signs.

The Club left the ring, then Styles ran back and threw more punches at Cena while Gallows and Anderson shouted encouragement. Rinse and repeat with Styles leaving and running back again to dish out more punishment.

[Q10] “That’s the real AJ Styles,” Gallows barked as the trio walked up the ramp together. Four referees tended to Cena. Styles ran back and attacked Cena again. Styles left the ring and yelled, “I’m doing the world a favor. You’re welcome, world, you’re welcome”… [C]

Powell’s POV: Very well done. I really thought Styles was moving away from Anderson and Gallows until they followed up with this gem of a swerve. Styles vs. Cena will feel big to a lot of fans, and younger Cena fans will be down with the idea of seeing him avenge this beatdown. By the way, Cena’s return coincided with halftime of the big NBA playoff game.

The broadcast team recapped the angle. JBL said he’s the last guy to complain about a beatdown, but Cena gave a heartfelt speech “on this day.” He said Cena is a patriot and it was disrespectful to do what The Club did on this day…

Powell’s POV: Not as disrespectful as JBL using Memorial Day to help get an angle over more, but that’s just me.

5. Natalya vs. Dana Brooke (w/Charlotte). Late in the match, Natalya went for her finisher, but Charlotte hopped onto the ring apron. Dana Brooke used the distraction to perform the Michinoku Driver for the win. After the match, the heels worked over Natalya until Becky Lynch came out and ran them off…

Dana Brooke beat Natalya in 1:20.

Backstage, JoJo interviewed Dolph Ziggler and replayed the low-blow finish of his loss to Baron Corbin at Extreme Rules. Ziggler said he has a chance to show off everything he has learned since he started wrestling at age five. He recalled Chris Jericho listing Dean Malenko’s 1,004 moves. He said he has 1,0005. Ziggler said he’s going to steal the show because he’s Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin is not… [C]

Powell’s POV: The women’s match finish was rough with Brooke taking her time as she hoisted up Natalya the move. Will we get a followup from Charlotte on the mic this week? Ziggler’s promo left me more anxious to watch Jericho’s classic promo than to see his latest match with Corbin.

[Q11] 6. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler. Cole ran trough Ziggler’s history at Kent State as still shots were shown from his time on the wrestling team. In the ring, Ziggler put on headgear and wore a mouthguard. Ziggler teased wrestling Corbin, then kicked him the balls for the DQ. Ziggler took the mic and announced that he had been disqualified, then said the loser of the match is still Corbin…

Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler by DQ in 0:30.

Cole hyped the six-man tag match with the MITB qualifiers… [C]

Powell’s POV: The Ziggler low blow swerve on Corbin got a laugh out of me. By the way, there’s been no talk of the qualifier for the seventh Money in the Bank ladder match spot so far tonight.

A shot aired of Green Bay Packers jerseys… Maryse set up a Miz promo from Facebook. He hyped his starring role in The Marine 5 from “the set.” He said every day he has the IC Title is another day he’s successfully defended it. He said tomorrow is the first day of shooting, but the public will hear from him each week he is there…

Backstage, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, and Alberto Del Rio bickered amongst themselves. Del Rio told Jericho and Owens to stop acting like kids. He told them to follow his lead out there because he has won an MITB match. Jericho boasted that he invented the match. He said they should focus on the now rather than being tense because they are facing one another… Cole hyped the six-man tag match for after the break…

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch was hyped for Smackdown. Plus, The Club was also hyped for a talking segment regarding the attack of John Cena…

[Q12] Ring entrances for the six-man tag took place…

7. Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio, and Chris Jericho. The Green Bay fans chanted “stupid idiot.” It seemed like they were paying tribute to Packer fans everywhere, but apparently they were just chanting Jericho’s slogan (nope, not even May is too soon for friendly football jabs). Zayn performed a big dive onto all three heels heading into the break. [C] Owens worked over Zayn coming out of the break.

[Overrun] Zayn eventually made the hot tag. Late in the match, Jericho hit a Codebreaker on Ambrose. Owens tagged himself into the match and covered Ambrose for two. Jericho was pissed at Owens, who barked at the referee about the count. Jericho asked Owens what he was doing. Owens told Jericho that it was his stupid move. Cesaro struck them both and performed the Swing on Jericho until Del Rio broke it up. Zayn performed the Helluva Kick, but Owens hit Zayn with a superkick. Ambrose dropped Owens with Dirty Deeds and pinned him. Cole quickly wrapped up the show after the pinfall…

Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro beat Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio, and Chris Jericho in 18:00.

Powell’s POV: A good match to close a Raw that felt mostly phoned in due to the strong sports competition. The main event showcased the MITB qualifiers, yet even it felt like one of those matches that was fine if you saw it and fine if you missed it. The Green Bay crowd deserves credit. They sat through some serious throwaway moments, but they were still lively through the main event. Of course, The Club and John Cena angle was the highlight of the night. I enjoyed that much more than Cena cutting a promo and destroying someone on his first night back, as it gives his character a purpose right out of the gate. I will have more to say in members’ audio tonight and in the Raw Hit List on Tuesday. Thanks for watching along with me.