By Jason Powell
WWE Raw Hits
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns: Lesnar destroying a bunch of wrestlers was a great way to whet the appetites of viewers for the carnage that will occur when he enters the Royal Rumble match. And you will know that it is almost time for Lesnar to enter the Rumble match when you see an awkward number of mostly meaningless undercard wrestlers accumulate in the ring. There will be countless suplexes. Bodies will be sent flying over the top rope. Roman’s record for most eliminations will be broken. Lesnar’s entrance and initial massacre of the undercard is the one guaranteed mega pop of the Rumble match. And it’s those expectations combined with the fact that there’s another viable candidate to win the Rumble match that has me more excited by the match than I was going into Raw. Make no mistake about it, the Rumble match has been highjacked by the Roman Reigns vs. McMahon Family feud. And if you don’t believe me, watch the opening segment of Raw that was all about Reigns and the McMahon Family… oh, and everyone else on the stage. And while it saddens me that WWE can’t be bothered to make it seem as though “everyone else” actually has a chance to win the Rumble match, at least the addition of Lesnar to the Rumble makes things more interesting. I really liked the first exchange between Lesnar and Reigns since WrestleMania 31. They picked up where they left off in the sense that Lesnar dished out and F5 only to have Reigns respond with the same smile he had as he took a beating throughout their WrestleMania encounter. I have said for some time now that I believe we are getting a Lesnar vs. Reigns rematch at WrestleMania 32, and last night did nothing to change that.
Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio: Kalisto’s generic promo before the match did nothing for me. I want to know something about this guy other than that he spews cliche babyface lines. Fortunately, he and Del Rio are good enough in the ring to tell a strong story with Del Rio dominating the bulk of the offense and then shutting down Kalisto’s hope spots quickly. It built nicely to the satisfying finish of Kalisto pulling off the upset to win the U.S. Championship. I know I’m not alone in wondering whether this will be a one night title change given that they already booked the rematch for tonight’s Smackdown taping. And it’s a definitely a positive that some of us are asking that question, as it shows that Kalisto can be work as a vulnerable underdog champion.
Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus: A good brawl with Ambrose working underneath after Sheamus attacked him from behind on the stage. Sheamus suffered a nasty cut, presumably when his head bounced off the ring post, but one can only assume he is okay given that he was back for the main event and got involved physically after the match. Anyway, the post match angle with Kevin Owens attacking Ambrose was well done. They keep going at one another and I assume this leads to a U.S. Title match at the Royal Rumble, but it will be interesting to see if they also end up the actual Rumble match.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte: I loved the way Charlotte used heel logic to portray herself as the good person and Lynch as the villain in their feud. Creative is doing a good job of letting Charlotte do the bulk of the talking to avoid having her father overshadow her. And Ric has been very good in his role as the heel manager type. Their run together got off to an awkward start because of the abrupt heel turn at the time that Charlotte was feuding with another heel, but things are coming together nicely. Meanwhile, Lynch has gone from the whacky sidekick in PCB to being Charlotte’s little buddy to being absurdly naive to finally being a babyface that fans rally behind. She delivered some of the best mic work of the night with her fiery backstage promo. Despite the strange creative path, the players are finally slotted properly and this feud is starting to click.
WWE Raw Misses
Roman Reigns in a One vs. All match: What the hell was that? The One vs. All match consisted of Reigns facing Kevin Owens in a singles match with a bunch of heels standing in Owens’ corner while the McMahons made faces at ringside. It’s sad that you once again have to turn your brain off because of the heel authority figures. If they really wanted Reigns to drop the title, then why not book him in a One vs. All title match that keeps going until he drops the title? This is some real Dr. Evil nonsense. Am I the only one who gets more nervous with each passing week that we don’t see Triple H? My fear continues to be that we don’t see Hunter until he enters the Royal Rumble at No. 30 and wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. After all, Vince told us recently that Hunter will exact his revenge when Reigns least expects it. I am fine with the idea of a Reigns vs. Triple H match at some point, but I have no desire to see them headline for the title at WrestleMania 32.
Vince, Stephanie, and Paul Heyman don’t see the camera in front of them: This was the most nonsensical scene on television in quite some time. Well, not counting Blair Walsh’s missed chip shot field goal or the Cincinnati Bengals’ meltdown, but I digress. With the camera right in front of their faces, Stephanie told Heyman and her father that they should duck inside an office because there are “all kinds of people in this hallway.” So does this mean these characters live in a world where they really don’t see the camera that is right in front of them? You know, the same camera that they stand awkwardly in front of so that the camera can get all their faces in the shot? Why not just acknowledge the camera’s existence and then forbid the cameraman from entering the office? They have to know how ridiculous this was and that it took many viewers out of the moment.
Chris Jericho: Please tell me there is more to Jericho’s return than meets the eye, because so far I see a guy who seems oblivious to the fact that he is no longer cool. This has to be by design. The greatest hits lines, the rooty booty tooty silliness, and the attire that only The Miz could love. Jericho is one step ahead of us, right? This is a guy who takes pride in zigging when you expect him to zag. He loves to reinvent his pro wrestling persona. I refuse to believe that Chris Jericho is content returning as a mid-card nostalgia act. He just can’t be. Maybe I’m in denial, but Jericho has earned my faith creatively over the years, so I am holding out hope that a big character shift is coming. My hope is that he’s bringing the crowd down with the plan of lashing out at them once his character doesn’t get the reaction he wants. If that’s the case, then this Miss is by design, and we may look back on these segments differently someday soon. If not, then it’s a sad day to be a fan of Jericho’s work.
Titus O’Neil vs. Stardust: First off, props to Stardust for the David Bowie tribute face paint. The match itself was fine aside from the usual finish of Titus simply hitting his finishing move and pinning Stardust. The real problem was the post-match angle. Minutes after watching Kevin Owens attack Dean Ambrose at ringside, we saw a tamer attack with Stardust running Titus into the barricade. By the way, drink whenever you see a wrestler run into a barricade and you will either pass out before the end of the second hour of Raw or you should seek help for your problem.
The Social Outcasts: I was open minded last week when I gave the undercard faction a Hit. I like the idea of creative paying some attention to the undercard wrestlers, and I was really hoping these guys would get a fresh coat of paint. Instead, they are all playing their usual characters and there’s no sign of chemistry between them. Granted, it’s early in faction’s run, but I just don’t see these characters playing off one another. There is something there with Heath Slater that should be exploited. He may never be a main event player, but he is good on the mic and the fans are receptive to him. By the way, remember this segment with the Social Outcasts going after The Wyatt Family if they ever decide to reveal that Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt are brothers.
It was nice of you to acknowledge Stardust’s makeup after not mentioning at all in your initial report. That was a very cool thing for Cody to do, especially considering that his character’s theatricality was inspired by Bowie’s characters.
I thought the “One vs. All” match did a good job of making Kevin Owens look strong. I’m sure most people watching figured Roman would roll over and bury most of the heels in the match, but having him have a very competitive match against Owens was the best-case scenario in that situation.
And personally, I’m not a fan of Roman’s smirk at the end of the show because I feel like it completely no-sells the beating he took at the hands of Owens, the other heels, and Lesnar; not to mention it completely re-enforces that Reigns is just another bland “superman” babyface who never gives up. Hell, I don’t even think Cena no-sold as much as Reigns does.
And as much as I don’t want to see Roman vs. Hunter at WM, I’d gladly take it over Roman vs. Lesnar II.