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WWE Monday Night Raw this week, took place at Alberta, Canada – the hometown of legendary WWE hall of famer Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart and the future Hall of Famer, Edge. The mysterious ‘textgate’ controversy, which came to light during last week’s raw was bound to get even more attention this week. With CM Punk and Kevin Nash having a verbal duel last week, they might have a go at each other, this week too, since Triple H has invited Kevin Nash yet again to Raw. Will Kevin Nash- CM Punk saga turn out to be the focal point of this week’s Raw? Continue reading to find it out yourselves.
Raw Opener:
CM Punk addresses Del Rio and John Cena
This week’s Raw kicked off with the arrival of the WWE Champion, Alberto Del Rio in a silver Lamborgini. Even before Alberto started to speak, John Cena interrupted him. John Cena came out and made the same accusations that he made last week. John Cena proclaimed that the only man that could go toe to toe with him was CM Punk. Cena also demanded a rematch for the WWE Championship. CM Punk interrupted Cena and he too wanted to enforce his rematch clause. Triple H came out and made a match between Punk and Cena later on in the night to determine the no.1 contender for Del Rio at Night of Champions. Triple H also announced that Del Rio will also be involved in a match against a surprise opponent.
Raw Opener Review:
A perfect way to kick off a show by letting all the marquee players take the center stage and putting forward their views and opinions on the burning issues. Punk and Cena made legitimate claims for their rematch. Triple H made the right decision to settle the issue through a match. I liked the way Del Rio was used in this segment. It sets a wonderful tone for the rest of the night.
Segment Rating: 4/5
Match 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. John Morrison
John Morrison tapping out to Alberto's cross arm breaker
Singles Match
John Morrison turned out to be the surprise opponent for Alberto Del Rio. The match began with Del Rio getting plenty of body blows from John Morrison who has had a good run, defeating R-Truth last week. Later on, Del Rio fought back into the match by grounding John Morrison which prevented Morrison from using his fast paced sequence of moves. However, Morrison came back to his element. But John Morrison lost his grip on the match after he missed the Starship Pain on Del Rio. Del Rio capitalized on John’s mistake and puts him into his crossarm breaker submission hold. John Morrison eventually tapped out. Del Rio attacked JoMo after the match to send a message to Punk and Cena.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Match 1 review:
A very good match that showcased Alberto Del Rio’s creditials as a wrestler on the limelight. John Morrison’s rise to the top seems to be on course. Eventhough there’s wasn’t much in it for Morrison, he still gave his best shot and performed plenty of his signature moves, much to the delight of the crowd.
Match Rating: 4/5
Match 2: Nikki Bella vs Eve Torres
Eve celebrating her victory with Kelly Kelly
Divas Singles Match
Eve came out with the WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly while Brei Bella accompanies Nikki to the ring. A back and forth match between two pretty divas. Eve was the one with the upperhand in the end as she hit the standing moonsault on Nikki to get the pinfall victory. Kelly attack Brei after the match after which the divas of doom – Natalya and Beth Phoenix came out. They stood on the ramp and sarcastically clapped to congratulate Eve’s victory.
Winner: Eve Torres
Match 2 review:
This Divas match wasn’t so disappointing but lacked crowd interest. The crowd never got into the match until the local girl Natalya came out with Beth Phoenix. It remain to be seen how long the WWE will keep building the rivalry between Kelly and Beth. Maybe until Kharma returns?
Match Rating: 3/5
Match 3: Jack Swagger with Vickie Guerrero vs. Alex Riley
Ziggler explaining his actions to Vickie after the match
Singles Match
It seems that Vickie had taken Jack Swagger’s request into consideration, since Jack Swagger was accompanied by Vickie Guerrero to the ring before this match. Alex Riley took on Jack Swagger in a match that was shorter than usual. Jack Swagger seemed to be on course for a victory when Dolph Ziggler came out and had an interaction with Vickie. But Jack Swagger wasn’t amused by this which distracted him and ultimately cost his victory. After the match there was a heated argument between Vickie and Dolph down the ramp.
Winner: Alex Riley
Match 3 review:
Alex Riley’s victory in this match meant nothing for him since the focal point of the match was on Vickie Guerrero. While it might be an interesting storyline between Dolph, Vickie and Swagger, it was sad to see a shortened match involving three of the most talented wrestlers currently int he WWE. Hopefully we will see some better matches between these ment in the future.
Match Rating: 2/5
Segment 1: Kevin Nash sticks one into Punk’s face!
Kevin Nash hits the punch on CM Punk as Triple H watches on
Triple H entered the arena and invited Kevin Nash to the ring. Kevin Nash obliged and came out. Kevin Nash said that he wanted to apologise to CM Punk last week over his actions at SummerSlam, but didn’t do it because CM Punk crossed the line. CM Punk came out and had one of the most interesting segments in Raw history. CM Punk said that he would never believe Nash and Hunter’s statement on the textgate saga. The altercation ultimately ended with Kevin Nash sticking his right hand into CM Punk’s face. Kevin Nash’s action were induced by CM Punk since CM Punk said that Triple H’s balls were in Stephanie’s purse. Nash and Hunter left the arena which left CM Punk in the ring with a witty smile across his face.
Segment 1 review:
There is no one in professional wrestling that can match CM Punk’s realism on the mic. He is so realistic on the mic that he makes even prowrestling seem like reality. Kevin Nash is being used as a buffer in CM Punk’s feud with Triple H. There’s no doubt that CM Punk will be facing Triple H in the near future.
Segment Rating: 4/5
Match 4: Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston vs. David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty
WWE Tag Team Championship match
Tag Team Championship contenders
Finally, the WWE tag team championships were defended by David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty. They took on the high flying duo of Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne. Kofi dominated the early parts of the match. The tag champions were completely off color in this match. The match ended when Kofi hit the trouble in paradise on Michael to set up the Shooting Star Press for Bourne. Bourne executed the move perfectly to get the victory via pinfall. We have the new tag champions who were celebrating for a while inside the ring and even backstage.
Winners: Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne
Match 4 review:
Otunga and Michael have been champions for a while and were worthless champions in my opinion. I agree that they were victorious during their reign but did not improve on their credibility factor. A much need title change for the tag team division. It will be interesting to see where the tag-division moves on from here onwards. More than that, I’m interested in knowing the fate of Otunga and Michael in the future. I expect them to probably get future endeavored in the very near future!
Match Rating: 4/5
The new WWE Tag Team Champions – Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston
Segment 2: The Miz joins R-Truth’s Conspiracy Theory bandwagon!
The Miz and R-Truth attacking Santino Marella
Before this segment began, there was a backstage segment involvin John Laurinitis and Triple H. John informed Hunter that Kevin Nash was involved in an accident and had been admitted to a hospital. Triple immediately left the arena telling John to take care of rest of the show. Santino Marella made his entrance. But before he could even walk down the ramp, the Miz and R-Truth came out and attacked him. And then they made one of the craziest promos in history. They accused Punk, Cena, Alberto and Triple H of a conspiracy to keep them out of the title picture. They made accusations of underutilization. The funny thing was that the crowd kept shouting ‘What!’ intermittently during their talk which annoyed both of them. In the end R-Truth made a funny rap replacing ‘what’s up’ from his old song to ‘you suck’ and pointed towards the crowd.
Segment 2 review:
Honestly, this was one the funniest and meaningful segments that I’ve witnessed in the WWE. The Miz and R-Truth have had nothing to do for the past 2 months since Cena and Punk have been involved in one of the most intriguing feuds in history. It’s good that the WWE it trying something new by pairing up Ron Killings(R-Truth) and Mike Mizanin(The Miz). I’m interested to know what these two men will be up to next week.
Segment Rating: 5/5
Match 5: John Cena vs. C.M. Punk
Singles Match to determine the Number One Contender to face Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions
Del Rio attacking Cena after the match
Alberto Del Rio and John Laurinitis were at ringside for this match. It has to be noted that Triple H was not available as he had left the arena to visit Kevin Nash at the hospital who was allegedly involved in an accident. Cena and Punk put on a great match yet again. Both men gave their all and even kicked out of each other’s finishing move. Punk was about to put Cena to sleep when Kevin Nash came out of nowhere. This distracted Punk and ultimately lost to Cena. What a shame! After Cena won, Del Rio came in and attacked him. The efforts of the referee and John Laurinitis to prevent Del Rio were in vain. The show ended with Alberto fuming in anger after beating down John Cena.
Winner: John Cena
Match 5 review:
Once again a fantastic match between Cena and Punk. For a change, Cena got his first victory over CM Punk in three matches in the recent past. Kevin Nash arrival was a surprise. But why did John Laurinitis tell Triple H that he was involved in a car accident? These intriguing questions will hopefully be answered in the coming weeks of Monday Night Raw.
Match Rating: 4/5
The Bottom Line:
With 5 quality wrestling bouts and two intriguing segments, Raw was fantastic this week. New tag team champions were crowned and The Miz and R-Truth were at their funny best this week. The John Laurinitis- Kevin Nash conspiracy gave a new twist to the textgate saga. I’m really excited to know what will transpire in raw next week. What about you?
Raw Rating: 4/5
Best Matches: John Cena Vs CM Punk , Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston Vs David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty
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