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Last night’s RAW followed one of the better pay-per-views, which isn’t one of the top 4 of the year, Hell-in-a-cell. The show opened with the new World Heavyweight champion John Cena making his return speech and proclaiming Smackdown as his new hunting ground. While Cena opening the flagship show of the WWE isn’t something new, what followed immediately after that was something that we get used to….an impromptu match for the world title!
Moments like those were to be found littered all throughout the show, as unpredictability and chaos sort of ruled the roost, which again, makes for interesting TV. Backstage attacks, surprise appearances and match interferences were galore as several new storylines were established and if I had to sum up the upcoming mood for the events to happen, it would be….Interesting! With that being said, let’s get on with the ones who stole the show from the array of stars who made Monday night RAW that much special.
Shawn Michaels
The Heartbreak Kid was in attendance and after a very long time, walked in to a mixed reception as a result of his actions from the previous night, where he had cost Daniel Bryan the WWE title by superkicking his former pupil.
It didn’t take long for the mixed reception to turn into a chorus of boos as the ‘Showstopper’ used the microphone and played with the crowd’s feelings & emotions like only he can, when addressing Bryan face-to-face. HBK has been playing goodie-two-shoes for a very long time now and last night, he gave a glimpse into what a terrific heel he used to be and can still be, if the need arose!
Starting off in a sincere and apologetic manner, HBK asked for forgiveness from his former student who refused to shake his hand. The outright refusal must have hurt the ego of the legend as very soon, he was down to his old cocky & arrogant ways and his demeanour did a 360 on Bryan, echoing Triple H’s lines about Daniel Bryan being a B+ player. This led to him ending up in the Yes lock and it took 3 refs to break up Bryan off of Michaels. If this is the seed of a feud with both ending up in the ring together for one last match for Michaels, imagine what a dream-come-true that would be….
The Wyatts
The Wyatts
The Wyatts had a much larger presence on the show than normal, and it was a heartening sight. With the gimmick that they have, there is always the risk of the act getting stale and the audience getting complacent with their routine. But so far that hasn’t been the case and a lot of the credit has to be given to Bray Wyatt who has a certain presence about him and is a complete natural.
This week on RAW, it looked like their ascent to the top has taken wings with them taking out Daniel Bryan & C M Punk. Bryan was taken out in a backstage attack while Punk was attacked after his match with Ryback. In a ominous proclamation, Bray Wyatt said “The Devil made me do it”! It should be really interesting to see who, if there is one, the devil is in the world of the WWE
Damien Sandow/John Cena
John Cena
Damien Sandow, like the previous MITB briefcase holder Dolph Ziggler, has been on a losing streak ever since he won the briefcase and that had the IWC excited for the impending title run of his, when he would finally cash in on the briefcase. So after John Cena had cut a passionate promo, when Sandow interrupted and attacked Cena’s injured arm and decided to cash in, many fans were excited and pumped for the match and more importantly, the possibility of seeing the talented young man get his due.
But after a terrific match that told a great story in a throwback to the old times, Cena prevailed and got to retain his title. While the decision makes sense considering the immediate future of Smackdown, I hope that someone like Sandow gets to be a key player on the roster and not be relegated to the sidelines, as he showed last night that he definitely has what it takes to hang with the best in the business and make an impression. It was also particularly impressive to see the aggressive and vicious side of Sandow, after being made to look comical for most part lately. Hopefully, this is not the last time that him and Cena cross paths.
