'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week’s RAW was quite lukewarm, I thought. But then, you can’t expect every week to be as good as the ‘good’ ones, because then how would we know? Ok Ok, I get it… let’s get to the superstars already!
With not a lot of talking and backstage segments, WWE went with quite a few matches to fill up the 3-hour running time of RAW. Almost the entire roster was in action, with even the ones who did not have individual matches getting involved in action (Chris Jericho, Mark Henry etc).
Having said that, the matches were pretty solid and there was considerable build-up for the main-event, which was a Champion vs Champion match, between Alberto Del Rio and John Cena. The commentators kept hyping up the match talking about how it belonged on a pay-per-view instead of on free tv, which would have been the case had it not been for the ending, which was very made-for-tv. Lets look at the superstars of this week’s show.
The Show-off looked great on RAW this week, and seemed to have got most of his swagger back after losing his title at the Payback pay-per-view. The crowd was very enthusiastic for him even as his mannerisms looked to be the same as when he was a heel, teaming up with AJ & Big E Langston. He sported facial hair (suits him good), looked to be in great shape and the trademark cockiness was on full display as he took on Jinder Mahal from the 3MB.
In typical Ziggler fashion, he believably got the living s*** beaten out of him before he hit the zig-zag out of nowhere for a win. After the match, not taking the conventional face route to one-upping the heel faction, Ziggler used his agility and smarts to outwit them, proving his saying “It ain’t showing off if you back it up!”
John Cena
John Cena, after the longest time, didn’t have anything to say on the microphone on WWE RAW. And it wasn’t because he wasn’t there, but because his opponent at the next pay-per-view was the one who was being built up throughout the show – Mark Henry. Cena was in the main-event of the night in a well-hyped match against Alberto Del Rio, which was very good. We all know Cena is capable of having good matches with good workers, and last night was no different.
After a good back and forth battle between him and the World Heavyweight champion, which included many near falls and submission attempts, he pinned Del Rio after an AA, which was preceded by outside interference. The world’s strongest man made his way to the ring with the title in tow and Cena, very uncharacteristically, showed fear and hesitance towards his much-larger foe. It was a great performance by the champ as Henry looks more credible than ever, in his quest to attain the WWE title.
Christian
‘Captain Charisma’ is back in the WWE and it can only be a good thing. I have always been a huge fan of his and thought he was the most underrated wrestler in the company for the longest time. Even when Edge retired, beyond all the sadness, I was happy when Christian was propelled to main-event status and his subsequent run as a heel.
Despite being away for nearly an year, Christian hasn’t shown any ring rust in his outings so far and looks as sharp as ever. The aging veteran Christian is a natural baby face, and I hope for big things from him this time around. This RAW, after being a part of the introductory segment where he faced off against all the participants in the MITB ladder match, he teamed up again with the Usos against the Shield, in a fantastic match after the one on SmackDown, where Christian had pinned the US champ Dean Ambrose. The feud seems to be on, as Ambrose returned the favour and pinned Christian this time around, after The Shield showed how effective they are as a unit. Count on Christian to elevate Dean to a new level of stardom, if they are allowed to do the feud right.
