DATE: 4/14/2014
LOCATION: Birmingham, AL
So long, Warrior
It’s been a turbulent period of time in the WWE. WrestleMania 30 saw The Undertaker’s streak come to a halt courtesy of Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan capture the WWE title (and he’s managed to hold it for over 24 hours this time!) and then the WWE Hall of Fame 2014 inductee Ultimate Warrior suddenly passed away. This RAW was predictably held in memory of the WWE Legend (who I have only recently learned legally changed his name to Warrior), with WWE CEO and part-time heel Triple H leading the WWE superstars in a round of applause for the late wrestling icon.
The Intercontinental Championship is actually being defended… wait, what?!
The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most famous Intercontinental champions in history, so it seemed fitting that this RAW would be centred around the beginning of a tournament to decide who will face Big E Langston as the number one contender for the belt.
Mark Henry, Cesaro. RVD, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler were the 8 superstars pitted against each other in the quarter-finals, with Cesaro, RVD, Sheamus and Wade Barrett all predictably advancing over their respective opponents.
The smart money’s on Cesaro and Barrett being in the final, considering Cesaro is comfortably standing alongside Roman Reigns as the WWE’s favourite up-and-comer, and Wade Barrett has revitalised his career with the #BadNewsBarrett gimmick. Sheamus could still make it into the final, but the WWE seem to have absolutely no idea what to do with him since his return. It’s no wonder, either: Sheamus’ whole face gimmick screams of 2010 WWE, not this new ‘Reality Era’ we’re apparently witnessing. The crowd are almost as indifferent to Sheamus now as they are to Alberto Del Rio, and that’s saying something. A monster heel turn will hopefully be in the pipeline.
Also, why hasn’t Cesaro been given his own entrance music yet? While I love hearing Paul Heyman talk as much as the next guy, it isn’t a substitute for a catchy theme song…. unless WWE is planning to use some form of swing music, in which case let Heyman have the microphone forever.
Paige’s Scorpion Lock is just the best
The Divas division is the best it’s been in a while (despite them still branding all their female competitors “Divas”, but hey ho, you can’t have it all) and Paige is looking impressive since her successful debut. Her first match as Divas champion was against Alicia Fox, who dealt some damage (honestly, that hair pulling looked like it really hurt) before being locked inside a beautiful submission maneuver by the Norwich-born new girl.
The Bray Wyatt/John Cena feud is getting worse
So The Wyatt Family/John Cena angle is continuing but, unfortunately, it’s now turning into every Cena feud, in that the Wyatt’s are the bearded punchline of Cena’s schoolboy jokes. Ha ha, Luke Harper photoshopped to look like a woman! Erick Rowan photoshopped to look like a baby! Jokes about Bray’s weight! Classic Cena. However, it all stands to negatively impact the Wyatt’s “monster” image, and if Cena manages another clean win over Bray at Extreme Rules in the steel cage match that’s now been announced, it will do big damage to the Wyatt’s persona.
Evolution are back for some reason
A few days after being at each others throats heading into WrestleMania 30, and Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton have reformed Evolution (sans Ric Flair) in order to take down The Shield. I’m pretty sure they should now be called ‘Evolved’ as all three men have practically done everything in the WWE at this point, but who cares.
Not the WWE fans, apparently, as there was a distinctly underwhelming reaction to the sound of the Evolution theme music hitting, as the three men made their way to the ring following an 11-on-3 handicap match that pitted The Shield against all of WWE’s heel midcarders. Evolution ranks among one of the most powerful, yet entirely forgettable, stables in the company’s history, so it’s no surprise that no one was really bothered by their reformation. Consider my reaction to their inevitable upcoming six-way tag match at Extreme Rules to be “meh”.
What to expect next week…
On next week’s RAW expect Cesaro to still not have entrance music, Batista to continue to look like a Ninja Turtle and Triple H to slightly unbutton his shirt while giving a member of The Shield a pedigree. Tune in to Crave Online for all the details!
