Three Up, Three Down 5.18.12: WWE Raw 5.14.12

THREE UP

Punk & Santino vs Daniel Bryan & Cody Rhodes
This was a pretty good tag match for free TV and that’s why I’m giving it good marks and placing it here. I would have liked for a couple things to be done differently — one in particular — but I’ll get to that later.

Punk and Bryan have great chemistry (shocker, right?). Their feud is hitting its stride now and I’m very excited to see what kind of a match they can put together at Over The Limit. Actually, there’s no reason a wrestling fan shouldn’t be excited for this one. I only worry that people already have too high of expectations for it, and we could end up receiving a ****-caliber match that the Internet proceeds to trash because it wasn’t *****. They’ll do some good work, and I can only hope they’ll work together past Sunday, which brings me to AJ’s appearance backstage later in the show.

(Hey, it’s my column. If I want to group things together that weren’t together in the actual broadcast, I will. Continuity is overrated. OK, that’s not true. But you get it.)

Anyways, it was good see to AJ on Raw. Not just because she’s cute, but more because of the promise her appearance means for this program between Bryan and Punk. Was AJ simply attempting to lure Punk in to make him easier to sabotage during his match with Bryan on Sunday? Was she genuinely interested in talking to Punk? Either way, it appears we’re set to see AJ inserting herself in Sunday’s match in some way. I can’t imagine her “costing” Bryan a title again, whether it be on purpose or accident. There would be no way for Bryan to respond afterward that he hasn’t followed already, beyond straight woman-beating (and we don’t need that). So it seems she may be instrumental in Bryan winning the belt from Punk. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Either way, her addition to the equation makes it all the more interesting.

My only gripe with the match was the blown opportunity to put Cody over Punk. When Punk’s attention was focused on Bryan on the outside, why not let him get hit with the Cross Rhodes when he turns around? Nothing would be lost with Rhodes pinning Punk with an assist from Bryan. Not a big deal, but something I would have liked to see.

Also, Santino being generally incompetent was entertaining, as usual.

Advancement of a women’s storyline!
It’s good to see time continued to be put toward the progress of women’s storyline. Granted, it wasn’t much this time, but better than nothing. We obviously weren’t treated to spectacle of a match or anything between Alicia Fox and Beth Phoenix, but it served its purpose. (Remember when we were supposed to perceive Alicia as a legit contender?) Beth continued to look strong and physically dominating. Meanwhile, I was worried Layla was simply going to stay put on top of the ramp with an “Oh crap, I’m definitely going to lose on Sunday to her” look on her face. Fortunately, the segment saw Layla throw caution to the wind and show Beth a sample of what she’ll bring to the table on Sunday at Over The Limit.

Nonetheless, it seems Layla won’t have the belt for long, though I find her return to action a refreshing adjustment for the women’s circuit in WWE. Now we must wonder how soon Kharma will show up — if not during Sunday’s match between Layla and Beth?

Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
This match was really nice and something we haven’t seen in a few years. And since the initial program between these two guys was short, this matchup still feels fresh.

But I’m going to touch on something more important. I think the build leading up to Sunday’s four-way match really only benefits two of the involved wrestlers in a significant way: Sheamus and Orton. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing. Four-way title matches typically only seem to involve two legit or believable winners. (Though in this case, you could argue Sheamus is the only believable winner going into Sunday).

This build helps Orton in the sense that he’s been more interesting over the last couple of weeks than he has been in a long time. I’d be a little surprised if WWE abandons Orton as a face anytime in the foreseeable future, but his recent return to his more unpredictable ways of yesteryear has been refreshing.

And obviously, it helps Sheamus because of the credibility boost he’ll receive if he successfully defends against three challengers. I have no reason to think he won’t retain the title on Sunday.

THREE DOWN

Big Show’s “firing”
King, on commentary, repeatedly mentioned how hard this segment was to watch. Yes, yes it was, not so much in the way Lawler meant though. I found this segment to be awkward. It dragged on far too long and seemed like a time filler. I’ll give the WWE a little bit of the benefit of the doubt and see where this ends up, but I don’t think it’s promising.

And call me stupid or slow (or both), but I didn’t put two and two together in terms of the possibility of Show interfering in Cena’s match on Sunday. It obviously makes sense. I guess I just wasn’t invested enough into Monday’s show to pick up on it immediately. We all know Big Show isn’t going anywhere despite being “fired,” so it seems his interfering to help Johnny Ace win would be his only way to keep his job. Such an act by Show seems to guarantee a Big Show/Cena feud. Blah. Am I the only one more interested in seeing a match between Laurinaitis and Cena than a match between Show and Cena?

I guess I’ll credit WWE for trying to make us care about Big Show for the first time in ages…but I’m not sure I’ll ever be interested in anything involving Show from now on. He’s just stale. I suppose if WWE does a great job executing this angle, it could spark my interest again. But I’m doubtful.

Show ender with Cena and Laurinaitis
Cena’s Jim Carey-esque “Loser” routine made me laugh the first time, then it just got obnoxious. Then he kept doing it, and it didn’t get any less obnoxious each time.

I’ll put this out there: I’m a pretty big fan of Cena’s work and usually back him a lot more than most members of the IWC do. He’s pretty much the LeBron James of the WWE, in the sense that he will never win everyone over. If he performs well, it’s because he’s supposed to because he’s the company’s biggest star. If he doesn’t perform well, it’s abhorrent and it’s as if no star as big as him ever failed before.

OK, I rambled a little bit, but felt compelled to use that small disclaimer. For me, Cena missed the mark during this segment. I didn’t understand why he was in such a humorous mood. Cena has been screwed with week after week by Laurinaitis, and yet he wants to be the funny guy? I don’t find it believable. I guess you could argue that he’s at peace with himself because he knows he’s going to get his hands on Laurinaitis on Sunday. But would anyone be so patient, calm, and willing to crack jokes with a guy just days after he attempted to maim their arm?

Meanwhile, I think Laurinaitis continues to be one of the company’s strongest heels, and I’m actually genuinely looking forward to see what he can do in the ring against Cena on Sunday. We won’t get a classic, but I’m sure we’ll get something entertaining. Laurinaitis will find a way to win — whether it’s with the help of Big Show or some other shenanigans. At least, he better, because it’s far too early to pull the plug on him as an authority figure.

Opening segment with Heyman and Triple H
Wow. I didn’t realize this until I actually began organizing this column, but I guess I didn’t enjoy very many of the segments involving the top-level storylines.

This just felt weak. Heyman was OK, but I found Triple H to be a little off his game. I know Triple H is now supposed to be more business-savvy because he’s more of a “suit.” So in one way, he is concerned about the welfare of his company and the consequences of a lawsuit brought against him by Lesnar, and now Heyman. But we have also always known Triple H as an intelligent character. No mention or threat of a suit or countersuit against Lesnar for, you know, breaking his arm? The omission of something along those lines was glaring to me.