Wrestling’s 4Rs 5.31.13: WWE Monday Night Raw & ROH TV Reviewed

Number One Contender – This could have been a nice segment but it just came across bad. First, Nigel McGuinness gave the Best in the World title shot to Mark Briscoe, which we knew would happen. That brought out Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards who just said that it would be brother vs. brother at Best in the World because they were fighting each other again. That makes NO SENSE on why they chose to interrupt this moment just to make that announcement. Then Steve Corino came in and complained that Matt Hardy wasn’t getting the shot since he earned it at Border Wars. That led to Briscoe taking a shot at Corino, who ducked, and hitting Richards on accident. The Briscoes and Wolves had to be pulled apart while Michael Elgin watched from outside the ring, because he is the real No. 1 contender. This was just a mess because the Wolves had no reason to come out except to conveniently be there to set up a future tag team match, and everyone complaining proves how choosing Mark Briscoe was a bad decision to begin with.

Cherry Bomb vs. Mschif – This match was a struggle to get through. I swear that both women were moving in slow motion the entire match. It was slow and plodding and they took their sweet time to set up their moves. The only good part was when Veda Scott caused Mschif to finally get pinned in ROH. But, even that was stupid because Veda interfered and got away with it (the cameras did not let you see if the ref was distracted or not). But then again, earlier in the match Mschif kicked Cherry Bomb right between the legs, and the referee cringed but then allowed it. This was just a really bad match.

DANIEL BRYAN: This dude is on fire. I’ll talk more about the match he was in a bit, but this guy continues to shine brightly. I don’t know where they are going with his character, but he is taking it to the max. The story is that he feels like he is the weak link in the team, yet no one is saying as much. He is mind-fucking himself, and he is doing it not just in backstage promos, but also in the ring. Shouting obscenities, upping the intensity, and all the while, claiming he is not the weak link. It’s solid storytelling, and it’s crazy Bryan at his craziest. I love it and can’t wait to see what it turns into.

KOFI AND AMBROSE: For the first time in a long time (some would argue ever), Kofi Kingston looks like a main event player (and guess what…..he is doing it without a belt!) From the six man tags he has been in to the feud that he’s been sharing with Ambrose, Kofi finally seemed to be on the cusp of something great. His wrestling seemed more invigorated, and his little things are becoming more and more frequently. Then we got Ambrose, who is already nothing but greatness personified. It’s a shame, however, that Kofi may be out for a few weeks. For those that are harping on everyone that is in love with The Shield, I beg of you to find something wRong with them on tonight’s show. Ambrose and Kofi had a great under-10 match that not only got me excited, but really made me wonder just how the tag match was going to top it…

SHIELD VS HELL NO: …and it did. It’s not secret that Ambrose is the one the W’s trust more as a solo dude, but that must not remove anything from the other two members of the Shield. I think what I can say most about Rollins and Reigns can be summed up in one word: growth. They continue to grow as performers in the ring. In the beginning, the green was so obvious on Reigns, and Seth was as boring as ever. Now? Reigns is a powerhouse that does the little vocal things to make him huge. Rollins, too, has utilized facial expressions and verbal exchanges in the ring to make his character all the better. When we double this up with the awesomeness that is Daniel Bryan, and the solid in-ring work of Kane, there is no question about just how good this match was and how great The Shield, Daniel Bryan, Kane and Kofi are all doing.

INTERCONTINTENTAL TITLE: I had all but given up hope on Wade Barrett when this storyline began. It’s not the greatest of feuds, but adding Fandango into the boring Wade/Miz feud is nothing but positive for me, I think. He interjects a nuisance that isn’t annoying like The Miz, and gives Wade something to look stronger than considering how weak they have made him. Like I said, it’s perhaps not the greatest thing, but at least Fandango isn’t floundering, and Wade isn’t doing nothing…I could do without The Miz though. At least, as a face.

HEYMAN-JERICHO: What an interesting turn of events we had here, didn’t we? I truly don’t know where they are going with this, and if Punk is even coming back. I guess it doesn’t matter all that much, though, because a Punk and Jericho match should be nothing but good. It seems out of the blue, and there is one thing Jericho said that described the other man Heyman is involved with that really sums up said man’s impact (or lack thereof), but I really think that there was some solid interaction here and a big match announced.

TAG TEAM MATCH, PLAYA: It looks like we’re rebuilding Orton and Sheamus as possible tag contenders, which I am not sure whether I like or dislike. On one hand, both characters have become rather stale and uninteresting. With plans changing for Sheamus, apparently, they need something for him to do and I’d love for him to be a partner to someone than squashing people for no reason and still calling himself a face. On the other hand, though, this goes to show the complete mistrust in a legit tag team division. Just as we were assuming that they were going to rebuild it, the tag team division sort of went away and we only see a true tag team when they are on the losing end of a thrown together team, or when they are going against another team for all of three minutes.

JOHN VS CURTIS – THE MATCH: I am separating the match with the story here because it’s the only way I can make this fair without sounding like an asshole. The match that Curtis Axel and John Cena had was good. It wasn’t great, but it was pretty damned good. I thought Curtis looked solid against Cena, and there were a few moves that just worked. The whip to dropkick to the back, the ducked punch into a clothesline, the forearm rubs. These all helped Axel stand out as someone different and perhaps someone worth watching. THIS is the match that should have happened last week. He won with a countout and we got to focus on his celebration along with Heyman. Sure, we saw Cena get attacked, but the show closed with Axel – and if they wanted this guy to be something, they should have ended with that last week.

JOHN VS CURTIS – THE STORY: Sorry, WWE, but you already fucked this up, and no match with Cena is going to help. As I said above, the match was actually and surprisingly solid. They told a good story and it was given time, and Cena didn’t look like Supercena (although some complaints can be made about the fact that 8 days ago, he had been wearing a neckbrace and not moving). The story, however, that he beat John Cena AND Triple H was more of a revisionists history than an actual build for Curtis, which leads me to believe he will be nothing in only a matter of months. The win over Cena will be highlighted by Heyman, no doubt, but I’d venture to say that it’s too late to matter, and no one will care all because of what happened a week ago. I stand firm in my belief that this is dead where it stands, and they’d have to do some sort of overhaul to make this work.