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TUCKER ON RAW 4/14: WWE sets the path for Extreme Rules, but is it an interesting path?

Apr 16, 2014 - 2:45:22 PM
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Instant Reaction - WWE Raw 4/14
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist


Overall Score - 6.5

This week's edition of Raw wasn't meant to top the quality of the Monday night program from the week before. Instead, it served to solidify the characters and feuds heading out of WrestleMania season, and I thought it succeeded in doing so. Was it the most interesting show of the year? No. But it was an all right three hours of programming.

- As a quick note, the Ultimate Warrior tribute material on this show was all very well done. WWE gave one of their top stars of the late '80s and early '90s the final goodbye that he deserved. The opening video of Warrior was particularly gutting.

- Rob Van Dam and Alberto Del Rio had solid matches in Van Dam's okay run last year, and this new match in their series fell just in line with the rest of them. Except this one didn't have out-of-place face Ricardo Rodriguez at ringside. RVD seems extremely out of place in the midst of his latest return, though. Where does he fit in as an aging mid-carder who only wrestles in three month time spans once or twice a year when WWE programming seems to be bursting with new, young talent?

Verdict: Watch It.

- Rybaxel defeated the Brotherhood in a match that made me feel sorry for the Rhodes Bros. more than it made me believe in Ryback and Curtis Axel.

Verdict: Skip It.

- Paige vs. Alicia Fox wasn't NXT quality, but it was still a more engaging Divas match than what we've seen recently on Raw. The segment as a whole isn't worth watching back later, but Paige's submission finisher looks incredible. Her main issue at this point is finding her edge on the main roster. Her anti-Diva character was great on NXT, but her "rookie who wins the big one" gimmick seems to be overshadowing her strong, never-back-down persona. Every match she seems to be on the verge of tears. Let's move away from this, shall we?

Verdict: Skip It.

- The Randtista-Usos re-match was little more than a vehicle to get The Shield to attack the heel duo. It did what it needed to, but that also means that it was nothing more than storyline fodder for the rest of the program.

Verdict: Skip It.

- Cesaro vs. Mark Henry was a fine match-up that continued to display Cesaro's power, and Paul Heyman delivered another gem of a promo beforehand. This pseudo face-heel duo still seems odd on paper, but the two of them at least seem to have chemistry together.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Alexander Rusev is trying, but he isn't clicking with me at all. Everything he does screams "Vladimir Kozlov 2.0," and he hasn't shown any charisma to make his in-ring work stand out. The few moves he does are executed well, but they're also moves that are done to death on wrestling television anymore. Oh wow, a foreign guy using the Camel Clutch. How unique! Rusev may have potential, but he won't go anywhere with this gimmick.

Verdict: Skip It.

- All of the IC Title tournament matches delivered in the ring tonight, and Swagger vs. Sheamus was one of the stronger contests of the group. Five-star match it was not, but both men worked hard and produced some dramatic nearfalls before the finish. It's surprising to see Swagger not face his former Real American down the line in the tournament, though.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Poor Damien Sandow. Even when he loses every single week, he still has it in him to make the crowd hate him and want to see him get what he deserves one more time. His segment with Big Show was at the same time fun to watch and terribly depressing.

Verdict: Watch It.

- The Wyatt-Cena promo exchange was almost ruined by John Cena and Photoshop before being saved by Bray Wyatt. He continues to be more in-tune with his character than any other wrestler in the world, and the way he brushed off Cena's corny one-liners and five-year-old jokes was perfect. If this man can save a Photoshop promo from being utter dreck, he can do anything. The logic used behind setting up the cage match did (mostly) make sense, and by the end I was pining for Wyatt to take Cena down. Which is the opposite of what they're aiming for, but hey, at least I want to see their re-match. I doubt that the cage match gimmick will aid their in-ring work, but Raw's effort by Bray was nonetheless incredible.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Layla and Fandango don't seem to be meshing as fell as 'Dango did with Summer Rae, but time will tell. The dancing/comedy tag match was the bathroom break of the show.

Verdict: Skip It.

- Stephanie's promo on Kane was excellent. Mrs. H has really come into her own the last few weeks, and tonight was arguably her strongest work yet, making Kane's return to using his mask feel like a big deal. The fact that this is probably leading to a Kane title match sullied my excitement a bit, but all in all this was a gem of a segment.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Bad News Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler was by far the in-ring highlight of the night, with several convincing nearfalls on both ends and fantastic bumping by Ziggler. It's a shame that he still isn't featured more prominently, but I moan about that every week. Barrett trying to get the crowd to chant with him seems like an odd heel move, but half the crowd seems to be cheering him anyway. How odd.

Verdict: Watch It.

- The main event handicap match was nothing in and of itself, but the return of Evolution was definitely entertaining. The Empire Strikes Back tone of the final part of Raw made a lot of sense with the newly reformed Evolution needing to gain heat and the next pay-per-view coming up in a few weeks. The Shield were protected, Orton and Batista have chances to revitalize their tired characters, and all of the pieces are in place for an epic six-man tag match.

Verdict: Watch It.

So, while not the strongest show, Raw contained very little that was truly "bad." What's important now is to see if they start ramping up the excitement train in the weeks leading up to Extreme Rules or simply fall back into their typical lackadaisical booking style. With Daniel Bryan returning next week, I'll be interested to see if they have some more fast-paced entertainment up their sleeve.

Any questions or comments? Message me on Twitter @BTuckertorch!


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