WWE Raw Report CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 7/7: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Cena vs. Rollins, Jericho vs. Miz, Bret Hart returns to Montreal, more
Jul 7, 2014 - 10:08:56 PM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY
WWE Raw TV Results
July 7, 2014 - Episode #1,101
Live in Montreal, Canada
Report by James Caldwell (@JCTorch), PWTorch assistant editor
- The Card: Bret Hart special appearance, WWE champion John Cena vs. MITB holder Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho vs. The Miz, Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton, Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston in a re-match from last week's Raw, and A.J. Lee & Paige vs. The Funkadactyls.
Raw from Montreal opened with The Shield's music playing. From the crowd came Roman Reigns, who walked through a sea of people down to the ring as Michael Cole introduced the show on commentary. Cole said what's unique about Raw is The Authority is not here tonight; they're on vacation. What's that?
Cole, JBL, and Jerry Lawler were shown on-camera setting up the show before Reigns spoke from inside the ring. Reigns said unlike some people, when he comes to the ring, he comes with a point. Reigns said Triple H put him in the fatal four-way WWE Title match at Battleground because he thinks it's best for business. He said Hunter thinks maybe he (Reigns) can neutralize John Cena, which he can do, or Kane can neutralize him (Reigns), which he can't. And then Randy Orton walks out with the title. But, he won't.
Pause for a mix of chants related to Bret Hart and John Cena, apparently. Reigns waited out the chant, then said, "When Roman Reigns is in the house, you damn right Cena sucks," which popped the crowd. Reigns said what The Authority wants is irrelevant and what Orton says is irrelevant because he's the next WWE champion. The crowd popped, then Kane's pyro interrupted. Reigns stood in the ring amused as Kane stood on the stage glaring toward the ring through his mask.
Reigns asked Kane if he's standing in for The Authority tonight since he's just Triple H's lapdog. No wait, just Randy Orton's b----. Ooohs from the crowd. Kane slowly walked down to ringside, where Reigns met him with right hands. A brawl broke out ringside, then Kane rolled Reigns into the ring, but Reigns knocked him off the ring apron. The brawl continued into the crowd, where the two men traded blows and control.
Back to ringside, then back into the ring, which brought out referees to try to separate the two. But, Kane grabbed one of the refs and chokeslammed him. Agents then spilled out to break up the fight. Finlay roughed up Reigns a little bit, then Reigns shoved Jamie Noble aside and speared Finlay in half. Kane wanted a piece of Reigns again, but Reigns dropped him with a Superman Punch, popping the crowd. Shield's music played as Kane retreated up the ramp to the stage.
[ JC's Reax: Reigns is still finding his rhythm as a solo talker, as he still has a tendency to stumble over himself. Plus, cussing when hardly anyone else cusses is a cheap way to a get a big pop post-Attitude Era. He's got to clean up the little things to be a #1 star. ]
Announcers: Cole, Lawler, and JBL discussed what just happened, then JBL hyped Authority not being here. Cole plugged Bret Hart on Raw tonight before Lawler plugged Jericho back in action against Miz. And, the main event is Cena vs. Rollins. Cole teased a possible MITB cash-in as the big hook for the end of the show.
[Commercial Break at 8:11. WWE quickly hyped the free preview of WWE Network this week.]
[Q2] Back from break, The Wyatts were in the ring for tag action. No Bray Wyatt, just Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. They stood there waiting out their theme music before The Usos walked out on-stage to be introduced for the opening match.
1 -- WWE tag champions THE USOS vs. LUKE HARPER & ERICK ROWAN -- non-title match
The Usos clotheslined Rowan over the top rope early on, then Rowan limped around ringside back to the heel corner to regroup. Harper got in offense, then Rowan eventually found himself back in the ring, where he lost control of the match. Jey tagged in, but he lost control on Rowan. The Wyatts exchanged tags heading into commercial.
[Commercial Break at 8:21]
The Wyatts were still controlling the match back from break. Slow pace, so the crowd picked up a "C-M Punk" chant. Hot tag to Jimmy, who dropped Harper with a top-rope cross-body splash. All four men in the ring, then Uso flew over the top rope to splash Rowan. Back in the ring, Harper back-kicked Jimmy in the face for a two count. Jimmy returned the favor for a close two count on the Usos's end.
Uso climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Harper cut him off. Harper followed with a sit-out powerbomb for a two count when Uso broke up the pin. Chaos involving all four men, then Harper smashed Uso with a big clothesline. It was good for the pin and the win. Afterward, Jey complained to referee Rudy Charles about the officiating because the wrong Uso took the fall.
WINNER: Wyatts at 11:03. Another good match in their series, but they're wearing out the match-up without another top tag team for either team to work with in the division.
Announcers: Cole and Co. hyped a free week of WWE Network this week, taking turns reciting lines about what's offered.
[Q3] Still to come: Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton.
Authority's Office: Orton and Kane were shown talking backstage. Orton said he would have been right by Kane's side if Reigns did one more thing to him earlier tonight. Kane, not so sure about Orton's sincerity, said the WWE World Title is definitely coming back to The Authority at Battleground.
Seth Rollins then walked into the shot holding the MITB briefcase. Rollins promised to think twice about cashing in his briefcase if either one of them wins on Sunday. Orton said he is really starting to hate that kid. Kane said not nearly as much as he's really starting to hate Orton. Authority Issues heading to break.
[Commercial Break at 8:33]
Back in the arena, Justin Roberts said the following Divas contest will be conducted with each competitor having one hand tied behind her back, per The Authority. Already in the ring was Alicia Fox. Nikki Bella then came out to face Fox.
2 -- NIKKI BELLA vs. ALICIA FOX -- One hand tied behind the back match
The rope was administered to Nikki first while Alicia waited for Nikki to be tied up. The crowd sat quietly waiting for the pre-match to unfold. When it was her turn, Fox played games with the ref, then eventually just yanked the rope away and kicked Nikki.
The fight spilled out to the floor as Cole said this is convenient with The Authority involved in the match-making. Alicia continued to beat up Nikki before the ref eventually got in-between Fox and Nikki to prevent further damage. But, Fox jumped back into the ring and roughed up Nikki some more before leaving the ring.
WINNER: No Match. A long way to go to continue building to Brie Bella's return.
Still to come: Cena vs. Rollins.
[Commercial Break at 8:42]
[Q4] Back from break, Rusev was in the ring waving a Russian flag. Lana then addressed Canada, saying the country should just accept leadership from Vladimir Putin. Both looked toward the screen for a while as if they were waiting for something. Lana started to speak again, then Rob Van Dam's music blared over the p.a. system. Lawler said this "young man" has something to say about Rusev and Lana.
2 -- ROB VAN DAM vs. RUSEV (w/Lana)
Van Dam went for a Five-Star Frogsplash early on, but Rusev cut him off, then smashed RVD in the back of the head with a clothesline. Rusev followed with an overhead slam as the crowd amused themselves by singing. Suddenly, Cole introduced an inset promo from Zeb Colter as Rusev sat on a resthold. Once Rusev got the cue to end the resthold, RVD broke free, but Rusev took back control of the match.
RVD landed punches to the gut, then tried an overhead slam, but RVD rolled through into a two count. RVD followed with a kick strike, then another. Van Dam followed with a top-rope thrust kick, then he tried Rolling Thunder, but Rusev moved and smashed him with a thrust kick. Rusev yelled and shouted, then Lana called for the end. Rusev put a boot to the back of a prone RVD, then slapped on The Accolade as the crowd booed. RVD tapped.
WINNER: Rusev via submission at 4:38. The whole segment captured how overly-scripted and unnatural this show can feel at times. It also came across like WWE made RVD seem important for a few weeks just to feed him to Rusev.
Backstage: Randy Orton was shown heading toward the ring ahead of the next match.
Network plug: WWE told viewers that last Sunday's PPV is available for free during Raw.
[Commercial Break at 8:53]
In-ring: Randy Orton was introduced first for the top-of-the-hour main event. Dean Ambrose was out next, still with a taped left shoulder.
[Q5 -- second hour]
3 -- RANDY ORTON vs. DEAN AMBROSE
Ambrose taunted Orton early on, then trapped him to the mat and wrenched his arm. Ambrose maintained the advantage working on Orton, but Orton slipped Ambrose face-first into the middle turnbuckle to take control. Orton tried to slow things down with corner punches, but Ambrose said that was taking too long, so he spun Ambrose around and landed ten rapid-fire blows. Ambrose wanted to follow up, but Orton dropped him with a short-arm clothesline.
Orton resumed control, then again slowed down the pace and decided to pose, so Ambrose had enough of that and attacked Orton. Ambrose cleared Orton out of the ring heading to break.
[Commercial Break at 9:06]
Orton was in control back from break. He again slowed the pace, which was like an alarm bell going off for crazy Ambrose, but Orton retained control. Ambrose eventually fought back with strikes and kicks and punches, then Ambrose decided to slap on a figure-four leglock out of nowhere. The crowd wooo'ed for Ric Flair as Orton fought the hold, then he eventually leaned back and grabbed the bottom rope for a break.
Reset at 13:00 with Orton selling the figure-four work. He sold it so much that he failed to turn around and block a top-rope attack from Ambrose, causing Dean just to fall down. The announcers quickly tried to cover for the botched spot by selling Orton being hurt and Ambrose being crazy. Orton decided to start posing to try to get the crowd back into the match, then Ambrose dumped him over the top rope to the floor.
[Q6] On the outside, Ambrose grabbed a bunch of chairs and chucked them into the ring. Ambrose then rolled Orton into the ring, but Orton bailed, not wanting to take a chair shot. On the outside, though, Orton ran Ambrose shoulder-first into the ringpost, further damaging Dean. Orton then tossed Ambrose into the timekeeper's area before grabbing him for a traditional second-rope DDT right into the floor.
Orton rolled back into the ring as the referee administered a ten count. Five and some stirring. Seven and to his knees. Nine and a desperation lunge back into the ring just before ten. Orton sighed and re-approached Dean for another DDT, but Ambrose slipped under Orton for a quick two count. Backslide for a two count. Rebound lariat attempt, but Orton saw it coming a la Christian's turnaround splash and dropped Ambrose with an RKO to counter. Orton covered Ambrose for the win.
WINNER: Orton at 17:40. Fine recovery from the botched spot mid-way through to finish with a needed win for Orton ahead of his inclusion in the PPV title match in two weeks. Ambrose can easily get back on-track with his character, so he did not lose much here.
Still to come: Bret Hart is on Raw.
Backstage: Renee Young brought in WWE champion John Cena to boos. Renee noted Orton just beat Ambrose, so how does he feel about the mounting pressure on his title reign? Cena said he is the biggest target in WWE right now, but that's what this is about being WWE champion. He said a lot of people talk about what's best for business, but he's the symbol for handling business. Suddenly, Roman Reigns slid into the interview space. Reigns wished Cena good luck tonight. Cena brought up Reigns's strong words earlier, then said he doesn't need luck. Reigns said he's going to need a lot of it at Battleground, then walked off.
[Commercial Break at 9:21]
Back from break, Fandango was at the announce table to announce his inclusion in the IC Title battle royal at Battleground. Meanwhile, Alberto Del Rio was in the ring for match action. Dolph Ziggler was then introduced as Del Rio's opponent for another round of this match-up.
4 -- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO
As the match unfolded, Cole hyped the winner of this match getting a U.S. Title shot against Sheamus tomorrow night on Main Event. The in-ring battle moved to the top turnbuckle, where Del Rio blocked Ziggler and delivered an inverted DDT into a faceplant for a close two count.
[Q7] Ziggler walked into a single-arm DDT, but ducked a corner enziguiri. Ziggler sprung on Del Rio for a Fameasser, which resulted in a two count, then Fandango excused himself. His music played and Fandango hopped on the announce table to dance and taunt Ziggler, who made out with Summer Rae last week. Del Rio then popped Ziggler in the head and scored a three count. Del Rio gets another U.S. Title shot fresh off losing to Sheamus on Smackdown. As Fandango continued to dance and taunt Ziggler, Cole hyped the U.S. Title match tomorrow night on the Network, where re-run title matches are free.
WINNER: Del Rio at 4:34.
Backstage: Cody Rhodes, as Stardust, talked to himself, then his dramatic brother, Goldust, walked in to talk in riddles about the cosmos. Suddenly, Goldust had the 1990s wig on to enhance the weirdness.
Up Next: Bret Hart is on Raw.
[Commercial Break at 9:34]
Backstage: Fandango was shown walking down the hallway pleased with himself. Layla then walked up to him and asked what that was all about. Fandango said he can't take someone embarrassing him, but Layla wasn't so sure. She said she doesn't know what he would do if Fandango still cared for Summer Rae. They embraced, then Fandango looked longingly across the hallway. There was Summer Rae standing a distance away returning Fandango's gaze.
Bret Hart Return Segment
In-ring: Jerry Lawler said he did not think he would be back in Montreal after what happened last time he was in this building - when his heart attack happened. Lawler thanked the crowd and the local hospital for their support, then brought out Bret Hart. Hart walked out on-stage in a dress shirt and jeans, then took the mic from Lawler in the ring.
Hart waved to the crowd before pausing for a "Thank you, Bret" chant. "Merci," Bret said. He said no matter what happened here in the past, it's always an honor to be back here in Montreal. Hart said he speaks from the heart when he says if he could just have one more match, it would be right here in Montreal. Hart said he's getting the kind of rush he used to get when he was WWE champion.
Suddenly, Hart's music played again. Out came Damien Sandow dressed as 1990s Hart with the leather jacket, oiled hair, and pink and black trunks doing the open-the-jacket pose. Sandow described himself as "Bret 'the Hitman' Sandhart." Sandow role-played Hart at Survivor Series 1997, then said his one regret was that he was actually proud to be from a third-world country like Canada. But, his main regret was never being in the same ring as the great Damien Sandow.
Sandow paused before saying he knows talking has never been Bret's strong suit, but Hart punched him in the face before he could finish the sentence. Sandow spilled out of the ring to the floor, then Hart offered a closing line: "No, punching was." Hart's music played, then WWE replayed Hart winding up and punching Sandow in the face.
[Q8] Suddenly, Sheamus's music played, which buzzkilled the crowd cheering for Bret. The U.S. champ marched down to the ring and hugged Bret, saluted him, and posed with the U.S. Title as Sandow stood ringside selling annoyance. Sandow vs. Sheamus is up next.
[Commercial Break at 9:47]
5 -- U.S. champion SHEAMUS vs. DAMIEN SANDOW -- non-title match
The match was joined in-progress with Sandow doing Hart's moves and mannerisms. Sheamus blocked a Sharpshooter, though, and lined up Sandow for Ten Forearms to the Chest that spilled into 15 or so blows. Sheamus then backed up to the corner looking for a Brogue Kick and smashed Sandow in the face. It was good for a three count as JBL mock shouted about this not happened again to Hart in Montreal. As Sheamus celebrated, Cole re-plugged the repeat U.S. Title match tomorrow night on WWE Network.
WINNER: Sheamus at 2:34.
Backstage: Renee Young brought in The Miz, who was sporting cocky sunglasses and a leather jacket. Miz cut off Renee and introduced the contents from a piece of paper. Miz removed his shades and read a letter from a fan, who was so excited when Miz returned, but then that rat-faced, tattooed Chris Jericho interrupted. The "fan" instructed Miz to put Jericho in his place. Sincerely, John Russo. Miz got choked up thinking about what would happen to little Johnny Russo if Jericho ruins his face. But, he's ready to give Jericho his close-up.
Up Next: Jericho vs. Miz.
[Commercial Break at 9:55]
[Q9 -- third hour] Network plug: Sheamus vs. Del Rio in a U.S. Title match. Plus, Chris Jericho has the Highlight Reel with Bret Hart on Main Event.
Raw Replay: Chris Jericho returned to Raw and dropped The Miz with a Codebreaker. But, the Wyatts interrupted and Bray Wyatt began a feud with Jericho.
In-ring: Chris Jericho was introduced first for his in-ring return. Suddenly, a movie trailer intro played. JBL said this is not a real star. Because he's from Hollywood. Out came The Miz sporting shades and enamored with himself as Jericho stood off in the corner.
6 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. THE MIZ
Jericho quickly went after Miz's money-maker, angering the "movie star." Meanwhile, the announcers hyped this as a battle of "multi-media stars" who haven't wrestled a lot recently, so they're a bit rusty. Jericho ran over Miz with a shoulder tackle, then climbed to the top turnbuckle for a chop to the head. Jericho tried to follow with Walls of Jericho, but Miz spun him away.
Reset as the crowd became quiet enough for a trash-talker on the front row to get airtime yelling at Miz. Miz then applied a figure-four leglock, but Jericho grabbed the bottom rope for a break. They came to their feet and Jericho struck Miz right in the face. Miz sold it like a low-blow, then Jericho slapped on the Walls of Jericho for a tap-out win.
WINNER: Jericho via submission at 5:52. Jericho has really aged since his last run. He'll have to make up for the cosmetics with some strong in-ring and verbal work once he shakes off the rust.
Post-match: The Wyatt video interruption suddenly played. Back in the arena, Bray Wyatt was rocking in his chair atop the stage. Bray taunted Jericho for returning to "save us," but he can't even save himself. He said he will never, evvvvver let Jericho forget that these people now sing to a different tune. Because he has the whole world in his hands.
Suddenly, Jericho interrupted and told Bray to shut the hell up. "Quiet, Wyatt," Jericho said. He said Bray is right that actions do speak louder than words. And, his actions are this - he's going to come up that ramp and beat his ass. Jericho started to leave, but the interruption played. Back in the arena, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper were standing next to Bray to guard him against Jericho. Jericho contemplated making a move, but opted to stay put before Raw cut to break.
[Q10] [Commercial Break at 10:15]
In-ring: The Funkadacytls were in the ring for tag team Divas action. Paige was then introduced to the ring before WWE replayed events last week on Raw when A.J. Lee returned to TV, convinced Paige to give her a Divas Title re-match, and A.J. re-won the title. Paige tried to sell being in a good mood despite dropping the title last week, then A.J.'s music played. But, Paige took the mic and introduced her tag team partner with an over-the-top intro. A.J. pretty much ignored her.
7 -- Divas champion A.J. LEE & PAIGE vs. CAMERON & NAOMI
The announcers noted a lot of combustible elements to this match with Cameron and Naomi not getting along as of late. Back-and-forth, then Paige got the pin for her team. Afterward, Paige excitedly shook A.J.'s hand as if they're best friends now. Meanwhile, Cameron and Naomi had more issues following their loss. Cameron finger-pointed Naomi on the head, then a shoving match broke out. They eventually scrapped. It turned into more of a fight than a scrap, requiring a referee to separate them.
WINNERS: Paige & A.J. at 2:20.
Still to come: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins.
[Commercial Break at 10:25]
[Q11] Back from break, Paul Heyman was in the ring standing next to Cesaro. Heyman noted he is the advocate for Brrrock Lesssnar, who conquered The Undertaker's Streak at WrestleMania. He is also pleased to represent -- Cesaro interrupted and said he can't talk to them in English. Because they're French-Canadians, but they don't even speak French. Cesaro said the French can't stand them, and neither can the rest of Canada. Kofi Kingston, sporting taped ribs, came to the ring to face Cesaro in a re-match from last week.
8 -- CESARO (w/Paul Heyman) vs. KOFI KINGSTON
Kofi quickly knocked Cesaro out of the ring, then bounced him head-first off the announce table. Kofi tried to return to the ring, but Cesaro smashed him into the ropes. Cesaro continued to attack the mid-section before swinging him across the ring apron. Meanwhile, the crowd taunted Cesaro with a local chant in response to the promo. Cesaro dropped Kofi with a military press, but Kofi kicked out of a pin attempt. Suddenly, Kofi surprised Cesaro with a quick three count for the win. Heyman sold annoyance ringside.
Post-match: Cesaro again attacked Kofi after losing to him. But, Big E. hit the ring and chased off Cesaro before his music played. Big E. and Kofi stood tall in the ring while Cesaro and Heyman recovered to the stage.
WINNER: Kingston at 1:51.
Locker Room: John Cena was sitting down thinking things over, then Seth Rollins walked in for a civilized conversation between two adults. Cena listened to Rollins offer him measured jabs, such as Orton or Kane taking the WWE Title from Cena at Battleground - if he doesn't cash in MITB beforehand. Cena listened to his speech, then said he thinks Rollins is full of crap and a bigger deal than he really is after getting a big contract and a futuristic jumpsuit. See you out there.
Still to come: Cena vs. Rollins.
[Commercial Break at 9:38]
Smackdown plug: You won't believe this main event. It's Roman Reigns against ... Rusev.
In-ring: El Torito was in the ring for the pre-main event comedown segment. Bo Dallas was then introduced in his soaked t-shirt. Before the match started, Bo said he never ducks a challenge because he simply bo-lieves.
9 -- BO DALLAS vs. EL TORITO
Once the bell sounded, Bo watched as Torito ran circles around the ring. Bo then got down on both knees, so Torito playfully whipped him with his tail. Torito followed with a crotch shot, then a slap to the face, angering Bo. Bo then shoved down the non-injured Matador ringside with Torito. Bo lost his cool, then knocked down Torito back in the ring. He regained his cool and his smile, then dropped Torito with a running Bo-Dog for the pin and the win.
[Q12] Post-match: A victory lap for Dallas, including "accidentally" running over Torito when he did not see him recovering on the outside and not breaking stride. And there was Torito face-down on the floor to wrap the segment.
WINNER: Bo Dallas at 1:22.
Up Next: Cena vs. Rollins.
[Commercial Break at 10:46]
In-ring: John Cena was introduced first for the main event as Michael Cole hyped Cena as the greatest WWE champion ever. JBL took exception, and Cole's defense was the fabricated stat of Cena winning 15 World Titles, presenting it as if WWE has a regular sports season format and there have been 20 WWE seasons and Cena has won the championship 15 times. It's just not even worth bringing up in an era of regular title changes coming out of the Attitude Era. Seth Rollins was then introduced, changing the subject to whether Rollins will cash in on Cena tonight.
10 -- WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. MITB holder SETH ROLLINS -- non-title match
Rollins controlled the champion heading to an early commercial break squeezed in before the top of the hour.
[Commercial Break at 10:56]
Back live one minute before the top of the hour, Cena powered out of a mathold with an electric chair. Rollins regained control, though, and Cena returned to selling Rollins's early attack.
[Q13 -- over-run] Rollins continued to work on Cena until the champ came back with a big powerbomb to counter a running attack by Rollins. Cena shook off the attack before climbing to the top turnbuckle, where Rollins caught him with a head attack that resulted in a two count. Cena came back with the STFU out of nowhere, Cena re-applied center-ring of the ring, and Kane's pyro suddenly shot off.
Cena released the hold as Kane walked down the ramp toward the ring. Cena backed right into Randy Orton, who attacked Cena from behind. No bell to be heard for a DQ, as the ref apparently bailed when Kane hit the ring.
WINNER: No Result in 10:00. As far as the booking goes, poor ending to the night going for yet another non-finish to a match WWE hyped for three hours.
Post-match: Orton, Kane, and Rollins beat Cena until Roman Reigns's music played. Reigns walked down the ramp instead of through the crowd, and Reigns promptly dropped Kane with a Superman Punch. He also blasted Orton in the ring.
But, Rollins popped Reigns with the MITB briefcase. Then, Cena took a briefcase shot to the head. Rollins contemplated cashing in the briefcase, but how could he cash in when the previous match never ended? Another ref emerged to receive the case from Rollins, but Dean Ambrose showed up through the crowd to spear Rollins to the ground. Ambrose ran Rollins up the ramp to the back as Cole house-cleaned on no MITB cash-in again this week.
Back in the ring, Cena was waking up as Randy Orton slid into the ring. Orton thought he had Cena ready for an RKO, but Cena sprung on him with an AA. Kane wanted a chokeslam on Cena, though, only to take a spear from Roman Reigns. The Shield's music played as Reigns and Cena stood tall in the ring. Reigns then yanked Cena's hand in the air for the faces to stand tall, but Cena was taken aback by the gesture, not trusting anyone right now. "Spear, spear" chant from the crowd, then Cena returned the gesture by holding Reigns's hand in the air. Cena and Reigns came face-to-face, then Reigns held Cena's hand in the air to boos. Cena sold slight annoyance as Raw signed off eight minutes past the top of the hour.
OVERALL: A maintenance show following up on the big reset show last week. Some hit and miss, a lot of reinforcement, and combustible elements teased for the four-way WWE Title match at Battleground.
We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, email to pwtorch@gmail.com .
THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.
He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.
He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).
He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)
REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.
Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.
The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...
-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars. **SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**