8-26-13 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 26, 2013 episode of Raw The show starts with The Shield at ringside, facing the entrance. Then out comes Triple H (This is gonna be really painful! Also The Shield originally were about standing against what they thought was injustice! Why are they now hired henchmen for the McMahon family!? That makes no sense!)! Anyway HHH takes us back to a moment in time that if you saw in person it was a moment you’ll never forget. He takes us back to SummerSlam. They reshow the end of the PPV. HHH says that was what was best for business. There was nothing personal. Then they reshow the end of last week’s Raw (And man was that segment terrible)! HHH admits that was personal. He says he humiliated Daniel because of Daniel’s actions. Daniel made it personal by walking into the ring last week & insulting the McMahon family. HHH is willing to move on like none of this happened. He’s willing to be a businessman. The choice is Daniel’s. Then HHH mentions that the rating last week were through the roof. Business is booming & that’s all due to the guy who is the (not so) new face to WWE. HHH brings out “What we deserve” Randy Orton. (This makes no sense! Orton punted Vince in the head a few years ago, then slapped Stephanie around while he had HHH cuffed to the ring rope! Now we’re supposed to forget that crap all happened? Come on WWE)! HHH congratulates Orton on breathing new life into WWE & the WWE title. As COO he’d like to reward those who aren’t afraid to grab the brass ring & run with it. He got Orton a gift & wants to make it clear that…Then the fans chant no. HHH wants Orton to know what this personally means to him. He got Orton a new Cadillac. That gets brought out to Triple H’s time to play the game song (Man this is idiotic). Orton thanks HHH for the generous gift. Then he thanks HHH for having the vision of realizing that the only guy who is worthy of being called WWE Champion & the face of WWE is Orton himself. Then out comes Daniel Bryan. Daniel makes sarcastic comment about Orton’s new ride. Then he says Orton really worked hard for the title. Then he says that while Orton is thanking everybody, Daniel himself would like to thank a few people. The fans chant his name. Daniel thanks all the fans. He’s not the biggest, strongest or prettiest but despite that the fans have supported him & that means a lot to him. The fans chant yes. Then Daniel thanks Cena (that got a mixed reaction) for giving him the chance to wrestle in the main event for the WWE Title because HHH wouldn’t have. Most importantly Daniel thanks HHH for finally showing his true collars. He thanks HHH for thinking what the WWE Champion should look like being as narrow minded as Vince. Daniel calls HHH the rebel in the leather jacket but he’s now he’s in a COO suit that looks down on the fans. Orton says Daniel needs to show them both the respect they deserve. Orton says he’s the face of WWE. Daniel says when he gets his rematch at Night of Champions Orton’s face will be rearranged & so will Triple H’s vision of the future, because Daniel will become WWE Champion. HHH says what a sweet fantasy that is. He tells Daniel it makes all the difference in the world who you are. Daniel’s nothing more than a B at best. HHH will give Daniel his chance to live his dream tonight when he goes 1 on 1 with Seth Rollins. Also since Daniel’s so big on his great work ethic that if be beats Rollins he will face Ambrose. If he beats Ambrose then he will face Reigns. HHH will give Daniel the fate of Justice in a gauntlet match. HHH says that he believes in Daniel & believes that this is what is best for business. This was terrible!? Why are they continuing to tell us that Daniel is not A material? I hate that! Also why doesn’t Daniel just beat the crap out of the guys who screwed him rather than standing there & let HHH rag on him!? This is terrible story telling! The commentators mention that the fans can pick a stip for the Punk-Axel match. Heyman banned from ringside, Heyman guest referee or if Punk beats Axel he gets to face Heyman. These stips are kinda dumb in my opinion. Damien Sandow is on commentary. Cody Rhodes vs. Fandango. Cody gets the pin. During the match Fandango’s music plays & out come The Miz & the returning Rosa Mendes (So now she’s a face). He mimics Fandango’s gimmick. That distracts Fandango & Cody rolls him up for the pin. WINNER – CODY RHODES. Then Fandango goes after Cody. Then Sandow gets in the ring. They double team Cody for a bit. Then Miz gets in the ring to even the odds. Then Brad Maddox comes out & books Cody & Miz vs. Sandow & Fandango. That match is next. This was stupid. Cody Rhodes & The Miz vs. Damien Sandow & Fandango. Cody & Miz win was Miz pins Sandow. This wasn’t much. Fandango walked out on the match like usual. Then Fandango gets the mic & says his name (UGH)! This was idiotic too. They once again had Sandow lose cleanly! What is with the booking in this company!? They show us the Los Matadores video package. This gimmick looks so craptacular. Backstage Josh interviews Christian. Josh mentions Daniel being put in a gauntlet match by HHH. What are Christian’s thoughts? Christian says that it is hard to say anything negative about the current McMahon regime because you wind dealing with dire consequences. He mentions that he lived through the Attitude & McMahon-Helmsley Era &. Then he mentions that history has a habit of repeating itself/ Then Orton comes in. He says that at SummerSlam he won & Christian lost & tonight Christian will lose after Orton hits him with an RKO. Christian then says that he knows HHH likes to play with sledge hammers but it looks like he’s found a new tool. Orton says he will see Christian out there. This was ok. On the App Punk says if the fans wanna see Heyman in a referee shirt more power to them. Punk wants to get his hands on Heyman. He got some of him last Sunday but he wants more of Heyman. This was a solid Punk promo. Then we see Axel & Heyman backstage. Heyman’s flipping out about having the fans decide what happens to him. Axel says Punk will have to outwrestle him, which he can’t do. This situation is perfect. Axel asks if Heyman believes in him. Heyman with doubt says like his life depended on it. This was a decent backstage bit. Heyman was good as usual & I thought Axel was good too. Jerry Lawler gets the mic. Time to find what the stip for the Punk-Axel match will be. The fans voted for Heyman to face Punk if Punk beats Axel. Heyman looks terrified & shocked. CM Punk vs. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. Punk gets the pin. This was a solid match. During the match Punk ran up the ramp after Heyman but Axel caught up to Punk before Punk could get to Heyman. Afterwards Heyman heads for the back but referees come out & stop him. Then Punk head up the ramp & Heyman runs to the back. Then security drags Heyman back out to ringside. Then Heyman pleads with Punk & Punk throws Heyman in the ring. Punk has Heyman in the corner & then Axel hits Punk in the groin. Then Heyman takes out handcuffs & gives them to Axel. Axel cuffs Punk as Punk lies on the mat. Heyman slaps Punk around as Axel holds Punk’s head up. Heyman says he did this to Punk & there’s nothing Punk can do about it. He dares Punk to fight hi. Then Punk gets up & kicks down Axel. Then Punk goes kicks down Heyman but then Axel hits Punk with a chair. Then Axel gets a Singapore cane from under the ring. He says Punk’s nothing. Then he gives Heyman the cane. Axel tells Heyman to teach Punk. Punk calls Heyman an SOB. Then Heyman caned Punk. Then Axel picks up Punk & Heyman canes him some more. As he was caning Punk he was also saying that he fathered Punk & meant everything to him. Then Axel rams Punk face first into the announce table. Then Heyman canes Punk in the back a few times. Then Heyman says he gave Punk his heart & Punk broke it. Heyman & Axel head up the ramp as Punk lies at ringside cuffed & beaten. This was great! This Punk-Heyman storyline continues to be the best story telling WWE has going!! Heyman saying that he loved Punk & Punk broke his heart was awesome! They did a great job here & made you wanna see Punk get his hand on Heyman even more. That’s classic old school booking! (For all the bad I can’t say enough about with the Daniel Bryan-McMahon family storyline, I also can’t say enough good things about the Punk-Heyman 1). They show Punk walking up the ramp, that happened during the break. Jo-Jo is the ring announcer for the next match. Natalya (With Naomi & Cameron) vs. Brie Bella (With Nikki Bella & Eva Marie). Brie gets the pin. This was short. Natalya had Brie in the sharpshooter, but Eva distracted the referee as Nikki yanked Brie out of the ring. There was a bit of a scuffle on the outside. Then Brie gave Natalya a face plant for the pin. Then out comes AJ. She just watched last night’s Total Divas & it was “insane”. The Bellas are dealing with “dad issues”. Naomi & Cameron “broke up” but are back together. Natalya’s fiancé isn’t much of man. As for the other 2, they were just there. It was “great” & airs on the E! network. Then the fans chant AJ. When AJ looks in that ring she sees a bunch of cheap, interchangeable, expendable useless women who’ve turned to reality TV because they weren’t good enough to be actresses or talented enough to be champion. AJ’s done more in 1 year than they have in their entire careers. She saved the Divas division & shattered the glass ceiling. Then she says that the others can’t even shake her hand backstage for what she had to endure. She gave her life to this business & they were handed 15 minutes of fame. AJ didn’t get there by being cute, by being part of a famous wrestling a family, or by being a suck up to the right people. She got there because she earned it. The others can never lace up Chuck Taylors. They’re all worthless excuses for women & will never be able to touch AJ. That is reality. This was a good promo from AJ. She pretty much said the truth here. The other chicks (except for Natalya) are useless & just a waste of space. Out comes Ricardo Rodriguez (in an RVD t-shirt) to introduce Rob Van Dam. This pairing is kinda odd. Rob Van Dam vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. RVD gets the pin. This was a decent match. Ricardo got on the announce table & kept saying “Rob Van Dam” & did the RVD thumb pose. That distracted Del Rio & RVD got the roll up for the pin. AO now RVD will challenge Del Rio for the World Title at Night of Champion. They reshow John Cena’s promo from last week. Then they show a few still shots of Cena’s elbow. Then they show a pic of Cena with his arm in a cast. Michael Cole says Cena’s surgery went well but he will be out 4 to 6 months. Backstage Josh interviews Ryback. Josh brings up Ryback’s recent actions & asks Ryback if he thinks he’s been bullying everyone. Ryback says, “Me? Bullying?” Then he grabs Josh’s face & forces him to the floor. Then Ryback says he finally found a way to shut Josh up. Thankfully this was short. I’m tired of this Ryback being a bully story. Backstage we see Heyman & Axel. Renee comes up & says Heyman looked shocked when Punk beat Axel. Axel says what happened tonight is something Punk will never forget. Heyman says Punk’s like a child who needs to keep on getting punished. Heyman feels like a man who put his prodigal son in his place. Punk was humiliated & beaten by his own father figure. Now Punk will learn that Heyman is the last person that Punk should ever come up against. Then they get in a car & ride out of the arena. This was another good promo from Heyman. Christian vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton. Orton gets the pin. This was a great back & forth match. Then Daniel Bryan shows up on the Tron. Daniel says, “Take it from a B + competitor that was an A + effort.” He sarcastically says that Orton is the face of WWE & that was such a pretty car for such a “pretty” guy. But what if Daniel beats him at Night of Champions & becomes WWE Champion? Would that make him the face of WWE? Then they show Orton’s new car & Daniel has yes sprayed all over it & he does the yes chant. This was solid. I thought Daniel was good with his promo. Backstage we see HHH, Orton & Brad looking at Orton’s spray painted car. Brad says the fans love it & people backstage like that HHH was made a fool out of. HHH says that the car is his personal property. He gave it to Orton. Then HHH says that the title belt is also his personal property & Orton is holding it. Then HHH tells Brad to find everybody on that roster, have them stand out on the stage & they’ll find out what happens to Daniel tonight. Anyone who thinks about getting involved in the match will get personally get fired by him & he will laugh as he does it. Brad leaves & Orton says that Daniel will pay. This was terrible! Why are they doing the, “Have the whole roster stand on the stage & watch Daniel get beaten” bit again? They did that last week & it was idiotic then! Why have this 2 weeks in a row!? Also why is HHH saying that the WWE Title is his personal property & that Orton is holding it for him!? To me it sounded like he kinda buried Orton here with that line. The Primetime Players come to the ring. Then out come Zeb Coulter, Jack Swagger & Antonio Cesaro. Zeb says the Real Americans have had some wins stolen from them by the Primetime Players. What is a Primetime Player? Zeb says that Darren & Titus are buffoons who make fools of themselves. It’s primetime they draw a line in the sand. If anyone’s standing in a welfare line, farewell to them. Titus & Darren are what’s wrong with this company. We the people. I’ve had it with this crappy gimmick. Titus O’Neil vs. Jack Swagger. Titus gets the pin. This was a decent but short match. We see a Wyatt family video. Bray mentions the “good old days”. “She taught him from a young age. The world is an evil place. He was there when “she” took her final breath. They chose him before even came into existence. “Her” touch could save the world. He loves Sister Abigail. This was a typical Wyatt family promo. I’m not sure what Bray was saying but this gimmick is creepy in a good way. Backstage Brad’s talking to the Dr. Punk comes in. Brad tells him he needs medical attention. Punk wants a match with Heyman where Heyman can’t get away. Brad says that Punk will face Axel & Heyman at Night of Champions in a handicap elimination match. If Heyman tries to back out Punk will never see Heyman again. Punk then says that if Heyman backs out of this match we might never see Brad again either. The whole locker room comes out on the stage. They show the video for Los Matadores again. Time for Daniel Bryan to face The Shield in a gauntlet match. Renee Young is on the stage & asks Big Show for his thoughts about being put into a handicap match with The Shield. Big Show doesn’t speak. Then she asks Dolph the same. He doesn’t say anything either. Then she asks Miz if he has any comment. Miz starts to speak but then stops himself. This was dumb. A few years ago everyone on the roster walked out because they thought HHH was doing a crappy job. They spoke up then & weren’t afraid. Why be afraid to say something now!? Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins. Daniel gets the pin. This was great. Daniel Bryan vs. U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose. Daniel wins by DQ when Reigns comes in. Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Roman Reigns. Daniel wins by DQ. Ambrose & Rollins come in & beat down Daniel. Then they hold him & Reigns spears him. Then Triple H’s music plays & he comes out. He looks at everyone on the stage. HHH gives The Shield the ok & they give Daniel the triple power bomb. Then out comes Randy Orton. He heads to the ring. Rollins & Ambrose hold Daniel & then Orton gives him an RKO. Then Orton heads up the ramp & hold the title over his head. HHH asks if anyone wants to laugh. HHH & Orton then head to the back. The Shield stands over a fallen Daniel in the ring to end the show. This was crap! This whole storyline is just so idiotic!! The whole roster stands on the stage & they’re intimidated by HHH!? That’s beyond terrible! This was a crappy show overall! This whole Daniel Bryan vs. The McMahon family storyline is beyond idiotic! The opening with HHH & Orton sucked, having the Cadillac brought out was stupid, Daniel cut a good promo but why waste time jaw jacking with the guys who screwed him out of the WWE Title? The gauntlet match/segment was idiotic too. The Daniel-Rollins part of this was great but the rest of it was painful! I can’t stand that they’re having the whole roster be so frightened of HHH! I liked the Punk-Axel match & the post match angle was great! Having Punk cuffed & getting caned by Heyman as Heyman told Punk that he fathered him but Punk broke his heart was Heyman genius. Titus-Swagger was decent but short. I’m tired of the Zeb Coulter character but it looks like The Primetime Players will be in a program with the Real Americans. I’m sure Cesaro & Swagger will be jobbed out every time. The Cody-Fandango/Cody & Miz vs. Fandango & Sandow wasn’t much. The Miz-Fandango program is lame & having Sandow lose cleanly every time he is in a match makes him look really weak! WWE doesn’t that having the heel MITB case holder always lose makes him look like a jabrone! The Wyatt family video was decent. Bray’s promo was alright. Christian-Orton was great! I liked Daniel’s promo on the Tron too but I have mixed feelings about the Cadillac having yes sprayed all over it since it was a stupid idea to have that car in the first place. The follow up segment with HHH, Orton & Brad was also dumb. Heyman cut a good promo backstage too when he said that he put the prodigal son in his place. Punk was good in his bit with Brad. I’m not really into the idea of having Punk face both Axel & Heyman at Night of Champions though. The Josh Mathews-Ryback segment was bad but thankfully it was short. Ryback’s bullying gimmick is idiotic. RVD-Del Rio was decent. Having RVD be with Ricardo doesn’t make sense though. Natalya-Brie Bella wasn’t much. This was all about the “Total Divas” I liked AJ’s promo about how she earned what she got & the rest of Divas being useless. That was pretty much all true. Natalya is the only other 1 who has any talent out of that crop. I enjoyed the Punk-Heyman/Axel segment the most on this show. Besides that, while there might have been some good bits here & there I thought that for the most part this week’s show was painful.