WWE Power Rankings, RAW 9/22/2014

Coming at you from Memphis,  I can’t possibly take one step without addressing the complete bullshit that was the ending to Night of Champions.  Overall, the PPV was good.  There were some nice match ups, finishes and the WWE even saved themselves with the Ambrose / Rollins bit in light of Roman Reigns’ real life injury.  By no means was everything perfect leading up to the Brock / Cena match (which you can hear on this week’s BEARcast - WrestleCast on iTunes and www.worldofbear.com) but NoC had a solid lineup and was rounding out to be a quality PPV, for a lower-level event. 

RAW was similarly disappointing.  There were some great performances in the middle of the show only to have it end with a fairly lackluster main event.

So with that, let’s get to the rankings as of this week’s RAW on 9/22/2014...

1. Dean Ambrose – “I’m not dead!” opens the show.  How scared was the WWE when Ambrose fell out of that speeding car?  Ambrose played the old, dick in a box trick…
2. Seth Rollins – Last week on the BEARcast (www.worldofbear.com) Fred and I declared Rollins the next big thing.  Seeing him take on Cena and Ambrose, then stealing a car, doesn’t change that for a second.  People might be upset that he’s not active enough or upset about the PPV match (which I was) but we have to be patient because he’s not going anywhere and we don’t want to get burnt out nor do we want him burnt out.  Sit back, relax and enjoy this man who’ll be on Monday nights for the next 10 years.
3. Miz w/ Damien Miz-dow – Miz-dow with a second-rate-plastic IC championship belt!?  FUCKING BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!  Miz-dow mimicking Miz’s moves during the match, FUCKING BRILLIANT!!!!!! 
   
4. Dolph Ziggler – In one of the few times I don’t mind a rematch the night after a PPV.  This makes sense since it’s technically in the former champ’s right to get a rematch so it’s not like the usual BS they shovel out the night after a PPV.  Ziggler took an awesome bump with the neck breaker through the ropes.  Ziggler wins back the IC title in a great RAW match.
5. The Dust Brothers – A great match at NoC resulted in the Dust Bros win the Tag Championship.  Goldust wearing his new Bear-approved (Spike Lee disapproved) makeup scheme.  Great match.
   
6. Cesaro – I had split out each 3-man tag group so I could fill out the 20 slots on the countdown.  Cesaro and Sheamus put on a great match at NoC and continued to impress on Monday.  Cesaro gets the bump because I like him more and it’s my list.  He needs gold otherwise the WWE is burning the push they gave him to start the year.
7. The Usos – With the loss, The Usos started to show their hard side, which is the tweak their characters needed.  Their in-ring skills are fantastic and 9 out of 10 times their matches are great.  They just need to add some flavor to their personas to keep them interesting and to keep their feud with the Dust Brothers top notch.
   
8. Sheamus – Neither Sheamus or Cesaro have really captured a strong character presence outside the ropes but they sure do beat the crap out of each other inside the ring.  Oddly, Sheamus doesn’t need the strap at the moment but Cesaro does.  I’m surprised Sheamus has kept it.  If they continue to feud, expect Cesaro to take it away (fingers crossed).
9. AJ Lee – Paige is the hottest superstar on the rise.  Her announcing was superb and only makes me want to see more AJ vs Paige.  Despite the inclusion of the Bellas at NoC and RAW, AJ and Paige have continued to shine.
10. Randy Orton – Taking on Cena, yet again, and it was as uneventful as you’d imagine but here’s what I want to see in the coming months, RKO vs Rollins and / or RKO vs Lesnar.  I know it would take some creativity to get these heels to square off, which the WWE has not shown, but figure it out.  That’s your job.  Mine is to watch.
11. Cena – Cena’s pairing with Ambrose will help both tremendously.  Ambrose gives Cena a much needed edge and Cena gives Ambrose a top tier bump.  Remind me when Cena won a “Ass kicking in the bank contract?”  Just as I start to root for the guy, he always does or says something to turn me off.  I will give Cena some real life props.  As special guest Dustin talks about on this week’s BearCast - WrestleCast (www.worldofbear.com), Cena is a stone cold businessman.  Don’t get me wrong, Cena is doing the right thing.  It’s just weird to see the “Face of WWE” act like a dick in real life, in every episode.  Again, he’s never been wrong, he just doesn’t come off as the most carefree enjoyable affable person to be around, and it surprises me that with all the production that goes into this “reality” show, they don’t try to make Cena look more friendly.  Personally, I’d rather see the Cena character on Total Divas play out on Monday nights.
12. Korprate Kane – Rollins mercifully interrupts the Kane / Ambrose match.  Keep cashing those checks, big man.
13. Rusev w/ Lana – I love it when villains wear white.  I would have been much happier with a Lana vs Henry mic battle.  Lana really pushes the gimmick.  I’m curious to who Rusev’s next opponent will be?  He needs to put on a strong in-ring performance in his next feud otherwise, he’s becoming the side-piece to Lana.
14. Mark Henry – Yet another American Hero letting down the USA.  The WWE clearly wants Rusev to be put over but they’re not willing to let anyone rep’ing the USA lose cleanly.  For the second time, Swagger and now Henry, Rusev’s opponents have simply passed out rather than give up.
15. Bo Dallas vs Jack Swagger w/ Zeb – Why?  What has Dallas done to deserve this?  There are no winners in this matchup.  If they want to save this mess, have Bo win and taunt Swagger to keep working hard for himself and for all of America!  He just needs to Bo-lieve.  Then Bo needs to run to the next feud ASAP.  
16. HHH and Stephanie – Not much for the Authority to do this week.  Steph looked great so I’ll give her an A-minus as WWE fashion expert (RIP Joan Rivers).  Putting Ambrose in a “locked” room seemed like good logic because every time they do eject a character from the arena, that character always returns.  The problem was that Ambrose seemed to pull a Danny Ocean and escaped through the air ducts?  You can’t let that happen unless you’re and an inept NFL commissioner getting paid 44 million to lie to protect the NFL shield.  
17. N-Bella vs B-Bella – Allow me to fast forward, I’ll be back…
18. Slater and Gator – I had to fill in the bottom of the rankings with something, right?
19. Adam Rose w/ Bunny – Stupid.  Although, if I can see the gimmick working on the 8 year old wrestling fans.  If that’s the case, keep this shit on Saturday morning or move it to SmackDown.  RAW is the “Ready for Primetime Players” show.  
20. Divas Match: Summer w/ Layla vs Natalya w/ Rosa Mendes – Obligatory Total Divas plug-match.  Let me count the number of shits I give about this matchup… that would be two.  Yes, I believe I give two shits about this match.

Honorable Mentions

WWE2K15 – 2 things, 1) SCSA taking more of an active role in the WWE is the type of reality that I want to see rather than Total Divas via his podcast and participation in events like this, and 2) Sting is coming…  Stop teasing us and get him in the rafters!

Roman Reigns – out for a while.  Too bad because he was getting the pre WM push and he’s still too raw on the mic and in-ring to be a WM main event-er.  Regardless, get well soon Mr. Reigns.  We need you and want you in the top tier which is greatly depleted at the moment.    

BRAY WYATT!!!!!???????? – I think I saw an Amber Alert regarding the disappearance of Bray Wyatt.  I just talked about how thin the top of the WWE roster is, so why is Bray MIA?

Side Note(s)

Michael Cole’s suit – Dustin “The Docta” sent a special text pointing out Cole’s pimp suit.  Be sure to listen to the BEARcast for a special appearance by Dustin this week.  Cole is trying to be the next Craig Sager.

Eric Lynch – aka Eric The Actor, aka Eric The Midget got a special nod.  RIP.  He was one of the first to encourage this countdown with a retweet and favorite.  Thanks little guy.  You now join Hank “The Angry Dwarf” in the pantheon of great little people who left this earth too soon.

Connor’s Cure – Jesus, every time the cameras went to the announcers it was another depressing message after another.  I thought RAW was supposed to be fun.  If I want to be depressed, I’d stare at the status of my Fantasy Football team.  (FYI, Fred and I will be facing off soon.  If anyone has an idea of what we should bet, please send us email or tweet and we’ll do it.)

Until next week…

WWE Power Rankings, RAW 6/30/2014

Coming at you from Hartford, and one of the beauties of the WWE is how they can surprise you when you least expect it.  It seemed like just days ago I was complaining about the WWE creative staff.  While I still won’t give them a complete pass nor forget the pass messes we’ve had to suffer through, Monday’s RAW was a great show.  Surprising because MitB came in slightly below high expectations.  

Money in the Bank was a good PPV.  My time is short this week, therefore I won’t pontificate on the previous debacles that has led up to the current moments in the WWE.  In short, MitB got a B-plus.  As predicted, the Traditional MitB match was the Best of Show.  While the WWE did a horrible job promoting the MitB card, by the end of the night it was packed and they barely fit the show into their three hour window (which makes no sense now considering the majority of us are watching the show on the Network so they could go as long as they want / need to).

While my time for the rankings is short this week, check out the BEARcast - WrestleCast (visit www.worldofbear.com or subscribe on iTunes) for a full show and breakdown of MitB and a great RAW.

The worst kept secret was that Cena was, and did, win the WHC match.  This just proves you can aways trust an Amazon advertising leak to be the most reliable source of WWE info, unlike constant internet rumors concerning AJ Lee’s pregnancy and need for time off.

It was a great hometown crowd for the WWE.  They were on fire which only added to the fantastic lineup and well executed show.  47 minutes into the show, I was saying to myself, “Am I really on SuperCena’s side and cheering for Jack Swagger w/ Zeb and missing Vickie Guerrero?”  I had to check outside to see if the apocalypse was upon us.

Because the show was so good, and I’m the HHH of this shit, we’re going top 21 this week!

So with that, let’s get to the rankings as of this week’s RAW on 6/30/2014…

1. HHH and Stephanie McMahon (2&14) – Stephanie getting a B-plus in a nice rayon pantsuit.  It takes a special type of performer to spit hot fire and shoot her own hometown.  As far as mic workers, there’s Heyman, Stephanie, then a third tier of the HHH’s / Cena’s / Sandow’s and then everybody else.  I loved Stephanie dancing to Cena’s music.  HHH showed his own quality when battling Thug-a-nomic Cena on the mic, let’s not forget to give him his due.  I equate what HHH and Stephanie are doing to the Donald Sterling Clippers the last two years.  You love the players but are faced with heel owner(s) that are only looking out for what’s Best for Business.  Great job by both of them throughout the night.
   
2. John Cena (5) – I can’t believe I’m saying this but this current iteration of Cena services the mark fans that boo him and the regular fans that cheer him.  This might be the closest thing to a Cena heel turn that we get.  He’s the champ for a hands-on heel owner.  He can stay face but while he holds the belts and The Authority supports him, Cena inadvertently becomes heel.  This is all just a hollow championship feel if rumors are to be believed that Brock Lesnar will be Cena’s opponent at SummerSlam.  As we discussed on last week’s BEARcast - WrestleCast (www.worldofbear.com) Lesnar is beating whomever he fights next.  In the meantime, Battleground will feature Cena vs RKO (greatness but not getting the belt anytime soon) / Kane (who cares) / Reigns (wildcard but probably too soon to win).  Early prediction is Cena retains the title, The Authority strikes a deal with Heyman and Brock comes in to take the WHC away from Cena.  Having said all this, Cena had to push things too far by diving feet first into the “pool of crap” nonsense.  You couldn’t just walked away with the victory?  You lost me at the last moment.  That’s Cena for you.
   
3. RKO / KANE / REIGNS (5) – AKA the other contestants next month’s fatal-4-way.  Everyone forgets how badass RKO is.  He has staples in his head and was BUSTED open at MitB.  Is Reigns’ shooting star getting snuffed out by being thrown in the WHC mix?  Rollins and Ambrose are off to a great feud while Reigns is just in the mix at the top with no direction.  Maybe a feud with RKO will work?  HHH and Kane set up to take out Cena for Rollins was great and it served Rollins’ feud and will pay off with Cena in the upcoming weeks.  The only negative I had was the crowd give a “This is awesome” for the Reigns / HHH standoff.  REALLY?  Pump the breaks.  That might be taking things a little too far.  I am interested in what HHH has in store.  I was set for HHH to give Reigns the MitB case at the end as his Plan B but I’m pretty confident that his next Plan B stands for BROCK Lesnar.  
   
4. Seth Rollins (6) – Rollins is now if full X-men gear and I suspect his alter ego name is Plan B aka The Abortion.  Clearly Rollins wasn’t performing at 100% but was understandable after participating in the best match of the night on Sunday, the traditional MitB match.  Surprisingly RVD and Rollins put on a solid match after they got warmed up.  Even though the camera caught some talk between the two, Rollins’ leg whip in the ropes was tight.  Rollins even put in work with a good shoot after the match.  It would have been great to have Rollins win the WHC but I’d rather have this Rollins / Ambrose feud.
   
5. Dean Ambrose (8) – “From one scumbag to another,” should be the title to their feud.  Nice shoot.  There’s not another current feud I’m more excited for than Rollins vs Ambrose.  And the however Reigns is dropped in doesn’t matter because it could work both ways.
   
6. Bray and The Wyatt Family (5&10) – Absolutely destroying their entrances with help of willing crowds.  It was so fun to hear that the “Let’s go Usos" vs “Let’s go Wyatts" has the same decibel change at the split Cena chants.  Harper finished off an Uso with a devastating clothesline.  If that was all the Wyatt Family did, it would have been fine but then they showed up to take out a return Y2J setting up a possible Bray / Jericho feud?  I’d have to say I’m excited with any direction the Wyatts go in right now.
7. Sheamus and The Usos (9) – With the way Sheamus has been on fire of late and with the emergence of Rowan and Harper, this 6-man tag was great.  Sheamus is on fire.  A month ago, a Sheamus vs Wyatt would have felt like a huge demotion for Bray but now it seems like they’re a good match.  Little did we know that a returning superstar would / will be an even better opponent for Bray which puts Sheamus on a bit of an island.  The biggest surprise of MitB was that The Usos retained their titles.  It still remains to be seen how long that lasts.
8. Cesaro w/ Heyman (5) – Heyman = greatness.  (See, I told you I was in a rush.)  You’ll not find a better Hugh Hefner-esque robe nor a better catch into a backbreaker move that what Cesaro sported on RAW.  Fantastic match with Kofi.  If Cesaro isn’t in the mix for WHC then I’d assume he’s got to be the favorite for Barrett’s vacant IC belt.
   
9. Kofi Kingston (17) – Philosophical question: If Kofi only does two or three amazing spots in a MitB match but sits on the sideline for 90% of the time, is he a wrestler or a glorified stuntman?  This isn’t to take away from Kofi, it’s just a question of usage.  I’d give up a few mind-blowing stunts if it meant that Kofi can put on more matches like he did with Cesaro.  During the MitB match, Kofi was offscreen so long that I though he was making an exoskeleton out of ladders and was going to then “Ripley from Aliens” take everyone out.  Make fun of me but that’s more plausible than Kofi winning a match of any consequence.  
10. Rob Van Damn (7) – RVD vs Rollins would have been a great headliner for ECW back in the day.  The two put on a great opening match.  It’s great to see RVD back putting on solid matches, even if it’s only to put over the young up and comers.
    
     
11. Jack Swagger w/ Zeb (18) – “If it’d been a snake, it would have bit me.”  Right in front of our face was sitting the perfect feud with the perfect managers and two very capable wrestlers and NO ONE saw it coming.  In one night, Swagger and Zeb became instant crowd favorites.  Give credit to an admirable heel persona for Rusev which allowed Swagger and Zeb to step in and finally act like Real Americans.  Sure, once this is over, they’ll go back to the semi-racist / underachieving duo (who need’s a third leg to the Real American gimmick) but for now, I’m super pumped for a little Rusev vs Swagger feud in-ring and a Lana vs Zeb feud on mic.  Add in a minimalistic cool t-shirt, I might have to be a Swagger fan for the next few weeks.
    
12. Rusev and Lana (15) – Can we keep someone’s full name for at least a year until we know their character is going to catch on?  Rusev not only migrated to Russia but also dropped his name.  It’s one thing for Cena or RKO or HHH to go by one name or an acronym.  Even the Zigglers, Cesaros and Barretts have put in enough time to go by one name (which they don’t exclusively).  I can’t sign off on the Big E and Rusev’s of the world going by the singular name when I barely know them.  Maybe I’m being too picky.  I’ll shut up and allow myself to be distracted by the ample breast action going on with Lana this week.  It’s was like a Carl’s Jr. commercial for their super-mega-chicken-breast-sandwich.  I got my Big E vs Rusev match at MitB.  It was good, not great.  I’m not feeling the hammerlock.  I’m sorry, when all you have to do is slip your arms out to get free, I can’t suspend reality that this move is so devastating instead of the opponent just being incompetent.  Maybe one of the biggest shocks of the night, on a night filled with surprises and returns, was that I instantly loved the Rusev / Swagger feud.  Let’s see where this goes! 
    
13. The Dust Brothers (11) – Only the greatest tag team ever!  Ryb-Axel should be grateful that they’re allowed to job to Goldust and Stardust.  I love seeing Stardust’s little legs running back and forth during the match.  I wish I had the time, I would write poetry about these two.  I love it!!!!
    
14. Dolph Ziggler (4) – If he’s gotta start with Fandango to get the push he needs, so be it.  He got to make out with Summer and get the win.  Not a bad night.  My only concern is that Ziggler falls in with this Fandango / Summer / Layla feud.  Hopefully as friend of the BEARcast - WrestleCast (www.worldofbear.com or on iTunes) texted me, Ziggler is his pick for the next IC champ.
    
15. AJ Lee (N/A) – She’s back and rumors of her being preggers were slightly exaggerated.  In fact the time off looks like she’s done her good.  She looks GREAT.  CM Punk must have her on his strict vegan diet.  The ultimate move would be fore Punk to come back only as her manager.  Tease the crowd for a year would be a total Punk move.  He’s a Chicago kid and is doing his best Jordan ’93 bit.  He’ll eventually return to in-ring work.  No one fights in the indies and up through the ranks to become WWE champ and just quits in their mid 30’s.  Let him be not just a great heel manager but terrorize the fans with the possibilities of his return and only showing up during Diva functions.  
    
16. Paige (HM) – She wasn’t joking about being a woman of few words.  Hey, she’s 21.  Give her a break.  I can’t complain about the silly way she dropped the belt back to AJ since Paige got the Divas Championship in the same silly fashion.  I guess “your house” only lasts as long as AJ allows it?  Finally some character development to Paige.  If she goes off the deep end and get’s vengeful and obsessed at beating AJ to regain the title, that could be awesome.  
17. Chris Jericho (N/A) – Y2J has returned.  The Ayatollah-of-Rock-n-Rolla is back!  I run hot and cold with Y2J but it’s always fun when he comes back (and back and back and back and back).  He’s the king of returns, so much so that they should name him Costco - BANG, you don’t get comedy like that anywhere else folks.  How long is Jericho back?  Who knows?  But when the Wyatts came out, I dumped the Sheamus / Bray idea like the Chicago Bulls dumping Boozer to sign Melo.  Bray vs Y2J is a perfect feud for both men.  Well played WWE.
18. The Miz (N/A) – If I didn’t secretly love The Miz, I’d be annoyed by his constant disappearances and below average matches and forgettable feuds.  But then he comes back and give a great shoot and is such a good prick.  Being married to Maryse doesn’t hurt him at all.  There’s an alternate reality where the Miz is still working MTV Challenges and CT is staring in the Marine 4 and fighting his way back up the WWE ranks.  BTW, if you’ve seen The Challenge lately, the only question I have is; Why hasn’t the WWE signed CT to be The Miz’s bodyguard?
    
19. Bo Dallas (12) – 60 seconds of silence.  Just wait until it’s 480 seconds of silence and it lasts a whole segment.  Then the heel push will be complete.  Hell, the WWE has wasted 8 minutes on dumber ideas.  Again, my fear is how long and far can he push this.  Who’s Bo’s next real opponent or feud going to be with? 
    
20. Mr. McMahon-dow aka Damien Sandow (13) – He does it again!  Sunday night it was Paul Revere and on Monday, the most powerful man in Connecticut.  The masses ARE to ignorant to appreciate Sandow!  The only question is where do you hide a 7 foot tall Khali?  I guess Big Show was too tired from his massive workload of late?
    
21. Divas match: N-Bella vs Funkadactyls (Cameron and Naomi) (20) – All good things must come to an end.  We had a great opening segment and two excellent matches but then the crap end of the Divas spectrum had to rear its reality show head.  Naomi’s got talent and hopefully this break will allow her to do work with the AJ / Paige end of the Divas spectrum.  

Honorable Mentions

Wade Barrett – This poor bastard can’t stay healthy.  Just as he was getting a huge push and taking off in and out of the ring with his #BadNewsBarrett gimmick.  Goes to show, the idea that they can’t give Ziggler a push because he’s injury prone is the same risk with all the wrestlers and any of them can get hurt.  Barrett got hurt on a simple throw against the wall.  Shit happens in this business.  You can’t book on fear.  Barrett and Bryan get hurt and life will go on even if the transition of the belt is sloppy.

Fandango w/ Layla – Really, what’s going on here?  Weren’t we over with this at MitB?

SAN-TIN-OOOOOOO and Adam Rose – doing a live plug for an alcoholic beverage?  On a PG show?  Iced-T with a kick and no mention of alcohol?  The behind the scenes on this is way more fascinating to me.  I guess they feel if the major sports leagues can have alcoholic sponsors, so can they?  I assume this “hard” lemonade and iced-T they’re pushing is like Zima.  For all you kids out there, Zima was 7-up with alcohol.  It’s what turned me into the degenerate you see before you.  

Michael Cole – Monday’s RAW was so crazy even Cole got injured.  What’s going on this week?

Until next time…

WWE Power Rankings, RAW 6/16/2014

Coming at you from Cleveland (hello!), and with everything going on within the world of sport, I almost forgot that Kevin Hart was the special guest on Monday’s RAW.  Now, whether this makes for a comedy centric RAW or the usual special guest segment or two, we’ll have to see.  As much as I think Hart can bring the funny, the WWE can definitely become star-struck when they get a guest from Hollywood who especially likes to ham it up and doesn’t mind getting involved.  My biggest issue with Kevin Hart is that when he is out promoting, there isn’t a show he won’t do.  He does EVERYTHING which tends to burn me out.  This could be a perfect storm for a clusterfuck of a show centered around Kevin Hart.

Not only will RAW battle the temptations of Kevin Hart but they’re also in Cleveland.  For some reason, Cleve-onians (?) are weird and obsessive.  This can lead to things like, The Miz’s family being in front row and The Miz getting his ass destroyed which has nothing to do with current story lines.  Ziggler, who magically goes from being from “Hollywood, Florida” to his actual birthplace of Cleveland, starts firing off super enthusiastic tweets from his hometown fans all day.  I think it’s an Ohio thing and specifically a Cleveland thing.  Let’s face it, if you’re unlucky enough to be from Cleveland, you know pain and misery.  It must be a sweet distraction from a horrible Cleveland existence when the WWE is in town.  

Before we go on, let’s give it up to a true American Outlaw who represented the USA on Monday with ultimate badass-ery.  Mr. Clint Dempsey, seen here prior to our first soccer match (or football as the rest of the world calls it) of the World Cup, in which he scored a goal in 33rd second (first 33 seconds!) and played through a broken nose.  A game in which we exorcised the Kane-like demons of losing to Ghana in the last two World Cups with a great 2-1 victory!  USA, USA, USA!!!  

Where were we?  Oh yes, Cleveland… it’s a dump.  But like Mr. Dempsey, we will fight on.  The WWE is coming off two solid weeks of RAW in which Evolution, Rollins, The Shield, The Wyatt Family, Cena, the mid-carders and even the newbies (like Bo Dallas) are providing some quality entertainment.  Also, Money in the Bank is right around the corner and even though the WHC is still in flux due to Daniel Bryan’s medial condition, MitB is usually an exciting PPV.  This is why I don’t want the show to be bogged down with too many Kevin Hart antics.  I have hopes of Hart coming out during an Alicia Fox match, channeling Jules from Pulp Fiction and giving her the “Bitch, be cool” routine.  Fingers crossed. 

So with that, let’s get to the rankings as of this week’s RAW on 6/16/2014…

The show starts with the entire locker room to hear a “critical” announcement.  The announcement, a Battle Royal for a slot in the MitB match (sans Ambrose, Reigns and Cena, which led me to believe they would be involved at some point in the proceedings).

1. Goldust and ??? (16) – “Super Galactic” - Cody is no more, there is only Stardust.  You can hear the attorney’s clocks start ticking away as KISS is filing the copyright infringement papers.  We watch wrestling to be entertained.  Doing these recaps and power rankings can leave you jaded.  Sometimes you have to take a step back and remember none of these things we watch or activities we do have any real meaning.  They’re all for our entertainment.  Nothing put a smile on my face like seeing Cody come out in the full Stardust experience.  Not only was it a costume change but a persona change.  I know there’s going to be a group that doesn’t get it and will probably hate this new gimmick but I love it.  Maybe I’ll grow tired of it in a week, month, year or never but as of today, I LOVE IT.  It’s far better than the Brother vs Brother match we thought the WWE was headed toward.  Take all this love with a grain of salt, poor writing will destroy these two characters.  Having said that, we know both can wrestle so if they want to take a chance and have two characters not of the cookie-cutter wrestler mold, I’m all for it.  Bravo to Cody for taking the chance as well and giving it 100%.  
   
   
   
   
2. Dolph Ziggler (2) – Ziggler and Rollins have been putting on some good matches everywhere except on RAW.  Finally we get to see what these two fan and mark-favorite Superstars can do.  They certainly didn’t disappoint.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you put on a match.  You’re telling me that a Rollins / Ziggler match couldn’t headline?  What I’m dubbing as, “The Night of DQ run-ins” Ziggler got the win via Ambrose interrupting at the end.  
   
3. Seth Rollins (1) – Fantastic match with Ziggler.  I still stand by the theory that Rollins has another twist to pull off.  I thought Fred “The Oracle” has a great theory that Rollins could be walking out of MitB with the WHC, which he first predicted on the BEARcast - WrestleCast (found at www.worldofbear.com and subscribe on iTunes).  Although that seems unlikely now because Reigns is in the MitB main event and it seems like an undercard on the PPV could be Rollins vs Ambrose?  IF that does make it on the MitB card, I’ll put an early prediction for Rollins vs Ambrose being Match of the PPV even with a MitB match which is shaping up to be pretty good.  Lastly, isn’t it odd that Rollins came out with his normal Shield costume were as Ambrose had a slightly different look?
   
4. Dean Ambrose (2) – For anyone who doubted that Ambrose could be Piper 2.0, you only have to look at how he interrupted the end of the Ziggler / Rollins match.  I had to do a double take to realize it wasn’t Piper but Ambrose dashing into the fray wearing jeans, black shirt and leather jacket.  Whether it’s great planning or the WWE just got lucky, the fans got a great match from Ziggler and Rollins which led to an impromptu match of Ambrose vs Barrett that was almost as good.  Great booking by the WWE.
   
5. Roman Reigns (2) – Oh, the old dipping you dick in the coffee trick.  It works every time.  There was no surprise that Reigns found a way into the Battle Royal and once in that he was going to win.  The surprising part was that he showed some competent acting chops away from his fellow Shield members.  Reigns is on the short list of possible winners of the MitB match.
   
6. Bray and The Wyatt Family (3) – Bray’s entrance, with the help of the crowd’s cell phone lights, is getting more and more impressive.  We’re told that on SmackDown Bray won a spot in the MitB match.  Fine.  He’s a top guy now and deserves to be in the mix for this particular MitB situation (where the WWE championship is up for grabs) but there’s no chance in hell that he’s winning.  It’s interesting because Bray’s got the heat to win the WHC but is his character actually ready for the WHC and does he really need it?  I think he might be better served, and the WWE as well, if he doesn’t have the WHC belt.  Bray put on a shoot to try and convince you that he needs the WWE WHC belt(s) but what he really needs is a great win at a PPV.  Rowan and Harper are getting their chance to shine as a tag team to fight The Usos at MitB.  If there was a god, I’d be thanking him a million times over that we’re getting Usos vs Wyatt Family at MitB rather than Usos vs Ryb-Axel.  Just look at those two options.  On what planet or alternate universe would anyone want to see Ryb-Axel instead of The Wyatt Family?
   
7. #BadNewsBarrett (7) – What are we to make of BNB at the moment?  He’s over with the crowd, as a heel no less.  He’s got gold around his waste.  He’s putting on good matches but he’s loosing and not in any feud or in the MitB main event like his peers.  You can’t say he’s getting buried because even HHH is using him as a tool.  So what’s he doing?  They have a week to figure something out before MitB.
8. Sheamus (9) – Sheamus has a few good matches and thinks he can go out to beat up Bray, HA!  I will say, Sheamus put on another good performance.  He’s another participant in the MitB match who I give no chance at winning.  At least now he’s got a little heat with Bray which may be the next feud after MitB?  If Sheamus doesn’t join Evolution (rumored), he could do well building on his surprising face heat by taking on Bray for a short window.  I can’t stress enough, SHORT window.  No one wants to see an extended Bray / Sheamus feud.  Nevertheless, Sheamus got the DQ win over Bray with some backup from The Usos.   
   
9. The Usos (10) – As much as I like the Usos, I’ve grown tired of their same gimmick over and over again.  A few weeks ago we got their first real shoot and it was promising.  Since then, nothing.  All they’ve done is sidled up to Superstars that need baby-face backup.  For a while it was Cena and this week it was Sheamus.  Hopefully, now that they’re going against a worthy opponent in Rowan and Harper, they’ll regain their spark.  Otherwise, they’re current gimmick is going to get stale like a freshly chopped body in Hannibal Lecter’s fridge.  Is anyone else watching that show?  Can you believe what they’re getting away with on NBC?  It’s the most horrific cooking show on TV.  
10. HHH and Stephanie (5) – As usual, let’s get the real important business out of the way, as WWE fashion expert, Stephanie got an A-minus on RAW.  An off the shoulder, retro-Rockabilly / neo-con mix that really worked well.  Amazingly she was able to keep a clean sheet even after a two-nil vomit battle vs Vickie Guerrero (my soccer references are on point today!)  Once again, HHH and Stephanie worked well together.  Lest anyone thinks that the WWE would frivolously waste an idea, the Stretcher Match (which was going to make an appearance at MitB if Bryan was healthy was now to be used for a Cena vs Kane match on RAW.  The problem is, a good stretcher match takes time.  Time that is not going to be afforded on the average RAW, let alone one that included a Battle Royal AND Kevin Hart.  I could already tell that the skip button on the remote was going to get a lot of use.  Maybe this will surprise people, but I didn’t mind the Reigns ban / spiked coffee / Stephanie getting sick / Vickie getting tricked to letting Reigns in the Battle Royal story.  Was it very simple and sophomoric?  Yes.  But it was quick, easy and got Reigns into the MitB main event.  Not every week do Lannisters need to die on a toilet for me to be happy.
    
11. Heyman (8) – When he looks to the heavens, I expect him to do a shoot toward god, warning The All Mighty that his client, Brock Lesner, will soon meet him in battle and destroy the Kingdom of Heaven.  Heyman is the best. 
12. John Cena (4) – Why is he selling a little cum rag?  Can’t he sell a beach towel or something a little bigger than a dishrag.  Did the sweatshop that makes the WWE clothing screw up an order and send them a billion small towels by accident and they figured they’ll make a quick buck?  Cena is getting so big that maybe that is a beach towel but Cena is just a monster?  It’s a new dawn in the WWE, you don’t have to look like horse testosterone is coursing through your veins.  From the moment the WWE announced Bray Wyatt is in the MitB match and showed that there was only one slot left for the MitB match, Cena was winning.  Ever since Cena threw the ring stairs at Bray at Payback, Cena has thrown stairs in every match since.  If only the WWE could combine the Special Olympics with a ring-stair-throwing competition, they would have complete synergy.    I’m aware this is not the first time steps have been used but Cena has taken this to a whole new level.  Since stretcher matches, especially on RAW, are so boring and with Cena’s new love of throwing stairs, I’d have rather just watched a wrestler strongman contest to see who can throw the ring stairs the furthest.
    
13. “The Demon” Kane (N/A) – You know why there hasn’t been a stretcher match on RAW in 10 years?  Because they suck.  Someone in the WWE needs to explain to me why / how would an AA from Cena onto the stretcher incapacitate someone?  If anything, it seems like a gentle way of carrying a 300 pound man to bed.  Landing on a soft padded gurney would put Kane asleep if anything.  Once again, Kane proves to be the most resilient of all characters.  Win, loose, DQ, no show, it doesn’t matter.  He’s the Ace up the WWE’s sleeve that they can use at anytime, in any fashion and it doesn’t take away from the character.  
    
14. Adam Rose / Summer Rae vs Fandango / Layla (N/A&20) – “Party-foul” and Rose won.  I actually felt bad for Kevin Hart because while they kept Hart from taking over the show, he was dropped into the RoseBud circus.  At least with Hugh Jackman you got Sandow dressed as Magneto and Ziggler came out with him.  Maybe it’s consolation to the Kofi’s, R-Truth’s, Henry’s and Titus’s of the world that the WWE also buries it’s black guest stars just the same as their wrestling Superstars.
    
15. Sandow (20) – Dressed as Cleveland’s favorite son, LeBron James!  Of course he was the first one out and good for him.  Other than Reigns taking out Rusev for the win, Sandow is the only other thing I remember from a waste of time Battle Royal.  I’m still holding out hope for good things for Sandow.
    
16. Alexander Rusev w/ Lana (12) – Lana’s killing it with Cheap Heat and good looks.  Rusev is getting a massive push.  It was encouraging to see Rusev and Big E go at it, if only for a moment, during the Battle Royal.  The WWE needs to continue with that feud. 
17. Battle Royal match (N/A) – It’s fascinating how the Royal Rumble is so awesome but Battle Royals are usually the worst piece of shit matches.  Rusev’s been on a tare lately and even though he went down to presumably the next WWE star, did it hurt his aura of invincibility?  In this case, perhaps it would have been better for Rusev’s brand to get the “giant’s loss” in which 10 guys need to work together to get him up and over the top?  And again, there were three certainties in life Monday night; Death, Taxes and Roman Reigns winning the Battle Royal.  
18. Cameron w/ Naomi vs Paige (N/A&14) – Divas match alert!!!  Cameron is vastly inferior to Naomi and is in the bottom tier of Divas.  I guess they have to throw a dog a bone every now and then but Naomi should have been the one wrestling Paige.  To Paige’s credit, this is the first time I can recall her being on the offensive for most of the match.  Disappointing match on because there’s a crop of quality wrestlers in the Divas division and for once, I’d like to see what they can do.
19. Ryb-Axel (18) – For anyone who is says Rowan and Harper suck or this Goldust / Stardust gimmick is garbage, I want you to look at Ryb-Axel and remember that these two fools were a botched finisher and sloppy 1-2-3 count away from being WWE World Tag Team Champions at MitB.  Rowan and Harper, Goldust and Stardust are literally saving the tag team division from what was (and still could be) a title reign by one of the least charismatic, poorly performing and all around lame tag teams in the WWE.  These two need to swap places with The Ascension in NXT and rework their gimmick or split up and still work on their gimmicks.  Let The Ascension give the WWE tag division a chance.
20. Heath Slater (HM) – After surviving a WWE purge of talent, the sole MB-er is still just as lame as the others that were cut.  Clearly the WWE sees something in Slater that has yet to translate to RAW.  Look, he barely got any face pop being the champion for the USA vs a heel Rusev.  Not a good sign.  

Honorable Mentions

Kevin Hart – He came out to do announcing during the Summer Rae / Rose vs Fandango / Layla fight.  Why do I get the feeling that’s a baby-Jeezy shirt custom shrunk for Hart?  I worried the WWE was going to wedge Hart in too many segments.  After the show, I wish they did.  Hart was promoting the wrong movie to a WWE audience.

Vickie Guerrero – Reigns pulled a Littlefinger on the coffee that Vickie was delivering to The Authority.  I’ve grown to enjoy her work and willingness to play along.  Having an elderly woman get vomited on is probably their response to the slightly pornographic milking of Layla last week.

Dual Championship coat hanger – Remember when the WWE first set to unify the two WWE championship belts, they used this well crafted hanger that suspended both belts and had the WWE insignia cut into its design.  At the time I questioned the effort and money wasted on a one-off closet tool but I was pleased to see it make another appearance this week.  Suspending both championships (which is still a mystery to why there are still two belts) high above the ring in preparation for the MitB winner is a beautiful thing…and tells us we probably won’t be seeing Daniel Bryan too soon.

Fans of the Night – The four guys dressed as WWE referees about 5 rows back.  Well done gentlemen.

Side Note(s)

Was it me or did anyone else catch Lana mouth, “That’s bullshit” when Stephanie announce Alberto Del RRRRRio as having qualified for the WHC ladder match at MitB?  I don’t know what set Lana off but I’m grateful for friend of the BEARcast (www.worldofbear.com) Ethan for finding a clip of Lana expressing her feelings about the show opening.  I hope she doesn’t get into too much trouble.  

“They” are doing the advertising for this Transformer movie all wrong.  Is there any fan of Transformers that isn’t going to see this new movie?  I can’t wait!  It’s such a tease each time.  All they needed to do was flash the Transformers sign and post three simple words: Dino-Fucking-Bots.  Done deal pal, I’ll be there Thursday night at midnight.  Dinobots!  What else do you need to know?  A promise of a blow job during a movie couldn’t get me more excited for going to a movie than just the word Dinobots.

The Special Olympic athletes have it hard enough, do we really need to punish them by making them travel and compete in New Jersey?  Who’s sick joke is this?  I’m just saying…New Jersey?  At least it’s not Cleveland.  You can always drive to NYC from New Jersey.

Until next time…