(Apologies for the lateness and brevity of this column. A family situation delayed the ability to view Raw and write up the review.) It only makes sense that if WWE is going to make SummerSlam a four-hour extravaganza like WrestleMania that they appropriate the phrase Road to ______ for the biggest event of the summer as well. Triple H announced at the outset Monday that the Road to SummerSlam would start with Monday Night Raw. In truth, the path to SummerSlam began five weeks ago and has actually progressed pretty nicely. Most of the 10 matches on the card have gotten a pretty good build during the past month, even with some subpar Raws along the way. Mondays episode tied things together, made the hard sell and managed to not derail the momentum. There are bound to be a clunker or two at SummerSlam, but fans should get a pretty good show provided they can make it through four hours of wrestling. So lets find out what brought it home and what drove fans away. Lets get to it
Downs...
6. #WWERuinsEverythingOrganic
Leave it to WWE to take something that was an organic movement and then try to turn it into a movement. The return of the Cesaro Section fliers at WWE events is a welcome sight for fans of the Swiss Superman, and WWE has definitely taken notice maybe a little too much notice. During the Cesaro/Randy Orton versus Sheamus/Kevin Owens match, the announcers made sure to repeatedly call attention to the Cesaro Section in the crowd, commenting on the signs and the loud chants from the fans. On the one hand, its great that WWE is acknowledging this organic movement to rally behind the Swiss superstar, but it also is concerning whenever WWE jumps on something fans organically create and starts incorporating it into their regular dialogue. Remember the Yes Movement? Zack Ryders rise to prominence? WWE has a history of taking fan-driven movements and commercializing it. How long do you think it will be until the first Cesaro Section T-shirts are available on WWEShop.com? Or that WWE actively hands out the signs at Raw? Its great to see WWE rally behind a truly great performer. What is worrisome is the companys history of how it turns these things into corporate creations, and how that can be a real mixed bag.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.
