WWE Raw Review: A Show That Was Better Than Wrestlemania
BIG E LANGSTON VS DANIEL BRYAN This was a fun match to start RAW off with. You can tell the crowd was hoping for Ziggler when his music hit. The match wasnt very long and Big E Langston picked up the victory with his Big Ending finisher. I really like what they are doing with Big E Langston. He hasnt been given an instant push but he is being utilized in a prominent role on the show. I just wish he would wear kneepads. This would be just the beginning of the evening for both Ziggler and company along with Kane and Daniel Bryan. Thats probably why the match was so short. THE MIZ VS WADE BARRETT-IC TITLE MATCH The Miz won the Intercontinental Title during the Wrestlemania pre-show in a pretty good match. Last nights match was better than that, and even better than their previous encounters. The match had some great spots in it and you could tell that these guys had been in matches against each other before. Im also glad that the match was given time to unfold. This wasnt a typical rematch-squash that happens. This was a great wrestling match. I also have to give praise to The Miz for finally figuring out the Figure Four. He had some trouble at first, but seems to have gotten the hang of it. He makes it look painful which is what he should be doing. The big story with this match is that Wade Barrett won back the IC title. I always wonder why the WWE gives guys one-day reigns. They probably wanted to pay the Miz back for his participation in The Marine 3 or something. The Bullhammer elbow to the Miz to finish the match looked awesome. Sometimes Wade phones it is and throws it half-heartedly or the guy hes facing doesnt sell it, but wow, that was not the case last night. The Miz sold it like he legit just got clocked upside the head by an elbow. This is one of my favorite feuds going right now and Im glad that the IC title is getting back to the prestigious belt that it once was. If only the same could be said about the tag belts or the US title. ALBERTO DEL RIO VS ZEB COLTER AND JACK SWAGGER Im not sure why this match happened. Del Rio won at Wrestlemania so Im not sure why he has to be in a handicap match against the guy he beat at Wrestlemania and his racist manager but whatevs. This match wasnt bad and was what you would expect with the double-teams and nefarious means of trying to win. Of all the Mania matches, Swagger and Del Rio let me down the most. For a few weeks, this feud had the most heat on it than any of them (aside from Punk/Taker). Hell, it turned Glenn Beck into the ITS STILL REAL TO ME DAMMIT guy. There were rumors that the match had to be cut short because of time constraints (which are stupid because they gave Diddy 15-minutes to perform) but still, I was disappointed. The ending of this match is what has me giggling with glee today. Alberto Del Rio beats Jack Swagger with the arm bar. Post-match, Swagger and Colter attack the injured ankle of Del Rio. The medical staff comes out to look at him. Now, my girlfriend immediately figured out what was about to happen. And then, it happened. Zigglers music hits and he rushes down to the ring with briefcase in hand. The same briefcase that has been ignored for the better part of 9 months and he cashes it in on Del Rio.