Dave’s RAW Thoughts
April 23, 2013
By: David Stephens of Wrestleview.com
I have been going back and forth on whether or not I like the intro videos that lead us into RAW. This week I have to give props to the video department on that package. They capture the storylines perfectly and delivered a video that would get the audiences intrigued and excited at home.
No complaints about the Heyman/HHH segment. You can’t expect the company to constantly have complex storylines. This showing was a more than decent catalyst to the rematch. Heyman has sued over attacks in the past so I’m interested to see if WWE covers or if they gloss over that angle.
Antonio Cesaro continues to lose. This week it was to R-Truth. Off the loss of his Championship to Kofi I thought Cesaro was going to make quick work of Truth. It’s easy to get frustrated about the portrayal of Cesaro as of late, but let’s not ignore the positives. His yodel on the way to the ring reminds me of an Iron Sheik or Roddy Piper style gimmick. Even in his losses Cesaro continues to impress each and every week. When his luck does turn around and he embarks on a winning streak the reaction should be massive.
The two matches between the Funk and Scholars teams were a fine way to build this ever continuing feud. The two teams split their matches tonight. At one point the Scholars looked ready to win the Title or split apart, but for the time being both of those scenarios have been put on hold.
Ziggypuff is hilarious. Props to AJ for that one, I chuckled. Brad Maddox continues to show up on TV every week and somehow I still really like his character. When are they going to put out a “Brickie” shirt? I’m getting one. Oh sure he is awful, but it’s the good kind of awful.
Ziggler/Jericho was a decent enough match. The ending furthered the Fandango feud which was to be expected. Jericho manages to lose what feels like most of his matches every time he returns, and yet he is consistently one of the most over guys in the entire promotion. That the mark of a true veteran. His fan base is large and everlasting.
Every now and again I come across a wrestler that I get a kick out of for seemingly no reason. I don’t know what it is about Big E. Langston but I keep finding myself drawn to his character. His theme is pretty perfect. He sold the nervousness going into his match tonight so well that I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually was. Really hope the commentators call his finisher by name at some point, I’d like to know what it’s called.
It was great to see The Undertaker back on RAW this week. It has been over three years. I said last week that I was nervous that the match would be cancelled due to a pre-match attack. While I was correct on that front, the good news is that the match happened anyway. The result is what makes the most sense for the storyline going forward. They have remained undefeated and not even a match against the Brothers of Destruction was enough to take out The Shield.
William Regal received a huge pop in his match against Fandango. The match seemed very short and no doubt took a less than expected turn as the fans were so heavily in Regal’s corner that they sounded more disappointed than angry when the match was over. Fandango was decent in the ring this week, thought it was such a limited engagement that I can’t pretend to think that this match would be enough to define his character. It was enjoyable to hear the fans chant Fandango’s theme this week on RAW. It was a nice callback to the show a few weeks ago. The UK fans are always pretty hyped as they only receive a handful of shows each year that they can attend.
The Ryback/Cena ending was less than exciting. Foley deserves a lot of credit for his mic work tonight because he really told a story out in that ring which painted the story of the Cena/Ryback feud. Ryback was quick to make all of that magic fade away the moment that he began to speak. While it’s obvious that Ryback has received a bit of mic work, he still has legions to go in terms of even being entertaining. Listening to Ryback scream, “shut up” tonight was one of those really awkward moments that you hope ends as quickly as possible. I’m not yet invested in this particular feud. There are a few things on paper that suggest I should be interested, but in reality I just don’t care.
David Stephens
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The Teacher’s Lounge (Sunday)
“The Teacher’s Lounge” is a weekly podcast archived every Sunday on the Wrestleview Radio Network featuring hosts David Stephens and “Mr. V” Anthony Valvo. The show reviews all of the news from the week, tosses out Gold Stars and Detentions, PPV previews and special guests. Past Interviews include: Colt Cabana, Hernandez, Sara Del Rey, CZW Owner DJ Hyde, Shane Douglas and more! For more details visit vip.wrestleview.com.