What's CRACK-A-LACKIN', it's your boy Mark and I'm back in action! It's May 11th, 2015 and Monday Night Raw just off the air here in the United States. Another decent broadcast from the "Revolutionary Force in Sports Entertainment." This evening's program took place in Cincinnati, Ohio and featured some above average in-ring entertainment from a company that doesn't seem to value that sort of thing these days. For the first time since I can remember, we've got actual wrestling matches taking center stage here at the "Highlight of the Night"—my name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and here are your Top Moments from Monday Night Raw.
5. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
The main event this week was yet another meeting between the 12-time world champion and the
CURRENT
WWE World Heavyweight Champion; Randy Orton and Seth Rollins went to war at Wrestlemania and put on what is—in retrospect—being called the "Match of the Night." Their subsequent meeting at Extreme Rules inside the steel cage was far less memorable, but featured the most prestigious prize in the WWE Universe. Tonight's match is more of the same featuring two of the best performers in the WWE. It's hard to get emotionally invested in the main events on Monday Night Raw, because they almost always include some kind of absurd hijinks with a disgustingly dusty finish. Tonight wasn't much different, and did little more than afford all combatants for the world title this Sunday the chance to go out in a visible manner during the final moments of Raw. I actually had to look up who won this match, because I was so checked out by this point I didn't even realize Raw had ended and NCIS was starting up. Not much to say about this match other than it was well-worked, but didn't offer any of the added accoutrement that I'd expect from entertainers at the level of Randy Orton and Seth Rollins.
4. Cesaro vs. Big E
These two potential world champions have each been a part of some of the most exciting contests we've seen in the last two months. The battles between The New Day and Masters of the WWE Universe have been revolutionary for the nearly-deceased WWE tag division. Unlike most ongoing storylines, their matches haven't yet dulled with time, and tonight was just another display of how talented these individual Superstars are. In addition to mixing it up in tag team competition, all five members of the New Day and the Masters' are well versed in singles combat. Tonight it's time for the resident power houses to prove their worth on behalf of their team mates; Big E tries as he might, but is ultimately bested by the Swiss Superman, and one half of the duo that hopes to reclaim their titles this Sunday.
3. "Daddy's Home"
This episode of Monday Night Raw opened just the same as any other—with a long, drawn out monologue. The only thing that ever seems to breathe life into said-monologue is the inclusion of new faces from time to time. Last week we got a showdown involving the New Day, and this week is the return of Triple H. "Daddy's home," he told the WWE Universe, the moment he took control of the microphone. The Authority immediately started to come unglued, now that their fearless leader was back; Kane sought to dismantle Seth Rollins, but Triple H warned the "Big Red Machine" that if he can't handle his job, then he'll find someone who will. Didn't Kane give his two week's notice three weeks ago? The best part of this entire opening segment was the repartee between Jamie Noble and Triple H. The five-foot-eight-inch Noble got up in the Game's face, and asked, "Don't you know who this is? Seth Rollins is the man around here!" He demanded that Triple H show
HIS
both Seth Rollins respect, to which Triple H responded with a couple of height jokes. Vintage Triple H—disregard all valid points and make fun of the way someone looks. This was a fun way to start the show, and lucky for those of us watching it, it didn't last too long at all.
2. Bryan Vacates the Title
Daniel Bryan is always wearing flannel button down shirts, sadly, because he's always relinquishing titles. It's now eerily close to a year removed from the last time Daniel Bryan vacated a championship, and once again the "B+ Player" is forced to drop his title. Bryan won the intercontinental championship in a hard-fought ladder match that opened Wrestlemania 31. After less than a handful of title defenses, Daniel Bryan received some jarring news from the doctor; he told the audience in Cincinnati that he might not ever be able to wrestle again. It's hard to feel too terrible for a Superstar that has made zero attempts to curtail his own style since returning from surgery. It's a very sad situation, but as it is in any case, the show must go on. I truly hope to see Daniel Bryan wrestle again, but would far prefer he lives a long and healthy life if the alternative is unforeseeable.
1. John Cena vs. Adrian Neville
For the second week in a row John Cena is taking top honors with the #1 "Highlight of the Night." Cena has made waves across the industry since stepping down a tier to the U.S. title level, and has helped to grow a fledgling midcard in the process. Since starting his "U.S. Open Challenge," John Cena has faced a variety of wrestlers including Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Kane and Sami Zayn. This week John went one-on-one with the "New Sensation" of the WWE, the "Man that Gravity Forgot," Adrian Neville. What an incredible match from bell to bell. I sent out a tweet in the middle of the match saying: "This is pretty good for a WWE match." I followed up just moments later with: "Okay this is just a good match." John Cena has proved time and again that he has what it takes to steal the show with absolutely anyone. This Open Challenge has done wonders for midlevel talent, but has also helped reinforce what will one day become John Cena's legacy. In 20 years, we'll most certainly reminisce about the feud with Edge, the matches against Umaga, Batista, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton—but it's his time as U.S. Champion that we'll hold above all else. It's similar to the Macho Man's run as the Intercontinental Champion; sure, Randy Savage was a celebrated world champion, but it was his work between the ropes for the secondary strap that earned him his most storied reputation. I love seeing John Cena wrestle NXT performers, and I look forward to many more matches with names such as Finn Balor or Kevin Owens. Adrian Neville was no slouch in this match, but who do you have to sell on the merits of Neville? He's not called "The New Sensation" for no reason. While it was clear John Cena would leave with the title, there was no telling how this contest would end. Rusev inevitably saved Cena from defeat when he interrupted, immediately following a "Red Arrow" that—dare I say—had John Cena beat.
This was an adequate episode of Monday Night Raw. I wasn't crazy about it in the way some Internet Wrestling pundits were, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Some weeks I struggle to find five different things to list, while other times it's tough to whittle the bunch down. This week there were exactly five moments worth mentioning, which is kind of sad for a three hour broadcast. This weekend is Payback on the WWE Network—yet another FREE Pay-Per-View, just two weeks away from Elimination Chamber, and four weeks from Money in the Bank. By the time Raw went off the air, we had but two matches announced. Will there be more, or is this going to be another "December to Dismember?" We'll find out on Smackdown I suppose. Until then, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty. Follow me in social media on Twitter @TapeTraderz and on Facebook at the "B+ Players."
