Dolph Ziggler won the world title in one of the best moments in RAW history.
New Jersey is always the place to find some of the more colorful citizens of the US, but this week's audience took the cake. They brought it all night long and made the entire episode one of the most memorable of all time. Last year, I hailed the RAW after Wrestlemania as one of the best wrestling events ever. In many ways, this one was even better. Get the full scoop one the 1,037th episode of Monday Night RAW when I detail the good & the bad with my special guest Ashley (@smashley_ashley) after the jump!
The Champ Is Here
G9Z: Raw opened with a reinvigorated John Cena who was fresh off of his big WWE Championship victory over The Rock at Wrestlemania. The crowd immediately booed him out of the building, but being that he's John Cena, he's gotten used to this sort of thing. I mean could you imagine having thousands of people jeer you at once and somehow managing to still have guts to stand there and say...
"Like I give a fuck"...
G9Z: The "heel turn" line was absolutely brilliant, by the way. And you're right about the way he set the tone for the entire show. You knew right away that this crowd was something unique to any other they've had in a long time. After a brief back and forth, John Cena and Mark Hanry are announced as out main event for the evening. Things then shifted into a brief match between Big E Langston and Daniel Bryan. Langston got the win after some interference from AJ & Dolph Ziggler. Nothing special here. Just a really solid debut for Langston that put over how well these three have started to gel together.
Intercontinental Championship match: The Miz(c) vs. Wade Barrett
Ashley: I’m still trying to figure out what's going on with Miz's leather robe, but that's not important. He looked very strong tonight. I was doubting Barrett at the beginning, but he came back strong and really gave the Miz a run for his money. Looks like we have some blood too (which I know is a no no for the most part-I love it); both of these men are really showing how much this rematch means to them. Barrett was not going to let the Miz beat him the same way he lost at Wrestlemania; I'm not sure how these guys get themselves over to the ropes with another guy attached to them, but they do..and he did. After Barrett connected the Miz's head with the post, the match was over in Barrett's favor. Barrett really thinks on his feet; I really don't think that the Miz saw that one coming at all.
G9Z: The crowd was almost unanimously pro Barrett here, giving Miz very little heat aside from his 10-punch spot. I mean in all honesty, this may be the best reaction Barrett's ever gotten, his home country included. They were white hot for the finish as well. Barrett's roaring elbow hasn't gotten much love since he started using it, but listening to the crowd reaction tonight, you'd think he was friggin' Misawa.
Match Rating: ***1/4
G9Z: There was some post match stuff with Orton & Sheamus. Both men want a shot at Big Show and go to both Vickie Guerrero and Booker T respectively and demand it.
Ashley: Shaemus' beef with Big Show was definitely predictable; after their loss to the Shield last night, a feud between the two of them. Now I'm interested to see what Orton is actually trying to prove; I seriously doubt he gives a crap about betraying Shaemus.
Handicap match: World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger & Zeb Coulter
Ashley: I'm probably the only one, but I'm over this feud; besides Del Rio and Rodriguez making fun of Zeb and Jack Swagger's Youtube videos, every promotional encounter is exactly the same. Seems like the crowd in New Jersey is stacked behind Swagger. I like watching these two fight each other. It's interesting to see their styles of wrestling clash. Both men looking really strong tonight and both really giving each other a beating. This feud has really brought great matches out of these two men. I'm not sure how Del Rio pulled through for the win after all the leg issues he had during the match.
G9Z: I agree with you, Ash. The match quality has been very good, but as I noted in my Wrestlemania review last night, I just can't get myself there emotionally. I don't know what it is because I should be able to. It's not the story, because I was fully invested when JBL & Eddie Guerrero ran with a similar angle years back. And I think Coulter is amazing. But it didn't matter anyway. You see the events that followed can only be described as wrestling nirvana....
G9Z: ETJSGHUERJKVFBDJKHSFJCDFGHJDFGJSCFGSNG HFJCDHVSFGHJFJHGUCFKSHGDNFGBRJFGAJFGEAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Damn if that wasn't the best feel good moment from RAW this decade, I don't even....I'm still gasping for air two days later...that clip alone damn near brought me to tears....I need a moment....Ash?
Ashley: The moment that we have all been waiting for; for MONTHS now! Ziggler gets a beyond huge pop and cashes in his Money in the Bank contract! There is no way that Del Rio has a chance and Ziggler is out there fighting like his hair is on fire. How Del Rio even has any life right now is insane; he's crawled through Ziggler's assault and still managed to put up a decent defense. Del Rio's heart and drive in this second match were so impressive. He dropped his title to Ziggler, but he looked strong doing it. Ziggler looked great, even with the unexpected challenge of the momentarily revived ADR. Ziggler wasn't giving him any mercy, he took advantage of ADR's injuries and won the title that he's been chasing. I can't wait to see what having the World Heavyweight Title does to his ego and his matches. I'm looking forward to a stellar presence from him.
G9Z: This is top two or three in RAW moments for me. I don't remember the last time I've felt that level of excitement, joy, relief and just every damn positive feeling known to man....at once! Dolph Ziggler has been the walking embodiment of "long overdue" for the last two years or so and to see him get that moment was just unbelievably gratifying. You won that title for every underdog wrestler on the indie circuit right now chomping at the bit hoping to even be able to make it to the WWE. There's proof that through perseverance results in success. Above all else. And sure guys like Chris Benoit & Edge have had similar wins, but there has never been a talent who had to scratch and claw their way to the title AFTER their initial push. This is why like the fans in attendance, all of us at home hit maximum orgasmo to a level that I can't even begin to do justice with words. In fact, it can only be correctly expressed with the following...
HELL. YEAH. Congratulations Dolph. You earned it man.
The Undertaker And The Shield Cross Paths
Ashley: I was not expecting The Shield to take on the Undertaker, but I am liking it. The Shield needed another stir; they've been in the same feud with the same people for too long. Team Hell No joining up with Undertaker was great; it brought us back to Kane and the Undertaker's relationship, and why not bring Daniel Bryan along for the ride. I would love to see the three of them in a match with the Shield, but I guess we will all have to wait...again...like the Shield loves to make us do.
G9Z: I was legitimately shocked to see the deadman here. It was a very pleasant surprise, but I have to admit, I marked out at the idea of The Shield beating him down. I do believe however that what we got here, is much better. The inevitable Team Hell No & Undertaker vs The Shield match will no doubt be beyond awesome. Just the idea of Ambrose mixing it up with the phenom is enough to make my mouth water. Good segment.
In case you were wondering, there'll be no Awesome Photo Of The Week this week. Mostly because there's no pic I can find that will have anything on this.
Sheamus vs. Randy Orton tonight!? Nice!....To face the Big Show? Oh...okay..
G9Z: This was the point of the evening where the crowd would shift from supremely invested to a little Looney Tunes. Sheamus and Randy Orton were busting their asses here to put on a damn fine match that with a hot crowd, could have been an all timer for RAW. And I don't know if the stupid stip killed their interest, but they damn sure let everyone know they could care less...
Ashley: This is a great match, but I'm definitely more interested in the chants that the crowd is throwing out there. I'm glad that Big Show came out to break up that match; it was getting a little slow and needed a big pick me up. It's always fun to see him come out and throw people around.
G9Z: Apparently, the audience agrees because that was literally the only moment that pulled them back in. There was a huge "thank you Big Show" chant after he started attacking them and I found myself both annoyed and amused by it. Which would be the general spectrum of my feelings on the crowd for the rest of the night.
Match Rating: **
It's FAN-DAN-GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
G9Z: DA-DA, DA-DA-DA-DA, DO-DO-DO-DO, DO-DO-DO-DOOOOO....I really hope Fandango gets this sort of reaction every time he makes an appearance because it was the best part about the night save for the Ziggler cash in. Fandango may as well be a damn face because there is absolutely no way you can get me to hate this guy. I think he brings something to the table that's been missing for a while now. His over-the-top flamboyance is something that adds a wonderful bit of variety to a show that's overflowing with machismo and chest thumping. He breathes this character and took something that could have been a huge miss and turned it into a big hit.
Seriously, this is like one Drake verse away from being the #1 smash in the clubs.
Ashley: FanDAAAANgo definitely gets the award for most intricate and awesome entrance. Maybe it took them so long to debut his character because they had to finish learning the whole routine. I have to laugh at the over exaggeration of dance moves at the beginning of the match before he and Kofi started fighting. I love Jericho's vendetta against Fandango; it almost reminds me of Jericho circa 2009 in his vendetta to unmask Rey Mysterio. When he has his eye on defeating you, you better watch out and be prepared; he will obviously come out of nowhere, kick your opponent out of the ring, and rage on you. Then he'll walk out like a boss. Everyone loves Fandango; this crowd is all over it; at least he wrestled this time before correcting the pronunciation of his name.
G9Z: Next, there was a great promo from Paul Heyman explaining why neither of his clients were making an appearance tonight. It's disappointing, since both would likely have been over huge with this type of audience. Tons Of Funk also got their match with Rhodes Scholars that got bumped off of Wrestlemania the night before. Everyone was wearing cool new attire which was probably what they had planned to wear for the big show. A quick and solid match, but nothing worth remembering here.
Tell Me A Joke!
Ashley: I love Cena's sense of humor tonight, adding a little Fandango into his fight with Mark Henry before getting down to business. John Cena doesn't usually get to use his size as being smaller than someone as an advantage, so this match was interesting since he got to use his size and speed to be the force that knocked Henry down. I definitely see Henry demanding a rematch over this count out loss in his corner. I guess a post match World's Strongest Slam will do. Ryback comes out, seemingly to Cena's aid, to get rid of Henry. I did not expect him to slam Cena, but I guess everyone wants what Cena has and that's one way to go after it.
G9Z: Indeed. I've said this many times before and I'll say it again, Mark Henry is one of the best shit talkers ever in the history of wrestling. How do you not love watching him play with his food out there. He's the fucking man. And anyone who doesn't believe so may as well declare themselves a sworn enemy of G9Z Wrestling! The match was what you'd expect, but Ryback's post match beat down was something I was begging for. I couldn't handle two guys being inducted into the undeniably cheesy J.C.M.R.A.A.S. (John Cena Mutual Respect & Admiration Society) back to back in a 24 hour period. Ryback is a guy who doesn't want or need friends. He goes where the next meal is. And right now he has a John Cena souffle on the table.
And he's a man who loves his souffle.
Final Thoughts
G9Z: All in all I thought this was one of the greatest RAWs of all time. They didn't have anything on the level of the return of Brock Lesnar from last year as far as surprising moments go, but the Ziggler cash in, Ryback turn and the crowd reception to Fandango are three things that will live in infamy as the episode gets some age. The real star of the show tonight was the audience. Whether you found them annoying, amazing or like me, a bit of both at times, what's important is for one night, a group of thousands of men, women & children let loose and just had the time of their lives for a few hours. And this is something that every wrestling event could use a little more of.
Overall Episode Score: 10/10 (outstanding)
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