Posted in: Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders: WWE Monday Night Raw PROS and CONS (February 9, 2015)
By The Doc
Feb 9, 2015 - 11:26:55 PM


The Snowman is a genius




QUESTION OF THE DAY: What did you think of Monday Night Raw? Give me your Win and Fail of the Week.


Pros

The opening segment and match interaction between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns was simple, but effective. I'm a big fan of babyface feuds. Though the tradionalist in me very much appreciates the classic dynamic in a standard, heel vs. babyface match, I've always been partial to seeing a pair of fan favorites pitted against each other. In recent podcasts, I've described Bryan as the most likely successor to Shawn Michaels, destined to steal the show if not often actually being the show. So, on a smaller scale, Reigns vs. Bryan feels to me a little bit like John Cena vs. HBK nearly a decade ago. Taking the aura away and focusing just on what was said and done, Reigns continued to tone it down and accentuate the bad ass side of his persona. That's the way to go for now. Bryan inadvertently catching Roman with a running dropkick nicely escalated the growing tension between them. Con aside, the first half hour did its job more than adequately.

Rusev vs. John Cena proving to be “Must-See” for Fast Lane. I almost added Cena as a follow-up to the lead Con for this week, but decided against it because his segment with Rusev was so well performed on the antagonist end. Cena is like Popeye; he is who is and that's all that he is. Rinse and repeat. His feuds, for those of us that are bored of his act after ten years of the same spiel, must be carried by his opponent. If his opponent is interesting, then odds are strong that we're in for a very good match. Rusev and Lana are interesting. The Ravishing Russian could be construed as repetitive in her own right, but Rusev has been taking the microphone and spitting his own verbiage for several weeks. I like strong heels, personally. It's partly why I enjoy Rollins so much. Rusev is, I'd say, strong to, ah, quite strong. Combine Rusev vs. Cena with Reigns vs. Bryan and my $9.99 is committed.

Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt continue to show good in-ring chemistry. Last week, Ziggler and Wyatt had a great TV match on Raw. This week, they had another one. It's been over a year since I enjoyed a pair of TV matches in back-to-back weeks as much as I enjoyed these. They beautifully played off their work from Denver, with Ziggler countering two particular spots that were his undoing into near victories tonight in Columbus.

#PaulHeyman. Need I write more?

Sting and Triple H's feud has, thus far, been handled quite well. When I posited a year ago that the ideal match for Sting would be against Triple H, my one concern was how Sting would be presented in the build-up. As Trips said tonight, it has been 14 years since WCW went out of business and there's a big portion of the fanbase that doesn't really know about him. Yet, WWE has found a way to present the Stinger in a way that took full advantage of the Authority's monstrous heat to get him instantly over and create a buzz. Tonight's segment was a marginal hit, but the proof is in the pudding, right? Tonight's crowd went wild when Sting's graphics showed up on the Tron. They went nuts when they thought that he was in the building. “We Want Sting!” Indeed, we do. With Undertaker's pending return, it'll be interesting to see if they handle the Deadman's usual graphic theatrics differently since they're using that with Sting.

Dean Ambrose taking the more traditional road to superstardom? It's a little disappointing that, at least at this point, it would seem Ambrose will not be a major factor at Mania 31. Yet, I do not feel that to be an accurate reflection of his ultimate place in the hierarchy. There's just not room for him in a headlining match. However, this angle with Bad News Barrett suggests the possibility for the Lunatic Fringe to take the route at Mania that so many hoped would be the path offered to Reigns: a strong mid-card title win. Considering that Ambrose main-evented two of the last three PPVs in 2014 (in singles matches no less), it could be good for him to drop down, quietly keep his momentum simmering as the IC Champion, and then reassert himself later in the year or early next year. We'll see.


Cons

If the rumor of Sheamus returning to be one of the Authority's henchman is true, then I'm all for that. Big Show and Kane aren't cutting it. I fully recognize that the latter of the two sentences is more a “Doc” thing than in everyone's tastes. I also don't want to be the literary version of a broken record and just write “Kane, Show, Divas” every week in the Con section. However, if you book Kane and/or Show in a marquee match on Raw, odds are that I'm exercising my right to fast forward. All due respect to both – and I mean that, sincerely – but they are a tuna fish sandwich and a giant glass of Mr. Pibb in an otherwise fresh, hip restaurant.

Handicap match main-events are feeling a little played out right now. It's a minor gripe, but I personally have so little interest in handicap matches. It's probably my least favorite match type. They make me happy that I have DVR. I only tuned in for tonight's because of the possibility of Randy Orton showing up.

Miz and Mizdow should peak before Fast Lane; not WrestleMania. I have enjoyed watching these guys use something seemingly silly to earn greater air time for the last few months, but I think that they are taking too long to end this. Some stories need a slow burn and some do not. People want to cheer Sandow; now is the time to give them the chance to do so. A few of my colleagues believe that this is destined for WM31. I do not. I think it is destined to wind up a piece of the Battle Royal (if they bring that back for its second annual occurrence), but would rather see a PPV one-on-one match. Here's to next week giving us Sandow turning on Miz, leading to a match at Fast Lane. I could almost say the same for Stardust and Goldust. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow, former partners, are two acts in similar positions, making the most of a some-would-call bad situation, but on the brink of something potentially special because of it.