OO Column: Online Onslaught by Rick Scaia (Pro Wrestling News, Analysis, and Commentary... WWE, WWF, WCW, ECW, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Trish Stratus, Lita, Stacy Keibler, Divas, RAW, SmackDown, WrestleMania

OO RAW RECAP
Getting There is Half the Fun
October 26, 2015

by Rick Scaia
Exclusive to OOWrestling.com

So, for as much as I've advocated subscribing to the WWE Network (and I still do, you cheap bastards!), the one area where I've been less than impressed are the "Network Originals" that aren't about, you know?, wrestling. Some are just stupid, like "Legends House" (it's "Total Divas" with old guys!) or "Swere'd" (it's "Punk'd" with wrestlers!), and others are "micro shows" (episodes of 10 minutes) that just seem pointless, like they should be getting 117 views on youtube, instead of being labeled as an "Original Series."

But the originals that have to do with wrestling are all very entertaining and informative, providing backstories and insider info on historical moments, and so forth.

That said, I watched a couple things over the weekend that caught me by surprise, so now I must report on them. First off, WWE "leaked" that new show Breaking Ground on Saturday, so I watched it, expecting it to be documentary-style about what goes into NXT. In other words: another "good wrestling" Original. Not so much. It was very much "reality show," with WWE ham-handedly trying to drama everything up, and different people acting more or less "real." Baron Corbin, for instance, seems intent on The New Kayfabe presentation. And OMG a cliffhanger ending: "Sabby" is summoned into a side office, is he gonna be released or not?!????!!!?? TUNE IN NEXT WEEEK!

Or don't. I really thought this would be more like the "Day in the Life" specials they've done with Daniel Bryan and the Shield guys. Instead: hot garbage.

But then, the flip side... I decided to watch some more recent editions of Renee Young's micro-show ("Unfiltered"), and I'll reverse course and endorse it. I watched on of the very early ones, and it was Randy Orton, and it was kind of funny in a sad sort of way (Randall's second wife is on for most of the 10 minute show, and let's just say that OO's OOfficial Perception of Randy Orton is re-affirmed by the fact that he has truly found the perfect woman for himself), but not at all interesting. Also: the opening music/graphics are terrible, and threatened to undermine my lofty opinion of the Perpetually Delightful Renee Young (why would she willingly go along with THAT??!??!?).

But upon watching some newer ones, it turns out that Renee could seriously have a career as a late night talk show host. She's personable on her own, and she gets fun stories out of guests, and unlike "Breaking Ground" it seems like everybody is just being completely open and honest, too. Kevin Owens and Summer Rae were the best of the episodes I watched over the weekend, but I still have a bunch to catch up on.

So there you go: one of my sporadic Quality Control Reports on the WWE Network. Long story short: it's still well worth NINE NINETY-NINE!

And for the first time since the night after SummerSlam, RAW was easily worth your full three-hour investment. Here's how tonight's show went down:

I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

No recap package or opening montage, and instead, we cold open to find Triple H and Stephanie already headed to the ring.... oh wait, THERE it is: as they're walking, Cole & The Gang narrate a Freeze Frame Recap of Last Night's HiaC PPV. And OO still does not recap recaps.

So OO will wait until the Authority make it to the ring, and start talking. They congratulate themselves on putting together one hell of a show last night, and run down the highlights. But then, the time comes to congratulate someone else: the Man, the Champ, the Face of WWE, Seth Rollins.

Rollins comes out, and the Authority kept putting him over. They say Seth's been a champ for a long time, now, and he's done that by beating the best. The Authority did everything they could think of to stack the deck against him, testing him by fire, and he passed every test, beat every superstar, demolished every legend. They're really, really proud of him.

The feel good moment turns into a brief hugfest, and then Rollins tries to put his emotions into words. He says he can't agree more; at times, he thought he was being punished, or something.... but at the end of the day, he was just proving how good he was, and he couldn't have done it without the Authority. He thanks them, from the bottom of his heart.

HHH and Steph graciously accept, but change gears to point out that Seth's dominance over every foe has kind of put them in a bind.... he's beaten everybody they've put in front of him, and now, they don't really know if there's anybody out there who deserves a title shot against the Champ.

So, they're giving Seth the night off to sit back and enjoy watching the rest of the roster fight and scratch and claw to try to prove themselves. Tonight, we'll have four singles matches, and the winners of those matches will advance to tonight's main event: a Fatal Fourway to determine the new #1 Contender. Good deal... that throughline should give tonight's show a bit more zazz, like the "Clipboard RAWs" of yore.

As if on cue, Roman Reigns' music hits, and he comes down through the crowd to tell Rollins that he's putting himself into the mix, and he's gonna win tonight's series of matches to become the new #1 Contender, and then he will expose Rollins as the fraud he is by taking his WWE World Title.

Stephanie endorses Reigns' candidacy, and says if he wants in, he's in. But he better not go anywhere, because the games begin.... NOW!

By which she means: After these.....

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ROMAN REIGNS vs. KOFI KINGSTON (w/ Big E) (Qualifying Match)

Still no Eggsavier Woods, as explained in last night's PPV Recap. Kofi and E stir things up with a promo on their way to the ring, mocking Reigns, and throwing up the Unicorn Horns for Woods. Kofi tags it by saying, "Just call me Harry Potter, because I'ma gonna go in that ring and make some magic." San Diego is bucking the trend, and definitely thinks that the New Dayrocks!

When Reigns uses his power to dominate Kofi, that vibe actually continues. It's like he's bullying the poor little guy! It gets the point where Kofi decides to bail out to regroup. Ergo, it also means we're breaking for....

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Back, and Reigns is still in control. It does seem the crowd reaction has modulated a bit, at least, and Reigns is getting more cheers than boos. Not by a wide margin, but they must have done something during the ad break to address that. Reigns continues to dominate for a minute or so, chucking Kofi out of the ring.

But when Reigns follows, Big E saunters over and creates a distraction. That allows Kofi to hit a spin kick, and take over. He rattles off a series of move, and finally goes for a sleeper. Reigns fights out with gut-punches and headbutts... but Kofi trips him up as he attempts to run the ropes, and we're back where we started.

Kofi's offense builds up to a big double sledge from the top rope for a near fall. But then, he slows it down again with an armbar. Roman uses a back suplex to escape that hold. Both men are down, so the ref applies a double count.

With urging from E, Kofi is first to his feet, but when he goes to engage Reigns, Reigns wins the fisticuffsmanship. Reigns starts his fire up.... big launching clothesline hits. Then after another exchange, he backs Kofi into the corner for the 10 Clotheslines. Reigns steps back, calling for the spear, but Kofi gets a boot up to block it. Kofi goes for a schoolboy, but Reigns picks him up for amodified powerbomb.

Reigns calls for the Superman Punch, but Big E gets up on the apron. Rather than fall for the distraction, Reigns just adjusts and hits E with the Superman Punch. Then, he ducks the Trouble in Paradise from Kofi, and rebounds with a spear. Fin.

Your Winner: Roman Reigns, via pinfall, in 10 minutes. The outcome was never really in doubt, but Kofi and Big E put on their usual A game, and the result was a more-entertaining-than-it-should-have-been affair.

Backstage: Miz is hanging out, and has summoned a bunch of production assistants to watch him play WWE 2K16, where Miz is going to out-Stone-Cold Stone Cold. Or so he claims. So settle in, and get ready to check in on him throughout the night.

Later tonight: Cesaro vs. Owens, Neville vs. Alberto del Rio, and Ziggler vs. Big E are other three qualifying matches. Two of those could be pretty awesome... and the third shouldn't suck.

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KEVIN OWENS vs. CESARO (Non-Title Qualifying Match)

As big a rock star as Cesaro was at the PPV last night, San Deigo is once again split, with a vocal minority chanting "FIGHT OWENS FIGHT" in the opening moments. After Owens gets a cheapshot to start, Cesaro gets a 90 second flurry... then Owens ducks out of the ring and we get the Cat and Mouse Role Reversal spot when he rolls back into the ring.

Owens offense is short-lived, as he once again does the random thing where he verbally berates Michael Cole for no reason. Cesaro hits a big super-delayed vertical suplex, and Owens dives out of the ring again. This time, when Cesaro follows, it turns into a brawl, and eventually both men are down as the ref begins counting.

The ref is up to 9, and both men just barely make it back into the ring.... but they're both in pretty bad shape, so they slump in opposite corners (yep, four minutes in, and they're both EXHAUSTED~! Oy....) and we break for more....

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Back, and Cesaro in the middle of a flurry of uppercuts, about a half dozen of the running varieties, and then a big dropkick that sends Owens out of the ring. Owens gestures (Broadly) that he's had enough of this happy crappy, so he's gonna walk out. So Cesaro dives out, gets a running start and hits another big uppercut. Follows up with an apron-to-the-floor senton. Then rolls Owens back into the ring.

Convincing near fall after a Steamboat-style high crossbody. He's definitely won over the crowd. Cesaro calls for the swing, but Owens flips through and turns it into a quick DDT. We have our first "THIS IS AWE SOME" chant.

Owens calls for the pop-up, but Cesaro leap frogs him, keeps running, and hits an springboard spinning uppercut. Wow. Cesaro once again tries for the swing, but Owens crawls for the rope break. As the ref steps in to pull Cesaro off, Owens takes advantage of Cesaro being distracted and hits a flash superkick. Then the pop-up powerbomb, and we're done here.

Your Winner: Kevin Owens, via pinfall, in 10 minutes. Didn't have the length to be really engrossing, and the artificial "aging" (acting like it had already been a war, when it had only been 4 minutes) was really distractingly obvious. But in the end, they squeezed enough big stuff in so that it was still well worth it.

Backstage: Paige is in her dressing room, talking on her phone to somebody who is apparently Conan O'Brien (she was on his show last week). Then, when Charlotte and Becky show up, Paige hangs up and humble brags about how awesome it was to be on Conan's show, I mean, not as awesome as being the champ, but Paige is trailblazing in her own right and it was great to be recognized for that and.....then she catches herself, and says she's so proud of Charlotte, which is why she was so totally the first person in the ring to congratulate her last night.

Becky intones, "Yeah, because you shoved me out of the way." Charlotte isn't exactly convinced either, and says if she finds out that Paige is the one who attacked Natalya, there will be consequences. Paige denies it, up and down, and says she just wants to get PCB back together. So why not tonight? Charlotte and Becky discuss it, and admit that do need a third partner, so.... OK, Paige can rejoin the team. Paige is ecstatic, but Charlotte and Becky are clearly both on guard.

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CHARLOTTE/BECKY LYNCH/PAIGE vs. NIKKI/BRIE/ALICIA FOX

Nikki tries to get into a staredown with Charlotte to start... but Paige steps in and insists on starting the match to prove herself. Charlotte allows it, and so it's Paige vs. Nikki, and Paige comes out strong. But after a minute or so, Nikki's power turns the tide. She hits a spinebuster, and then another bunch of moves.

But when Nikki tags in Alicia, Paige regains command fairly quickly and tags in Charlotte for a flurry of her own.... that comes to an end with the Bellas create a distraction, allowing Alicia to hit a cheapshot. Charlotte is our face in peril.

The heels keep the ring cut in half for a minute or two, while the fans chant "WE WANT BECK EEE." Separation finally comes when Brie goes for the YES! Kicks, but then, she winds up for the big super duper mega step-back YES! Kick... and she whiffs, because even when it's Bryan doing it, it misses about 99% of the time.

So Becky does come in after the hot tag, and dominates briefly, until things break down into a Pier Sixer. Becky loses track of Nikki (who is legal), and after she tosses Brie out of the ring, she turns around and walks into a stiff kick. Rack Attack hits, and it's over.

Your Winners: Team Bella, via pinfall, in 5 minutes. Pretty by-the-numbers tag formula, but even with the bevity, everyone got a little something, and the crowd was into it. Not too shabby.

After the Match: Charlotte hops in to check on Becky, and Paige is lingering nearby.... and then, all of a sudden, Paige snaps and attacks Charlotte from behind. A few extra stomps on Becky, for shits and giggles, and then back to Charlotte. After a PTO, Charlotte's destroyed, and Paige proudly struts up the aisle.

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Backstage: Renee Young is standing by with Zeb Colter and the new US Champion, Alberto del Rio. Renee points out the obvious: that ADR and Colter have a history of hating each other... but Zeb cuts her off, and says he's a changed man, and he's taken the words of John Lennon to heart. He imagined a world with no borders, and as a result, he reached out to Alberto, and shared his vision. And now, as a result, Zeb sees no border between Mexico and America, and now, a Great Mexican and a Real American are the only two residents of Mexamerica!

Renee tries to point out that, with all due respect, what are you smoking, but Zeb just cuts her off and says "No further questions." But Renee does get ADR to answer her question about facing Neville tonight. Alberto says there's no way he's going to let some lowly, filthy IMMIGRANT interfere with his chances of once again becoming the WWE World Champion. Viva del Rio!

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ALBERTO DEL RIO (w/ Zeb Colter on his Rascal Scotter) vs. NEVILLE (Non-Title Qualifying Match)

Alberto's got some fans in San Diego, all of 5 miles away from the Mexican border. "AL BERTO TOH" and "SI!" chants abound, even as ADR is exuding heelishness in bullying the smaller Neville.

Neville's able to stun del Rio with quick kicks, and than rattles off a series of confoundly flashy moves. Alberto ducks out of the ring to regroup with Zeb, so you guessed it: it's time for....

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Back, and del Rio's working a modified chinlock.... a pic-in-pic reveals that he used the Backstabber to turn the tide during the commercials. Neville fires up, and lightning-like, ADR snuffs that out with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

Back to the modified chinlock. Neville fires up again, but this time, gets actual seperation, and is able to hit a bunch of kicks. ADR bails out, and just sort of meanders around, taking his eyes off Neville. So Neville steps back, lines it up, and hits a crazy no hands twisting plancha. Nice.

Neville takes it back into the ring and snaps off a rana for his first near fall. Neville wants to go up top, but ADR catches him with the run-up enzuigiri for a convincing near fall of his own. Neville is down in a heap, so ADR calls for the "Si! Lock," and San Diego joins in. Del Rio goes in to grab the cross armbreak, but Neville turns it into a roll-up.

Alberto kicks out and punishes Neville with a stiff clothesline. ADR goes for the Bossman Straddle, but Neville dodges, and ADR falls to the floor. Neville goes up top again, and again, del Rio catches him, knocking his leg out, causing Neville to tumble and get stuck in the Tree of Woe.

Del Rio goes up top, himself, and comes down with a double stomp to Nevilles chest. One. Two. And three.

Your Winner: Alberto del Rio, via pinfall, in 12 minutes. Another pretty good one, despite the general foregone-conclusion-y-ness of it. Maybe it dragged a bit in the middle, but the last 3-4 minutes were solid. Del Rio has now won two matches, and has used the Cross Armbreaker zero times. Huh.

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THE DUDLEY BOYZ & RYBACK vs. SHEAMUS/KING BARRETT/RUSEV

Welp, if Sheamus, Barrett and Rusev are just gonna keep randomly teaming together despite constantly losing, I guess why not have them randomly face the Dudleys and Ryback, with whom they have zero history.

But hey, randomness be damned. Sheamus is introduced last and storms to the ring, fires up his partners, and they dive in to jump start the match with some crazy intensity! It almost instantly backfires, and things simmer down, and we're left with Sheamus getting his ass handed to him by Devon. Less than 45 seconds in, and Devon gets a near fall after a flapjack...

Sensing Sheamus is in trouble, Barrett hops in to create a distraction. It works like a charm. Sheamus blindsides Devon, and tags in Rusev, who continues to dominate. Then a tag to Barrett, who keeps it up. Back to Sheamus, as the heels are displaying a lot of effective teamwork.

Irish Curse backbreaker gets a near fall. Then more rapid tags, until Rusev makes the mistake of turning to jaw with Bubba. Devon takes the moment to regroup and catch Rusev with a clothesline when he turns around. Tag to Ryback. Barrett in on the corresponding move.

Ryback handles Barrett, and then it breaks down into a Pier Sixer, won by the good guys when they hit triple Meathooks. They isolate on Barrett, catch him with the Whassup! Then, Bubba calls for the tables.

That's not too bright. Ryback and Devon both go out to fetch tables. The ref, as is his job, focuses on telling them not to. Sheamus hits Bubba with the MitB Briefcase, and Barrett reaps the benefits.

Your Winners: Barrett/Sheamus/Rusev, via pinfall, in about 6 minutes. Kinda like the women's match, they were deadset on getting everybody a little something, despite the brevity, so the pace was quick, and the results were satisfactory. The heels going over is probably a good idea after they got beat at the PPV. The Dudleys are pretty teflon, and Ryback... well, he's Ryback.

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WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE....

The lights go out, the fireflies come out, and then a single spotlight reveals that Bray Wyatt is already in the ring, seated in a new rocking chair. He's got some splaining to do.

Bray acknowledges that for 25 years, Undertaker had no equal. But last night, that all changed, and the Apocalypse revealed itself in the form of the Wyatt Family. He pauses to declare that Roman Reigns is on alert: one day, they will dance again. But not until Bray is revitalized.

And that brings Bray back to the Undertaker. The Undertaker's demise is Bray's resurrection. He has already feasted on the Undertaker's soul, and it was energizing. Now, Bray wants more. Bray wants it all. He will sap every last bit of the Undertaker's soul, until he is nothing but bones on the ground.

And make no mistake, he'll do so, because the Undertaker is in a very dark place right now. And he's gonna stay there. Bray closes by asking all the fans, in the arena and at home, to bow their heads, and pay their respects.

With an intonaton that underscores the idea that Wyatt has absorbed Taker's soul, Bray says, "The Undertaker. May he Rest. In. Peace."

A pyro burst interrupts Bray's moment of triumph, and out comes the Undertaker's brother, Kane. He gets about halfway down the aisle, and then the lights go out.

WHen they come back up, Bray and his chair have moved to a corner, and Braun Strowman is standing in the middle of the ring. Kane decides to take the fight to the fellow big man, and it goes well for about 10 seconds. Enter Luke Harper. And then Erick Rowan.

Hey, who's keeping guard on the Undertaker?!?

Oh well, nevermind. The Wyatts had a plan, and they decimate Kane, and then carry him out of the arena, crucifix-style, the same as they did to Taker last night. Presumably, the Wyatts now have both Brothers of Destruction in custody. That's what I got from Bray's speech, anyway.

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Backstage: and we see the Wyatts who are now dragging Kane's carcass into the dark recesses of the building, where a smoke machine is cranked up to HIGH, all while Bray sings "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." When they are completely enveloped, we cut back to the arena.... uhhhhh, you know you could just follow them, camera guy. It's PRETEND FOG, not a locked door. Oy.

DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. BIG E (w/ Kofi) (Qualifying Match)

Before the match can start, Tyler Breeze (with Summer Rae) hit the ring, selfie stick and all..... ahhhh, I see: he's got his own VIP Section set up near the Timekeeper Cubicle, including ridiculous fuzzy furniture, pink girly drinks, velvet ropes, and a bouncer. Breeze and Summer snuggle up to scout Ziggler.

Then we begin, and after a perfunctory flurry by Dolph, we go into Face in Peril mode. Dolph gets a brief hope spot when he fires up out of the Abdominal Clap.... but when Kofi causes a brief distraction, Big E catches him with the Engulfening. Ziggler drops in a heap, and E and Kofi start wildly gyrating in celebration.

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Back, and Big E is firmly in control.... until he goes for a powerslam, and Ziggler spidermonkeys his way onto E's back, and cinches in a sleeper. Big E is able to fall backwards into a turnbuckle to escape, but then wastes time insisting the crowd put on their Unicorn Horns, and clapping. So Ziggler recovers and sets up for the Fameasser.

Whoops. Big E is having none of that and turns the Fameasser into a powerbomb. And then, back to the Abdominal Clap, because it's fun! Ziggler throws an elbow to get seperation, and follows up with a flash standing dropkick. Both men down, both men up, and Ziggler dodges a charge, hits a Stinger Splash. Heartstopper Elbow.

But when Ziggler goes for a superkick, Big E ducks it, picks the leg, and turns it into a slingshot.... Dolph flies OVER the turnbuckle and hits the steel ring post. Ouch. Rather than take the countout, Big E goes out and corals Ziggler. Then, he pauses to take a sip of Breeze's drink. Heh.

Back into the ring, and Big E gets a convincing near fall off his Warrior Criss Cross Splash. But then, he wastes more time on Unicorn Antics, and walks into a superkick. That gets Ziggler a convincing near fall of his own. Both men down, both men up again.... when they re-engage, Dolph goes for a DDT and E just shoves him off. But when E charges into the corner, Dolph leap frogs it.

Big E eats the ring post, and stumbles back into the Zig Zag. Fin.

Your Winner: Dolph Ziggler, via pinfall, in 12 minutes. Crowd seemed a bit out of it until End Game, but this was actually quite good, maybe even the best of the four qualifiers, since it's the only one where the finish could have gone either way (the presence of Breeze really sold me on Big E as the possible winner-via-shennanigans). So we're set: two heels who are over enough as quasi-faces, plus Roman who's been resting for 2 and a half hours, plus Ziggler who gets no rest and will be the mega-underdog. It's still 99% in favor of Reigns, but that's not a bad mix.

Backstage: Reigns and Ambrose are hanging out, watching a monitor. Reigns' match is now set, and Ambrose pep talks him. Roman's been here before... he was *thisclose* at WrestleMania, and then Seth Rollins showed up.... he was *thisclose* at Money in the Bank, and Bray Wyatt showed up... now, he's busted ass, and he's *thisclose* again.... so go out there and TAKE IT, this time.

Reigns nods slowly, and confidently says, "I got this." Fist bump with Ambrose. And Reigns heads out, while Ambrose leans back in his chair to watch on the TV....

Alright, I'm just suspicious enough of an asshole that I'm going to downgrade Reigns to a 98% favorite. Because Ambrose running down a list of guys who ruined things when Reigns was *thisclose* seems a bit suspicious.... I am 100% against a heel turn for Ambrose, because all that's gonna accomplish is ensuring at least half the fans go back to booing Reigns, instead. Ambrose is just that good. I'd much rather if they wait until Reigns is a bit more established, and then turn Ambrose tweener for a triple threat of Rollins vs. Reigns vs. Ambrose at WM.

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Save the Boobies: tonight marks the end of Komen For Kancer Month, so Titus O'Neil does a thing in the ring with a dozen or so cancer survivors. From what I've read, WWE might want to get in bed with a different cause (Komen is one of the more sketchily run charities out there, with way more of its donated money put into branding itself and paying its people than is entirely necessary), but at the end of the day, any marginal efforts to ending cancer are a good thing. And plus, everybody loves boobies! So kudos...

Backstage: Miz wraps up winning a match as Stone Cold on WWE 2K16, and brags that he did it even better than Stone Cold. And then, Stone Cold Steve Austin steps into the room, in the flesh, baby. Miz immediately walks it back, and as Austin nudges him along with timely "WHATs," Miz winds up plugging WWE 2K16, on sale tomorrow for both XBox and Playstation. Good job, boy!

He Must Be in the Front Row: before the main event, Seth Rollins comes out to scout the potential future competition. He does not have fuzzy furniture or girly drinks; he'll be settling for a regular chair with the commentators.

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ROMAN REIGNS vs. KEVIN OWENS vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER (#1 Contender Fatal Fourway)

Bell rings, and the pairings are Ziggler vs. Owens, and Reigns vs. ADR to start. The heels win both mini-battles, and so Owens takes a moment to cherrypick on Reigns, which draws the ire of ADR. Owens gets the better of del Rio, and then rolls Reigns back into the ring for a brief one-on-one sequence.

On commentary, Rollins swears up and down that he doesn't care who wins. If the last six months have taught us anything, it's that Rollins will beat anyone put in front of him. Cole's insinuation is clear, though: he thinks Rollins is afraid of having to face Reigns, one-on-one.

Outside the ring, ADR and Ziggler get up and start brawling, with Alberto winning it with a big dive off the barricade onto Ziggler. That gets him a huge babyface pop. On a roll, ADR gets in the ring and gets more cheers for blindsiding Owens, and then settling in on Reigns for a moment.

But before we get too far along, those two spill outside, where Ziggler and Owens have recovered. A schmozzy spot of Can You Top This, ends with Ziggler getting the last laugh after a superkick... but since Ziggler's also the one who just finished a hardfought match about 15 minutes, ago, he can't follow up. So instead, we break for....

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Back, and Reigns is out cold on the floor, as Owens and del Rio are double-teaming Ziggler in the ring. That goes on for a moment, and then, when Reigns starts to stir, del Rio goes over to kick him in the head. Reigns is out again.... that's really becoming His Thing, lately: just randomly taking a break during multi-way matches. He evaporated for several minutes during last week's Shield Reunion. And who will ever forget the "ROMAN'S SLEEPING" chant at SummerSlam?

Back in the ring, the partnership between Alberto and Owens starts showing cracks. They're able to agree on one final sequence of moves to completely decimate Ziggler.... but then, they can't agree on who will pin him. It comes to blows, and the crowd's pretty hot for it, with the fans siding with ADR.

And sure enough, Alberto slowly gains control, leading up to the low superkick that he used last night to defeat Cena. Just like that, Owens is -- ahem -- KO'd. But del Rio's advantage is short-lived, as Reigns awakes from his nap to cheapshot Alberto. Ziggler joins in, and with Reigns, they dispatch del Rio.

Reigns vs. Ziggler goes back and forth for a bit, before breaking in Reigns favor. He hits a big powerbomb, and del Rio has to dive in to break the fall. Owens threatens to get back in the ring, but ADR puts him down again with a run-up enzuigiri. ADR engages with Reigns, but Ziggler joins in, and hits the Zig Zag on Reigns. Del Rio chucks Reigns out of the ring.

Del Rio vs. Ziggler breaks in favor of del Rio, but then Owens is back. So is Reigns. Crazy fourway brawling with big spots everywhere. But finally, Ziggler powders out after a Cannonball by Owens. Del Rio powders out after the driveby by Reigns.

Reigns vs. Owens, in the center of the ring. Reigns sets up for the spear, but Owens counters with a superkick. Owens shoots Reigns into the ropes, with designs on the Pop-Up Powerbomb.

The pop-up part happens. But not the powerbomb. Reigns is elevated, but on the way down, he connects with the Superman Punch. Add a spear, and we've got our new #1 Contender.

Your Winner, and New #1 Contender: Roman Reigns, via pinfall, in about 16 minutes. Very good match, with a ton of action and drama, and a red hot crowd. First no-doubt-youtube-worthy match on RAW in forever. Sure the 98% favorite won, but that last spot was awesome, and it was a hell of a ride. I mean it, I think I glossed over about a half dozen near falls/false finishes towards the end (including ADR's first Cross Armbreaker of his comeback), just because I couldn't keep up. It was insane!

After the Match: Reigns celebrated for a bit, while Rollins insisted he doesn't sweat Reigns in a definite "He doth protesteth too much" tone of voice. Then, Reigns is done posing, and exits the ring for a staredown with Rollins. Rollins does not blink.... the two stay nose to nose until Reigns is the one who breaks out into a smirk, and then claps Rollins sarcastically on the shoulder and walks away. Reigns is celebrating again, on the top of the stage, as we fade to black...

And so ends the show... it was a really good one, too. The opening segment basically said, "Hey, here's what we're doing tonight," and then they followed through by delivering the goods. Sure, it seemed like everything was set up for Reigns to win it all, but they gave the matches time to get the fans vested, and the final four-way was just off the charts.

All told, the qualifiers and the four-way made up for about half of RAW's total air time.... this is a good thing: not only because they invested a substantial amount of time into, you know?, wrestling, but because it was time invested in 8 of your more bankable names, so the return on that investment was even better.

Speaking of bankable names: no John Cena. Everybody expected WWE to do some kind of big "write out" angle to explain why he's gonna be off TV until December, but instead, it looks like he'll just be quietly going away. Maybe WWE will try to pull some sort of retroactive injury and present it alll shoot-like: Cena showed up at RAW with dizziness, and it turns out he suffered a concussion at HiaC, or something like that, and people will be more apt to think it's "real" that way.

Personally, given the way Cena sleepwalked through the match at HiaC, I think it would be more compelling if they planted a story that Cena has "lost his smile" for one reason or another, and is taking his ball and going home for a bit. The internet smarks would be all over that one...

The parts of the show that weren't about the #1 Contendership... you had a big secondary headline, as the Wyatts now have custody of both Undertaker and Kane, and who knows where that's going. A tertiary headline would be Paige completing her heel turn, with no wiggle room left. I guess we're skipping the Paige/Nattie feud, and going straight to Paige as #1 Contender, too. Then everybody else got thrown into that mid-show six-man, and really, there's nothing to complain about, here.

WWE just completed back-to-back nights of very good TV. Let's hope they can keep the ball rolling as we head towards one of the original Big Four PPVs... I'll gladly slap a A-minus grade on tonight's RAW, and I'll see you in seven, OO Nation!

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Bonding Exercises

RAW RECAP: The New Guy Blows It

PPV RECAP: WWE Night of Champions 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: 18 Seconds? NO! NO! NO!

RAW RECAP: The Show Must Go On

SMACKDOWN RECAP: The Boot Gets the Boot

RAW RECAP: Heyman Lands an Expansion Franchise

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Losing is the new Winning

RAW RECAP: Say My Name

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Deja Vu All Over Again

RAW RECAP: Dignity Before Gold?

PPV RECAP: SummerSlam 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Backfired!

RAW RECAP: Bigger IS Better

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Hitting with Two Strikes

RAW RECAP: Heel, or Tweener?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Destiny Do-Over

RAW RECAP: CM Punk is Not a Fan of Dwayne

SMACKDOWN RECAP: The Returnening

RAW RECAP: Countdown to 1000

PPV RECAP: WWE Money in the Bank 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Friday Night ZackDown

RAW RECAP: Closure's a Bitch

SMACKDOWN RECAP: In-BRO-pendence Day

RAW RECAP: Crazy Gets What Crazy Wants

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Five Surprising MitB Deposits

RAW RECAP: Weeeellll, It's a Big MitB

SMACKDOWN RECAP: #striketwo

RAW RECAP: Johnny B. Gone

PPV RECAP: WWE No Way Out 2012

RAW RECAP: Crazy Go Nuts

SMACKDOWN RECAP: You're Welcome

RAW RECAP: Be a Star, My Ass

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Needs More Kane?

RAW RECAP: You Can't See Him

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Lady Power

RAW RECAP: Big Johnny Still in Charge

PPV RECAP: WWE Over the Limit 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: One Gullible Fella

RAW RECAP: Anvil, or Red Herring?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Everybody Hates Berto

RAW RECAP: Look Who's Back

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Care to go Best of Five?

RAW RECAP: An Ace Up His Sleeve

PPV RECAP: WWE Extreme Rules 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Sh-Sh-Sheamus and the nOObs

RAW RECAP: Edge, the Motivational Speaker?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: AJ is Angry, Jilted

RAW RECAP: Maybe Cena DOES Suck?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: No! No! No!

RAW RECAP: Brock's a Jerk

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Back with a Bang

RAW RECAP: Yes! Yes! Yes!

PPV RECAP: WWE WrestleMania 28

E-MAIL RICK SCAIA
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Rick Scaia is a wrestling fan from Dayton, OH. He's been doing this since 1995, but enjoyed it best when the suckers from SportsLine were actually PAYING him to be a fan.