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
Rollins' Revenge
August 10, 2014

by Rick Scaia
Exclusive to OOWrestling.com

So, the Rock was hilarious during an appearance on "Conan" a week or so ago, and I decided I wanted to watch it again... so I went to teamcoco.com.

And I found it, and sure enough, it was still hilarious. But it also led me to another discovery...

Back during the Medical Unpleasantness, I basically took 3 months off from my standard viewing habits, and the only shows I saw were ones I watched in real time, from my hospital bed. And as a result, I missed Conan doing a "Clueless Gamer" segment on WWE2K14.

I finally rectified that during my last visit to teamcoco.com. If you missed it, I suggest you do the same. Just click here. I couldn't stop giggling after they showed Conan's custom character, and Conan declared "Jesus, I'm an asshole" because of his character's ring entrance. The punchline: it was Jeff Hardy's ring entrance, and yeah, it's not exactly endearing when Jeff prances about like that, but it's downright ridiculous when you give those flailings to someone else.

So yeah, that was just about the hardest I laughed this past week. You're welcome if it does the same to you. But let's cut the jibber-jabber, here's what happened on Friday's SmackDown...

Introductory Video for the Benefit of Those with ADD: OO does not recap recaps. And on this night, get ready for that to result in a lot not-recapping...

DEAN AMBROSE PICKS HIS POISON

Ambrose hits the ring, and takes a moment to brag about how outsmarted the Authority on Monday's Beat the Clock challenge. He congratulates Seth Rollins on being a very solid "Plan B," but declares that there is no planning for Dean Ambrose.

As a result of Monday's events, Ambrose now gets to pick the stip for his match against Rollins at SummerSlam... he jokingly runs down a list of the more ludicrous matches in wrestling history, including a "JBL's Hat on a Pole" Match. He closes with a brainstorm: "Or, hey, how about a Loser Must Wash Triple H's Car Match. Oh, wait, Rollins does that already."

Speak of the devil, here's Rollins to retort. Standing on the stage, Rollins does a spiel about how, when they were together in The Shield, he (Rollins) was the sobering yin to Ambrose's raging yang, and so it doesn't matter what harebrained scheme Ambrose comes up with for SummerSlam, cuz Rollins will figure out how to emerge victorious. Rollins waits out a "You Sold Out" chant, and then tells Ambrose to just quit joking around and name his stip.

Ambrose waxes nostalgic, about how the last time they were scheduled for a match, Rollins was able to weasel out... so he wants a match where there is no escape. But no, not a Cage Match (which would have been alright, I guess). Ambrose wants the ring surrounded by other men, and he hopes they are enemies they both made as The Shield, and who'll keep them BOTH honest so they can tear each other apart inside the ring. So Lumberjack Match. Thud.

Obviously, I was thinking/hoping for something a bit more epic, likely involving putting Rollins MitB Briefcase on the line (the mind wanders to a ladder match, in that case)... but Ambrose goes and picks pretty much the lamest of gimmick matches, instead? Boo. I'msure they have their reasons, and have a finish/story-of-the-match in mind that uses the stip, but still, I can't help but feel disappointed.

Oh, and Ambrose's revelation is NOT the end of this segment. Rollins is all "OK, gotcha, but now I have an announcement for YOU." It turns out that the Authority have given Rollins the chance to name Ambrose an opponent for later tonight. So Rollins picks Randy Orton. BOOK IT!

[ads]

BIG SHOW & MARK HENRY vs. RYBAXEL

Henry returned on Monday, and now Show's back, too. And apparently, they've decided to reform the tag team that they sort of, almost, maybe were planning on last year before injuries sidetracked them.

Axel gets his ass kicked by Henry for a bit. Ryback tags in and does a bit better. So Show tags in. So does Axel. Little Pier Four action, and Show chokeslams Axel for the win.

Your Winners: Big Show and Mark Henry, via pinfall, in 4 minutes. Show and Henry are certainly a compelling duo, but man, it sure seems like the babyface side of the division is getting crowded...

[ads]

Backstage: Dolph Ziggler and Adam Rose are yucking it up, watching footage of RAW, when Ambrose caused Rollins to lose to Heath Slater (yes, THAT Heath Slater). And then Rollins shows up. Rollins slinks away as Rollins directs his indignation towards Ziggler. Ziggler isn't worried, and keeps yucking it up, suggesting that Rollins' new gear makes him look like Catwoman. Rollins finally has enough, and says that HHH gave him the power to pick Ambrose's opponent tonight, so he figures it's alright if he picks his own. And he wants Ziggler in the ring. Ziggler's just fine with that.

SIN CARA vs. DAMIEN SANDOW

This week, Sandow is dressed up as a Border Patrol agent (we're in Laredo, TX), and cuts a prematch promo about deporting Sin Cara back to Mexico when he's done with him.

But then the bell rings, and it goes the way things normally go for Sandow. Maybe a bit better (he actually got a 2 count after the Terminus), but Sin Cara countered the You're Welcome, and followed up with the Swanton.

Your Winner: Sin Cara, via pinfall, in 2 minutes flat. Poor Sandow. Poor, poor Sandow.

[ads]

Replay: it's the big-ass Cena/Lesnar video package from RAW, bookended by hype from JBL and Cole. And that's it. That's the whole segment. Whee?

[ads]

DOLPH ZIGGER vs. SETH ROLLINS

Slowish, feeling out start to the match, with Rollins eventually taking control with nefarious tactics, including hair pulling. Kicks off a beatdown.

Ziggler gets a hope spot, and tries for a Fameasser, but Rollins avoids it, and chucks Ziggler out of the ring. Break in the action means a break for...

[ads]

Back, and Ziggler's in mid-hope-spot again, but Rollins puts an end to that with a boot to the head. More beatdown, and most of it pretty methodical. The lack of action leaves the announcers plenty of time to talk more about Rollins vs. Ambrose and Ziggler vs. Miz (both at SummerSlam) than about the actual Rollins vs. Ziggler match happening in front of them.

Finally, Ziggler powers out of a chinlock, and starts his for-real comeback. Pace picks up as we hit End Game. Tons of near falls and reversals, most in Ziggler's favor. Builds up to an attempted Zig Zag, but Rollins holds onto the ropes to counter it. Ziggler crashes and burns.

Rollins tries to end it with a springboard curb stomp, but Dolph gets out of the way, and hits his Fameasser for the most convincing near fall, yet. Ziggler backs Rollins into the corner, requiring the ref to physically get between them for the break. Rollins takes advantage by kicking Ziggler in the knee while the ref is pushing him back.

The brawl spills outside, where Rollins controls the action, introducing Ziggler to the ring post, the steps, and the barricade. Then, he tosses Ziggler back into the ring, and makes a big spectacle out of lining up for the Curb Stomp. Jerk. Then he hits it, and it's all over.

Your Winner: Seth Rollins, via pinfall, in about 15 minutes. A little slow to get going, but quite excellent by the end.

Backstage: Renee Young interviews Randy Orton. He says a few words about Roman Reigns, but focuses on his opponent tonight. He says Ambrose's little lunatic act is cute, but he (Orton) is the truly unstable and sadistic superstar. Not even Orton knows what he's gonna do tonight; he just knwos it's gonna be bad for Ambrose.

[ads]

NATALYA vs. PAIGE

Paige skips on out to the ring, still mimicking AJ, supposedly as "homage" to her injured "friend" and not as a taunt. Uh huh.

Paige also offers a Handshake of Friendship to Nattie, who declines. So Paige instead delivers a bitchslap. That makes Nattie angry, and she goes on a tear, dominating for a minute or two and then cinching in a Sharpshooter.

Paige has to grab the bottom rope for a break, and then bails out of the ring to regroup. Nattie follows, and that was a bad idea. Paige Turner on the floor (Paige Turner Paige Turner~!). Nattie tossed back into the ring. A bit of heelish stompy stompy, then Paige locks in the PTO.

Your Winner: Paige, via submission, in 3 minutes. Not too shabby. It'd definitely be fun to see these two do a full 10-12 minutes. Sadly, unless it happens in NXT, it's probably not in the cards.

[ads]

BIG E (w/ No One) vs. RUSEV (w/ Lana)

Well, E certainly provided ample competition for Rusev back in May and June, but those days are behind us, and Big E is apparently headed towards a heel turn. But the "New Nation" aren't here tonight, and things aren't exactly looking good for Langston.

Rusev domination. Fire up by Big E. Whiffs on the Criss-Cross Splash. Camel Clutch. Fin.

Your WInner: Rusev, via submission, in 3 minutes. I can state, with authority, that this was a thing that happened.

Backstage: Tom the New Guy is here with an ostensibly-live-but-almost-certainly-pretaped-on-Monday interview with Chris Jericho. He's glad he's eliminated the "symptoms" at SummerSlam, but the disease itself still lingers. This isn't over until Jericho finishes Bray Wyatt. He's ready to "get crazy."

[ads]

Recap: they replay pretty much the entire Steph/Brie bit from RAW. And it was the entire segment. Jesus, they're sure making my job easy.

[ads]

DEAN AMBROSE vs. RANDY ORTON

Orton is going after Ambrose's injured shoulder immediately out of the chute. But Ambrose has to be getting used to that tactic, and uses Orton's single-track-mindedness against him by unleashing various counter offensives, some even leading to near falls.

But when Ambrose goes for his double-arm nooselock, Orton powers out and gets in a minute or two of his own offensive. That ends when Ambrose ducks a charge, and fires back with a clothesline that sends Orton out of the ring. Plancha through the ropes, and now both guys are down. Which means we watch some...

[ads]

Back, and Orton's in control and working that poor left arm. A split-screen reveals that Orton took over as the two brawled outside the ring, during the break, and Orton suplexed Ambrose onto the announce table.

Several minutes of heel domination is almost all arm-related. Leads up to a cool moment when Orton's got an armbar, and Ambrose just starts laughing, daring Orton to REALLY cinch it in harder. Orton does, but Ambrose keeps laughing. In frustration, Orton lets go and decides to punch that look off Ambrose's face.

Advantage: Ambrose. He gets the better of the exchange and hits a big DDT. He's slow to cover, but this is our turning point and the start of End Game. Ambrose is on fire, leading up to an attempt at Dirty Deeds, which Orton counters, but Ambrose bounces back off the ropes and clotheslines Orton out of the ring.

Ambrose attempts a second Flying Goat dive, but Orton side steps and Ambrose crashes to the floor. Ambrose meets the ring steps. And a second time. And a third. Orton sets up for the Hanging DDT (using the apron), but Ambrose is able to get his feet planted and turn it into a backdrop onthe floor. NOW he's able to hit a second plancha.

Ambrose picks up Orton and gets him back in the ring, where he's got designs on finishing the match... but here comes Seth Rollins. Rollins gets up on the apron, distracting Ambrose. In fact, Ambrose finally decides to bum rush Rollins, sending him crashing to the floor.

Orton attempts to take advantage of the distraction, but after a bit of double reversey, Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds. Rollins has no choice but to get in the ring and break up the fall.

Your Winner: Dean Ambrose, via Disqualification, in 20 minutes. It's amazing what Ambrose can do with the basic "here's my injured body part, do what you will with it" psychology. Here, he added a new wrinkle of almost being able to use it AGAINST a singleminded opponent. Pretty incredible. Obviously, the finish is a bit of an anticlimax, but a necessary evil, and the journey getting there was a lot of fun.

After the Match: Rollins brawls with Ambrose, but when it spills outside, it turns to Ambrose's favor. Rollins has to dive into the ring to escape... Ambrose follows, and eats an RKO out of nowhere. Rollins stands back to let Orton enjoy a few more Revenge Shots at Ambrose's carcass. Then Orton indicates "He's all yours," and leaves.

Rollins takes over, and beats on Ambrose some more. Then, he grabs a beverage from a fan, and makes a big show out of dumping it on Ambrose's head (revenge for Ambrose dousing the MitB Briefcase, I guess, but also pretty silly). Then Rollins steps back, and much like he did earlier, makes a spectacle out of setting up the Curb Stomp. Then he hits it. Then he celebrates as we fade to black.

And so ends the show. Not bad while stuff was actually happening, but obviously loaded with filler and fast-forwardable bits, too.

Still, cant' complain a whole lot about Orton/Ambrose or Ziggler/Rollins. And since I was watching on DVR and had access to a FF button, I won't linger on the bad. I just watched a 2 hour show in an hour and 15 minutes. And fully half of that was awesome wrestling. And the rest wasn't terrible.

Let's go ahead and call this one a C+. The student certainly shows promise, but clearly is not applying himself fully.

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
BROWSE THE OO ARCHIVES

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.