The John Report: The WWE Raw Deal 09/22/14

Live from Memphis, Tennessee this is the Raw Deal for episode #1113. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport.

The show started by showing what happened at the end of Night of Champions with Seth Rollins causing the DQ finish, giving the win to John Cena and Brock Lesnar leaving with the WWE Title.

Dean Ambrose made his return to Raw to start the show. He said "I'm not dead" and set up the video of when Seth Rollins and Kane drove Ambrose's head through cinderblocks at ringside. He said he was flattered that The Authority would go to such great lengths to try to take him out. He said he wasn't leaving this ring until he got his hands on Seth Rollins because he never gets tired of punching Rollins in the face. He put a chair in the ring and sat in it while the crowd chanted "Ambrose" in support of him.

John Cena's music started up. Cena walked down to the ring in serious mode because he was pissed off that Seth Rollins cost him the WWE Title. Ambrose said he was bothered by Cena standing in the ring with him. He told Cena not to give him a reason to not like him. Cena said they have a similar agenda because Seth Rollins did his best to take out Ambrose. Cena told him that he was going to beat Brock Lesnar and he should be WWE Champion if not for Rollins. Cena was fired up: "I'm cashing in my Ass Kicking in the bank contract on Seth Rollins." Ambrose said he warned Cena. He told him not to get in his way. Cena took off his hat and shirt while Ambrose took off his jacket. Cue the interruption.

The Authority group consisting of Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton, Kane and Seth Rollins stood together on the stage. Hunter told them both to relax. He said they're not going to fight Rollins. Cena and Ambrose charged at them, but the heels were working together to fight them off. Rollins ran away into the ring and then went through the crowd. Ambrose got his hands on Rollins as they ran all the way to the back. The announce team of Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and JBL were talking about what happened.

The fight continued backstage as both Cena and Ambrose went after Rollins. Neither guy could really get their hands on Rollins as Rollins was able to get away and he made it to the parking lot. Some dude with a van was trying to get his bag out of the trunk, so Rollins shoved him down and drove off in the car. Ambrose and Cena were left to just stare at each other as the show went to break.

Analysis: Way to promote car theft, WWE. If you don't want to deal with your problems, go steal a car. I'm only kidding. It made sense in the storyline that Ambrose and Cena wanted to get their hands on Rollins. He should have been their target after he made things difficult for them. A cowardly heel always runs away from a fight, so it was right for Rollins to get the hell out of there. It was definitely a unique opening to Raw. You don't see starts like that all the time. Different is good.

(Commercial)

They replayed the carjacking.

Randy Orton talked with Kane, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon backstage. Hunter booked Orton in a match with Cena while Kane will take on Ambrose. Orton told them to tell Mr. Money in the Bank to stop starting fires that they have to put out.

Analysis: A few hours before Raw, WWE advertised Orton vs. Ambrose on their website and all their social media. They even made a graphic. Now they're doing Orton vs. Cena again even though they've done it hundreds of times. How much planning really goes into this show? They must change their mind a lot.

The Miz is the new IC Champion and Damien Sandow also has a smaller version of the IC Title since he's the stunt double. Ziggler gets his rematch.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz (w/Damien Mizdow) vs. Dolph Ziggler

No sign of R-Ziggler because Dolph is apparently serious now. Miz hit a shoulderblock, then a knee to the midsection. Miz hit a dropkick to the left knee of Ziggler, but Ziggler countered a Figure Four Leglock attempt by kicking him into the turnbuckle. Comeback by Ziggler with a clothesline and corner splash, but Miz came back with a neckbreaker by the apron that sent Ziggler to the floor. It's floor to commercial break time.

(Commercial)

Back from break, Miz hit a corner clothesline. When Miz jumped off the top rope, Ziggler nailed him with a dropkick right in the face of Miz. Ziggler hit some clotheslines, then a corner splash and neckbreaker. Huge jumping DDT by Ziggler for two. Miz was able to apply the Figure Four Leglock in the middle of the ring. It would mean more if Miz worked on the knees more, but Ziggler is still doing a great job of selling it for about 30 seconds and then he grabbed the ropes. Outside the ring, clothesline by Ziggler on Miz and then one for Mizdow. With Ziggler stumbling back into the ring, Miz capitalized with the Skull Crushing Finale, which Ziggler was able to kick out of. Ziggler hit a rollup for two. Fameasser for two. Great nearfalls right there. They did a pinfall sequence with Ziggler getting the title back with a rollup exchange. Ziggler grabbed the tights for the victory just like Miz did one night earlier. The match went 13 minutes.

Winner by pinfall and new Intercontinental Champion: Dolph Ziggler

What was great about the post match is that Mizdow ended up copying the way Miz was complaining about the loss. Genius.

Analysis: ***1/4 That was a hot match. Ziggler winning the title back by using the tights was a nice way to get payback from the night before although having another title change is annoying. They do them too often. Maybe it's their way of getting people excited about watching Raw because they can say they will have title changes, but one day reigns aren't going to help anybody. I've noted before that I saw these two work a house show match for 12 minutes in early July where they built up to the finish of Miz getting hit in the face. They've worked together consistently for three months and have built up a good chemistry. It showed in this match.

Later in the show will be a Roman Reigns medical update plus Ambrose vs. Kane.

(Commercial)

Plug Time: This Tuesday at 10pmET it's TJR Radio episode #51 with our guest, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas. My co-hosts are The Ace and Justin Seagull. We'll do the show for about 90 minutes or so with Jimmy joining us for about an hour as we discuss the current happenings in WWE while also tossing some questions Jimmy's way about his time in WWE as well as any questions that our listeners may have. Our show last month with Bret Hart broke records for us, so we're looking to continue that momentum. If you can't listen live that TJR Radio link will work after it's over.

Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter vs. Bo Dallas

It's apparently rematch night on Raw. Dallas hit a knee to the ribs. Swagger came back with a big boot followed by a Swagger Bomb. Dallas gave Swagger a neckbreaker. Dallas tried to attack again, but Swagger came back with a Patriot Lock and Dallas tapped out for the finish at around three minutes.

Winner by submission: Jack Swagger

Post match, Colter said "I Bolieve" in Bo's creaky voice. He said he bolieved that Jack Swagger just made him tap out.

Analysis: * It was a short match just to give Swagger another win over Dallas. It's a shame that the Dallas character is booked so poorly now, but apparently Vince McMahon isn't a fan of the gimmick. At least Dallas is only in his mid 20s and has plenty of time to be a star.

The announce team acknowledged the passing of Eric the Actor from the Howard Stern show. Then they plugged Cena vs. Orton later.

(Commercial)

There was a tweet from Florida Georgia Line from last night. I can't say I care.

Prior to the divas match, a clip from Total Divas was shown with Summer Rae making a derogatory comment about Natalya,

Summer Rae did a promo about how tough it is being the prettiest person in the room. She said she didn't need Nattie, the Total Divas or any of the fans. She said summer may be over for us, but it's always summertime for her and her girl Layla.

Analysis: That's the heel turn of Summer Rae apparently. She's better as a heel anyway.

Natalya w/Rosa Mendes vs. Summer Rae w/Layla

Summer hit a spin kick and then a leg lock. Natalya slammed her down and then threw her down by the leg. Running dropkick plus a discus clothesline by Natalya. Layla jumped on the apron to distract, which led to Summer getting a rollup. Natalya rolled through with a Sharpshooter. Layla jumped on the apron, so Rosa tripped her up to knock her down. That led to the submission win by Natalya as Summer tapped out at around three minutes. The crowd popped for the finish at least.

Winner by submission: Natalya

Analysis: * Just a short match to continue the storyline from Total Divas. I like that Summer is a heel because she's more natural in that role. She hasn't been on the main roster that long, but in NXT she was good as a heel. Natalya needs a push back in the Divas Title picture. Even in a three minute match she showed she's better than WWE's other divas in the ring.

Kane vs. Ambrose up next.

(Commercial)

There were replays of the opening segment as we reach the top of hour two. They found somebody with a "Lunatic Fringe" sign. I like Ambrose a lot, but not sure about that nickname. Both are WWE Films stars and both have wrestled in tank tops recently although only now Ambrose does.

Dean Ambrose vs. Kane

Ambrose was aggressive early on with a dropkick and then he sent Kane over the top. Ambrose hit a dive between the top/middle ropes to take out Kane. Ambrose pulled out chairs from under the ring, so Kane replied by hitting a boot to the face. Kane threw Ambrose shoulder first into the steps. Back in the ring, Kane hit an uppercut punch and then an armbar. Ambrose hit a DDT to start his comeback. Ambrose did his clothesline off the ropes followed by a missile dropkick for two. Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Kane. He was going for the cover, but Seth Rollins showed up to cause the disqualification at the six minute mark.

Winner by disqualification: Dean Ambrose

Post match, Ambrose fought off Rollins. He went for a dive outside the ring, but Kane nailed Ambrose with a punch. Kane nailed a Chokeslam on Ambrose. He left. Rollins went back into the ring. Ambrose grabbed a chair, so Rollins slowly backed away.

Analysis: ** The match was pretty standard with Kane in control for most of it, then Ambrose made the big comeback and looked like he had it won. Rollins coming in for the DQ upset the fans because he cost Ambrose a win, but from a storyline perspective it made a lot of sense. They had a brief brawl this time around. They're saving the big battle for later down the road.

Another reminder that Cena vs. Orton round 1,467 is up later.

(Commercial)

Backstage, Seth Rollins and Kane were walking backstage. Triple H told Rollins that he needs to stop setting these fires. Ambrose attacked Rollins from behind. Security and officials showed up to pull him off. I love how Triple H didn't do anything. What a tough guy! Anyway, Stephanie showed up to tell them to lock Ambrose into a room by himself. She referred to him as a loose cannon, which is a Brian Pillman reference.

Analysis: The "loose cannon" gimmick works for Ambrose. Locking him in a room is a bit of an extreme punishment, but at least it pushes the idea that he's not going to get out of there. At least that's what we're supposed to think.

There was a recap of the Roman Reigns hernia surgery operation from Saturday. He's out for a few months. It seems like end of November is possible for the return, but maybe December.

Sheamus made his entrance followed by The Usos. The announcers plugged the Connor's Cure charity that WWE is involved with. You can get involved at auction.wwe.com. That six man tag is after a break.

(Commercial)

The six man tag started after the break.

The Usos & Sheamus vs. Goldust, Stardust & Cesaro

The Usos are back in their regular orange gear after changing it up for Night of Champions. Lots of quick tags from the heel team until Cesaro went in there and demanded Sheamus fight him. Clothesline by Sheamus, big boot by Cesaro and a huge uppercut rocked Sheamus. High running knee followed by a clothesline by Sheamus on Goldust, who was legal. The crowd is dead at this point as Jey hit a headbutt on Goldust for two. Stardust tagged in for his team. The Usos worked together for a nearfall on Stardust. Weird dynamic in this match with the faces in control for a lot of it. The heels finally got control after Stardust dropped one of the Usos across the top rope for help. That led to a break.

(Commercial)

Sheamus received the hot tag for his team and hit a rolling senton on Stardust. He hit the ten clubbing clothes to the chest. Sheamus knocked Cesaro off the apron temporarily. When it looked like Sheamus was going to attack Sheamus, Cesaro grabbed him by the legs and slammed him stomach first on the floor. That was a big move. The heels worked over Sheamus in their corner for a few minutes. Stardust went to the top rope for an attack, but Sheamus got his forearm up to block it. Jey got the hot tag for his team and Goldust also tagged in. Jey hit a spinning plancha on the Dust brothers for two. Jimmy with a superkick on Cesaro. The two Usos jumped over the top to take out Stardust and Cesaro. Jey went to the top for a splash, but Goldust got his feet up. He hit the Final Cut. Sheamus broke up the pin. Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Stardust. Cesaro took Sheamus out with a clothesline. Jey hit a superkick on Goldust, then he tagged in Jimmy and he hit a Superfly Splash for the win after 16 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The Usos & Sheamus

Analysis: *** It was really slow paced early on, but like usual the pace picked up. It seems like I say that during every Usos match. They know what they're doing out there. It's still weird seeing Goldust & Stardust working as heels because they were such a great face team. That's not to say they will be bad in this role. All it means is that the fans are taking their time warming up to them as heel. The finish was typical WWE booking where somebody gets pinned the previous show (in this case the tag champs) and then they get their win back the next night. At least it was an entertaining match. That's the best part about it.

Backstage, Seth Rollins went up to Orton. Rollins was there to show his appreciation that Orton was facing Cena tonight. He told Orton he may have a surprise for him at ringside. He also said he was going to watch his match at ringside with Kane. Orton told Rollins that he does like surprises. Orton looked confident now.

Analysis: Heels making plans on camera. That doesn't always work out.

Mark Henry was shown walking backstage.

The trailer for the WWE 2K15 game aired. It was on the internet earlier on Monday. I'm not much of a gamer, but it's very cool looking.

(Commercial)

There was a shot of the outside of the room where Dean Ambrose was supposedly locked inside. There were security guys standing outside of it.

Mark Henry entered for a promo one night after losing to Rusev. He said he was there to apologize because he feels like he let the country down. Henry mentioned he wasn't 100% physically and said the fans are entitled to pick on him - he said that because they chanted "what" at him. Henry said he was sorry and that he hates that he let the people down. JBL ripped on him saying he should beg for forgiveness.

Rusev showed up on the ramp with the ravishing Russian Lana. She said Henry didn't have to apologize because the Americans understand because they're apologetic and pathetic like him. The camera shot of her backside is a good idea, I'm just saying. When she said "Memphis, Tennessee" to mock the fans she did it an accent. She thinks that the fans wanted another match between Mark Henry and Rusev. Henry said if the people will allow him to destroy this man tonight then bring it on. She said "Rusev crush" so apparently the match is on.

Rusev marched to the ring and the match was set for after the break.

Analysis: Henry's tone for the promo was as it should have been. Lana's really developed into a good heel promo. Their match at Night of Champions was poor. This is also the second match on the show that's a rematch from the night before. That's typical of WWE booking post PPV. They love doing rematches the next day.

(Commercial)

This Tuesday on Main Event it's Miz TV with Dean Ambrose as the guest. They are pushing Ambrose hard since his return.

Rusev (w/Lana) vs. Mark Henry

Rusev immediately attacked Henry in the ribs and his back. The key to their NOC match was when Henry took a hard back bump into the stairs. Rusev targeted the back of Henry from the beginning and then he applied a head/shoulder submission move as they replayed the NOC bump that hurt Henry. Rusev kicked the back of Henry repeatedly. Rusev applied the head/shoulder submission three times. At one point he hit a dropkick, which was impressive. Henry hit some weak clotheslines, a gentle splash in the corner and a body slam. Henry sent Rusev back first into the steps and then the barricade. Back in the ring, JYD headbutt by Henry. Like a dummy, Henry went for a move off the middle rope, so Rusev tripped him up and he unleashed a yell. Rusev wanted Henry to get back up, but he wasn't able to. Rusev was like "screw this" and he just applied the Accolade submission move once again, which led to Henry passing out after 8 minutes. I wonder if viewers passed out from boredom.

Winner by submission: Rusev

Analysis: 1/2* This match was so boring. Since I try to say nice things, Henry did a good job of selling the back injury the whole match. The match was done to further the result from the night before and put over Rusev as a monster heel. This feud is apparently over. Rusev needs a new opponent. Big Show might be next.

Post match, Rusev celebrated with Lana while doctors checked on Henry. JBL went into his routine of ripping on Henry for letting America down while Cole said the Russians only did the match because they knew Henry was hurt.

There were replays of all the Dean Ambrose related scenes from earlier in the show including locking him in the room.

Adam Rose and the Bunny were walking to the ring for a tag match. The Bunny is in a match. Of course he is.

(Commercial)

This was around the time of halftime of the NFL game. Great counter programming, WWE. The Bunny is the official wrestling name of the dude in the bunny costume. Cole: "This is a Monday Night Raw first time ever - a bunny competing in a match." He said it like it was a big deal.

Heath Slater & Titus O'Neil (Slater Gator) vs. Adam Rose & The Bunny

O'Neil hit a modified backbreaker and brought in Slater as JBL wondered how The Bunny is in the ring. It's because the booking is terrible. That wasn't tough to figure out. Plenty of quick tags by the heels as they worked on Rose. Rose hit a dive to the knee of O'Neil. Slater tagged in and then the Bunny received the hot tag. The Bunny hit some kicks on Slater followed by a missile dropkick. O'Neil charged in, Bunny ducked and O'Neil went crashing to the floor. Spinning heel kick by the Bunny. Then the Bunny tagged in Rose and the Bunny took out Slater with a dive. Party Foul by Rose for the pinfall win after three minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Adam Rose & The Bunny

Analysis: * This is the moment where the viewers at home either start falling asleep or changing the channel as they wonder what the hell is going on. It's not like The Bunny is bad in the ring. It just looks stupid. Maybe the kids love it. There will obviously be a reveal to show that The Bunny is actually a wrestler with the rumor being that it will be a returning Darren Young although that's not confirmed. The Bunny is undefeated. The streak begins.

When the match was over, the awful commentary continued with JBL repeatedly saying how bad it would be if #BunnyMania was trending on Twitter. He said it about five times, which was part of the joke. Two segments later they mentioned it was trending. Could you imagine if they cared about midcard talent the way they care about what is trending?

Nikki Bella was shown walking backstage.

(Commercial)

The announcers plugged WWE Network and we had another shot of the room where Ambrose is supposedly locked in.

Nikki Bella entered for a promo. Her shorts are pretty tiny. I'm not complaining. She blamed her Night of Champions loss on her sister Brie saying she didn't want Nikki to win. She called out Brie Bella, who entered in her Brie Mode shirt. They argued about the same stuff they always argue about that make me want to hit fast forward and never look back. Nikki said that Brie is an embarrassment to her and the name Bella. She said Brie doesn't deserve to be called Bella - she should be Nicky's Trashy Sister or The Quitter. Nikki said she wants the Bella name and simply wants to be known as The Nikki Bella. Brie said she wasn't going to give up the Bella name because it's as much hers as it is Nikki's. Nikki told Brie to take her husband's last name. Their real last name is Garcia, which they didn't mention. The crowd didn't care about this until Nikki said that Brie regretted marrying a troll, which is a Daniel Bryan reference. Brie slapped her. Brie went for the Yes Lock, but Nikki escaped and went to the floor.

The new Divas Champion AJ Lee made her entrance for a match. Why doesn't she take her husband's last name too? Oh...right.

Analysis: So we're supposed to think that the Bella name is some coveted prize now? I don't care. The crowd in the building that made no noise during this segment also didn't care. Why do they keep getting these drawn out promo segments that are so ridiculously over the top that it kills the crowd? I know they're on Total Divas and that's what this is for, but nobody cares. If they had a match or a brawl that's fine. Enough with the silly promos, please.

(Commercial)

The former Divas Champion Paige joined the announce team. She said she is no longer a friend of AJ Lee. I guess that's storyline progression.

AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella

It's CM Punk vs. John Cena! Well, not really. This is not for AJ's Divas Title. AJ threw Nikki into the corner, but Nikki bounced back with a clothesline for two. AJ's stomach was against the ropes, then Nikki used her ass to push her against the ropes. So it was the ass to ass submission move? I don't know what it's called, but I didn't mind it. Outside the ring, Nikki tossed AJ into Paige at the announce table. Back in the ring, Nikki hit a chinlock and then a boot to the face. Nikki applied an armbreaker like Alberto Del Rio. Since he's fired they can give that move to somebody else. AJ fought out of it. Nikki hit an Alabama Slam for two. The crowd is totally dead for this. When Nikki charged in the corner, AJ went to the top rope to avoid her and Nikki went crashing hard. That led to AJ applying the Black Widow submission as the crowd woke up with some cheers. Nikki tapped out for the submission loss after five minutes.

Winner by submission: AJ Lee

Analysis: *1/2 I appreciate the effort by the women to have a competitive match. However, the crowd was absolutely dead for this. If you listened to the crowd earlier in the show they responded more favorably to Natalya than these women. Maybe it's because it was earlier in the show when the crowd wasn't tired, but it also shows that these storylines are not connect. How much longer can AJ vs. Paige go? We've seen enough.

After the match, Paige yelled at AJ while AJ was in the ring. AJ kissed the Divas Title. That was it.

Triple H went up to the security guys to make sure Dean Ambrose was still in there. The main event is next.

(Commercial)

This week on Smackdown it's a Tag Team Title rematch with Goldust & Stardust defending the gold against The Usos.

The announcers mentioned that a block was brought out to ringside. It's a black box of some kind with the idea that it had cinderblocks in it. Of course it looked pretty big and as if a person could fit inside of it. Gee, I wonder who could be in the box.

Seth Rollins and Kane entered as support for Randy Orton, who came out next. Somebody tell Rollins he doesn't need the briefcase. No Brock Lesnar around. He's probably at home watching football like I was. Raw is my DVR viewing on Mondays.

John Cena entered last. He switched shirts again. Now he's wearing a "Keep calm and never give up" blue shirt. The red and yellow hat and armbands remain with green and black shoes. This guy changes his shirt colors often. He likes money. Go buy them all, kids.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton (w/Seth Rollins & Kane)

A slow pace to this match that we've seen so many times. Cena hit a bulldog and Orton came back with a knee lift to stun him. They went to break a couple of minutes into the start of it.

Analysis: Cena wasn't on the floor when they went to commercial. He's so controversial.

(Commercial)

Cena missed a shoulder tackle and went crashing to the floor. Orton dropped Cena back first onto the announce table. Back in the ring, Cena gave Orton a back body drop over the top to the floor. They did a double clothesline spot in the ring although they were showing a replay, so the broadcast didn't really show it. The crowd is pretty dead as Orton hit a modified backbreaker for two. Hard whip into the corner by Orton. It's chinlock time by Orton to kill the crowd more. Powerslam by Orton for two. Cena went for the AA, but Orton slipped out to stun him across the top rope and then Orton fought out of the STF to hit a clothesline. After Orton tripped up Cena on the top rope, Orton hit his draping DDT off the top rope. It was a few inches higher than normal. That was good for two. Cena finally got some offense in as he applied the STF on Orton. That was the cue for Rollins and Kane to get into the ring. The match went 15 minutes when the ref called for the disqualification.

Winner by disqualification: John Cena

Analysis: ** It was one of the most boring 15 minute matches that you're going to see. It was as if I could call the spots because I have written about their matches so many times. As soon as the match was announced, it was obvious that it would have a DQ ending. The work they did before it was okay, but it's not like it was anything fresh or new from two guys that have wrestled dozens of times. In all my years of writing about Cena vs. Orton matches I've never heard the crowd that dead for it. It's probably because they knew the DQ was coming.

After the match, the three heels worked together to destroy Cena. Rollins hit a kick to the head and Kane hit a Chokeslam. They dragged Cena outside the ring.

Rollins cleared off the announce table. He told Kane to take off the cover of the box. The announcers are idiots, so they thought it was going to be cinderblocks. Instead, it was Dean Ambrose. He jumped at Rollins and attacked him. The crowd popped big for it, so it's nice to know they were alive. Ambrose was throwing punches at everybody. He threw Orton into the ring post and then he hit a dive off the announce table to take out all three guys, which seems to be a signature spot for him. Ambrose did a clothesline that saw Rollins do a flip to sell it because Rollins is awesome. Cena hit the AA on Kane. Rollins retreated through the crowd. Orton got out of the ring.

Raw ended with Dean Ambrose and John Cena in the ring together fighting off the three Authority members. Ambrose's generic rock music played to end the show. I'm a huge fan of the guy, but he really needs a better theme song. The focus was on Rollins being able to get away from Cena and Ambrose by escaping through the crowd.

Analysis: It was a good angle as long as you throw out your brain and realize that WWE wants us to think that a guy that was locked in a room was able to move himself under a box without anybody noticing.

The purpose of this show was to get Dean Ambrose over as a babyface star that was back for vengeance. He was basically doing the "Stone Cold" act where he was fighting against the powers that be and he was the main focus all night long. He's a good performer that deserves a push, so I really have no problem with him getting a lot of attention. His feud with Rollins is hot and when they do have their next big match likely at Hell in a Cell it should be awesome.

I'm looking forward to monthly Dean Ambrose jumping out from boxes spots. He did it at the Hogan birthday party when he was in a birthday present box. Then he did it on Raw. Let's see what he will hide under next month. I'm only partly joking. I actually want to see him keep doing attacks after hiding under boxes just because of how silly it is.

Three Stars of the Show

1. Dean Ambrose - I'm still not a fan of the "Lunatic Fringe" nickname although I like him a lot.

2. Dolph Ziggler

3. The Bunny - He's undefeated.

The Scoreboard

4 out of 10

Last week: 5

2014 Average: 6

2014 High: 9 (April 7 & June 30)

2014 Low: 3 (September 1)

Last 5 Weeks: 5, 7, 3, 4.5, 6

A note on the average score. On April 28 the average was a 6.6. It has dropped 0.6 since then. It may not seem significant, but it is.

Final Thoughts

It was another below average show that I'm giving a 4 out of 10. I really wanted to like the show. It's not like I'm in a bad mood or anything like that. It was just below average for the most part. Please don't think I'm a negative fan. I gave Night of Champions a 7 out of 10 and had people saying I was too nice. I'm not. It was just better than average because the in-ring work was good.

The parts I really liked were Ziggler winning the IC Title in a good match although really they should have had him retain at SummerSlam instead of a one day title reign for Miz. The six man tag was also pretty good although it was a standard match. Finally, the last three minutes were cool, but that was only after watching a boring main event match that the crowd was absolutely dead for.

That Rusev/Henry match was even more boring than their match on Sunday, which I didn't think was possible. Don't put them in a match again.

The crowd doesn't care about the Bella Twins, yet they're still out there talking about their name like they're a big deal. Maybe when Nikki vs. Brie happens the crowd will care, but the promos do more harm than good because they lack the ability to rally a crowd.

There was no sign of Brock Lesnar (he was at home) or Paul Heyman on the show. I get that WWE wanted to put the focus on the return on Ambrose, but they barely put any attention on the WWE Title situation.

What happened to Bray Wyatt? He's too talented to not be on the show. Too bad he isn't a Bella Twin because then he'd be on every show for far too long.

I don't blame the crowd for being dead. It was a boring show. Next week they're in Chicago and if WWE puts on a boring show, that crowd is going to let WWE hear it by booing people as well as chanting "CM Punk" all night because that's what they do. Shoutout to Mark Henry.

Congrats to The Bunny for being undefeated. I might celebrate by eating rabbit for dinner.

-----

That's all for this week.

This Tuesday at 10pmET it's TJR Radio episode #51 with our guest, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas. My co-hosts are The Ace and Justin Seagull. We'll do the show for about 90 minutes or so with Jimmy joining us for about an hour as we discuss the current happenings in WWE while also tossing some questions Jimmy's way about his time in WWE as well as any questions that our listeners may have. Our show last month with Bret Hart broke records for us, so we're looking to continue that momentum. If you can't listen live that TJR Radio link will work after it's over.

Check out my feature column archive that's exclusive to WhatCulture. Some recent posts include 10 things WWE you to forget about Mark Henry, some crazy videos involving CM Punk with wrestling fans and urban legends about Randy Orton. I do ten posts per week over there, so there's plenty of content to check out.

Have a great week.

John Canton - mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport

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