Recap
The Architect and The Beast have a date with destiny at WWE Battleground but there is still much road to travel for Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar as the WWE Universe made another Monday Night Raw pit stop in Washington, D.C.
This is how it all went down:
Seth Rollins, Kane, and J&J Security open the show with smiles and smugness. Rollins discusses “taking power” when he took out Brock Lesnar last week. Rollins demands the fans show The Authority the proper respect before presenting his Authority Family each with an Apple watch, Kane with a vacation to Hawaii, and J&J with a brand new Cadillac. (Awkward opening segment)
Big Show vs. Mark Henry
Two guys well past their prime with limited in-ring ability. Yawn! Big Show takes it with a KO.
Match Winner: Big Show
Match Rating: 1/10
The Miz vs. Ryback
Strong moments. Weak moments. Ryback eventually causes The Miz to run away and get counted out.
Match Winner: Ryback via Count Out
Match Rating: 5/10
Paige vs. Alicia Fox
This match maintained a slow pace and was given a decent amount of time for a Divas bout. Not the greatest female wrestling match of all time but it could have been a lot worse. Paige picks up the roll-up victory.
Match Winner: Paige
Match Rating: 4/10
Cue the music and the sing-a-long; John Cena is out next for the U.S. Open Challenge ... Kevin Owens comes out and it appears as though Owens has accepted the challenge; until Owens grabs a mic and introduces Cena's real opponent: Cesaro.
John Cena (c) vs. Cesaro (United States Championship)
Strong showing from Cesaro who took John Cena to the limit. Excellent back-and-forth action. However, Kevin Owens, who was sitting in on commentary - and had some great banter with Michael Cole - would interfere when Cesaro locked Cena in a Sharp Shooter.
Match Winner: Cesaro via DQ
Match Rating: 8/10
Following the match Owens would explain his actions; stating how he was going to be the one who takes the U.S. title away from Cena.
Bray Wyatt cuts another masterful promo on Roman Reigns; discussing fathers and how he will not allow Reigns to succeed.
Lucha Dragons and Prime Time Players vs. The New Day and Bo Dallas
Solid tag team contest with fast-paced excitement provided courtesy of the Lucha Dragons. Titus O'Neil takes out Kofi Kingston for the victory.
Match Winners: Lucha Dragons and Prime Time Players
Match Rating: 6/10
-Dolph Ziggler and Lana Go Public-
Lana discusses becoming "more than friends" with Ziggler but is bombarded with "What?" chants until Rusev and Summer Rae make their way down to the ring. Rusev rants about Lana until he is interrupted by Ziggler who in turn officially declares Lane "his girlfriend." Ziggler and Rusev stand off before Rusev leaves the ring. Summer Rae calls out Lana for being a "phoney" before slapping the taste out of her mouth. The two blonde beauties brawl for a quick minute before being pulled apart.
Backstage: Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns fire each other up in preparation for their main event match.
Neville vs. Sheamus
Sheamus dominates much of this match and the crowd hates every minute until Neville can mount some offense of his own but The Celtic Warrior proves too much for The New Sensation.
Match Winner: Sheamus
Match Rating: 5/10
Jack Swagger vs. King Barrett
Another filler match for King Barrett ... Royal Bull Hammer ... Done.
Match Winner: King Barrett
Match Rating: 1.5/10
Seth Rollins and Kane vs. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns (No DQ)
Plenty of hard-hitting action. Roman Reigns wanted to "rage" and was doing just that until he was attacked by Bray Wyatt; leaving Dean Ambrose to fend for himself; taking a Pedigree and the loss.
Match Winners: Seth Rollins and Kane
Match Rating: 6/10
Post Match: The Authority beat down Roman Reigns and toss him through a table before Seth Rollins delivers a Pedigree.
Bray Wyatt returns to pick the carcass of Roman Reigns ... Sister Abigail.
What We Can Expect Going Forward
While Seth Rollins is promoted and positioned as the top heel in WWE; there remains a lack of legitimacy in the Brock Lesnar storyline. It is difficult to look past Lesnar as a real fighter and strictly as a fake wrestler. This angle has provided the WWE Universe with a fresh feud but it could fall flat if not executed properly. It will be interesting to see how the next few weeks and the actual match at Battleground unfold.
Paige is doing her best to keep the Divas Division interesting but something needs to change and quickly. If Nikki Bella surpasses AJ Lee as the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time; will it be because she has earned that distinction of will it simply be a jab taken at AJ for leaving the company? Bring up some of the NXT Women already!
Dolph Ziggler/Lana/Rusev/Summer Rae = High School Storyline.
The anticipation for Kevin Owens vs. John Cena III continues to build and is expected to deliver on all fronts.
What comes next for Dean Ambrose?
Bray Wyatt actually appeared in front of the live crowd and made an impact by taking out Roman Reigns; building the interest level higher as they head into their match at Battleground.