By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder
Hell in a Cell 2014 seems to have exceeded people’s expectations, which is always nice to hear. Sadly, I wasn’t able to catch the show. What really sucks about that, is I wasn’t able to see the Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins cell match. From what I’ve seen, they put on an awesome match, while paying tribute to a couple of the classic matches (Undertaker/Shawn Michaels and Undertaker/Mick Foley) in the process. Thankfully, WWE made the right call and put that match on last. I said it before the show, and I’ll say it again, there was no way Orton and Cena were going to top them. It also makes a nice statement about WWE looking toward the future.
And by God, Ambrose and Rollins are such stars.
Thoughts From WWE Raw:
Randy Orton goes on a verbal tirade against Seth Rollins to kick off the show. Alright, I’ve got to eat a little crow here. Last week I said, “Randy Orton is a great wrestler, but he’s just not a good talker.” Well, Orton proved me wrong in the very first segment of this week’s show. But keep in mind, what I was saying last week was how phony and heavily scripted Orton’s promos usually sound. This week, he ditched his usual slow pace and just ranted. It was awesome. And apparently, Orton went into anger management in 2006. Hey, I believe it.
With the RKO on Seth Rollins, the Randy Orton face turn appears to be in full swing now. That’s a good thing. It gives Randy an opportunity to freshen up his character, and opens the door for some new rivalries. I’m also interested to see if he can continue pushing the idea that the RKO can be hit any time and anywhere, as all those Vine videos so delightfully conveyed.
Team Cena vs. Team Authority booked for Survivor Series. *groan* Well, it looks like we won’t get Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. And on top of that, we got another “You should turn heel, John” promo, this time from Triple H and Stephanie. Triple H’s part of it was fairly intriguing, with the notion that Cena’s getting beat up, and “can’t stop the future.” But still, it’s incredibly disappointing that we won’t be seeing Brock Lesnar for another month. What’s more, when we do see him, he’ll be against Cena again. Granted, Someone else (Randy Orton, perhaps?) could be added to the match. But it’s still disheartening.
Bray Wyatt cuts a return promo on Dean Ambrose after costing him his cell match. I still don’t understand some of what Bray Wyatt is saying in these promos that everybody loves so much. But I suppose as long as he understands it, and can motivate it, that’s what matters. Really intrigued by what we might see from this Wyatt/Ambrose program.
Dean Ambrose opts to assault Cesaro with a microphone instead of wrestling him. I hate to say this, but how far has Cesaro fallen since his big battle royal win at Wrestlemania? He’s so talented, and deserves so much better. But good lord, who hasn’t beaten this guy lately?
Ryback def. Bo Dallas. It looks like the returning Ryback is a babyface again. The timing of Ryback’s heel turn last year was odd. But it did give him a chance to develop his on-screen charisma a bit more. I get the impression that the somewhat unhinged personality we see him display on television is very much an extension of who he really is, which is how most good pro wrestling personas develop. It’s also nice to see another fresh face on the show.
Hulk Hogan shows up for another Susan G. Komen segment. I like Hogan in this role. It suits him well at this stage in his career. They can use him on television without him stealing the spotlight, as he inevitably does, whether it’s intentional or not.
Incidentally, Jesse Ventura told an interesting story about Hogan on Piper’s Pit with Roddy Piper this week. I have no clue how much truth there is to it, but it sounds like the Hogan we know. He tells it during the last 15 minutes of the show.
Mark Henry heels on The Big Show during a tag team title match. Predictably, Mark Henry goes heel. Nothing wrong with that. Henry’s a guy the fans love to hate. I’m interested to see if they turn the “Sexual Chocolate” chants into something that pisses Henry off. They might as well. The fans chant it every time he’s in the ring.
Images from wwe.com.
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