WWE Raw Report

Date: 05/28/12 from New Orleans, LA.

The Big News: Big Show dealt out a little payback to the heartless jerks he once called friends.

Show Analysis:

Big Show came out to start the show. He smiled and said that is him doing his job. He said it is easy making people smile and he doesn’t mind doing it. But it was a business decision to make a living. The crowd chanted for Cena. Show said he doesn’t have to smile anymore because he has an ironclad contract with a big bonus and is set for life. So you were working by the hour and living in poverty previously? Show said he is not an entertainer but a giant and there is no athlete in any sport in his league.

Show wondered if that was why nobody came to his defense when he was at his lowest point. He cited Brodus Clay, R. Truth and Kofi Kingston dancing right after. Show’s right. Brodus Clay is a prick. Show said it was easy for everyone to just move on and the one who disappointed him the most was Cena. Show thought Cena would confront Laurinaitis and threaten a mutiny on behalf of his friend Big Show but instead Cena came out telling jokes like a jackass. Show said Cena hurt him when he didn’t care, so he hurt Cena. He added that at the next PPV he will beat Cena, hurt Cena and embarrass Cena worse than Rock, Brock Lesnar or John Laurinaitis. Big Show was great here as the heel who is completely in the right.

Alberto Del Rio beat Santino Marella in seconds. Santino immediately hit a head butt and went for the cobra but Del Rio cut him off with a kick and applied the armbar for the submission. I know it’s nothing new, but when the US champion loses in seconds, it isn’t leading to a title match because the guy who beat him is three levels above him, and this isn’t in any way a notable event, it’s time to dump the counterproductive trinket.

Alex Riley backstage told Eve Torres she is doing a great job. It looked like he was about to start hitting on her but Big Show entered. Torres told Show that Show would get to pick his opponent on Raw. A nervous Riley said he didn’t think what Laurinaitis did was right and that he admires Show. Show told Riley that he wouldn’t pick him for the match and Riley was relieved. Show told Riley he had a message for the locker room and rammed Riley into the wall. He never did say what the message was.

Kofi Kingston and R. Truth beat Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler to retain the tag team titles. The heels worked over Kingston briefly. Truth got the tag and hit a DDT on Swagger. Ziggler broke up the pin attempt, at which point Kingston took out Ziggler. Truth then hit his leaping downward spiral on Swagger for the pin. After the match, Ziggler yelled at Swagger and said he was better than this. Damn straight he is.

Big Show threatened Santino backstage. Brodus Clay stepped in and suggested Show pick him for a match later in the show. Show agreed and said that after the match Clay wouldn’t be dancing or walking.

John Laurinaitis came to the ring. He said that Show vs. Cena at No Way Out will be in a cage. Laurinaitis then unveiled what he said would be the cover of the WWE 13 video game with his image on the cover. CM Punk came out and unveiled a much larger banner that dropped from the ceiling with Punk on the official cover instead. They teased Laurinaitis would do something to retaliate but instead he just angrily wished Punk luck in his upcoming match and left. This sequence of events made absolutely no sense on any level.

Daniel Bryan beat CM Punk. Bryan worked over Punk, concentrating on the arm. A.J. came down to ringside in Punk apparel. Punk made his comeback with a swinging neck breaker and running knee. Bryan avoided the bulldog and rolled up Punk for two. Bryan hit a few European uppercuts but Punk countered with a springboard clothesline. Punk set up for a top rope elbow but Bryan got up and crotched him. Bryan then hit a superplex.

Bryan went to remove the turnbuckle pad. A.J. got up to protest, which prevented the referee from seeing it. Punk hit a head kick for two but when he ran in for the high knee, Bryan dropped him on the exposed turnbuckle for the pin. Kane came in after the match to hit Bryan with a chair and choke slam him on the chair. A.J. gave Punk a chair, which allowed Punk to clear Kane from the ring. This was a good match, as one would expect. I sure hope they just do a straight Bryan vs. Punk PPV rematch rather than putting Kane in a three way.

Christian beat Miz. Cody Rhodes did commentary. Miz hit his back breaker/neck breaker combination. Christian responded with an inverted DDT but Miz countered the spear with a boot for two. Christian hit an elbow off the second rope and set up for the kill switch but was distracted by Rhodes walking. Miz rolled up Christian for two. Miz went for the skull crushing finale, which was reversed into a kill switch attempt, which was also reversed. Christian moments later hit the kill switch and frog splash for the pin.

Backstage, John Laurinaitis said he was disappointed in David Otunga for tapping so fast to John Cena and in Eve Torres for not getting an apology from Sheamus. Otunga suggested Laurinaitis put him in a match with Sheamus. Laurinaitis agreed and said that he may want to retire in 20 years so he needs people he can count on. Teddy Long got coffee for Torres but it was cold so she spit it out and poured it on him.

Miz complained in the ring after his match. It was just a bunch of generic complaints. Randy Orton came out and gave him an RKO. This felt like a burial. It was kind of funny given I assume this is Miz’s sendoff to do the Marine role that they wanted Orton to do but that they got pressured out of. Backstage, Dolph Ziggler told Vickie Guerrero he wants to be in singles competition like Orton.

Sheamus beat David Otunga with his punches against the ropes, white noise and the Brogue kick. This was basically just a showcase for Sheamus to hit some big moves.

Big Show vs. Brodus Clay never started. Show called Clay a sellout, embarrassing himself nightly. Show suggested that maybe when people get tired of seeing Clay dance, he can get some makeup and be the next Doink. He added that at least Doink had talent. Show then speared Clay on the floor. He threw him into the post. He hit him with a piece of the announce table repeatedly. Kofi Kingston and R. Truth tried to make the save but he laid them out too. Show finally hit the KO punch on Clay. Cena never appeared on the show.

Final Thoughts:

This show was a lot better than recent weeks. The wrestling was better, the talking was better and the booking was better. Still, it’s hard to get terribly excited about a show built around Big Show turning for literally the 14^th time in WWE and feuding again with babyface John Cena, a feud that was going on before Brock Lesnar left WWE the first time.