Raw Reaction: Recapping and Grading Latest Episode (7/16)

The post-Money in the Bank edition of Raw took place tonight, resulting from the fallout from last night.

There are many questions facing the show. Who will be the general manager tonight? What will the Money in the Bank match winners do with their briefcases? Where will the CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and AJ storyline go?

Let's recap and grade the 999th episode of Raw, with the 1000th episode coming to us next week.

Opener

CM Punk opened the show tonight, in wake of his victory last night over Daniel Bryan at Money in the Bank.

CM Punk reminded everyone about his "pipe bomb" from a year ago and spoke on until Big Show interrupted him. They went on for some time, and to be honest, I was completely uninterested.

Don't get me wrong, Big Show and CM Punk are great on the mic. They are persuasive and can work a crowd. But this promo did absolutely nothing for any storyline. It was a waste of time.

The only good point from that whole segment was Big Show reminded everyone that Cena can cash the briefcase in after their main event match. 

Grade: D

Kofi Kingston and R Truth vs. the Primetime Playas

The tag team championships were on the line, as the No.1 contenders finally got their championship match against Kingston and Truth.

The champions work very well together. Their dual moves are exciting. There was a spot where Kingston jumped off Truth's back over the rope onto both Titus O'Neil and Darren Young. That was one of the coolest spots of the match.

After the match broke down, Kingston nailed O'Neil with a Trouble in Paradise, followed by a Little Jimmy by Truth. A pinfall followed and the champions are the same.

Grade: A-

We then got an AJ-Daniel Bryan segment. Eve Torres interrupted and announced a mixed tag match. Short, sweet and to the point, that's how all these should be.

Zack Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio

Alberto del Rio took on Zack Ryder next. I wonder who is going to win this match!

Del Rio was extremely aggressive and isolated Ryder's arm. The match ended with del Rio winning via Cross Armbreaker.

And then it happened, Rey Mysterio showed up while del Rio assaulted Ryder. He nailed a 619 and got the crowd absolutely jacked. This squash match got saved by Mysterio's surprise return.

Crowd: A+

We then got a Raw 1000 moment, which was a compilation of Heath Slater getting smacked around by Raw legends. Classic Slater, baby!

Heath Slater vs. Rikishi

I marked out hard!

Rikishi hit Slater with a superkick and a Stinkface. One move later, Rikishi hit the Banzai Drop. To sum it up, it was like I was 10 years old all over again.

Afterward, Rikishi danced with his sons, the Usos. I had a smile ear to ear. Bravo, WWE, that was one of the guys on my wish list to come back before Raw 1000.

Grade: A+

Eve Torres and the Miz vs. AJ and Daniel Bryan

Eve introduced her mystery partner, much to Michael Cole's delight, to be The Miz. 

AJ is actually a talented wrestler, other than the fact that she is so light that going off the ropes does nothing. The ending came as Eve rolled up AJ, but Daniel Bryan helped AJ reverse it while the ref was distracted.

Then, it turned into a soap opera when Bryan told AJ he loved her. He then proposed to her, to which she responded "yes." That is the stuff I can go without.

Not a great match, but it helped move the Bryan-AJ storyline (I think).

Grade: B-

Jack Swagger vs. Ryback

We had a Raw 1000 moment, when The Rock absconded with Stone Cold's custom belt and threw it and him off the bridge.

It was then reported that Bryan and AJ will get married at Raw 1000. That is the first uninteresting thing I have heard about Raw 1000 thus far, hopefully it's quick.

Jack Swagger then attacked Ryback before the match started and beat him down for a bit. Ryback would turn the tide and throw some stiff offense of his own. 

This was not an official match, but it looks like Ryback may have found himself a legit rivalry. This was the rivalry I called him to have, so hopefully it goes down.

Grade: B (for potential storyline and character development)

Dolph Ziggler Promo

Dolph Ziggler came out, following his win at Money in the Bank last night. He promised to cash in his briefcase successfully against Sheamus. He vowed to be better than many of the WWE's legends.

He was then interrupted by Chris Jericho, who appears to be turning face. The chant of "skinny jeans" on Chris Jericho definitely gave me a chuckle. 

Ziggler roasted Jericho on losing since his return and not winning anything. To be honest, I thought Ziggler did a good job on the mic tonight.

Out of nowhere, Jericho hit Ziggler with a Code Breaker. I am assuming this will lead to a feud, otherwise this was all for none.

Grade: B+

Brodus Clay vs. JTG

Brodus Clay is back to squashing jobbers again, as this time he destroyed JTG. JTG went after Clay's knee, but we all knew what was to come.

I hate to say it, but I am getting sick of Brodus Clay as the dancing fun guy. I liked him better as a monster heel that didn't dance with children.

Grade: D

We then got a Raw 1000 moment, where Donald Trump recounted his shaving of Vince McMahon's head. It was a good memory.

Big Show vs. CM Punk

In the main event, we got CM Punk take on the world's biggest athlete, The Big Show.

The question on most people's minds was if Cena would cash in his briefcase on Punk, which I doubted would happen because Cena would give a time and place for the title match (because he hustles, is loyal and respectful!).

Big Show dominated early. Punk would fight back, but Show would easily retake control. The three flying knees by Punk was awesome, which led to the flying elbow drop by Punk.

Show got a near fall after a chokeslam, as Punk got his foot on the rope. Show then got disqualified for shoving the referee, which protected both Punk and Show from losing momentum.

Show continued the attack after the bell, but John Cena showed up for the save. Cena was ging to make his announcement, but Big Show cut in saying he knew Cena was going to cash it in now.

Cena announced that he would in fact cash in his briefcase at Raw 1000, despite Show's call to cash it in now. Cena's announcement about the briefcase turned out to be him nailing show in the head with the briefcase. 

All in all, a decent match and big news. Can't rag on that.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

The follow-up Raw to Money in the Bank was a good show. There were some nice surprises and some decent matches, despite most being short.

I did not see a Make a Wish Foundation promo or a Be a Star ad. That is always a positive.

Add to that, we got the return of Rey Mysterio and the legendary showing of Rikishi. I am very pleased with tonight's episode.

Grade: B+