The Good, the Great and the Awesome from Raw 7/14/14

Just six days away from Battleground, WWE rolled into historic Richmond, Virginia for a blockbuster episode of Raw.

John Cena and Roman Reigns were put at a disadvantage early in the night when tag team partner Dean Ambrose was brutally and savagely attacked by Seth Rollins, Kane and Randy Orton, ensuring that the night's six-man tag team main event would be reduced to a 3-on-2 Handicap match.

But would Kane and Orton be able to coexist long enough to put Cena and Reigns away, making a potential WWE World Heavyweight Championship victory at Sunday's WWE Network exclusive event more likely? An RKO from The Viper indicated it would not.

Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter frustrated Rusev and Lana during a U.S.-Russia detente, leading to a brawl between the two big men and some physicality from the Ravishing Russian. Swagger got the last laugh, but can he do it again Sunday night, when he and the Bulgarian Brute meet in one of the event's most anticipated bouts?

The Divas ran wild on Monday's broadcast with three different segments incorporating three different stories. One of them, the Divas Championship program between AJ Lee and Paige, has major implications on Sunday's Battleground event. Who will leave Tampa with the butterfly belt?

The Wyatt Family made its presence felt, laying out both Chris Jericho and tag team champions The Usos, while several of the competitors in the upcoming Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal cemented themselves as potential favorites to leave with the coveted title.

With the July 14 episode of Raw in the books, relive the best of the best with The Good, the Great and the Awesome from Monday night's show.

The Good

Credit: WWE.com

Mutual Admiration Society

To say WWE has done a mediocre job of building what should be a defining feud between Paige and Divas champion AJ Lee would be an understatement of massive proportions.

With that said, the mutual admiration between the two appears to be leading toward a heel turn for Paige, something that should rejuvenate a character that has been wildly mishandled since the young woman was called up to the main roster the night after WrestleMania.

On Monday night, Paige watched from the broadcasters' position as AJ defeated Eva Marie, who is progressing nicely as an in-ring worker and is showing promise and potential that simply was not there previously. AJ sat atop the announce table and engaged in an awkward conversation with Paige, adding to the story nicely and showcasing just how much underlying tension there is between the two.

Expect the latest chapter in the story to unfold at Battleground. Whether that comes in the form of a new champion, a Paige heel turn or a controversial finish remains to be seen. One thing is for certain: The issues between them are far from over, regardless of Sunday's outcome.

The Trials and Tribulations of Nikki Bella

It is not easy to make Nikki Bella look sympathetic. The plastic girlfriend of WWE's resident golden boy John Cena, she is far from the most likable woman on the Divas roster. Yet by making her the target of Stephanie McMahon's wrath, WWE Creative has managed to craft a story in which fans feel bad for the Bella Twin.

On Monday night, she showed great fire in fending off both Alicia Fox and Cameron in a Handicap match before finally being defeated by the former.

To his credit, Michael Cole has done an excellent job in recent weeks of putting the story over and making fans feel something, anything, for Nikki. The way he denounces the unfair situations she has been put in by Stephanie has really enhanced the story, something for which the hated commentator hasn't received enough credit.

Speaking of credit, Nikki has improved by leaps and bounds over the last year. Her power-based move set sets her apart from other women on the roster and helps elicit a response from the crowd of which others are not capable. While not quite the worker that her sister is, she is getting better with every passing week.

The eventual blow-off to the angle is sure to be the return of Brie and a match between her and Stephanie. To this point, though, Nikki has done a fine job of carrying the majority of the angle thanks to her work on Raw, SmackDown and Main Event.

Double Trouble for Fandango

Last Friday night on SmackDown, Summer Rae and Layla dumped Fandango in a display of unity fans never would have expected from the catty rivals.

On Monday night, they once again stuck it to their former dance partner, distracting him by dancing atop the announce table and allowing Dolph Ziggler to score a big singles victory heading into the Battleground Battle Royal for the Intercontinental Championship.

Celebrating with Ziggler following his victory only added insult to Fandango's injured ego.

It should be interesting to see if Fandango debuts a new dance partner over the next few weeks. Whether it was Layla, Summer Rae or the lovely brunette he debuted with, the beauty who escorts him to the ring is as much a part of his gimmick as the man himself. Without her, the character loses its mystique.

Perhaps this could be the opening for WWE to debut one of the NXT rookie Divas and get her some television exposure while she continues to train for in-ring battle.

The Great

Credit: WWE.com

Sheamus vs. The Miz

Like or hate United States champion Sheamus, but there is no denying the body of work he has delivered since returning from injury back in January.

The Celtic Warrior has been consistently great, a workhorse for WWE who can be relied on to deliver a great match with Superstars of any size or style. On Monday night he proved it against The Miz, who was in desperate need of a strong performance following a lackluster return two weeks ago.

WWE's resident Hollywood Superstar announced that he would join Sheamus in the Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal Sunday, then proceeded to upset the Irishman in the night's best match.

The match puts some much-needed heat on The Miz entering Battleground and makes him one of the favorites to emerge from that pay-per-view as the new intercontinental champion. It also sets up a big rematch for Tuesday night's Main Event broadcast, which has been the setting for a great deal of the hype for Sunday's Battle Royal.

Save Us, Chris

Bray Wyatt's promo on Monday night was not up to par with his previous work, but it did a fine job of putting heat on his match with Chris Jericho on Sunday night at Battleground, all the while leaving his reasoning for targeting Y2J a mystery.

Jericho delivered much better mic work, dipping into his bag of tricks and pulling out mentions of "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and Lord Alfred Hayes, among others. He wanted to know the reason for Wyatt's attacks of him, then channeled Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne by vowing to "get nuts" with Wyatt, if that is what the cult leader wants.

The appearance of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, coupled with a Sister Abigail from Wyatt on the Raw stage, was something fans have seen countless times before but was still quite effective in building to Sunday's showdown.

While the build to the match between Jericho and Wyatt may be somewhat lackluster to this point, the two have proven to work well together in the past, wrestling a spectacular match in NXT during Jericho's last run with the company.

Whether they can replicate the quality of that match at Battleground is a mystery, but expect to see Jericho do everything in his power to make it possible.

The Awesome

United States-Russia Detente

While the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match may be more hyped and the bout between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins better built, the contest between Jack Swagger and Rusev may be the hottest on Sunday's Battleground card, as evidenced by the crowd reaction to the U.S.-Russia detente that took place on Raw.

Lana was quite excellent as the antagonist, eliciting a passionate response from the fans in Richmond and resorting to "shut up" and "stupid" every time Zeb Colter made a valid point. It was classic heel work from a young woman who should not be as good as she is at this point given her relative inexperience. She has proven time and time again how integral she is to the Rusev character.

More importantly for her own future in the industry, she has proven that she can take on an expanded role one day, perhaps as an authority figure or manager to an even higher-profile star. For now, however, she makes the perfect mouthpiece and handler for Rusev, who has really stepped up his game over the last two months.

Colter's promo work was nothing we haven't been exposed to before, but he is a masterful performer whose experience in the industry allows him to understand the audience. His wrestling mind is one of the best in the company and allows him to put a slight twist on the basics to elicit the desired reaction. Without him, the feud doesn't work.

Lana getting physically involved by slapping Colter and pulling Swagger off of Rusev was a nice, unexpected touch to the entire segment, as was the spot in which Swagger caught Rusev in the ankle lock. The heat for the entire deal was extraordinary and really helped make the match between the two big men one of the most anticipated on the entire Battleground card.

Dean Ambrose

The fans in Richmond let it be known early Monday night that Dean Ambrose was the most popular of the three former Shield members, greeting his appearance on the TitanTron with a huge ovation.

His promo, during which he attempted to get John Cena and Roman Reigns on the same page, was well done, but it was the beatdown that he took at the hands of The Authority's Kane, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins that helped land him in the "Awesome" section of this week's article.

Ambrose was laid out, his body wracked with pain, but he still managed to look up at his attackers and spout off the line, "That all you got?" It was a great, defiant moment that showed the toughness of Ambrose.

The Curb Stomp he suffered looked vicious and finally put him out of commission, but not before he gave everything he had in fighting back against the heels.

The entire segment was exactly the type of performance that has helped Ambrose get over despite fears that he would be lost in the shuffle. Fans appreciate his toughness and his never-say-die attitude. No matter how much of a beating he takes, he keeps coming back.

His promos are excellent, he carries himself completely different from any other Superstar and the old-school feel of his character helps set him apart from his fellow Superstars. Big things await Ambrose if WWE Creative can capitalize on his recent performances.

Dissension Within The Authority

One of the running storylines on Monday's broadcast was the tension between Kane and Randy Orton.

Most expected Kane to do everything in his power to ensure that The Viper leaves Tampa on Sunday with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Devil's Favorite Demon, however, made it abundantly clear that he may not be so willing to help Orton do anything, let alone capture the top prize in the company.

Orton and Kane both made their concerns about the other known to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Triple H seemed almost annoyed by the bickering between the two Superstars. That annoyance would turn to very real concern by the end of the night, especially after Orton delivered an RKO to the Big Red Monster.

With The Authority experiencing dissension unlike it ever has before, there is no telling what Kane and Orton may do to one another Sunday night.

One thing is for certain: Triple H and Stephanie are almost guaranteed to have to dip into their bag of tricks, relying on "Plan B" if they want to ensure that John Cena does not leave with his championship. 

STING!

The Icon made his WWE debut Monday night during a commercial for the WWE 2K15 video game, and it was AWESOME. In all caps.

The video package touting his involvement with the game was extraordinary. From the orchestra playing Sting's theme music to the appearance of the man himself, it perfectly encapsulated what made the character one of the most captivating in wrestling history.

In one night, WWE erased any doubts Sting may have had about the respect with which he would be treated. Now all that is left is for him to appear live in front of the WWE Universe. If the reaction to the video is any indication, he will most definitely be greeted with a hero's welcome when that time finally comes.