The Undercard
The Shield defeated Mark Henry and The Uso's to kick off the wrestling portion of WWE Raw. A few things I noticed in this match was that Mark Henry continues to be a solid fixture in the WWE. Even though he switches from face to heel so much, he is valuable and can help the younger guys get over. The Shield looked impressive here, but they continue to take small steps backwards because of the lack of competition. I would rather see Christian or Cody Rhodes face Ambrose, while finding a new and fresh tag team to fight Rollins and Reigns. Instead, I feel like Henry cleaning the ring of them is a sign that Big Show will be a guy that comes back and tries to avenge his loss from Wrestlemania by teaming with Henry. It will be interesting, but won't be the prettiest match ever.
Grade: C+
Rob Van Dam defeated Fandango via Countout. There was not much to talk about this match because of the ending. Fandango was getting beaten down by RVD until he was kicked to the outside and ended up getting counted out. I am not sure what WWE wants to do with Van Dam at Summerslam, but they need to figure it out soon. If he is in a meaningless match, what was all of the hype for his return about?
Grade: C-
Kaitlyn defeated AJ Lee in a non-title match. Kaitlyn hits a spear as AJ swings herself off the ropes for the victory. It was a decent match considering neither are fantastic wrestlers. It also continues the feud. I can easily seeing Dolph/Kaitlyn facing Big E/AJ Lee at Summerslam.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Big E Langston via disqualification. I am not a big fan of Dolph vs. Big E at Summerslam. The outcome of this match was focused more on AJ costing Big E the match more than anything else. WWE is in a transition point with Langston where they do not know what is best for his abilities right now. Does he fight Ziggler at Summerslam? Obviously, they will be involved somehow but when WWE makes an entire storyline about a breakup, the female has to be in the middle. AJ Lee is great at building a story around her. Ziggler and Langston can work a good match together because the styles clash just enough to have the classic strength vs. speed match. Which one will win and who needs it most?
Grade: C+
