Raw Review: The Authority Continue to Assert Their Power
By Mike Smith
WWE.com
John Cena vs. Seth Rollins in a Lumberjack Match
All of the lumberjacks were heels, who were very rough on Cena, but backed off when Rollins was knocked out of the ring, and J & J provided the security.
The two men traded control for a bit at the beginning, with Cena eventually hitting his stride and getting on a roll. After he hit an AA on Rollins, J & J stopped him from going for the pin, and the lumberjacks saved Rollins by pulling him out of the ring. Cena then promptly hit a top-rope dive to the outside on Rollins and the lumberjacks.
Rollins was able to get back into it, countering a move on the top-rope and hitting his big corner-to-corner powerbomb.
Cena then hit another AA, this time being pulled out of the ring mid-pin.
Cena would have the match well in-hand one more time, but Big Show pulled him out of the ring and hit him with a KO Punch, before throwing him back in the ring and leaving him an easy pin victim.
Rollins defeats Cena via pinfall.
2.75 out of 5 stars – I’ll give the match credit for some good sequences, but the booking is just no good. I get that Cena’s in the world title match at Royal Rumble, and he needs to looks strong, but so is Rollins.
Seth Rollins just beat John Cena on Raw, and he didn’t even get to hit his finisher, but a 42-year-old got his big moves in. It’s unbelievable.
The Usos, Stephanie McMahon and Dean Ambrose backstage
Stephanie told The Usos that they may be upset about Erick Rowan, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler losing their jobs, but that it’s John Cena’s problem, not theirs, and they probably shouldn’t get involved. The Usos wondered if there would be any other punishment, and she said there would not be, and they started to walk away. She then called them back and told them to tell Naomi that she would be competing with her hand behind her back tonight.
She then told Ambrose that his actions last week on Raw and SmackDown were unacceptable, and she deemed him a danger to himself and the people around him, as Ambrose looked mortified at her words.
She then brought in a doctor and told Ambrose that he would undergo an evaluation to decide if he can compete in the Royal Rumble Match.
The Miz backstage
The Miz was hosting a Golden Globe After-Party, and had some kind words for his “friend,” George Clooney.
This was the typical non-sense that WWE does to try and get in the mainstream. It felt different from the stuff that Miz usually does to act “Hollywood”, and it just didn’t fit.
Dean Ambrose and his doctor backstage
Ambrose was doing his usual antics with the doctor, until he put down a mirror, and a clock started ticking. Ambrose locked his eyes on the mirror, looking completely frozen by what he was seeing.