WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for February 13

Sami Zayn vs. Rusev (w/ Lana)

Result: Sami Zayn defeated Rusev via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Hey, look: Sami Zayn is an underdog! When has that ever happened?

After almost an hour and a half of uninspired, mediocre at best wrestling, these two had what seemed like a match of the year in contrast. It shouldn’t be surprising that two talented guys like this could do great things in the ring.

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Sami is at his best when he can scarily sell shots to the head like he’s been concussed. That’s kind of a weird thing to praise in 2017 with all the knowledge we have on head injuries. But Sami makes Rusev’s kicks look like they caused severe damage. That accomplishes two things: Rusev looks like a legit beast, and Sami looks even better when he can come back from it. So many wrestlers just want to look good dishing out punishment, they don’t think about looking good taking punishment. Sami does, and he does it better than almost anyone.

Following the match, Sami gets Chekhov’s Interview on the Stage with Charly Caruso. He ties up a bunch of story threads – his loss last week, his status as an underdog, puts Rusev over as an opponent, and even addresses Joe’s comments from earlier. It’s like Sami Zayn is the only person who understands that his segments don’t happen in a vacuum, you know?

But apparently Samoa Joe is like Beetlejuice, and if you talk about him long enough he shows up to destroy you. That’s a handy piece of information to have. Clearly, someone has seen the great matches Zayn and Joe had in NXT, and are pushing towards recreating that on Raw. I’m in!