WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for May 15

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. The Miz (w/ Maryse)

Result: The Miz defeated Dean Ambrose via disqualification

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The opening sequence to this match was great. The fast pace, high energy style fits the story between these two very well. And for two guys who aren’t really known as technical wizards, the smoothness with which they moved through that series was impressive.

But coming back from the break, the production crew did something that always irks me. Heading into commercial, Ambrose was in control; after the ads, Miz is hitting signature moves. Whether it’s a production issue or just a pacing issue with the layout of the match, how do you gloss over such a turning point in a title match? Sure, they recapped it after the fact, but still.

Remember a few times when SmackDown first went live, they kept the match playing in the little window during the commercials on big matches? How come Raw hasn’t done that yet?

Things like that can take you out of a match, and this one was really good. Like, this was probably the best Dean Ambrose match in a long time, that’s how good it was. All the way up until the finish, at least.

I can totally buy Ambrose being too much of a dummy to realize about the DQ incoming. It’s also easy to see him wanting to be a jerk and hit Miz with a low blow. But lousy finish aside, at least we got Corey “The Brain” Graves working overtime to justify Miz’s attempted low blow as a “strong style inner thigh grab.” Fantastic.

Finn Balor, Cliche Machine

Looks to me like Finn’s gonna take it one day at a time. You win some, you lose some, and he’s just going out there to do the best he can.