WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 11/26/12 (W.W.E.S.H.I.E.L.D)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 11/26/12. What happens with the mysterious stable? Let's find out and start the review. 

Match #1: Ryback vs Titus O'Neil

We open up the show with a squash. Ryback…..kill it like the rest. After Ryback is done feasting, he apparently wants CM Punk and the NXT guys. You gotta love this. Ryback can't do anything to three rookies, but is very capable of dealing with 5-6 security guards. Wrestling logic dictates that the security staff are the weakest members of the show. Ryback's intimidation lowered WWE Security Staff's attack. Vickie Guerrero ends up caving into one of Ryback's demands. It will be Punk vs Ryback in a TLC match at the TLC PPV. I love how Ryback wanted four meals, but ended up only getting one with his negotiations. He's a bright one. Well, I guess this means my Punk/Foley theory was wrong. Hey, when I'm wrong about something, I will at least admit to it…..hint hint. I'm fine with Ryback getting another rematch, but I would like to see them move on from this. Ryback's a beast….against the scrubs. 

Winner via pinfall: Ryback

Match #2: Alberto Del Rio vs Khali

So, let me get this straight? Del Rio is trying to get in Rosa's pants, Rosa was wet last week, and Khali and Hornswoggle are in a relationship? Okay, just making sure the therapist next to me got all of that. Del Rio wins with the Cross Armbreaker. The match was blah, so I got nothing to add.

Winner via submission: Alberto Del Rio

So, we find out Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns are not working for Punk and are actually a group of guys who are here to, 'write the wrong'. Apparently, they hate the fact the WWE is becoming a popularity contest and are here to serve the injustice to certain people. Guys, you're a bit late there. It's pro wrestling. It's been like that for years. They are officially calling themselves The Shield. The Shield? Well, I guess this is the part of the program where Nick Fury arrives to tell us about the Avengers initiative. In all seriousness, I kinda like this idea. Yes, the idea has been done before, but I think these three guys can add something new because of their characters. We'll wait and see, but I got my eye on you. Their promo work wasn't too bad for a first outing. They will only get better.

Match #3: Tamina vs Alicia Fox

Alicia is another diva that will play face one week and quickly change the next. It's like the WWE doesn't give a s***. I can't blame them. It's only the diva division. Tamina wins with the Superfly Splash. Some cheap exposure for Tamina, but it works.

Winner via pinfall: Tamina

More John Cena/AJ drama. It's the same stuff from before. What it all boiled down to was Cena/Dolph for later tonight. Oh, I got some thoughts on this whole thing, but not until later. Cena and AJ continue smiting with each other. Cena even does bad acting while kissing somebody. I think that can sum up the whole thing. Apparently, when I called Cena the world's biggest third grader, he meant business. 

Match #4: Kofi Kingston vs Tensai

So, here's what I gathered with Tensai. He sold his soul for more money. Why else would he go back to WWE if this was going to be his fate? Oh well, not everybody can be a star. Some people are just born to be jobbers and whatnot. Kofi wins with a Crossbody. I hope it was worth it, Tensai. Wade Barrett was on commentary for this match and just hands Kofi the IC title after the match, but not without a s***-eating grin on his face. I talked about this last week, but I'm not big on this idea. The sooner I can accept it, it sooner I can move forward. 

Winner via pinfall: Kofi Kingston

Match #5: Daniel Bryan vs Rey Mysterio

I love how Daniel's home state, Washington State, isn't fully supporting Bryan based on his 'metrics'. That actually made my day right there. Of course, Bryan was just pulling this out of his ass since Kane wins the poll. It will be Punk vs Kane because of fan voting. Bryan gets the consolation prize in fighting Rey. In a fair match, Rey wins by dropping the dime. I love King's line, "This isn't gonna sit well with Bryan". Not gonna sit well with Bryan? This isn't gonna sit well with the IWC. And that's a storm you can't prepare for. Many will argue the importance of this match, but let's keep in mind that Bryan and Rey are apart of tag teams. This is all for the build of the tag titles. 

Winner via pinfall: Rey Mysterio

Match #6: John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler

Ladies and gentleman, prepare to witness Dolph sell the AA. What he's gonna do is take the AA, jump into a pool of liquid, hot, magma. Then he will resurrect himself, slap himself in the face with a skillet, and repeat the process three more times. Sigh….I have a couple of issues with this match, but I will just go ahead and tell you Cena ends up winning the match with the AA. Yeah, Cena TRIES to sell his injury, but does about the job you expect at this point. I'm not surprised and neither should you. Dolph tries to cheat, but AJ gets involved in the match. By the way, didn't Vickie technically touch AJ? I'm just…saiyan. Dolph is about to use the MITB case on Cena, but Cena uses his Spider Sense to scout it and hit the AA. The scene ends with Cena and AJ kissing and walking away. Oh, where do I begin? Okay, so let me get this out of the way. Am I surprised Dolph lost? No. It's Cena. This is the guy the WWE will have win everything until the end of time. My main problem with this is the fact it was done tonight. They pretty much ended the storyline tonight, but here's my question. Why in the world didn't you wait until PPV to do this match? Cena vs Dolph is something that easily could've been added to the card, but you pretty much end it tonight with that performance. Yes, I may have hated this storyline, but you generally end things at the PPVs and not on free television. So, a storyline that featured some bad acting, terrible writing, and mediocre payoff. The match was pretty good. In fact, you can argue that it was PPV caliber. The match quality isn't my issue and neither is the booking….kinda. My main issue is the fact they didn't wait to put on this match until the PPV. Which is why I felt they should've waited until the PPV. It's possible they get the ladies involved to make it a mixed tag match at the PPV, but that's a pretty stupid idea. I know it would make sense, but it's still pretty dumb. If Dolph had won tonight, then I think it would've added a lot more to the scene. Dolph would've gotten more cocky and Cena would ponder on his 'injury'. In fact, Cena was already injured and you could've easily had Dolph cheat in order to get this one. Again, the world isn't gonna blow up if your 'injured' superhero actually gets screwed over. Instead, none of that happens and it makes me lose whatever interest I had left for this whole thing. I'm sorry, but this is bad writing no matter how you process it. Believe it or not, we aren't done with the review. There's still more show to go through….oh boy. 

Winner via pinfall: John Cena

Match #7: Sheamus vs Antonio Cesaro

Well, this match wasn't too bad. It made both guys look good and it protected them as well. Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick on Antonio, but sends him out of the ring. Big Show's music hits and Antonio is issued a countout. After the match, Sheamus explains that he will show what Barbaric means…..

Since Show was jealous that he didn't get the quote, he decides to break the chair. Take that, Office Depot. Yeah, I think Sheamus may have pissed him off some more. It's odd how this rivalry really picked up after Show beat Sheamus at HIAC. Ever since that happened, I've liked what they've done here. 

Winner via countout: Sheamus

Match #8: Damien Sandow vs Zack Ryder

Damien needs to talk more. I really have missed his promos during the birth of Rhodes Scholars. What the hell is Ryder wearing? Is that the Ghostbuster logo combined with his broski stuff? Ugggggggh…Damien wins. At least that was satisfying. You're welcome.

Winner via pinfall: Damien Sandow

Match #9: CM Punk vs Kane

I just noticed something. The promos for tonight's show were kept to a minimum. Seriously, there was very little to almost NO promos. I guess they made up for that by showing recaps of last week and tonight. The creative staff is only getting paid by the hour. Gotta fill out that time somehow. This was a pretty fair match. I love how Pauly pulls Punk closer to the ropes. Kane could've just pushed him away from the ropes, but wrestling logic told him to question it. Punk hits the GTS and picks up the clean victory. After the match, Samuel L. Jackson sends his group to attack Kane. They disagree with the fan voting. Bryan arrives to help his partner, but the Shield takes him out as well. Ryback finally arrives. I love how Punk jumps the guardrail. It's like he's saying, "F*** that, I quit!!!". Ryback is able to hold his own against Shield, but Punk causes enough of a distraction for the Shield to regain control. The show ends with Punk standing tall. Oh, and because Ryback had his straps down, I expect to hear Kurt Angle going crazy on Twitter later in the week. Anyway, I like the ending of the show. While we got some motives by The Shield, you still have to question them. Are we really getting the truth or are they working for Pauly? If they are here to correct the wrong, will they affect other situations? It's a step-by-step process, but I like what I see. It has some potential. 

Winner via pinfall: CM Punk

Overall Impression:

This show wasn't perfect, but it did have its moments. Outside of the Shield segment, the beginning of the show really didn't have a whole lot to offer. The second hour was better in the action department, but that Cena/AJ storyline. Reckon, I had very little interest with that storyline to begin with, but I have to question some of the things they did with it tonight. Again, they should've just waited until PPV to do the match, but now I'm just beating a dead horse. The third hour was also fair in the action department. Not a perfect show, but it does have a couple of redeeming qualities. It progressed the storylines and made a couple of announcements regarding TLC. So far, the PPV at least looks intriguing, but it isn't exactly perfect. Nothing is perfect and that's the last thing I expect from a wrestling show, but it has some potential. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. See you next time.