WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 2/18/13 Review (They unveil a giant HOF ring)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 2/18/13. Will we get any new rivalries as we head towards WM? Let's find out and begin. 

We open up the show with John Cena. As the man talks about how big of a bonus he will get  with Twice in a Lifetime, CM Punk interrupts and basically suckers Cena to put his WM ticket on the line. Next week will feature Punk vs Cena, where the winner will face the Rock for the WWE title at WrestleMania. The promos was pretty good, so I can at least give them that. Since we still don't have any idea as to what Punk will be doing at WM, this match might give us a few clues on his plans. 

Match #1: Mark Henry vs Sin Cara

I thought we would get a match that lasted about 60 seconds, but I was surprised. It lasted around 61 seconds. HAA!!! After Henry squishes Sin, Khali shows up after the match to confront Henry. Instead of beating up the dancing fool, he walks away and just mocks Khali. So, Henry goes from destroying everybody in the EC to mocking a Punjabi? Being a former world champion has its perks. 

Winner via pinfall: Mark Henry

Match #2: Antonio Cesaro vs Miz; No DQ

Miz wins with the Figure Four. It appears that Miz can only beat Antonio when the US title isn't on the line. I stand by thoughts on this rivalry in the EC review. I still feel it's missing something, but I think tonight's interaction was starting to add some spice to the storyline. It's at least a start. 

Winner via submission: Miz

Match #3: Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler

In a fair match, Del Rio wins with the Cross Armbreaker. Apparently, Big E thinks it's over for you. I'm just reminding you in case you didn't catch that. Dolph was about to cash in the MITB, but Ricardo Rodriguez stole the briefcase long enough to make sure Dolph didn't get to cash it in. Damn, he ran faster than Sonic the Hedgehog on crack. Del Rio knocks out Dolph with the Enzuigiri. I think Dolph's new gimmick is to have the most attempts at cashing in the MITB. Even though people will bark about this scene since Dolph Ziggler is the latest IWC craze, Ricardo's antics were hilarious enough to not care about WWE trolling you. 

Winner via submission: Alberto Del Rio

Okay, so I'm a bit confused with this next scene. Wade Barrett comes out to promote a movie he's in, but I don't even recall seeing him in the damn trailer. I'm guessing he has one of those film appearances that does nothing, but that isn't the confusing part. Sheamus shows up on the titantron and talks about how great Colin Farrell is and says we are out of time….

Yeah, I think that's the best way to explain it. It's like the WWE didn't know how to shamelessly plug a movie. I guess you can say that this could lead to something between Wade and Sheamus, but why? Why completely pull the plug on Wade and Bo Dallas? After all, they were doing such a great job in building the young career of---Okay, I can't even say it. If the plan is to move away from Bo Dallas, that's probably a good thing. If Wade/Sheamus is the plan, it really isn't that bad of an idea. 

Match #4: Failed Fatties vs Puerto Rican Express; Mixed Tag match

Uh oh. I didn't watch this match. So, let's pretend we talked about it and move on. Shhh….Nobody ruin the effect. 

Somebody won and lose…..There you go

Match #5: Jack Swagger vs Daniel Bryan

Jack Swagger and Zeb Coulter talk about state of America….

Sure enough, Zeb targets the immigrants. It was only a matter of time until the Swagger/Del Rio build started. This match was short, but it wasn't bad based on how long the match was. Swagger wins with the Patriot Lock. Yeah, they changed the name again. What are they gonna call the Gutwrench Powerbomb? The Affirmative Action? Actually, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I still don't really see how people refer to this as a new Swagger. He's still the same guy. Same boring charisma, same wrestling style, same bland promo, and same presences. The only thing Swagger changed was his hair. While Zeb helps him get an identity, Swagger himself has made about as many changes as a politician. Huh….Maybe that's the connection with this whole 'Real American' deal? 

Winner via submission: Jack Swagger

Vickie Guerrero announces that Brad Maddox is her assistant….

In other news, it turns out that Vince McMahon has challenged Pauly to a match. This was Vince's request for granting Pauly the stipulation. Instead of firing him or Brock Lesnar, he challenges him to a fight? I think Vince ended up falling on his head in the middle of that F5. I know it's wrestling logic, but it's still funny to point out. 

Match #6: Shield vs Chris Jericho, Ryback, and Sheamus

In a good match, the Shield end up getting the victory when they hit Jericho in the face. The Shield end up proving yet again that they mean business and they aren't going away. Since the Shield keeps dominating and winning matches, it makes them intriguing. I guess the WWE roster will attempt Plan C since Cena and Jericho haven't been able to get the job done. 

Winner via pinfall: The Shield

Damien Sandow talks about himself and starts to attack Kofi Kingston. Their match never got started. R-Truth makes his return and beats the crap out of Damien. What is it with WWE and all these returns? I'm all for surprise returns, but there has been a lot of them in the last few weeks. I'm indifferent to Truth's return. It kinda falls flat since all three guys aren't doing much at the moment. Let's wait and see what the plan is with all of this. 

Match #7: Kane vs Randy Orton

Thanks to Bryan showing up during the match, Randy is able to connect with the RKO for the victory. Kane help up his end of the bargain, but Bryan did not. I guess that once WM is over, Team Hell No will be no more. It's possible for this to change, but I highly doubt it at this point. This bromance appears that it won't end well.  

Winner via pinfall: Randy Orton

It's time for the Rock's WWE title celebration…even though he won the title almost a month ago. So, he's celebrating it again? I guess the creative staff loved it so much that they wanted to do it again. The only thing that really happens here is Rock unveiling the new WWE title design. I know the belt is still new, but I'm not really big on the design. While anything is better than the spinner belt, this new belt looks like a shield….

Actually, I take that back. A shield can still look cool. It just looks like no thought or imagination was put into the new design. It just looks lifeless. I'll get used it, but so much more could've been done. Still, it isn't the worst world title design since that honor goes to Jeff Hardy's Megatron title. Just as the Rock is about to explain who he would rather fight at WM, Cena shows up to make his walk but is interrupted when Punk takes out Cena with the toy belt. Oh no, the spinner belt just took out its creator! Ohhhhh nooooooo….Punk makes it pretty clear that he wants the new championship. Anti-climatic ending, don't you think? 

Overall Impression:

Tonight's episode felt kinda off. I'm not saying it was bad, but it wasn't great either. There was some good matches to watch throughout the night and some promos were pretty decent, but nothing really leaped out at you. There really weren't those scenes that really defined the show. It was a pretty average showing. One positive I will say about tonight's show is that it continues to give foreshadowing to other possible matches for WM. I may not be big on the current card, but at least they're trying to build it up. I think you aren't missing much if you skipped this episode. so take whatever you will from this article. 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.