The Raw Report – Monday May 25th, 2015

First things first, I want to say I hope you all had a great Memorial Day, and I want to personally thank those who gave their lives as well as their families, to build our country. Those brave men and women of our military deserve our utmost respect, and I tip my cap to them and wish for their safe and speedy return home. Their sacrifice is what allows us to sit at home, watching Monday Night Raw. The WWE did a great job with their opening video package sending that same poignant and powerful message. The ten bell salute, admittedly, had me in tears.

RAW was live from Long Island, NY, one of the most Patriotic places in the land, and it was action packed throughout. The Authority opened the show, and Kevin Owens stole it. It was a better RAW than what I’ve been seeing, so without any additional hyperbole let’s get to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good

Dean Ambrose: I like his persona, and his devil-may-care attitude. He has a ton of in ring ability, and he has his own style on the mic that I also dig, but I just don’t feel like he’s the total package. I just don’t see him being ready to carry the banner for the WWE. He and Rollins should have an absolutely unbelievable match at Elimination Chamber, but I don’t see Ambrose being a HHH guy, and getting the belt. That being said, he is doing a heck of a job with the push he’s been given and I hope he remains around the top after Elimination Chamber.

Seth Rollins: Bray Wyatt does the best character work, week in and week out, but the WWE MVP is undoubtedly Seth Rollins. He’s very charismatic, an amazing in ring worker, and sells like a madman, helping others get over in the process. He is the best thing about RAW, week in and week out. Another solid performance this week from Rollins.

Kevin Owens: Owens is main event ready right now. He has the look, the mic skills, the ring skills and the “it factor” to be the man. He is doing some very impressive work currently, and I believe he’s headed for superstardom. Cena is putting him over like an old pro, which, is exactly what Cena is. Owens is someone I can watch for hours, and now that he’s got a foot in the door, I fully expect him to kick it in and start his run to take over. Great, great upside.

Rusev/Lana: I’ve been a little harsh on Rusev lately, but Monday night was a better night for him. Liked his new wrestling gear, and the moments he had with Lana were as much depth as we’ve seen from him. An extended booking with Ziggler would be good for Rusev, and he might just be the odds on favorite to leave Sunday night with the IC Title. Rusev uttered the line of the night, “I tried to be nice to you, but you need to know your place woman.” So heel it hurts! Lana is of course tremendous, and did a great job Monday night.

John Cena: Bottom line is, John Cena is the elder statesmen and he’s settling into his new role of putting over talent and helping build other new stars. It’s a great move by Cena, and it’s keeping him very much in the spotlight while giving him a chance to work the mic, as he does so damn well. I have always been among the “Let’s go Cena” contingent, and I always will. Love him or hate him, he is the cornerstone of the WWE and is elevating the US Title to new heights. Good on him.

The Bad

Roman Reigns: I am actually getting a little sick of how stale Roman is getting. Every single week is the exact same. He interrupts something, walks down through the crowd, makes a few remarks, and gets booked in an impromptu match of some kind. Not really a visionary way to utilize a person they obviously are grooming for the big seat. He needs a radical new direction, because this is starting to get really, really, old.

Tag Team Situation: For the second consecutive week, I was not impressed by the tag situation in the WWE. I understand they are setting up for Elimination chamber, but there are really only two teams who are good at this point, and all the other teams are fodder. The New Day is doing better than I thought they would, but Cesaro/Kidd is the best team in the WWE and hopefully they walk out champions Sunday. I doubt it though, my money is on The New Day to continue their push. All in all, the division is a letdown and the tag match Monday didn’t do a whole lot for me.

Cast of Entourage: One of my favorite shows, and I am counting the days until the movie, but they were really misused on RAW and that was a letdown. Jerry talking about Ronda beating up Stephanie could have been funny, but instead it fell flat. It was like they were trying to have the real members of Entourage portray their characters, but as themselves. It was bizarre and sad. Later they spent some time with Ryder, and that too was pretty flat.

Tamina Snuka: Not sure why she’s being pushed like she is, but she got the pinfall victory over Paige this week. She has size and strength, but she’s about as much a diva as Kevin Owens is. I just can’t get behind her, she isn’t my cup of tea.

The Ugly

Zack Ryder: Woo, woo, woo…you were going to lose, and WE KNEW IT. There was a Zach Ryder sighting on RAW, which I think means six more weeks of winter. It was his hometown and all, but he just doesn’t belong in the WWE with his silly gimmick. Feel genuinely bad for him.

RAW Awards

RAW MVP: Amrbose/Rollins

Worst of RAW: Entourage Cast/Tag Fiasco

More please: Owens, Owens and Owens!

Less Please: Tamina Snuka and The New Day

Where They At?: Randy Orton