Live from Baltimore, Maryland this is the Raw Deal for episode #1111. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport.

There were shots of the steel cage hanging over the ring as Michael Cole welcomed us to the show.

A video package aired telling us what to look forward to during the Season Premiere of Raw with Jerry Springer dealing with the Bella Twins, Randy Orton takes on Roman Reigns, John Cena has talk with Paul Heyman and Chris Jericho against Bray Wyatt in a Steel Cage match. The announcers are Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL as usual.

Chris Jericho entered first. Bray Wyatt entered with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.

Steel Cage Match: Bray Wyatt w/Luke Harper & Erick Rowan vs. Chris Jericho

You can win via pinfall, submission, going out the door or escaping the cage. Wyatt used his power early, but Jericho came back with a dropkick. Jericho enziguiri as the crowd was chanting "Let's Go Wyatt" and "Y2J" in support of both guys. Wyatt hit a corner splash. Jericho tried to break free to climb out, but Wyatt stopped him. Jericho hit a leaping punch off the top rope. Jericho was seen talking to the ref, who then relayed something to Wyatt and that led to Jericho being thrown into the cage after Wyatt avoided a charge. Then Wyatt rammed his body into Jericho against the cage as the show went to break.

(Commercial)

Wyatt was still in control as he hit a running body attack. He went to climb out, but Jericho countered with an Electric Chair drop. Jericho got on a roll with the bulldog. Wyatt rolled into the correct spot so Jericho could hit the Lionsault. Jericho wanted Walls of Jericho, but Wyatt countered out of it and Jericho tossed him into the cage. Jericho hit a springboard dropkick to knock down Wyatt. Jericho did a slow climb as those of us with a brain ask why he wouldn't go out the door. If you can climb up why not just walk out a door? Because pro wrestling doesn't make sense, that's why. Anyway, Wyatt stopped Jericho and gave him a superplex into the middle of the ring. Wyatt did his upside crab walk move, but Jericho prevented an escape. Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho, but again Wyatt kicked him off and Wyatt hit a one armed slam for two.

Wyatt did a slingshot. Jericho didn't hit the turnbuckle because he climbed up the cage. Wyatt stopped him. Jericho was the aggressor as they battled on the turnbuckle and Jericho hit a hurricanrana (or Frankensteiner) off the top. Jericho climbed to the top of the cage. As he went slightly over the top, Harper & Rowan were waiting on the floor to scare him. Jericho went to the top of the cage, stood up, shrugged his shoulders and jumped off the top, right onto Wyatt in the center of the ring. Wow! Impressive! It was a cross body block off the top of the cage. It doesn't matter how many guys have jumped off the cage like that. It's always a major risk and fans should respect it. The fans were chanting "this is awesome" for it. Jericho was grabbing his right knee and even removed his knee pad to sell the injury. Wyatt charged, Jericho ducked and Wyatt went crashing into the cage. Jericho tried to climb out the door, but Wyatt was there to prevent him. He pounded Jericho on the knee. Wyatt nailed Jericho with forearm shots to the head. Jericho's body was out except for his feet.  Wyatt pounded the injured right knee with forearm shots and then he rolled out to the floor to win the match. The match went 17 minutes.

Winner by escaping the cage: Bray Wyatt

Analysis: ***1/4 That was a very good steel cage match. It never got to the point where it felt special although Jericho's dive off the top of the cage was impressive and it's not like many guys in their mid-40s would do something like that. Wyatt winning the way he did made a lot of sense because he beat Jericho up to prevent him from crawling out, which allowed Wyatt to climb out. You don't see guys winning cage matches like that. That's what I liked about it. It was psychology. The face that hurt his knee couldn't climb out so the heel was smart enough to take advantage of that by going after the knee and it allowed him to get the win. Smart booking. That's no surprise in a Jericho match.

After the match, Wyatt slammed the cage door into the injured right knee of Jericho. They went back into the cage. Harper held the door to keep Jericho locked inside of it. Wyatt hit Sister Abigail and celebrated by saying "Follow The Buzzards."

Analysis: That victory, as well as the post match attack, ended this feud since they were tied at 1-1 before this. It's no surprise that Wyatt got the decisive win since he's the younger wrestler as well as the full timer. The post match attack was cheap, but that's what heels do.

The announcers plugged what's to come on Raw.

Kane and Seth Rollins were in The Authority's office. Triple H walked up to them. He mentioned it's the Season Premiere of Raw, which means they have to put on something...and Randy Orton walked in. Hunter said they need to pu on something that nobody will forget. Orton said he's in the main event tonight. He wants to do something to Reigns that makes what Seth did to Ambrose look like just another day at Sunday school. Hunter gave him his permission.

Analysis: It was a standard backstage segment to set things up for later.

(Commercial)

The IC Champ Dolph Ziggler was in the ring for a promo. He mentioned that last week was a controversial week in Hollywood due to several celebrities having their phones hacked and their privacy was invaded. He said they don't deserve to have that happen to them, but maybe one D-List celebrity does...he means The Miz. Ziggler's not saying he hacked into his account. He has in his possession some interesting photos of The Miz.

The first picture showed Miz getting a facial with a shower cap on his head. Then there was a pic of him shaving his chest while looking in a mirror. Most wrestlers shave their chest or get a wax, but I guess it's funny seeing that image. Ziggler had one more that's going to take the cake. Before he could finish, the music of The Miz started up and he walked out with Damien Sandow (or Mizdow).

The Miz complained about Miz invaded his privacy. He said his people are going to sue everybody if they try to re-publish those photos. When he asked if the people understood they kept chanting "what" at him. He promised Dolph that if he takes it any further then Miz will make sure that Dolph "never works in this town again." That's a classic Hollywood line. Ziggler asked them to show it. The image was of a naked Miz with his back turned as Sandow was spraying spray tan on his ass. Thankfully the ass of The Miz was digitized. The crowd was laughing and so were the announcers except JBL, who told Ziggler to stop. Sandow went into the ring, so Ziggler hit him with a dropkick. Miz dropped to the floor. Zig Zag by Ziggler to Sandow. Miz tried to attack again, but Ziggler was ready so Miz retreated.

Analysis: It was a decent comedy segment. It wasn't as funny as the announcers played it up as, but the crowd laughed for the last one a lot so in that sense it worked. It was better than their usual Photoshop comedy segments at least. The positive thing about it is that the IC Title match at Night of Champions actually has a storyline, so that's nice to see.

More hype for what's to come. WWE Hall of Famer wished Springer lock on Twitter, but told him to stay clear of Kane.

(Commercial)

Natalya and Rosa Mendes were in the ring for a tag match.

Paige & AJ Lee vs. Natalya & Rosa Mendes

There were light "CM Punk" chants for AJ Lee. Natalya started with Paige and Natalya drove Paige into their corner. Double suplex by Natalya with Rosa, who tagged in. Paige did her sexy crawl over Rosa before hitting her headbutts. Paige didn't want to tag in AJ as she slammed Rosa. When Paige missed a leg drop, Rosa could have tagged out. Instead, she stayed in the ring and took a kick from Paige. AJ tagged herself in. Black Widow by AJ on Rosa and Rosa tapped out. It was done in three minutes.

Winners by submission: Paige & AJ Lee

Post match, Paige and AJ argued even after the win. AJ kissed the Divas Title. Then Paige kissed it. Paige held the title up as AJ looked on. AJ skipped out of the ring.

Analysis: 1/2* That was a boring match all about the story, which isn't that strong. Apparently AJ had the advantage because she tagged in and got the win, but what's the difference really? It doesn't matter. On the other side, the story is that Rosa doesn't know what she's doing even though she's been in WWE for eight years. Yeah that's right. Eight freakin' years. What a silly storyline that is.

Chris Jericho was shown in the trainer's room with the doctor checking out his right knee. Randy Orton showed up. He attacked Jericho and threw him into a table. Then Orton threw him into a box of some kind, which caused Jericho to yell and grab his knee. Orton: "Sorry about that Chris. What can I say? It's the season premiere." Orton left.

Analysis: That was a random attack by Orton, but it's putting over the idea that he's very aggressive this week. At least he put over the "season premiere" title of the show. What a company man.

(Commercial)

Paul Heyman's Discussion With John Cena

Heyman was in the ring alone. No entrance music. He said he is the advocate for the beast, the reigning undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World...Brock Lesnar. No Lesnar at the show this week. He said his client sent him there to deliver some information for John Cena and right on cue there's John Cena.

John Cena entered the ring in his full Cena gear to a mostly positive reaction. He told Heyman that if he wanted to say something to his face he's right here...talk. Heyman said that it takes a special kind of man to be confronted with the truth. Heyman let us know that he's there to give us some inside information. He's been authorized to tell Cena how to beat Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions.

Cena told Heyman he knows how to beat Lesnar at Night of Champions. Three simple words. Cena said Lesnar beat Undertaker at WrestleMania and we haven't heard a peep from him in six months (it was actually five months ago). Cena said a week after he lost to Lesnar he said "let's go again." So he's burying the Undertaker for not coming back? That's not very nice of Mr. Happy. Back to the three words, his strategy is simple: Never Give Up. He doubts Lesnar can read it, but here's his playbook and he gave Heyman his "Never Give Up" towel.

Heyman laughed while saying that he (Cena) can't help but be John Cena. Heyman told Cena that being John Cena is his biggest problem. He mentioned that Cena lives for the fans that chant "Let's Go Cena" and he said it a few times. When Lesnar steps into the ring all he hears are the ref that has the power to disqualify him, the advocate Paul Heyman and the suffering of his victims like Cena. Heyman's there to tell him how to beat Lesnar. All he has to do is give in to temptation. He pointed out that even though Cena has busted his ass all these years there are still people that chant "Cena Sucks" at him and Heyman said it repeatedly. Heyman wondered if Cena wanted to tap into hatred and turn to the haters to say "shut up" at them. Heyman told fans to "shut up" to encourage him. Heyman stood on the apron to cut a rap: "You scream Cena sucks like sixth row is your safe haven; You're getting punked out in your hometown like the Baltimore Ravens." They did lose on Sunday at home, so it fit. Heyman told Cena to give in. He even got on his knees. Heyman said Cena didn't have to sell his soul to the devil because Heyman did that years ago. Heyman said that when he gives in to that hatred then he can be the one that beat the one who beat the one in 21 and one. Or he can be one of the many victims that fell at the hands of the conqueror Brock Lesnar. Heyman said he believed in Cena, but his client Brock Lesnar says that he just doesn't have it in him.

Cena teased going on the apron to tell the fans to shut up. The familiar "Let's Go Cena/Cena Sucks" chant filled the arena as Cena went to the center to the center of the ring. Cena: "Shut up Paul Heyman!" So that's his way of saying no to what Heyman wanted. Cena told Heyman that he sees exactly what he's trying to do. Cena said "I don't think so" to the idea of turning his back on the people that believe in him. Cena wondered what good would it do, to pop Heyman, to pop the guy in the sixth row or to "pop the two dudes in the wifebeaters right there" and the cameras showed two dudes in tank tops. A "pop" is the insider wrestling term meaning to get people excited or make them happy. Cena told him that he lives in a world that "Eat Sleep Conquer Repeat" is his motto. He admits Heyman is intelligent, but he's talking about something he knows nothing about. Cena said in his world it's "Eat Sleep Be John Cena Repeat" and he said "Be John Cena Repeat" about ten times. He said he didn't want to change even if he could.

Cena said he liked to be the guy that can get that kid in the crowd to do his homework early so he can come to Raw with his dad. The crowd cheered. He loves being the guy that helps a kid out that has one wish and asks to spend the day with John Cena. That's a reference to his great work with Make A Wish. He also mentioned a guy named Sgt. Davin Dumar that is a 10 year combat wounded veteran and a Purple Heart recipient. He met him on a random Friday night and the first thing that he said to Cena was that Cena gave him strength when he needed it the most. He told us that this guy gave him his Purple Heart because he believes in Cena. Cena: "That's why all I know is Eat Sleep Be John Cena."

To bring it home, Cena said he's done talking and it's time to fight. He showed rage as Heyman tried to tell him he was just an advocate. Cena told him he'll give him seven days. He wants Heyman to bring Brock Lesnar and if he shows up then they're going to fight. If Lesnar decides to take another week off then Cena said he's going to fight Heyman. Cena put his "Never Give Up" towel in Heyman's jacket and said he'll see him next week.

Analysis: That was a really long promo. Both guys did a great job. It was basically Heyman's way of trying to get Cena to "embrace the hate" like that Kane feud with Cena two years ago. No surprise that Cena wouldn't go for it. Cena did a perfect job of explaining why he is who he is. Maybe it sounds cheesy to some people, but the fact that he does work with Make A Wish and meets war veterans shows how much he really does care about people. That might make Cena lame to some people, but the work he does is very admirable. Heyman was brilliant in his speech. That's not new. He framed it in the perfect kind of way and that's why Cena's retort worked too. They play off each other so well. This is a rivalry that goes back over a decade when they were on Smackdown and Cena, along with Chris Benoit (who?), made Heyman eat soap.  Everything they need to get done in that promo, they did. I enjoyed it a lot.

(Commercial)

Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins

This is not for the US Title held by Sheamus. Rollins bailed to the floor after Sheamus hit a clothesline and when they went back into the ring Sheamus hit a front suplex. Suplex by Sheamus followed by an elbow smash. Rollins kicked him in the knee. Sheamus caught him and hit a Rolling Senton. Sheamus with a clothesline sent Rollins over the top to the floor. Cesaro's music started up as he arrived in a suit to watch the match.

Analysis: My complaint about another guy's music playing during a match only counts when it affects the finish directly. In this case it just led to a commercial, so I don't mind it as much.

(Commercial)

Rollins was in control after the break while Cesaro was scouting Sheamus from ringside. Boot to the face by Sheamus and then a shoulder block knocked down Rollins. A corner charge missed by Sheamus, so Rollins capitalized with a corner splash and then applied a chinlock. Sheamus countered by dropping on his back to squash Rollins. Running forearm smashes by Sheamus, then the high running knee, a corner knee and the Irish Curse backbreaker for two. Cesaro grabbed the US Title. That distracted Sheamus. Rollup by Rollins for two, but then Sheamus hit a Powerslam. Cesaro was on the steps. Sheamus had a tug-o-war with him over the US Title and when Sheamus let go it sent Cesaro into the barricade. All of that allowed Rollins to kick Sheamus in the back of the head. With Sheamus down on his knees, Rollins hit the Curb Stomp and he covered for the win. It didn't connect perfectly. It looked like Sheamus didn't sell it right because he didn't hit the mat immediately. The match went 10 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Seth Rollins

Analysis: **1/4 It would have been nice if they got more time, but it was mostly done that way to put over the Sheamus/Cesaro story. Rollins capitalized on the opportunity like a smart heel would. Hopefully these two can have a longer match and feud in the future because their styles match up well. A champion losing a non-title match isn't anything new.

After the match was over, Rollins left while Cesaro went into the ring. He mocked Sheamus by doing the "Fella" yell and then Cesaro hit the Neutralizer on Sheamus, who was out of it. Cesaro held up the US Title.

Analysis: Good story development for them. They needed it. At this point I'm going with Sheamus at Night of Champions although I wouldn't mind a title change either. They always have good matches and have had several this year already.

More hype for Jerry Springer segment.

The WWE Countdown show is back on WWE Network this week. Good show. I enjoyed it in the past.

(Commercial)

The announcers set up the Mark Henry/Rusev storyline from three weeks ago. Now they have a match at Night of Champions.

Rusev stood on the stage along with the ravishing Russian Lana. The fans chanted "USA" as she tried to talk. She mocked the American national anthem by singing her own version of the anthem by mentioning Rusev. She called for the real national anthem as the Russian anthem played with a picture of Vladimir Putin shown on the screen. Rusev waved the Russian flag as the song played. The announcers talked over the anthem while Lawler sat on the floor instead of his chair. The camera didn't show Rusev or Lana again as JBL said it was disrespectful and he hated it.

Analysis: That was a very generic Lana promo. No sign of Mark Henry. It would have been nice to have him show up to get the song to stop playing because it would have popped the crowd for sure.

There was a plug for WWE NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way or NXT Takeover II as it was initially called. It's on WWE Network Thursday at 8pmET. The video noted the 4-way match for the NXT Title (Neville vs. Zayn vs. Kidd vs. Breeze) and the debut of Kenta. I've written about why you should watch it, so be sure to check that out. There's a tag match previewing the NXT Title match up next.

(Commercial)

Adrian Neville & Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd & Tyler Breeze

If you're not a NXT watcher, you should be. Neville is the babyface NXT Champion and Zayn is also a face. Kidd & Breeze are the heels. Zayn started with Breeze with a nice armdrag. Kidd tagged in and nailed Zayn with a hard kick to the back followed by a headlock. The fans did the "Ole" chant for Zayn. Not all of them, but enough of them that we could hear it. After a back elbow by Kidd, Breeze tagged back in and hit a neckbreaker for two. Kidd hit a hard kick to the ribs of Zayn. Breeze tagged in, Zayn avoided him and Neville received the hot tag.

Neville with a clothesline, then a dropkick, then a series of kicks and a running dropkick on Breeze. Standing moonsault by Neville on Breeze for two. Kidd missed a charge on Zayn, who ducked and then he ran the ropes to hit a no hands somersault plancha over the top to take out Kidd. Neville did a bunch of flips to avoid Breeze and then hit a kick to the back of the head. To the top, Neville hit the Red Arrow (corkscrew Shooting Star Press) for the win. It went five minutes.

Analysis: ** It was done to build to the hot tag for Neville and he absolutely killed it when he got in there. The crowd loved it. It was a really nice showcase match for these four guys. Obviously the fans have known Kidd for many years, but the other three are unknown to fans that don't watch NXT. I watch it and you should too. They really do a good job of putting on an entertaining one hour show. All four of these guys should really be on the main roster every week putting on matches like this. Hopefully they will be soon.

That Jerry Springer segment is up next.

(Commercial)

The Jerry Springer Bella Twins Intervention

Stephanie McMahon entered the ring. She said it feels good to be back in Baltimore as a way to get a cheer from the crowd. She added that she wrestled her dad in this building about ten years ago (it was October 2003). Stephanie said it was time to bring Nikki and Brie back together. She brought out Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer made his entrance to a decent reaction. He had his security guard Jason with him. Cole mentioned that Springer started his show in 1991. Springer is now 70 years old, which they did not mention. He said he's been dealing with family dysfunction on his show and when he heard about what was going on he said he wanted to be there on Raw.

Brie Bella entered first in her Brie Mode shirt. She has new theme music. I'd say it's good, but I'm not a liar. They showed a tweet from Brie saying sorry. She still has the same Twitter account as her sister. Way to sell the angle. Nikki was rocking a tight red dress as I tip my cap to John Cena if I was wearing a cap. Nikki shook Brie's hand.

Nikki said she accepted Brie's apology, but that doesn't mean she can forget. She called herself an intelligent and classy woman. She pointed out that the third season of her show Total Divas premiered Sunday night and then she gets a Divas Title match at Night of Champions. Nikki feels sorry for Brie. When Brie mentioned SummerSlam, Jerry threw it to clips of Total Divas and they showed clips of the twins arguing.

Nikki said she wouldn't be surprised if Brie was the reason that dad left them. Brie was mad about that. Jerry said they were able to track their dad down. There was a video of their dad saying "please help us Jerry" and then their mom said she had a tough time understanding what was going on. They need to fix it for themselves. Brie said Nikki cost her the match at SummerSlam, wanted her dead in the womb and broke her heart. Jerry brought out their younger brother "JJ Bella" to the ring right now. Then it said "JJ Garcia" on the screen.

Jerry asked JJ what he thought. He told Nikki to stop acting like the victim. The girls argued. Brie tackled Nikki and they landed on top of Jerry. Nikki went to slap Brie, but she ducked and Nikki hit JJ. Stephanie went in there to try to break it up. Nikki tackled Brie again. The fans cheered for the fighting part of it. The refs showed up to break it all up while Jerry's security guy was the last one in the ring. The fans chanted "Jerry" for it.

Analysis: The brawl was actually pretty good. The promo part as well as the blatant promotion of Total Divas was bad. It's probably going to lead to Brie costing Nikki the Divas Title match at Night of Champions although Nikki could win and then they would feud for the Divas Title.

The doctors tended to Jerry and he got wheeled out of the arena. Yeah that's right, Jerry did a stretcher job. Stephanie did some overacting by saying she was embarrassed. Jerry gave us the thumbs up sign. JBL sarcastically called Springer a trooper.

Reigns vs. Orton later.

(Commercial)

The Usos did a pre-match promo backstage. Jimmy said that when you hurt one Uso, you hurt the other and Jey said that they will hurt them soon. It was announced for Night of Champions that The Usos will defend the tag team titles against Goldust & Stardust.

Goldust & Stardust vs. Los Matadores

No El Torito with Los Matadores because he's selling an injury at the hands of Stardust. Goldust & Stardust are on the side of the ring that faces the camera, which is usually where the face team is. Los Matadores were on fire early on. They hit dives outside the ring to take out Goldust. Stardust attacked one of the Matadores from behind, so it distracted the other one. Goldust whipped one of the Matadores (I think Fernando) into the turnbuckle. Stardust hit Dark Matter for the win after three minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Goldust & Stardust

Analysis: * It was just a short match to put over the tag title challengers.

Post match, as Goldust & Stardust were posing on the ramp, the Usos attacked using a crutch. They got one good shot in and then the heels left before they could take more punishment.

Analysis: Good to see that attack by The Usos to show that they'll be ready for the title match in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking there will be a title change at Night of Champions, but it's not a sure thing.

The announcers mentioned Joan Rivers passing away last week. They showed tweets from Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan. A video package aired showing Hulk Hogan on The Tonight Show when she was on. She was also at WrestleMania II. There was also a recent clip with the Bella Twins on her show on E.

Analysis: Good video tribute to Rivers, who passed away at age 81. She was one of the funniest women ever.

(Commercial)

Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil were in the ring. Adam Rose entered. I'm so sick of Adam Rose as the announcers keep talking about the bunny in the Exotic Express.

Titus O'Neil w/Heath Slater vs. Adam Rose

O'Neil threw Rose across the ring and then he gave him a slam. The bunny was taunting O'Neil. Slater went after the bunny, but he missed and the bunny gave Slater a Superkick. O'Neil was watching like this a dumbass, so Rose gave him the Party Fowl for the pinfall win after two minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Adam Rose

Post match, the bunny went to the top rope and he hit a splash on O'Neil.

Analysis: 1/2* I guess this counts as character development? I don't know. The bunny keeps getting more TV time and I feel stupider writing about a bunny.

Roman Reigns was interviewed by the lovely Renee Young backstage. Reigns said he didn't know what Orton was planning, but he's the Viper and Reigns as the anecdote, which is his fist. Believe that. He left.

Analysis: Reigns isn't a great talker, but he can make his point in ten seconds or less. It's smart to have him do short promos instead of longer ones.

(Commercial)

There was a replay of Cena threatening Heyman and wanting Lesnar to be there next week.

A video package aired about Brock Lesnar. He said his goal when he came back to WWE was to conquer the WWE Universe. Heyman said Lesnar is a beast and the only reason Cena survived is because Lesnar took pity on Cena. Heyman added that Lesnar is mad that Cena invoked his rematch clause. Lesnar said: "John Cena, mark my words, Night of Champions will be your last night in this universe. Game over." After some more clips it ended with Lesnar saying: "It almost brings a tear to my eye."

Analysis: That was similar to the video that aired a few weeks back.

The announcers let us know (and so did a graphic) that Brock Lesnar will be on Raw next week.

Analysis: Those of us online knew that. He was scheduled for the night after SummerSlam, then off three weeks and now he's coming back for the Raw before Night of Champions. It's smart of WWE to advertise him instead of making it seem like a surprise.

Randy Orton made his entrance. It's a good thing he walks so slowly because it's time for a commercial.

(Commercial)

This Friday on Smackdown there's an "International Arm Wrestling Contest" between Mark Henry and Rusev. I love how they have to put "international" in there as if they're reminding people that Rusev isn't from America. We know, WWE. We are not stupid.

Roman Reigns made his entrance. Justin Roberts did the main event style entrances that he does for major title matches at PPVs.

Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton

Reigns was on fire early with punches as well as a clothesline that sent Orton outside the ring. Orton slammed Reigns into the steel steps. Back in the ring, suplex by Reigns. When Reigns slammed Orton into the ropes, Orton held onto the rope and then he rolled outside the ring. It's floor to commercial time.

(Commercial)

Back from break, Reigns said "remember this" and slammed Reigns into the steel steps. He got a two count in the ring. Rollins and Kane were watching the match in The Authority office. Orton sent Reigns outside the ring with a clothesline over the top. Outside the ring, clothesline by Orton. When they went back into the ring, Orton dodged a corner attack and Reigns hit a clothesline. Reigns drove Orton into the side of the ring as well as the barricade. Orton drove Reigns neck first into the top rope and sent him in the turnbuckle. Superplex by Orton for two and it's time for another commercial.

(Commercial)

Back from break, it looked like Reigns was making the comeback when Orton countered by slamming Reigns by his head. Reigns fought out of the patented Orton chinlock and hit a suplex to create some space. More clotheslines by Reigns followed by a Samoan Drop. Corner clothesline by Reigns. Orton bounced back quickly for a snap powerslam for two. Reigns nailed a punch, which set up the running dropkick while Orton was on the bottom rope. Reigns hit a running clothesline. There have been A LOT of clotheslines in this match. Rollup by Orton for two followed by a backbreaker variation for two. Orton hit a boot to the face, then went to the middle rope and Orton caught him with another snap powerslam for two. Orton hit his vintage DDT off the middle rope. Orton as bleeding from the chin. Orton went for the RKO, but Reigns shoved him into the ropes and nailed him with a Superman Punch. Orton signaled for help to come down. Seth Rollins and Kane entered the ring. They stomped on Reigns. The ref rang for the bell after 20 minutes.

Winner by DQ: Roman Reigns

Analysis: *** It was a very slow paced match, which is Orton's style a lot of the time. He's never been known for working quickly so he dominated the majority of the match. There were so many clotheslines. I don't know if that's because Reigns has a limited moveset (he does) or what, but it just felt like that's all they were doing. The lack of a finish might upset some people. It was likely done just to tell the audience that the feud isn't over and there will probably be another match between them whether it's at Night of Champions or down the road.

In addition to the three heels at ringside, several crew members were at ringside as well. They were setting up the ring for something as Orton signaled for the cage to come down.

Rollins tried to get into the ring with a steel chair, but Reigns grabbed it from him. Reigns threw Orton into the cage multiple times. Reigns hit a Spear on Orton. Kane tried to go into the ring, but Reigns knocked him down thanks to the chair. Rollins was on the other side of the cage and he took out Reigns with a cross body block! Wow that was impressive. Reigns did have a chair and then he just dropped it, which was pretty weird. Kane nailed Reigns with a punch. Kane threw Reigns into the cage twice. Chokeslam by Kane on Reigns.

Orton used the top of the chair and he jabbed it into the ribs of Reigns. Orton nailed Reigns in the back with chair shots. Orton hit him with a chair shot to the back, to the ribs and to the back again. Reigns tried to get back to his feet, but Rollins hit the Curb Stomp onto Reigns on the steel chair. That's a great looking move with a chair underneath it.

They showed replays of the attack on Reigns. The show ended 14 minutes past the top of the hour with the three heels standing over a fallen Reigns.

Analysis: It was an old school beating. Apparently nobody likes Reigns because he had no help. They did a good job of making it look like he was going to fend them off when it was just him and Orton in there, but Rollins hit that impressive cross body block off the top of the cage to give the heels the decisive advantage. The rest of it was just a beating. I thought it was well done.

What's likely going to happen is Reigns will face Rollins or Orton at Night of Champions and it will look like the same 3 on 1 beating only for Dean Ambrose to return at that PPV to help Reigns in this battle against The Authority.

Good job by Seth Rollins avoiding the cage here!

That was close!

 

Three Stars of the Show

1. Randy Orton

2. Chris Jericho

3. Bray Wyatt

Last week it was hard to pick anybody. This week it was hard to pick just three. That's a sign of a much better show.

 

The Scoreboard

7 out of 10

Last week: 3

2014 Average: 6.09

2014 High: 9 (April 7 & June 30)

2014 Low: 3 (September 1)

Last 5 Weeks: 3, 4.5, 6, 6, 4

 

Final Thoughts

That's a 7 out of 10.

It was a much better effort this week, which isn't a surprise. Last week's show was awful. This week you could tell a lot more thought was put into it. They were obviously more focused with putting on a better show since the NFL is back on Monday nights.

There were two long matches with Reigns/Orton and Jericho/Wyatt going around 20 minutes each. That's something that needs to happen more often. It's a three hour show. Long matches need to be more common than they are.

I liked the show ending angle. It builds up sympathy for Reigns. They're not going to book Reigns to lose too many matches ever, so if that's the case he needs to have segments like this where he gets his ass kicked and the fans are left to wonder if he can come back from it.

The promo duel with Heyman and Cena was really well done. Both guys played their parts perfectly. They know what they're doing in situations like that.

Also major props go out to both Jericho and Rollins for impressive dives off the top of the cage. They look like a lot of fun, but they are very risky too.

The NXT tag match was a nice treat. Hopefully they can do stuff like that more often.

What was refreshing about the show is there weren't that many segments that were truly awful. Some of the stuff like Adam Rose and the Bella Twins segments bore me, but it's tolerable when the rest of the show has good matches.

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Check out my feature column archive that's exclusive to WhatCulture. I write there every day. Some recent posts include some urban legends about Triple H, things that WWE wants you to forget about JBL and that look at NXT Takeover II is up there as well. I'm enjoying it with no signs of slowing down either.

That's all for me. Have a great week.

John Canton - mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport

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