RAW’s 7 Big Hits & Misses: August 11th, 2014

WWE’s flagship show is in the books. It was the go-home show for Summerslam, and while some stars shone bright, it also felt like some things also needed… to go home.

So, let’s go over the hits and misses!

HIT: Heyman

Heyman’s promos have been a major plus for WWE ever since he became the “advocate”.

He gets the crowd to respond intensely, he makes Lesnar look even more dangerous and he sells the pay-per-view. And he does it all in 6-7 minutes of air time, with a variety of storytelling devices, from flashbacks of his client’s accomplishments to threats of pain that is still to come.

While others could reach his level when it comes to delivering the goods, WWE has entrusted Heyman. And he has delivered, as consistently as anyone could.

MISS: Megan Miller

Holy. Fu#$%#&. Sh**.

In an angle that has been highlighted by Stephanie McMahon’s Heyman-esque consistency on the microphone and Brie Bella’s inability to retort on the same level, WWE took a severe step back creatively on Monday by envolving a Claire Lynch-type third wheel in Bryan and Brie’s relationship. (if you did not get the Claire Lynch reference, I’m jealous of you).

While a segment involving a potential affair on Bryan’s end could be booked as a heat-getting plus, I feel like it was booked as anything but. Here’s why:

– The actress playing Megan Miller shockingly under-delivered, with the fakest of contritions and crocodile tears

– Brie has no hesitation in believing what Megan is saying, even though her arch-nemesis Stephanie McMahon is the one next to her

– When she enters the ring, Brie directs 90% of her aggression toward Stephanie; 10% to the woman who slept with her husband. Conclusion: she believes there was adultery (because she does direct her attention to Megan Miller), but her blinding rage slap is satisfied with a slap. Stephanie, the messenger of what Brie believes to be true, gets the brunt of her anger

– It feels like a ripoff of TNA’s aforementioned Claire Lynch angle, where an equally annoying and questionably-skilled actress emerges as a thorn in AJ Styles’s side, claiming AJ’s adultery led to her pregnancy. And of all the angles to steal, a universally-panned one isn’t the way to go

– No one got over. Except for Stephanie who already was over. Brie looks like an idiot, for taking Megan’s claims at face value; and Megan looks like a bad actress.

It would save this story if she REALLY WAS a bad actress, but the first thing established in the ring is that she’s Bryan’s physical therapist. Good, because did I mention her acting skills are at Claire Lynch Level?

HIT: John Cena

WWE’s “12 Years Strong” booking of Cena is as unrelenting as it is frustrating for the older wrestling consumer.

But the skills of the man have to be beyond dispute at this point, as he once again responded to Heyman’s promo with the right mix of seriousness and gamesmanship.

He has removed the no-selling smiles from his promos and has worked hard to make sure it comes across that Lesnar, like Bray Wyatt, is someone he considers as legitimate a threat as imaginable.

Very frequently, his promos even provide subtle winks at the more adult fan (“When does John Cena turn?” he asks).

For his steady work at the top of the mountain, the most-made-fun-of man in heelbook memes has to be considered a HIT.

MISS: Give Them Time

I consider two important segments to have within them a big MISS: the Jericho/Wyatt sit-down and the Birthday Celebration. But probably not why you think.

On the first one, I enjoyed both Wyatt and Jericho’s work and I thought it was exactly what the doctor ordered to reignite this feud, as it progressed week after week via standard run-ins and beatdowns.

I do end up being inclined to consider it a miss because this segment should have been given more time. Jericho has world-class promo skills and Wyatt has evolved to a point where there’s little problem believing he really is a psychopath.

In a TV world where WWE has 5 hours on Raw and Smackdown alone, you can’t tell me you can’t find more than 5 minutes for Jericho and Wyatt to go back and forth before their Summerslam match.

I watched their segment and thought of Mankind’s 1997 interview with Jim Ross and how powerful it was in giving Mankind a whole new dimension, direction and fan base.

While the Jericho/Wyatt interview served a different purpose, the Mankind interview does perfectly illustrate the power of a sit-down talk with solid mic workers as a springboard for a character.

With Jericho and Wyatt, the concept was definitely there, but after a month and a half of feuding, it felt like too little, too late, when it was easy to give much more, much sooner.

On the Birthday Celebration, while it was great to see so many legends in the ring, there should be a law against not letting them explore the segment, with more mic time and interactions between them. There’s just too much history between all of them not to capitalize.

HIT: Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie has rattled off one impressive promo after another, single-handedly keeping the Daniel Bryan storyline alive.

If that doesn’t sell you on Stephanie’s abilities, she did all this without entering Brie Mode.

HIT: Ambrose & Rollins

The two up-and-comers work so well together, they have made the simplest of angles work, from Coke-dumping to Shockmaster-like ambushes.

Barring the “cancellation” of their match at Battleground, their feud has had entertaining segment after entertaining segment, as it’s been delivering from both through words and physicality.

Hopefully, they’ll bring the level of quality to their future feuds.

MISS: Creative Direction, Or Lack Thereof

Cesaro and RVD anchor a list of WWE wrestlers who, while appearing on the show, did not do so with a storyline purpose. In other words, there was little to no investment in their characters.

I’ll once again turn to the high volume of weekly WWE content to ask why there isn’t adequate input into developing storylines for the more significant stars on the roster. While there is nothing wrong with watching someone like Cesaro perform a straight-up wrestling match, every wrestler can be enhanced through a well-told story.

In a world of – NOT pro wrestling – but sports entertainment, it’s with frustration I come to see a lessened effort on the useful side of sports entertainment.

Also, Eva Marie defeated AJ Lee in a non-title match. Arguably one of the less versed Divas in the art of pro wrestling, it boggles the mind when you think of all the other Divas that could have been stealing a victory from the champ in that segment. Layla, Summer Rae, Natalya, Naomi, Alicia Fox and many others could have been inserted here (with some booking adjustments, obviously), in order to manoeuvre them into a spot of some significance.

And don’t get me started on how the hell Eva Marie seems to have injured her neck while Paige was talking!

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Did you spot more hits or misses? Hit me up in the comments.