- We kick the show off with a quick recap of what happened to close out Raw, with the "surprise" appearance of Brock Lesnar. Surprise, unless you follow WWE on twitter and were spoiled by a photo that was uploaded a few minutes before he came out. Other than that final segment, Raw Roulette was a surprisingly poor attempt from the creative and writing staff. The night after the Royal Rumble, and the unofficial beginning on the road to WrestleMania, and THAT was the best they can do? From the over-use of comedy filler, to the lack of mystery behind the wheel selections (Brodus Clay in a DANCE OFF? Miz is special referee for a Cesaro match?)... it screamed zero effort.
- Taped on January 29th, 2013 from San Diego, CA. Last week we were promised some kind of Intercntinental Cup or whatever to determine a new contender for Wade Barrett... so we won't be getting that. I'm sure plans involving Bo Dallas (another Rotundo son) have rendered that previous idea unnecessary.
- We start things off with MizTV, which I'm sure isn't going to make some people instantly change the channel. His guest tonight... Ryback. Apparently Ryback is a big fan of the Miz's "Show". "Really?" "Really." Repeat for a minute and you can feel the excitement in the air. They talk about Antonio Cesaro, Ryback's opponent for Main Event. Last week, Ryback was on the verge of victory before Cesaro ran for the exit, a trend that's been happening a lot lately. At least this makes the rematch sensible, rather than trotting out Cesaro/Orton four times over a two week span. Cesaro interrupts, and we're instantly heading towards the ring for...
We come back with Ryback catching Cesaro off the ropes in a bearhug. A charge to the corner meets nothing but the ring post, and he spills to the floor. Cesaro follows him out and rams him into the steps, just for the hell of it. Cesaro tries to win by cheap count-out, but Ryback makes the miracle return to the ring at 9. Cesaro with a flurry of rights and lefts, followed by knees into the chest. He uses leverage from the top rope to drive his knee into the throat for a two count. Cesaro with a pair of double stomps, then slaps on a chinlock. Ryback mounts his comeback with elbows. Whip to the ropes, and he plants Cesaro with a spinebuster. He sets up in the corner, and connects with the Meat Hook clothesline. Cesaro rolls to the floor, but Ryback follows him out and rams him into the ramp. Back in the ring, Cesaro quickly rolls right back out, then in the moment of the night, boots Miz right in the face. He hops the rail to avoid Ryback, and it's yet ANOTHER count-out finish at 11:40. That's four weeks in a row with a lame finish. I'm hoping they build to a No Count-Out kind of match with Cesaro, with all these non-finishes to his matches, lately. Good match other than the finish, and the kick to the Miz was glorious.
- Tensai is backstage, and is quickly insulted by the Primetime Players. Brodus Clay tries to make Tensai feel better, but that's not helping much.
- We recap the Paul Heyman Performance Review stuff, again. I'm sorry, but as good as Heyman's promo was, why can't we get rid of this nonsense with Vince McMahon and the "executive" stereotype character? I'm sick of it all, and this is what, the third time Vince McMahon is doing such a thing with people? Didn't he already do this with John Lauranitis and Vicki Guerrero, and different levels of annoying and pointless-ness? Brock shows up, gives him the F-5, and we get Brock jobbing to Triple H at WrestleMania XXIX. Joy.
Final Thoughts: Recap heavy thanks to Brock Lesnar's appearance, and we keep pushing for a Cesaro/Miz match with the constant build we've had on Main Event over the last couple of months. Cesaro/Ryback delivered a solid performance, even with (yet another) lame finish. However, the last 20-minutes or so dedicated to one of the worst television matches I've seen lately (not involving the Divas) is inexcusable. How did that match warrant 15-minutes? 5 would've been just fine, but some sick bastard thought it needed more time than the World Heavyweight Title Match at the Royal Rumble. In short: not an enjoyable show this week.