Small note from Ben: it’s important to note that this is a report from a live show, and as such,  things and impressions may differ from what was actually on screen. For example, Paige looked awful on screen, everything she did was sloppy, noodly and well bad. Alicia however looked great. I’ve been a proponent of hers for a long time and glad she’s getting to show her stuff.  And now..welcome back to Mike Lindenbaum

Thank you Ben for having me back. Hey everyone it’s Mike, and I’ve come back to do yet another edition of 5 points for Raw. Mansa and I were fortunate enough to be at Monday Night Raw last night so this edition is the 5 Points of Raw Live. Now without further adieu, here are my 5 points for Raw.

1. Is this Raw, or the Price is Right?

Now the opening for Monday Night Raw was very exciting to see live. When they were setting up to start Raw, we saw them put the stuff in the ring, so of course it peaked our curiosity. The way Seth Rollins gave the Apple Watches, Kane’s Vacation, and J&J’s Car it really did feel like an episode of the Price is Right. Overall it was solid segment with some very fun spots. And then there was that car, but I’ll come back to that later.

2. The IC Championship Feud

Ok so this was the worst 2 segments of Raw in my opinion. First you had Big Show v. Mark Henry which was meh. Then Ryback ran in to attack Show, and then Miz did a drive by booting which set up Ryback v. Miz (which watching them just walk around the ring in the dark during the commercial break was really weird and cool at the same time). Well that match ends with him running with his tail tucked between his legs (and then casually walking like nothing ever happened once he got behind the curtain). There are so many others that deserve to be in the IC title picture than these 3, and speaking of deserving…

3. Cena v. Cesaro

Cesaro just won the IC title in my eyes after his match with John Cena. In what was another great US Title Open Challenge, and hands down the best match on the card, what was originally going to be Kevin Owens v. Cena turned into, as I already mentioned, and amazing epic of Cena v. Cesaro. These two pulled out all of the stops and literally left it all in the ring. But most importantly, now that Tyson Kidd is out due to his neck injury, this was a major push for Cesaro and he delivered. Just give the man the Intercontinental Championship already.

4. Paige v. Alicia Fox

Now for those who know me know I’m a big Paige fan and a huge critic of Alicia Fox. Well last night they BOTH delivered. It what was hands down the second best match of the night, and one of the things I also loved was how much time the Divas match was given. It had a really good amount of time and it was very exciting to watch. Both Divas delivered and the finish was spectacular.

5. The Authority Stands Tall

Now earlier in the night Seth Rollins did his own version of the Price is Right, and as was mentioned earlier J&J were given a new car by Rollins. Well for the Rollins/Kane v. Ambrose/Reigns No DQ Tag Team Match J&J brought the car back out. Now first and foremost, this match did what it was supposed to and that was establish The Authority banding back together and being dominant again and continuing with everything going into Battleground against Brock Lesnar. Now here is where the disappointment kicks in. You have a No DQ match, and the car survived… I’ll repeat that. You have a No DQ match, and the car survived. Everyone in the arena wanted to see that car get destroyed.

Bonus Point!!

6. The Ascension

Now last night before Raw they taped two matches for Superstars which were Adam Rose v. Fandango and the Meta Powers v. The Ascension. Now for those who know me know I’m a huge Ascension fan, and how I would love to see them as the Tag team Champions (and with a very strong reign too). Well in their match on Superstars they continued to look strong since their performance at Elimination Chamber. Only problem is that it’s on Superstars and not Raw. I hope that soon The Ascension will get that push that they deserve.

3 Stars of Raw

1. Cesaro
2. Paige and Alicia Fox
3. Kevin Owens

Stars of Superstars

The Ascension

Those were my 5 Points on Raw, with a bonus point for Superstars. Also keeps your eyes peeled as Mansa and I recorded live at Raw too and a little MBM Wrestling Live From Raw is coming soon. You can all follow me on Twitter at @TheLindenbaum75 and on Facebook at Facebook.com/X75Productions.

——————————————————————-

Ben’s  Three Stars of the Show:

1) Cesaro
2) John Cena
3)Alicia fox