When fans look back at the highlights from 2015, they won't include much from the April 6 edition of WWE Raw.
An underwhelming show dragged. After a Raw with its share of electric moments, WWE offered much less compelling fare on Monday in Austin, Texas.
The company did well to highlight the United States Championship and put together some unexpected pairings, namely Stardust vs. Cena, Seth Rollins vs. Neville and Luke Harper vs. Ryback. The end result, though, was a show short on the spectacular.
Consider it the breather after the post-WrestleMania buzz and before the Extreme Rules build gets rolling.
The following is a look at all the night's matches, complete with letter grades and highlights. This won't be a report card WWE is going to want to hang on the fridge.
The fans in Austin, Texas, made it hard for him to talk, but Rollins still managed to brag about his accomplishments at WrestleMania. Big Show did some gloating as well, calling himself the greatest giant in WWE history.
Randy Orton eventually came out to stop the speeches short. He challenged Rollins to a title shot, an idea that Kane shot down.
The Director of Operations announced that Ryback, Orton and Roman Reigns would battle later in the show to decide the No. 1 contender. Each of those men would first engage in singles competition, however.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"This is your champion. Show some respect."—Big Show to the fans.
"Kane...Kane was there. Kane was there too."—Rollins on Kane's WrestleMania.
Grade
B-
Analysis
Rollins is excellent at playing the arrogant heel. He was the heart of this segment, being gratingly self-confident and mocking Kane.
Like most of these opening scenes, however, it went on too long before anything happened.
While not especially creative, this got the job done. It allowed Rollins and Big Show to generate some heat and gave fans reasons to watch the rest of the show.
Randy Orton reddened Kane's chest in the early goings of this slugfest. The big man fired back, taking control thanks to hard strikes.
When the fight moved to the outside, Kane bashed Orton with a chair. After the bell rang, he looked to continue the assault, but he had to flee to avoid an RKO.
Result
Orton wins via disqualification.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
Orton suplexes Kane onto the security barricade.
Grade
D+
Analysis
No one expected a stellar bit of in-ring action here, but even the story it was supposed to tell was tepid. The announcers tried to sell Kane's attack as leaving Orton hurting going into his match in the main event. He only hit him with one chair shot, though.
Why not go further with this and have Kane actually deliver a smackdown?
This didn't work. It felt half-assed. The match was lifeless and the post-bout happenings weren't much more effective.
Backstage, Rollins and Kane argued. Rollins suggested that maybe it was time for the Director of Operations to step down. Kane said that he was in control while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and that was he was putting Rollins a match.
Once Rollins realized who he was facing, he mocked him.
Neville responded with a kick and a gutsy performance against the champ. Rollins dominated, keeping the former NXT champ on the defensive. He wasn't able to put Neville away, though, and that eventually frustrated him.
A Curb Stomp finally did the trick.
Result
Rollins wins via Curb Stomp.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"Why don't you just sit this one out, pipsqueak?"—Rollins to Neville.
Neville somersaults over the top rope onto Rollins.
"Neville, tonight, is going to get his report card."—Booker T.
"When in doubt, punch a guy in the face a bunch of times."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
Rollins flips Neville over with a clothesline.
Grade
B+
Analysis
It's unclear where all this tension between Kane and Rollins is headed. A babyface turn for Kane would be an odd choice.
The match was booked really well. Neville benefited from pushing Rollins, but in the end, he looked like a rookie, and Rollins looked like a dangerous champion.
The fact that he is facing the world champ so early is a great sign for Neville. WWE wisely portrayed him as plucky and resilient rather than focus on his size.
John Cena riled up the crowd and talked up the United States Championship. He issued his second consecutive open challenge.
Stardust accepted and was soon stunning Cena with right hands. The challenger angered Cena, inspiring him to show off an aggressive side of himself.
It took a hard-fought battle for Cena to kick out of Dark Matter in order for him to retain the title.
Result
Cena wins via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"If you think you can walk down here and easily take this from me, you're dreaming."—Cena about the U.S. title.
Cena holds up Stardust in a delayed vertical suplex.
Stardust springs off the ropes; Cena powerbombs.
"If you sleep on Stardust, you can going to be looking up at the ceiling."—Stardust.
Stardust plants Cena's head with a nasty DDT.
Cena hits a springboard stunner.
Grade
B+
Analysis
The open challenge being a regular thing is a great idea, especially if there is a surprise appearance or two at some point. It puts the U.S. title in the spotlight and leads to excellent matches like this one.
The promo was a bit heavy on the patriotism. The talk needs to be more about the gold. These kinds of rah-rah speeches get old in a hurry.
It's surprising that a guy who has been around as long as Cena hasn't gotten better about not calling spots so obviously. He often talks too loudly and too obviously to his opponent.
That prevented this match from being even better.
Nikki and Brie Bella had Paige hurting early. They traded punishing her with wear-down holds and double-team moves.
Paige eventually tagged Naomi in, who went on a flurry, knocking both Bella sisters down. She nearly scored a win with the Rear View, but Brie made the save.
Brie couldn't stop her from hitting The Grind and getting a three-count.
Result
Naomi and Paige win via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
Nikki clotheslines Paige to the floor outside the ring.
Grade
C+
Analysis
This was a decent match hurt by a few awkward moments. The most notable of these came at the end when Naomi hit her finisher. She hesitated after executing it, seemingly a reaction to hitting Nikki too hard.
Not much of a story here other than Naomi is on a roll, likely leading to a title shot down the road.
WWE needs to remember that the #GiveDivasAChance movement is about more than match times. Fans want to see more creativity when booking the division, something that wasn't on display here.
A hard-hitting match ended in just moments. Ryback withstood Harper's early onslaught and hit Shell Shocked for a quick win.
Result
Ryback wins via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"You got a buffet tonight. Eat all you want, Ryback."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
Grade
D-
Analysis
There's a better way to get Ryback an impressive win. This contest had no spark, felt hurried and offered little in the way of in-ring highlights.
Having Harper get beat so easily is a mistake as well. Pushover is the wrong role for him. Either have someone else step up to Ryback here or allow Harper to look more dangerous.
WWE is in danger of turning him into an ineffective, forgettable role player rather than the monster he can be.
The New Day spoke with Renee Young backstage before the action began. Kofi Kingston and Big E talked about how much clapping meant to them and how fans chanting that they suck didn't affect them.
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd watched on as these two teams battled.
Xavier Woods and Big E were more aggressive than usual. Kingston hit a cheap shot on Kalisto and Woods nodded in approval.
Result
The Lucha Dragons win via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"We clap, or we snap."—Kingston.
Kalisto flips over the top rope onto Kingston and Big E.
Grade
C+
Analysis
A brief match featured some fun high-flying from Kalisto, but the biggest takeaway is that The New Day is clearly headed for a heel turn. WWE is looking to fuse the negative chants into the team's storyline.
Not only did WWE address them in their interview but Kingston and Woods' exchange also hinted at a move toward a darker, more villainous version of the group. They are going to need some major character development to make that work, though.
They didn't fail because they were babyfaces; they failed because they're flat characters, and it's not worth investing in.
The New Day spoke with Renee Young backstage before the action began. Kofi Kingston and Big E talked about how much clapping meant to them and how fans chanting that they suck didn't affect them.
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd watched on as these two teams battled.
Xavier Woods and Big E were more aggressive than usual. Kingston hit a cheap shot on Kalisto and Woods nodded in approval.
Result
The Lucha Dragons win via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"We clap, or we snap."—Kingston.
Kalisto flips over the top rope onto Kingston and Big E.
Grade
C+
Analysis
A brief match featured some fun high-flying from Kalisto, but the biggest takeaway is that The New Day is clearly headed for a heel turn. WWE is looking to fuse the negative chants into the team's storyline.
Not only did WWE address them in their interview but Kingston and Woods' exchange also hinted at a move toward a darker, more villainous version of the group. They are going to need some major character development to make that work, though.
They didn't fail because they were babyfaces; they failed because they're flat characters, and it's not worth investing in.
Sheamus mocked WWE's "little men" as fans were chanting, "You look stupid!" That inspired Mark Henry to come stomping down the entrance ramp.
Henry tossed The Celtic Warrior around, frustrating Sheamus. The Irishman fought back, delivering knees and forearms to the big man.
He finished things off with a Brogue Kick.
Result
Sheamus wins via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"I've always been a warrior among insects."—Sheamus.
"Are you not entertained?"—Sheamus to the fans.
Grade
C+
Analysis
The idea here was better than the action itself. Sheamus is embracing his new heel role and did well to dismiss the fans.
He gets a big win here after a solid mic performance. The actual bout, though, was nothing special. Fans who recorded Raw would be smart to just listen to Sheamus' speech and watch a GIF of him screaming, "Are you not entertained?"
While both men still wore their sunglasses, Damien Mizdow went after The Miz.
He kicked his old boss and looked to be having fun doing it. The Miz responded with aggression of his own. There were few wrestling holds applied; it was mostly a fistfight.
The Miz won it with a schoolboy pin and by holding Mizdow's tights.
Result
The Miz wins via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
Mizdow hits an Electric Chair Drop.
Grade
C
Analysis
While WWE is likely to have this feud escalate from this point, it was an odd move to have this match at all. It takes some of the excitement out of Mizdow finally getting his hands on The Miz at Extreme Rules. The Miz could have backed out of the bout or attacked Mizdow with a chair before the bell.
Instead, a tepid match failed to make use of these foes' animosity.
As Reigns, Orton and Ryback battled, The Authority walked out and glared at the three men from the entrance ramp.
No one had the advantage for long. Orton went on a rampage, but he suffered a Superman punch to the mouth. Ryback hit a Meathook clothesline on Reigns, but Orton pounced on him.
Outside the ring, Big Show knocked out Reigns. Inside, The Authority attacked, but in the chaos, Orton managed to hit an RKO for the win.
Rollins wasted no time, hitting a Curb Stomp on his Extreme Rules opponent.
Result
Orton wins via pinfall.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
"Opportunity has no bias."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
Reigns flies out over the top rope onto The Authority.
"That would knock out a dinosaur."—JBL.
Grade
B
Analysis
Reigns, Orton and Ryback had little time to work with. They managed to pack some excitement into a small space, but they didn't produce anything all that memorable.
The least surprising result occurs here, setting up Orton vs. Rollins at Extreme Rules. With Big Show clubbing Reigns, it looks as if those two are set to collide at that pay-per-view.
Like most of the night, there was no great "wow" moment with this story. WWE is going to have to up its game heading into the next event. As of now, there is little energy surrounding the show.
