RAWcous in Iowa-

The Authority Opens The Show

A brutal beat down of Seth Rollins was witnessed last week on raw thanks to Randy Orton and his master plan. So what better way than to have the future and the rest of the Authority (minus Triple H and Stephanie) let their feelings be heard in front of a buzzing Des Moines crowd that was thrilled to see their hometown boy Seth Rollins in the middle of the ring. Rollins made things clear, he was pissed off.

So much so, that he didn’t hesitate before accepting Randy’s challenge for a WrestleMania match that threatens to steal the show at the spectacular. Orton came out and challenged Seth to yet another match, this time in the main event of the evening, knowing full well that he could be subject to some revenge from the authority. Rollins accepted and the scene was set for a WrestleMania preview live on raw.

Nikki Bella def. AJ Lee

#givedivasachance or #givebellasabreak? Leading up to Wrestlemania, the only divas bout starring the Bellas vs. Paige and AJ had a preview of sorts with a one-on-one contest. To many, the divas aren’t being represented well enough and enough time isn’t being given to the talented women of WWE. While a tag team match without putting the title on the line doesn’t sound like a promising option, watch out because these girls are talented in their own right and will lay it all on the line to pick up the win. Speaking of picking up a win, the Bella twins did just that when a Brie Bella altercation with Paige outside led to Nikki pinning AJ and gathering momentum for the match at mania.Ryback def. The Miz

Ryback def. The Miz

In a rematch from Smackdown, Ryback battled Miz with Mizdow yet again being the reason for the massive pop inside the arena, much to the chagrin of Miz. Quite like Thursday night, Ryback made short work of the A-lister and when Mizdow tried to help Miz to his feet, the personal assistant got a skull-crushing finale for his efforts. Jealous much? Interesting to see how this leads up to the battle royal at Wrestlemania.

U.S. championship contract signing between Rusev and Cena

Last week Cena was finally granted his wish thanks to Lana (A U.S. title match against Rusev at WrestleMania). The much awaited contract signing was hence set up for raw and an emotional promo by Cena made it clear that he was chomping at the bit to get his hands on the big, bad, undefeated Russian. Just one problem though: the Russian came out in a suit with apparently some sort of a lawyer who looked more like a 80s hippie with the worst Russian/Texan accent in history.

Nevertheless, the “attorney” stated that Stephanie mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Rusev had to change his mind about giving Cena a shot at the title and not Lana, hence the contract would not be signed. A smart move, as Rusev used that to berate the Americans and antagonize Cena before signing the contract and throwing the table in his face and finally releasing the Russian flag over Cena’s American head.  Can Rusev step up to the plate and get the biggest win of his career? We sure will find out.

The New Day def. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd

Cesaro and Kidd have looked unstoppable since the unlikely pairing got together. And the momentum hasn’t wavered much since they won the tag titles at fast lane. New day sure had a stiff task against the fan favorites in this one and couldn’t get the job done as teamwork led to another win for the champs. Funny how this segment ended though, with El Torito of Los Matadores sending Cesaro out of the ring. The tag team division sure is heating up leading up to mania, and a good booking at the event may have a number of eyes fixed on this one.

Big Show - Erick Rowan never happened

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the authority angle is making the news these days in WWE. Rowan should have known that, as he couldn’t even make it to the ring without being taken down by the Big Show who had something to prove after leaving Rollins high and dry at the backstage area. Rowan has become a victim of his own character as of late and definitely needs a makeover of sorts after Wrestlemania in order to be taken seriously by the bookers.

Larry Zbysko enters the Hall Of Fame

Long overdue in many minds, Larry Zbyszko got his much awaited hall of fame moment when he was inducted on Raw to a rousing ovation after his many achievements in a wrestling ring. He’s definitely a “living legend”.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Preview

Kane and a number of other superstars battled it out in a battle royal preview as Kane and Mark Henry took out the bunch and were left staring each other down before the world’s strongest man showed his might and sent the director of operations over the top rope. But wait, who can forget Axelmania? The axman probably should have stayed outside. Henry manhandled Curtis and sent him flying to send a message: The World’s Strongest Man is here to stay.

Paul Heyman cuts a promo

It’s almost a given these days. The best time for a wrestling fan to watch raw these days is when Paul Heyman has a microphone in his hands. Heyman stole the show again with a promo about how Reigns can’t beat Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Needless to say, the powerhouse doesn’t feel the same way. Reigns came out and told Heyman he respects him but he can and he will beat Lesnar to become champ. The boos sure made him uncomfortable but its something he’s accustomed to now and it sure looks like Reigns isn’t going to back down from Heyman’s beast.

Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler def. Luke Harper, Stardust and Bad News Barrett

It’s hard to feel like a champion when you’re not carrying the belt. Something that Barrett hasn’t been a stranger to ever since fast lane. The hot potato that is the Intercontinental championship has travelled to each of the seven participants in the ladder match for the title at WrestleMania. R-Truth had the title at the start of this tag team match and walked out to ringside with the title hooked onto his hoodie.

The tag match was a really good one with fast paced action that gives us an insight into what might be expected at the showcase of the immortals. When the dust settled, Ambrose pinned Barrett to pick up the win. Barrett didn’t have to wait long for revenge as he ended up flooring everyone to finally get his title back. Will we see the man from Preston, England raise the championship atop a ladder at mania? Signs sure point to it.

Bray Wyatt cuts a promo

For weeks Wyatt has called out the undertaker for a match and he finally got his wish last week on raw. But if the Dead Man thought he was done, Wyatt came out to the ring with the urn again and abused it to the extent where he called himself the new face of fear and WrestleMania, the undertaker’s final resting place.

Randy Orton - Seth Rollins never happened

Orton must have felt great leading up to this main event clash since the Authority had refused to accompany Rollins to the ring. This wasn’t the case however as Rollins came out and told the world that it took him just three hours to trick Orton into believing that he had been left high and dry by his authority buddies. The entire Authority including Triple H and Stephanie made their way to the ring and Orton grabbed a chair to counter what he could.

When all hope seemed lost for the viper, the lights went and the ultimate “mark out” moment came into being as Sting stood in the center of the ring alongside Orton with a baseball bat in hand. The duo destroyed the Authority much to the delight of the Des Moines crowd and all those watching on TV. Sting seemed to love the moment and Orton showed the authority he’s going nowhere either. Sting vs. Triple H and Rollins vs. Orton are two matches the world is going to watch and love and they promise to deliver.

Off the air, Michael Cole conducted an interview with Orton and an emotional Sting who promised that he’ll end Triple H at the event of the ages and considering his actions this week, one thing is clear, the enigmatic superstar means business.