Bell to Bell: Holiday Scraps

Let’s see…Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, and Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper. Tonight was basically TLC lite, with some Christmas puns thrown into it. A throwaway Raw if there ever was one. Couldn’t we have done something to build toward the Royal Rumble?

Still, appearances by a pair of legends were appreciated…

Thoughts From Raw:

John Cena def. Seth Rollins after an in-ring segment with "Ho Ho Hogan." I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Hulk Hogan and John Cena in the ring together. They're now so similar they even wear the same colors. And Cena took his bad comedy to a new low by singing "Let it Go." *shudders* Still, Rollins and Cena work well together. So the match justified yet another long-winded opening in-ring segment.

Incidentally, Hogan reportedly wants to do one more match with WWE. Frankly, I'm more than familiar with Hogan's schtick, so I'm not at all in need of yet another Hogan match. But the idea of him getting in the ring with a modern-day heel (Seth Rollins? Bray Wyatt?) is definitely appealing, even if the heel in question has next to no chance of getting the W.

Roman Reigns def. The Big Show via count out. So it looks like the plan is still to go with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania XXXI, although I would argue Dean Ambrose is a better pick creatively. It’ll definitely be interesting to hear how the fans react to him at the Royal Rumble. If he’s in there with Ambrose or Ziggler, he might hear the same kind of boos that Batista heard last year.

Bray Wyatt def. Dean Ambrose in a “Miracle on 34^th Street Fight. Again, we’re obviously milking TLC rematches this week. It’s a shame Ambrose couldn’t get at least one win somewhere in here. He’s one of the most entertaining guys on the roster. Can’t he win something?  

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper interviews Rusev & Lana for "Piper's Pit." Always happy to see Piper's Pit, whether on television or via podcast. His “We’re judging!” line was pretty funny. Putting Piper in the ring with Lana was certainly….intriguing. In any event, after being stuck in the tag match at Survivor Series, and being given something of a lame duck opponent at TLC, Rusev definitely needs somebody strong to work with over the next couple of weeks. Ryback is many things, and strong is indeed one of them.

Adam Rose turns on "The Bunny." Hey, I'd be angry too if my bunny mascot was more over than I was. So...is this going to lead to an Adam Rose vs. The Bunny match on a pay per view? I think I might opt out of that one, if ya'll don't mind.

Fandango def. Jack Swagger. I've got a bad feeling about Jack Swagger's career trajectory without Zeb Colter. Without somebody to do the talking for Jack, he's not necessarily in a good spot. "We the People!" will only take him so far.

Vignettes continue to air for The Ascension. These obviously guys got some buzz down in NXT, but it looks like they’ll be arriving to the main roster as a Road Warriors/Demolition-like tag team, complete with face paint and leather. Needless to say, I’m skeptical. But if they can make it work, more power to ‘em. 

Written By: Rob Siebert