WWE Raw TV taping report
June 3, 2013
Hartford, Conn.
Report by PWTorch reader Nick Travisano

Having been to many WWE events the past six years, WWE seems to have found a building to appeal to all fans, children and adults alike. A great step up from Raw events in Bridgeport and Mohegan Sun.

Getting to my seat I noticed the arena filling quickly, with what looked to have been a sell-out crowd. Superstars opened up with Sweet T and Brodus Clay facing Primo and Epico. The match started slow with fans still filling the building. As the pace quickened you could feel the energy in the crowd.

Next, Natalya came out to a nice reaction, and Tamina playing a great heel. Nice match with good timing and spots.

By this time, the entire crowd was ready to go for Raw. Stephanie and Vince McMahon got some great reactions out of the crowd (cheers and boos). However, the tease of placing Triple H in a match really took the energy to a new level. Great to see both in person, playing to the crowd.

The Shield came out to a mixed reaction, which ended quickly when Randy Orton's music hit, followed by Team Hell No. There were tons of "Yes!" chants echoing throughout. Again, a very well-paced match with great spots. The crowd came alive for both comebacks from Orton and Daniel Bryan, then the finish in favor of The Shield drew major heat.

The Usos came out to a small ovation. However, by the time the match was done the live crowd was all over their win. It was nice to see an actual tag match with "tag team moves." The Prime Time Players had some good heat, The Usos looked great, and the live crowd seemed to really get into them.

Next was Alberto Del Rio vs Big E. Langston. Personally, I've never been the biggest Del Rio fan, but he seems to be developing well into his role. The crowd was hot for the finish with Del Rio winning.

Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes seemed to pick the crowd back up. Shamus was super-over and got a great reaction. The crowd went crazy for his finish.

Fandango was also very well-received. Adults and children a like dancing to his theme. With that being said no one knew how to react to his match against Great Khali. This segment appeared thrown together loosely. Also, I'm not sure how it translated on TV, but the arena was silent throughout the Wade Barrett vs. The Miz follow-up match until Fandango's music hit. Sloppy segment, not well received.

The Jericho and Heyman segment was well done, and the live crowd ate up the great interaction between the two. Despite setting up Jericho as a huge babyface, I can only imagine the reaction C.M. Punk would have got if he came out. During commercial, they showed a picture of Punk on the screen and the place went crazy.

The Divas came out to a small reaction. Not much to say on this. The Divas worked hard to get the match over and succeeded in moments. However, with the small amount of time they had, no one had a chance to really enjoy anything. (After the Y2J segment, many left go the restroom/concession stand.)

Interesting segment for Bray Wyatt and I'll explain why. Not many knew who the person was in the video package at first. However, by the end of the segment the crowd was left with an eerie feeling. I will say it was well done and the crowd seemed to agree from the ovation the video got afterwards. Bray Wyatt and Family bring a fresh feeling to a tired roster. I can only assume big things are ahead for them.

Ryback came out to some good heat, but it was short-lived. His match against Daniel Bryan seemed to drag, especially in the middle when the crowed sounded tired and annoyed. Frankly, the hard work of Daniel Bryan made him look great. The crowd was dead for Ryback until the table came out and Bryan went through it.

This brought out John Cena for the biggest pop of the night, which seemed to wake up the crowd. Cena's match with Curtis Axel moved nicely, and Axel seemed pretty polished himself. The crowd was into the match and went crazy for the finish.

Post-Raw: Cena gave Ryback the AA through a table to send the crowd home happy.

I must say, it was one of the best live experiences I've had attending an event. The energy in the arena brought an added flavor of enjoyment, as well. It was a pleasure to watch Daniel Bryan make the show that much better. Great in-ring work that had the crowd on their feet.

Biggest Pops:

- John Cena
- Orton/ D-Bryan
- Y2J

Most Heat:

- Paul Heyman
- Vince and Steph (Triple H not wrestling)
- Ryback

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