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This week, RAW came to us from the Bell Center in Montreal, QC, Canada. It wasn't that the show was particularly bad, but we just found it uneventful overall. WWE needed to pull up their socks to carry the momentum from the Greatest Royal Rumble. We just felt that the same wasn't achieved with this week's episode.
As always, we shall separate the good from the bad. Welcome to 'Best and Worst', our post-show analysis piece. As always, we invite you to leave your comments.
There is never a right or wrong when it comes to wrestling. Everyone has a different opinion and that's really what makes our conversations on these recaps so entertaining.
Here's what we felt about the show this week...
#1 Best: The super loud audience
Canada always has great crowds. After the reception that WWE superstars received in Saudi Arabia, Canada took it up a notch. Not only were they loud for their hometown Canadian heroes, they also let their favourite babyfaces be known how much they loved their superstars. WWE needs to film RAW at more international locations!
Owens and Zayn got the loudest pops of the night, not surprisingly. Seth Rollins too was incredibly over with fans in Canada and they let him know how much they loved him. Even Roman Reigns was booed louder than ever before, by the vocal crowd.
Let's hope that SmackDown Live too receives a similar reception from local fans. The love from the crowd just makes the shows more enjoyable to watch and enjoy.
#1 Worst: No Chad Gable?
We thought that Chad Gable was on the verge of a massive push. After all, he did defeat Jinder Mahal in a singles match on last week's show. This week, he was missing from action, after his big win. This was extremely poor booking from WWE, we felt.
We strongly do believe that continuity is the key to making fans care about a character or a superstar. Gable now has a week's worth of lost momentum to catch up on when he shows up next.
#2 Best: A Moment of Bliss
As talented as the women of WWE are in the ring, Alexa Bliss adds a whole new dimension to the division with her promo skills. She cut an incredibly sarcastic promo on Nia Jax this week. It was self-derogatory to an extent, making fun of Bliss' height. We really thought it was quite awesome indeed.
Alexa Bliss was also hilarious when she scampered away from Ronda Rousey and later, Nia Jax. She plays the coward to perfection and kudos are in order also to Rousey and Jax for playing their roles so immaculately. We wonder if Rousey and Bliss are destined to clash down the line someday.
#2 Worst: Corbin getting pinned
Baron Corbin is a former US Champion as well as a Money in the Bank winner. While we wish No Way Jose nothing but the best, it is clear that he has a ceiling with his gimmick. The same can be said about Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil as well.
We believe that Corbin taking a pin from Jose was a huge step down for him from where he once was. We'd love to be proved wrong and for Jose to be given a chance to roll with the ball. Sadly, we don't see that happening in the foreseeable future at all.
#3 Best: The main event
This week on RAW, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor met again with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. They had the best match of the night by far. The crowd was hot for the contest and showered them with deafening 'this is awesome' chants. This match could have been on a pay-per-view and would have still been a classic.
We wonder if Balor may be headed for a heel turn soon. Something desperately needs to happen to keep him exciting.
#3 Worst: Yet another shot?
Both Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are supremely talented individuals. However, it is clear that their program has been a real dud thus far. Therefore, the thought of yet another match is unappealing. Shouldn't Strowman have had a payoff after winning the Greatest Royal Rumble?
Instead of tearing each other to bits for the Universal Championship, Strowman and Reigns seemed allied this week. This lack of logic in WWE can sometimes be quite frustrating.
#4 Best/worst: Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks may just be the best worker in all of WWE. She had a great contest with Ruby Riott this week. The match started off slow but picked up in pace later on. It was undoubtedly Riott's best match.
However, we still don't get the whole Banks-Bayley feud. The announcers alluded to it over and over again. Honestly, it's stretched out almost as long as Emmalina right now.
We do hope The Boss moves on to new things. She certainly deserves better than this!
Liv Morgan does not seem to agree!
