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I consider it a win if you're not bored during a three-hour broadcast. Such was the case with RAW this week and I attribute this to the fact that so many fresh faces made their debut during the course of the show. But that aside, it was an okay show overall. I certainly had a problem with quite a few of the segments.
Let me know your thoughts on the NXT call-ups. Do you think that WWE needed to bring up more NXT superstars when the likes of EC3 are already not getting any TV time? Did WWE need to stuff its already bloated roster with even more talent?
All I hope is that these NXT call-ups are used to the best of their talent in the months that follow. A hot debut followed by a meh run would not be ideal.
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Here is the best and worst of the show this week!
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#1 Best: Ricochet is sensational, Black is absolutely mesmerising
I daresay that the best talent from NXT wasn't part of the initial round of call-ups. I do not mean any disrespect to Evans, EC3, Heavy Machinery or Nikki Cross, but the latest round of call-ups just seem like they are bigger stars. WWE booked their debuts very well indeed, I thought.
I quite liked the fact that Ricochet got a chance to showcase his athleticism against Lashley and Rush. Few can do the stuff he does in the ring, and he put on quite the showcase with Finn Balor this week. I wouldn't mind the two of them becoming a full-time tag team based on their chemistry.
Black interrupted Elias and while I didn't like him speaking on the microphone, the rest of his debut was great. His ominous presence is mesmerising.
Let's hope WWE doesn't ruin the two of them.
#1 Worst: Forgetting the Ciampa-Gargano rivalry?
Listen, I think Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano make a very good team and I was a fan of #DIY back when they were around. I know both of them are on a similar page right now, but they're not quite friends yet. After all, Ciampa has spent the better part of last year terrorising Gargano. And Gargano has grown unstable and unhinged on NXT.
Therefore, I don't know what to think of this whole #DIY reunion at this moment. I'd rather have had them come in as two individual performers, who meet on RAW and decide to team up for the night to create a first impression. Ciampa didn't even get to showcase his devious personality.
Did I enjoy their match against The Revival? I enjoyed it and then some!
I just wish that the think tank on RAW had a clue about what is happening down in NXT as well.
#2 Best: DX and Chyna get inducted at last
I'm 32 years old. And this means that back when DX was the hottest thing in wrestling, I was watching the show every week. I think it is criminal that it took so long for them to get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
And the best part about the induction is that the '9th Wonder of the World' Chyna will finally earn her rightful spot in the Hall of Fame. Many have pushed for a position for her, but her ventures into the world of adult films had been a hindrance in the past. A video of her apologising to WWE and wanting to make amends had recently surfaced, and that could have been the proverbial olive branch WWE needed.
And if you are not down with that, we at Sportskeeda have two words for you- next page! Okay, it sounded cooler in my head.
#2 Worst: Dean Ambrose squashed again
WWE clearly wants to embarrass Dean Ambrose in his final few days in WWE. Ambrose would slap Drew McIntyre, setting up a pretty interesting match between two of WWE's biggest stars. And then McIntyre would just plough through Ambrose, leaving him in a heap in the middle of the ring.
What I found hilarious about the whole episode is just how comprehensively Drew McIntyre beat Dean Ambrose. WWE did not even attempt to make Ambrose look competitive and just had him take a pin in the middle of the ring. They also made him look like an absolute buffoon backstage when he forgot that he and Rollins had been engaged in a war for months.
It is clear that WWE wants to devalue Dean Ambrose before he rushes off to AEW, Impact Wrestling or even the independents. I cannot say that I'm a big fan of what they're doing.
#3 Best: The match that should have been
I thought that the main event this week was quite solid. Ruby Riott and Ronda Rousey had a pretty good match, that had the audience guessing at various points during the course of the action.
Ruby Riott hit her finisher at various points during the match and the audience actually, for a brief moment, believed that the main event of WrestleMania would be changed. The Riott Squad also interfered at the right time, and the match was actually full of interesting ups and downs for the duration that it lasted.
Ruby Riott seemed like she was no match for Ronda Rousey when she competed against her at the Elimination Chamber. After her performance on RAW, it is clear that she can hold her own in a big-time match against a star of Ronda Rousey's calibre.
Let's hope WWE rewards her with the Championship after Rousey's departure.
#3 Worst: Forgetting the events of Elimination Chamber
Didn't Bobby Lashley blame Lio Rush for losing the Intercontinental Championship at the Elimination Chamber? Did he not assault Rush shortly after the match effectively ending their partnership?
And yet Bobby Lashley teamed up with Lio Rush again on RAW this week, to take on Finn Balor and Ricochet. He did not, however, team up with Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre who he'd allied himself with during Elimination Chamber 2019.
Baron Corbin faced Braun Strowman all by his lonesome and did not have any support from his two friends during the match. Not surprisingly, Baron Corbin lost the match and WWE wants us to think that the alliance at Elimination Chamber never happened.
These are the loose ends that have been driving fans away from the product for such a long time now. I really wish WWE tied them up and focussed on telling good, compelling stories.
#4 Best/worst: Lacey Evans' current gimmick
I don't get what WWE is trying to do with Lacey Evans, really. I mean she was Number 1 in the Royal Rumble and had an impressive showing against the likes of Charlotte Flair. But now, she comes out only to return back up the ramp a moment later. What is the point of this gimmick?
It's still funny for now and it does give her screen time, but it'll run its course very soon indeed. And it is clear that WWE does not know what to do with her once the story is over and done. Lacey Evans is one immensely talented character who could end up becoming a comedy jobber.
What do you think the ceiling for Lacey Evans is? Do you think she will be a women's Champion someday on either brand?
Also, who else missed the Goddess in this week's show?
