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This week's episode of Monday Night Raw was supposed to be the creative team's chance at laying the foundation for Money in the Bank pay-per-view, as we were finally going to find out which superstars will participate in the event's Money in the Bank ladder matches, what were the other matches to be added to the show's card, and witness the Universal Title contract signing.
So did WWE give their fans a show that would get them pumped? Well, let's just say this, when WWE put effort into the segments they booked on Raw, we saw the potential this creative team can exhibit, but when WWE's writers inserted lazy filler in the three-hour broadcast, fans lost interest.
Therefore, could this episode have been better than it was? Certainly, if WWE just foresaw the aftermath of some of their decisions on the flagship show, we could be praising Raw instead of criticizing it.
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#1 Qualifying Matches Out The Window
The one thing about Money in the Bank that makes it such an interesting pay-per-view is the structure of the show, as this might be the only WWE show that follows any type of structure, and here we see individuals compete with one another to head to the event for a chance to win the contract.
These qualifying matches add a sense of prestige to the match, as only the best of the best can have a shot at winning the ladder match and possibly becoming the World Champion down the road. However, this year WWE said screw all that, 'let's just announce the competitors and get on with our pointless tag team matches that will be repeated until the event.'
It's like WWE isn't even trying anymore to use a bit of logic in their booking anymore, why does Braun Strowman or Baron Corbin qualify for this match over someone like Samoa Joe, there is really no stable reason for these choices, as WWE once again shot themselves in the foot by breaking their own rules.
#2 Wandering Tag Team Division
This week on Monday Night Raw, we witnessed the building blocks for a feud many WWE fans wanted to see for a very long time, The Usos vs The Revival. This is a programme that many fantasized about years ago, and some even pegged it as this era's potential tag team classic.
Now, there is no problem with dreaming about the best in tag team wrestling crafting a classic in the ring, the problem is expecting a dream match build on Raw, as the best WWE had to offer us was The Usos picking on The Revival for shaving one another's back.
On the flip side of things we witnessed The Viking Raiders(if that's their final name) squash the talented but underutilized Lucha House Party like some local jobbers, while the beatdown was fun to watch, it had no real purpose. Finally, it was Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder's time to shine, as they took on an already fuming Revival, however, it was no surprise when the champions got a lucky win over the top guys in a predictable fashion.
So, what was the endgame on Raw this week for tag team wrestling? That's the thing here, there is no point to any of this, as we saw men start a feud over back shaving, we witnessed the Raw Tag Team Champions pick up another roll-up victory, and we saw The Usos beat the very mismanaged Good Brothers, where can WWE tag team wrestling go from here?
All the WWE Universe wants is great narratives with wrestlers they can care about, as tag team wrestling is a novelty in pro wrestling, but on Raw, it's a novelty we just can't enjoy.
#3 Thrown In The Mix
If you think Braun Strowman has a chance to win the Money in the Bank briefcase then please list the reasons why he could in the comment section down below, because anyone with a sixth sense for WWE's booking knows that Strowman is only in this match to act as a set piece.
Break some ladders, throw people off ladders, and get put through a ladder, that is Strowman's three main motives in this match, as he is nothing more than a spectacle in this bout, and while it's good to be the centerpiece of a match of this standard, it really does nothing for your career.
Moreover, in Strowman's case, it's even worse, as he so dearly needs rebuilding more than anything else, and by WWE consistently giving him the wrong end of the booking stick, just makes his situation worse.
Many actually expected Strowman to go one on one with Samoa Joe at the event, as that would be a better step in getting his career on the right path, but by being thrown in the mix with no chance of actually winning this match will see the big man set back by another month waiting for his chance to regain his 2017 form.
#4 Champ or Chump
Samoa Joe is a wrestler from an era that is slowly ceasing to exist, an era where wrestlers felt a bit more aggressive in the sense that they were all looking to claim the top spot in their respective companies. While many would say that culture still does exist in wrestling today, in WWE it truly does not, as in WWE there aren't levels fans can put the superstars on, and that is a problem.
For example, last year we witnessed the rise and fall of Finn Balor in a span of one week, Balor went from beating AJ Styles at the TLC pay-per-view to jobbing to a worn out Kane the very next night, where is the protection for WWE's top stars in their booking.
This week on Raw we saw WWE fail to give Samoa Joe that same protection when he went one on one with Rey Mysterio. Now losing to Rey is not a bad thing, as the man is a legend of the industry, but in Joe's situation he is the US Champion, and surely that gives him some security right?
Well, it doesn't seem so, and you may have noticed WWE doesn't afford their champions any sort of protective booking, as they usually lose on weekly shows but miraculously retain their titles at pay-per-views. For Joe, this does him no favors, as the US Champion losses the momentum he stocked up over the last few weeks which makes no sense when trying to rank him higher than his opponent.
In WWE there are no levels, there is no way to differentiate between champion and challenger, and in Samoa Joe's case, WWE is trying to convince fans he is an alpha when WWE themselves fail to book him as one. Even though Joe is in the top spot in WWE's mid-card, it doesn't feel that way and that is a mistake on the company's part.
#5 Going Nowhere Slowly
Last week on Raw we witnessed a bold decision by WWE, and that was the rebranding of Bobby Roode as Robert Roode. Now, the memes with countless r-rated jokes about Roode's new look was freaking hilarious, but just sit back, think and realize what this truly means for the former NXT Champion.
This is Roode's shot to finally become the cocky, brash, ignorant SOB we all knew and loved from his time down in NXT, but to everyone's surprise on Raw this week, where the hell was the glorious one? WWE missed a massive, no, they missed an absolute colossal chance to get Roode off to a white-hot start.
As just imagine a newly rejuvenated Roode been inserted in the Money in the Bank ladder match or Roode interrupting the tense confrontation between AJ Styles and Seth Rollins, the possibilities were endless.
You probably know by now where there are endless possibilities WWE usually wastes it, and this week on Raw, an opportunity to make Roode's hot gimmick catch alight with the WWE Universe was just lost, as it was thrown in the trash never to be seen again.
But hopefully, WWE can make up for this mistake, as Roode has to be on TV regularly for fans to notice the man as the second coming of Rick Rude.
#6 A Better Line-Up Please
You know what? It actually felt quite refreshing to see Dana Brooke being given a chance to shine in the Money in the Bank match, as this is a superstar that is fed up of waiting in line only to be told the line doesn't lead to any avenue. But if we are being honest here, Raw's contribution to the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match might be the worst lineup we have seen yet.
Natalya, Dana Brooke, Alexa Bliss, and Naomi are all fantastic wrestlers that have proven their worth in the past, but this match needs fresh faces, we have seen the old guard in this match before, as everyone knows the chances of them actually winning it slim, and WWE needs to realize it.
As said in the opening lines of this point, Brooke's inclusion feels natural as her story arc over the few months has been all about getting a chance to prove her self, but Natalya and a semi-fit Bliss don't feel warranted. However, it's totally understandable that WWE created this line up due to Raw's paper thin women's division, but that is where qualifying matches come into play.
Even though Raw's women's division isn't that deep to warrant qualifiers, WWE could get superstars from NXT and NXT UK to create some suspense. WWE could do so much better than just churning out the same old line up we are used to seeing every year, and when speaking about not enough options, is Ruby Riott busy on May 19th?
#7 What Bobby Lashley Is Cooking
Bobby Lashley is one of the very few ruthless aggression wrestlers left on WWE's roster, and that is a comforting fact to anyone still craving for that era of television to return, but man someone has got to say it, WWE has no idea what they are doing with this man.
When Bobby debuted in WWE, he was 300 pounds of pure pain, as Lashley ran through every single opponent like a tank through a brick wall, but ever since he returned in 2018, Lashley has been given some of the worst bookings a big man has received in WWE for quite a while.
First we sat through the smiling hat wearing Bobby feuding with Sami Zayn in a programme that was built around Zayn mimicking his sisters, then we went through the phase when Lio Rush promoted Lashley as God's greatest creation while Bobby slapped his ass at his opponents, and now we are witnessing Bobby cosplay as The Rock.
Yeah you heard that right this week on Raw Lashley was on Miz TV, and while this interview was nothing of importance, what was surprising about this entire segment was Lashley consistently referring to himself in the third person. Now there is no issue with that, but the problems are Lashley's mic skills.
Whatever Lio Rush did for WWE to break him and Lashley up was not enough to send Bobby out to the ring and have him advocate for himself, as it just made him look a bit foolish. We need the ass-kicking Lashley back, the man we wanted to see go up against Brock Lesnar, so WWE for sake of everything right, please make Lio Rush his mouthpiece again or better yet, if Paul Heyman isn't doing anything, get the best talker in wrestling advocate for Mr. Lashley.
