Last week’s episode of Raw was a torture to sit through, and the ratings reflected the same. This week, thankfully, WWE was in the United States once again, and we saw a slight improvement in the content.
There were three big matches, and things fell into place as we head towards the Extreme Rules PPV. How did this episode of Raw, coming to us from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey fare? There’s only one way to find out, really! Let's revisit the best and worst of this episode.
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#1 Best: Kurt Angle is back
Kurt Angle was not a part of the episode of Raw filmed in the UK last week, and we saw Dean Ambrose and The Miz acting as co-general managers in his absence. The outcome was hokey, lacklustre and lukewarm.
This week, Kurt Angle returned to the fold and the show felt important once again. Whether it was bantering with Maryse in French or making matches, Angle brought a weight to the show that was missing last week. He was the anchor that really held the show together. Oh, it’s true. It's damn true.
#1 Worst: No Braun Strowman for 6 months
Rumours were rife on the internet that Braun Strowman would be Brock Lesnar’s next challenger. Of course, that was an awesome match we were dying to see. Unfortunately, it turns out that Braun recently underwent surgery and will be missing up to 6 months of in-ring action.
Not only has he been Raw’s greatest success story as a character, he has also been a fan favourite on the show. We wish Strowman a speedy recovery and hope that his momentum continues upon his return.
#2 Best: Two heel turns
There were two unexpected twists this week, and they were both awesome.
After the loss at the Tag Team Turmoil match last week, Goldust turned on R-Truth, thereby ending the alliance known as The Golden Truth. While this can add a fresh coat of paint to Goldust (no pun intended), we don’t expect it to be a big angle on Raw. At the same time, it’s great to see WWE mix things up when the tag-team became stale.
Enzo and Big Cass were on fire in their hometown, only to be interrupted by Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews. While Big Cass made short work of Titus in their match, Titus was very entertaining on the microphone.
The big swerve came at the end, when Apollo Crews, a man who seemed like Titus’ reluctant aide delivered a devastating enziguri to Enzo Amore (pardon the alliteration), presumably going heel. Crews has needed a new hook for his character to get over, and this could be just what he needs.
#2 Worst: Is Vince Russo back booking matches?
As a direct fallout of Alexa Bliss’ and Bayley's altercation with a kendo stick, Kurt Angle stipulated that the two would face one another in a ‘Kendo Stick on a Pole Match’. Yes, last year, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks changed the face of women's wrestling forever and this year, Alexa Bliss and Bayley will be part of this embarrassment of a match.
This contest is oddly reminiscent of Vince Russo’s gimmick matches in WCW, such as the 'Judy Bagwell on a Pole' match. Happy Mother’s Day, Buff Bagwell.
#3 Best: Plans in motion for Extreme Rules
SmackDown Live’s exclusive pay-per-view ‘Backlash’ comes to us this weekend, and two weeks from that date, we have Extreme Rules, yet another Raw exclusive pay-per-view. We can complain about the sheer volume of WWE content that is released, but let’s focus on the topic at hand.
We like the fact that a Fatal 5-Way match was booked for Extreme Rules because we know that these men will tear it up. We cannot predict a winner at this point, and that’s always a good thing in the larger picture.
The Women’s Championship, IC championship, and cruiserweight championship matches were set this week too, making the show feel quite important.
#3 Worst: Boss or jobber?
Less than a year ago, Sasha Banks was part of the first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell match as well as a women's Iron Man match. Currently, she's jobbing to Alicia Fox, a woman who at best, played a valet for most of the last year.
There’s money in a feud between Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss (as well as with Bayley), and we hope WWE does not give up on her right away.
All in all, a mixed episode. You stay safe and don’t be naughty, or Alexa Bliss will hit you. Very hard.
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