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This week of RAW, live from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, was uncharacteristically entertaining for a go-home show. It wasn't the best episode of RAW, but overall, it had far more entertaining moments than not-so-entertaining ones.
It is clear that The Shield will dominate the central storyline of this brand, going forward. In the absence of Lesnar and Cena, the trio has been a huge draw for the brand, and in many ways, maybe the only draw for brand RAW. Only time will tell how long their run will last.
However, that topic deserves its own article and we shall not dwell on it any further than we need to. Let's get to the task at hand for right now.
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Here is the 'Best and Worst of RAW.
#1 Best: The gear and the entrance
At the top of RAW, we saw Kurt Angle enter the arena and address the WWE Universe. He was interrupted by a familiar theme song, as The Shield made their way through the crowd, like they had in their heydey.
They were clothed in the garb that one associates them with, as opposed to the t-shirts they were wearing, just a week ago. They also surrounded the ring like predators, babyfaces surveying the landscape for prey.
These little touches made the reunion of the Shield feel a lot more special than the action that we'd seen in the week prior. It is one thing to put a trio together and another thing entirely to bring back a gimmick and make the trio revive it to the fullest.
However, RAW wasn't a perfect show all throughout.
#1 Worst: Useless stipulation
As good as the main event match was, we had assumed that everyone else in the match had been banned from ringside. So we had assumed as a result of General Manager Kurt Angle saying so, at the top of the show.
However, everyone who was in the big main event of TLC came down to the ring for their piece of the action. If WWE does play it up at TLC and does indeed penalise those who had come down in some way, it would make complete sense. Else none of the stipulations in WWE really mean anything, really.
#2 Best: An unpredictable swerve
Almost everyone expected the fifth person in the TLC main event to be Samoa Joe. However, when the familiar theme song hit and Kane made his way from the fiery pits of the deepest chasms of hell, much of the WWE Universe was genuinely pleasantly surprised.
Kane isn't the big deal he used to be during the Attitude Era anymore, but he does make the match a lot more unpredictable. With Kane, Strowman, The Bar and The Miz in one team, one may even say that the heels hold the upper hand in this titanic clash.
No, The Shield won't lose their debut, but Kane plants a seed of doubt in our mind. Now let's move from this intimidating demon to a less fearsome one.
#2 Worst: Not horrific at all
Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt should have had an absolutely splendid program with each other, considering how similar both their gimmicks are. Sadly Balor's new get-up and Wyatt's new gimmick are doing both men no favours at all.
What an intimidating sight it was to see Kane stand tall in his demonic get-up, at the conclusion of RAW. On the other hand, Balor's new facepaint takes away from the aura of his original gimmick, and if anything, dilutes the same heavily.
As cool as Wyatt embodying the spirit of his deceased sister is, it is near impossible to pull off a gimmick of that nature in a crowd of trolls, like the WWE Universe is these days.
#3 Best: Genuine babyface
One of the biggest criticisms of WWE is how it cannot get babyfaces over anymore and instead has to turn people heel to get them over. One classic example is Sami Zayn, who should have been a beloved babyface, but had to turn heel, to integrate himself into the thick of things.
Mickie James cut the ultimate babyface promo this week, when she told Charly Caruso how much she wanted to win the RAW Women's Championship for the seventh time, for her son. The words rang true and they resonated with the WWE Universe, who knew that she was being genuine.
Whether it was her veteran delivery or the fact that she made the lines sound unscripted, unlike most of the current roster, she came across as a babyface who wanted to succeed.
The WWE Universe bought into the promo, and cheered her on, loudly and very genuinely.
#3 Worst: Enzo's friends
The reason that Enzo was so despised on the 205 Live roster is because the entire division was against the man in kayfabe and in real life. In a division dominated by in-ring work, he was getting over with his charisma and cheating to win.
This week, we saw the heels of the division align themselves with Enzo Amore. We think this is a terrible decision, as it kills the original gimmick. As if it wasn't bad enough that they took the strap off the only man in the division who could get a reaction.
Let's hope that WWE has a plan for the Cruiserweights, and that Enzo does not become just another guy on the roster. If not, the division will sink to the same depths that it once had.
Let's conclude this list with the match of the night.
#4 Best: Always awesome
When we first heard that these two teams would collide for the RAW tag team championships, we knew we were in for a treat. And no, they did not disappoint. The two teams took each other to the limit, and put on a showcase like we'd seen many other times before.
The tag team divisions on both RAW and SmackDown Live are probably the best rosters when it comes to in-ring work. Ambrose and Rollins have rediscovered their erstwhile chemistry, and they seem like a tag team and not two singles stars anymore.
Imagine how amazing the division will be when The Revival and The Hardy Boyz come back from injury.
To conclude this week's edition of Best and Worst, here is a picture of The Goddess. No, she's not biscuit you-know-what...
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
