Do our eyes deceive us, or did we just see two consistently strong episodes of Raw this week and the week prior?
In the PG era, watching two episodes of Raw that exceed our expectations, one after the other, is a very rare feat indeed. So we will give credit where it is due, and offer some constructive criticism on the shortcomings that we felt kept the show from becoming an absolute A+ experience, here in our list of Sportskeeda (write ‘em down mannn).
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Presenting the best and worst of WWE’s flagship brand.
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#1 Best: Trying to genuinely tell a story
This was the hot angle last week at the conclusion of Raw. A defeated Enzo came to the ring this week, and called out his old friend, to meet him face to face. Unlike a certain Samoa Joe, Big Cass actually answered Enzo’s call and even swerved us into believing things were alright again...before recreating the Ciampa-Gargano split on the main roster.
From Enzo’s fiery promo to Cass’ heartfelt response (before the swerve that is), to the actual swerve, in our opinion, this was a good segment. WWE is not merely booking matches, but actually trying to tell stories. That, in our opinion, is a very good sign.
#1 Worst: No name for Rollins’ new finisher
He’s on the cover of a video game, but his finisher does not have a name yet! Michael Cole yelled- ‘Ohhh the knee’, as Rollins delivered a running knee to the face of Curt Hawkins.
This is after Hawkins got far too much offence in for a star of Seth Rollins’ stature in the company. All we ask of WWE at this moment is to think of a name for Rollins’ finisher, considering he’s one of their biggest stars right now.
#2 Best: A continuous narrative
It was Corey Graves who got the dirt on Big Cass last week on Raw. This week, Big Cass confronted the announcer and asked him to mind his own business. He mentioned that Kurt Angle had asked him to not hurt Graves because the announcer must have some real dirt on the Raw General Manager.
This raises many questions (in a good way) and also slowly builds up the commentator into an eventual on-screen figure. We like how one narrative meshes with another here. WWE is putting some thought into their storylines and it’s a heartening sign, in the long run.
#2 Worst: Celebrities
While the Hardy Boyz and Finn Balor were tearing it up in the ring against the Miztourage, Josh Duhamel from the Transformers franchise joined the Raw announce desk and truth be told, it was a disaster.
He kept going on about ‘The Buddy Games’, a project from WWE Studios, and distracted from the action in the ring. This was a shame really because this 6-man tag team match was probably the contest of the whole night.
At one point, Duhamel interjected with the assertion that a run-in to break up a pin was not legal and subsequently, the announcers had to correct him. This was a car wreck.
If you thought things could not get any worse, LaVar Ball entered the arena and things quickly spiralled out of control. Yes, he did have us in splits through the segment, but we were not necessarily laughing with him, if you catch our drift.
Wanna bet that they were only on this week’s episode because they are The ‘Ball’ Family, and WWE creative got a chuckle from the name? Had these segments not happened, this would have easily been a fantastic show throughout.
#3 Best: Does The Beast fear Samoa Joe?
Samoa Joe was great this week, getting into the head of both Brock Lesnar and his advocate simultaneously. He cut off Paul Heyman during a backstage promo and whispered threats in a rather sinister manner indeed.
Then, he attacked Brock Lesnar from behind, and if not for The Revival’s unexpected interference, looked like he would choke out Lesnar in due time. After ages, a big fight actually feels like one and we couldn’t be more excited for the next pay-per-view.
#3 Worst: No build for Sasha vs. Alexa
Everything indicated that Alexa Bliss would face her friend Nia Jax for the championship at the next pay-per-view. However, it seems like Sasha Banks will get her title shot before Nia Jax gets her big moment, based on the events on Raw this week.
We would have liked a better build to the match, considering that there’s only one week to go before the next pay-per-view match comes around. If not, there will be absolutely no heat heading into the coveted Raw Women’s title match.
#4 Best: The eternal saga continues
We just love the chemistry that Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman have. Their saga makes for great television, and we love every moment of it. While ambulance matches aren’t really ever all that exciting, we’re certain these two men will make their contest a must-watch affair.
Let’s conclude this review, with the hope that WWE delivers three great shows in a row, and hit it out of the park like a real Boss would!
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