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The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California witnessed a pretty decent episode of RAW. There were enough positives across this show, to warrant a thumbs up review from us.
We're also excited to report that later this week, Sportskeeda Wrestling will be live at WWE Live India 2017, catching the men and women of RAW in action, in addition to the marquee match between Jinder Mahal and Triple H in the main event. This was a great way to whet our appetite for the action that we'll witness.
Of course, it is impossible to create the picture perfect spanning across three hours, and we do have certain reservations that we feel may not bode well in the long run. Of course, we would love to hear from you.
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Let us know your 'Best and Worst' in the comments down below.
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#1 Best: A brilliant main event
Even if the tag team title match between Cesaro and Sheamus against Rollins and Ambrose, had ended the way it seemed at first, it would have received a positive review from our team. That's how good it was. Despite the tease of a no-contest, these two teams put on another clinic.
The match was built around Rollins' inability to tag Ambrose. Dean Ambrose had been knocked off the apron, and Rollins had no one to tag. When the tag was eventually made, and several back-and-forth sequences took place, the crowd erupted.
It seemed that the men would fight another day, as the match ended in a no-contest at first. The WWE Universe erupted again when Kurt Angle restarted the match and it seemed as if The Shield would pick up the tag team championships.
Nobody expected Samoa Joe to interfere at the end, and this sets up things brilliantly, for the weeks to follow.
#1 Worst: Taking too much punishment?
Finn Balor looked incredible and unstoppable when he was first called up from NXT. Over time, the aura surrounding the man has just diminished, and it is clear that there's absolutely no direction for him right now.
He still gets the big pop every time he steps out. We wonder how long he will, though, if he has competitive matches with competitors much further down the ladder, such as Bo Dallas. Balor should have absolutely squashed Bo Dallas, as a top-tier competitor.
If you wonder why some believe he isn't 'over', it's because he's not pushed like a main event star should be. Balor needs to appear more dominant.
#2 Best: Another 'Braun Strowman' moment
Years later, when we look at Braun Strowman's dominant run on RAW, we'll most likely, not remember spots and moves from his matches. Instead, we'll probably recall moments from his run, that stick out.
Strowman no-selling the guitar shot from Elias this week was just one such move. We thought it was a masterstroke, considering we've seen broken guitars (no relation to Matt Hardy) fell so many superstars in WWE history. The legend of Strowman continues to grow, and this is why he gets the best reaction on RAW, every single week.
Kudos also to Elias, who just keeps growing as a performer, every single week. There's nobody who receives more heat than he does, on a weekly basis.
#2 Worst: Killing a monster?
Hey, we've always been fans of storytelling in WWE. We wonder if Nia Jax is the right choice to tell this particular story, though. The teased love angle between Jax and Enzo could spell the end for her as a vicious monster heel. She could have been the perfect counter-foil to Asuka.
We've seen far too many 'monster heels' being positioned as comedy characters in WWE, never to recover again. Jax has never really had a chance to shine on the main roster like she did in NXT. Comedy is never a bad thing, but a bad joke can sometimes backfire.
Let's hope that WWE books this one just right because they have a gold mine in Nia Jax. After all, she's not like most girls.
#3 Best: The Awakening
Woken Matt Hardy has arrived to WWE. His gimmick is really over with the WWE Universe, and his lines are hilarious. The wait was definitely worth it, as Wyatt and Hardy exchanged words through a video package. It remains to be seen if they'll team up, or begin feuding.
Considering that Hardy sentenced Wyatt to 'deletion' this week, it seems like they will be feuding, at first. We can't wait for Queen Rebecca, King Maxel, Senor Benjamin and Vanguard 1 to show up on WWE Television, as well.
#3 Worst: Losing their identities?
Bayley was once thought of as the next John Cena. Mickie James is a legend, who'll certainly go into the WWE Hall of Fame someday. It's almost tragic to see them booked as Sasha Banks' backup crew. It kills whatever little momentum the two women had.
It's different for Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, who can benefit from being with an experienced performer like Paige. In the case of Bayley and James, it just proves that WWE has lost faith in these two gifted women.
#4 Best: Slowly turning heel?
It is clear that WWE has the utmost faith in Jason Jordan, for the long term. He is being portrayed as a crybaby who goes running to his father, with many favours and demands.
The kind of heat that Jason Jordan gets even manages to get Roman Reigns cheered on a weekly basis. We like how the kettle is slowly reaching boiling point. We wonder how it's going to play out, over the coming weeks.
Could we see Jordan turn on his father? Could we see a feud between Angle and Jordan someday?
We do not know right now, but if there's anyone who knows, it's The Goddess of the WWE.
