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What a decade it's been and how many changes we've seen in WWE over the past few years, right? The final episode of WWE RAW of the decade ended with a bang, as the Lana and Lashley wedding was interrupted with a bunch of unexpected interruptions.
Whether you thought the end of RAW was a car crash or a stroke of genius, it is impossible to dispute the fact that it was an eventful show for sure. Let me separate the good from the bad and bring you the best and worst of RAW.
Be sure to leave a comment and let me know if you liked the show or did not care for it at all. I would love to hear your take and get your reaction to this week's show.
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So, this is the final Best and Worst of the decade, ladies and gentlemen.
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#1 Best: Randy Orton swerves the audience
A lot of people actually believed that Randy Orton's career was over and done after the heartfelt promo he cut when he came out with crutches. WWE made it a point to mention that he had sustained the injury at a WWE live event and made a lot of the audience buy into the story.
And then, he would name-drop Edge before he delivered an RKO to AJ Styles who's really come into his own as a heel. I wonder if this is the first step towards a heel turn, considering that babyfaces don't usually pretend to have career-ending injuries before delivering their finishing moves.
Whatever the case was, this was probably the biggest highlight of what was otherwise not the most noteworthy show except for the start and the end. Orton vs. Styles finally does feel like a pretty big deal.
#1 Worst: Natalya answers the open challenge
Natalya is one of the greatest female Superstars of all time but never gets her due. But with that said, I thought that when Charlotte Flair laid out an open challenge and Natalya answered, the excitement just went out of the room.
The match that the two women went on to have was good and would have been fine, had the open challenge stipulation not really been set up. Natalya just needs a few interesting storylines to sink her teeth into to regain the momentum that she seems to have lost in recent times.
Sure, she has been away for a while but did anyone really notice? And this is not a knock on Natalya but instead, it is a knock on WWE Creative who could have brought her back in a pretty exciting manner.
Let's hope Natalya goes on to have some memorable feuds in 2020.
#2 Best: The Owens and Joe alliance
My main criticism with the Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens pairing is that the men were escorted out of the building at the very start of the show. Everything else about their alliance is absolutely fantastic and I can absolutely see the two men dominating the WWE RAW roster.
They are a man short when it comes to facing Seth Rollins and The AoP, but still, one cannot dispute the fact that the two babyfaces make a really good pairing. We saw the comedy side of Kevin Owens when he was paired with Chris Jericho. With Samoa Joe as his tag team partner, I'm certain we'll see a more serious, hard-edged side to Kevin Owens.
Both men can work fantastic programs with Seth Rollins and that's the way we're headed currently. I'd have loved it if the WWE Championship was on the line in this feud, but we'll have to make do with what we have. And it is simply awesome.
#2 Worst: Completely wasting Drew McIntyre?
I think we're all in agreement that Drew McIntyre is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete who deserves all the praise in the world and has a look that would get over in any WWE era. And yet, WWE has never gone all the way with the Scottish Psychopath, choosing instead to put him in unfortunate spots.
I really don't know what the deal with him is but he really needs to be taking on realistic opponents. Maybe he would have been a much better fit for SmackDown where he could have feuded with the likes of Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. He is completely being wasted on RAW, I think.
Drew McIntyre has been in strange roles like playing Shane McMahon's lackey and being the muscle for Dolph Ziggler. It's not time for him to possibly win The Royal Rumble and challenge Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36.
#3 Best: Push for Aleister Black
I know that certain people are upset that Aleister Black won two matches in a row and that Buddy Murphy could not defeat The Dutch Destroyer on RAW. In my personal opinion at least, this is a very good thing.
And the reason for this is that we often see WWE booking their stars in such a manner that nobody gets over. This time, we know for sure that Aleister Black will be booked in a prominent position and with this strong win, could even go after Brock Lesnar next week.
I mean think about it, who else could possibly take on Brock Lesnar when he arrives next week? Almost everyone is in a feud of his/her own.
Even if Aleister Black is only elevated to the US Championship level at most, it would still be a big step up for him. And he's a man with immense potential.
#3 Best/worst: Liv Morgan's big return
When I first finished watching Liv Morgan return as Lana's ex, I thought it was a very interesting swerve. Nobody saw it coming and in an age when so much of wrestling is predictable, that is certainly a very big deal indeed.
But now that I'm looking at Twitter and seeing how many people are disappointed with the fact that Morgan and Wyatt did not come together to form a new Wyatt Family, I have to slot this in the best and worst column, I suppose. All that matters is how WWE is able to stretch this storyline in the weeks to come and whether or not it meets audience expectations.
In any case, this was a fun decade and it was my pleasure to bring you this column for so many years. If you have any feedback or suggestions, let me know in the comments.
Here's The Goddess wishing you a very Happy New Year!
