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I am not a religious guy but I hope and pray that everything goes back to normal by the time that SummerSlam comes around, at least. The WWE Universe is the life-blood of the company and these shows, without any fans around, just seem to be lacking in any excitement.
And while WWE is trying to do the best that they can under the circumstances, it is very clear that the shows are suffering because of the circumstances prevailing around the world. I thought that it was unfortunate indeed that the RAW before WrestleMania, which would have been a great show under normal circumstances, had to suffer in the manner that it did this week.
In any case, here is the best and worst of RAW this week. As always, feel free to comment and let me know how amped and how excited you are about WrestleMania.
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#1 Best: The Undertaker's best promo
As my colleague Rohit Nath remarked during the course of this week's show, every promo sounded better without a live crowd present. Edge was fantastic, and even Kevin Owens, who is always great, kicked it up to the next level this week. It was The Undertaker, who cut a passionate promo at the very top of the show and proved to the world why he is the greatest sports entertainer ever, that stole the show.
If you did not watch the promo, go back and watch the delivery and the intensity that he brought to the table. It's impossible not to be hyped for his match with AJ Styles if you saw it.
And of course, I have to mention the fact that Paul Heyman was also at the top of his game in the go-home segment and probably thrived on the fact that the segment wasn't aired live.
#1 Worst: The injury to Andrade
Andrade has just had the worst luck ever. Even though he is the current WWE United States Champion, there were no plans for his title to be defended at WrestleMania 36.
And moreover, thanks to a rib injury, he won't even be a part of the tag team match that he was scheduled to be in at WrestleMania. I know that this is a big step up for Austin Theory per se, but honestly speaking, it is a massive step backward in terms of hype for WrestleMania because Theory isn't as recognized a name as Andrade is, at least for the majority of fans.
In any case, one really wonders if it's worth it carrying on with WrestleMania in the manner that it's being done at the moment because so many top stars will not be available for it (without mentioning any spoilers, you can expect a massive name to drop out of the proceedings this week) and especially in Andrade's case, everything has gone south for him ever since he failed his Wellness Policy test.
#2 Best: Shayna Baszler destroys Becky Lynch
Even Becky Lynch was in the middle of cutting a pretty good promo when Shayna Baszler showed up from out of nowhere and choke the RAW Women's Champion out. This was retaliation for what Becky Lynch did last week when she interrupted Shayna Baszler's promo and attacked her with a chair which was low for a babyface. Shayna Baszler looked fearsome, intimidating, and to be quite honest, absolutely unstoppable and fierce heading into her big match at WWE WrestleMania 36.
Charlotte Flair decided to follow suit and knocked Rhea Ripley out in the parking lot, which was a pretty cool segment as well. I quite preferred the segment to everything that they did face to face in the ring on RAW. The women always have a chip on their shoulder and go the extra mile to put on a show on big stages like WrestleMania, which is why they have come so far in so little time.
Even the women's tag team division is coming along well after being ignored for so long.
#2 Worst: Two whole recaps
WWE fans are fiercely loyal to the product and to the company too. However weak the product may get at times, they realize that WWE has been instrumental in shaping them as persons and as individuals and hence, they stick with the company through thick and thin. Which is why very few people are complaining about not one but two recaps.
But at the same time, just imagine if this happened with The Walking Dead or some other show, like Westworld, where you go in expecting a certain episode and had to sit through an episode from the past. WWE, like any other fiction program, is a continuous narrative where you only glance upon the past as a reference. To watch matches from the past when you've tuned in to watch RAW and experience the build to WrestleMania 36 can be disappointing.
But every fan understands the situation that WWE is in right now, and therefore, they will stick by their favorite company in bad times, just as the company has with them in good times and bad.
#3 Best: Asuka is hilarious
Sure, Asuka had a great match but can we just talk about what an amazing character she has become?
Little did we know that the undefeated powerhouse who blazed through the competition in NXT and was presented as a female Goldberg would go and become the amazing comedy character that she is right now. And it is pretty obvious that Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman find Asuka hilarious as well and that is precisely the reason why they are giving her so much screen time.
And I think Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, who are excellent characters in their own right can really bring out the best in Asuka as well when they compete in the middle of the ring because there is guaranteed to be plenty of posturing and trade-offs when it comes to funny insults between the women. This is the most entertaining that Asuka has been, and this includes her streak too.
You have to be a robot if you don't burst out laughing every time she says 'easy peasy'.
#3 Worst: Where is Bobby Lashley?
Aleister Black seems to be running through a whole lot of enhancement talent one after the other, but we have no reason at all to care about his match at WrestleMania against Bobby Lashley. It just seems like a match that was put on the card for no reason at all.
If we could have had a pre-recorded video of Lana cutting a promo on Aleister Black, it would have made the match interesting and would have added a new dimension to the contest. I really wouldn't be surprised to hear accounts of people even forgetting the match is on the card until it actually takes place at WrestleMania.
Let's just hope that SmackDown can build a little more excitement for WrestleMania because while RAW tried, it was held back by the prevailing conditions across the world and you really cannot fault them for that.
Do you guys think that Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross will be the next WWE Women's Tag Team Champions? If so, sound off in the comments section.
