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I quite liked this episode of WWE RAW through the three hours. The best thing that I enjoyed about the show is how the events of Survivor Series 2019 actually bled out into the fallout program instead of just fizzling out like it usually does.
With that said, I would like to invite you guys to leave a comment and let me know what you thought about the show too. I thought that RAW had new energy and a new edge this week, but if you thought differently, be sure to let me know, ladies and gentlemen of the internet wrestling community!
Of course, I also invite you to leave a comment and rate every match from RAW right here. Be sure to let us know what you thought of every single match as well.
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With that out of the way, let me dive straight into my review.
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#1 Best: Matt Hardy and The AoP return!
While I try to be impartial while reporting wrestling opinions and news to you, dear reader, I must confess that I'm very partial towards a certain Woken one. Matt Hardy's 'Broken' gimmick is probably my favorite thing this decade and while he did not return in the avatar I would have liked, it was still great to see the man come back and remind us how popular he is!
How strange is it that someone as popular as him who received a thunderous pop at WrestleMania has to sit on the sidelines? I was also glad that the AoP went from backstage promos to an actual match and one has to consider that a return!
WWE's wealth of talent cannot be understated and it was great to see it in full display this week!
#1 Worst: No Samoa Joe on commentary
Samoa Joe clarified through a Tweet that he would be back next week and while I am not necessarily a religious person, I must thank the Lord. And this is because Vic Joseph and Jerry Lawler had very little chemistry this week and the Samoan Submission Machine was missed.
Vic Joseph is undoubtedly at the behest of WWE's corporate rules and comes across as someone from the office who's not necessarily speaking for the WWE Universe. Samoa Joe is more a 'man of the people' who is a natural behind the booth as well!
Jerry Lawler made the worst dad jokes in history and also mentioned how he couldn't understand Asuka at all, which was very weird too. As great as he was a few years ago, it is a different era and it needs a different voice at the time.
He just hasn't evolved with the times!
#2 Best: Giving us matches with stakes and consequences
WWE probably has the best roster in its history, but it tends to repeat so many of its matches on a weekly basis that it becomes a very cumbersome affair indeed. This week, we got some really good matches, including a Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka match that was the highlight of WrestleMania not long ago. This was a very different Asuka though with green mist in her arsenal.
We also got Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins in the main event. This is a match we've seen before, but Owens was the clear heel at the time while he's the clear face at this point. And who doesn't love a top-notch match between Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles?
WWE's loaded roster is the best part of their offering at the moment. It's just weird why they've been so reluctant to give us dream matches until now!
#2 Worst: Some major logical flaws in booking
Let me preface this by saying that I have no issue with Rey Mysterio becoming the WWE US Champion. This segment is just to portray how weak WWE's writing staff is as compared to your favorite TV show. The gaps in logic are just painfully obvious.
I mean Gallows and Anderson take down Humberto Carillo before his big match with AJ Styles so as to seemingly help Styles retain his title. But they urge him on to face the winner of the Fatal Fourway match between Mysterio, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, and Randy Orton nevertheless. How does this make sense at all?
Also, it is not in accordance with Randy Orton's character to help Superstars like Rey Mysterio win. If he wanted to exact revenge against The OC, he should have orchestrated some other kind of attack. It didn't help that AJ Styles' acting after losing his title was pretty bad as well.
#3 Best: Rusev finally snaps
We have had to endure a cringe-worthy storyline featuring Rusev, Lana, and Bobby Lashley for a very long time now and I'm glad it's finally paid off with a fantastic segment. Rusev is a very likable and affable guy which explains the popularity of the whole Rusev Day segment.
But how long can a man be pushed around until he snaps at last? Rusev was driven to the point of no return after he was served papers from a gentleman he believed to be a fan of his.
And so, he violated the terms of the restraining order and beat up Bobby Lashley on RAW. For the very first time since this segment began, I am actually excited to see how it will potentially unfold.
It was time to remind the world that Rusev is a monster of a man. And it took an affair between Lana and Lashley to do just that!
#3 Worst: No WWE Champion once again
I have no issues with Brock Lesnar as the top star on RAW, but the fallout show of Survivor Series needed to showcase what his next feud would be and against whom it would happen. Not shockingly at all, the man did not show up again this week.
I get the need to keep him as a special attraction but honestly, he needed to be around for the Fallout episode at least. The Fiend may not show up every week on SmackDown, but at least Bray Wyatt keeps us interested with the Firefly Fun House segments.
And Rey Mysterio's son needed to show up on RAW as well as a competitor, to continue his momentum. He can obviously wrestle and had the best launchpad ever.
Do you think Rey Mysterio should have defeated WWE Champion Brock Lesnar? Does the product desperately need a full-time Champion, in your opinion?
#4 Best/Worst: The Seth Rollins storyline
Seth Rollins may not necessarily be the best wrestler in the world, but he's certainly up there. So even though the audience wants him to turn heel, the moment he does, they will start cheering for him. The level of performance in his matches will not necessarily change. So WWE is in a bit of a Catch-22 situation right now.
Also, I'm not necessarily sure that inserting AoP into the mix is the right call necessarily. I realize that Akam and Rezar need a push right now, but it's just such an odd pairing from start to finish.
In any case, I doubt that Seth Rollins is a heel right now because he kept telling Kevin Owens after the final Curb Stomp that his whole objective was to make the product better. What I like is the element of uncertainty about his character at the moment in time.
Whether or not that makes the product better is questionable, but the Goddess' return certainly will do so!
