WWE RAW, 9th September - Flops of the show

RAW this week was WWE’s last chance of building up its best storyline before Night of Champions. With fans complaining about Daniel Bryan being assaulted week after week, WWE finally gave him the chance to remain standing on RAW.

Goldust returned to fight for his brother’s job and showed just how wrestlers of the past can keep up with the present generation. Edge and Santino Marella returned on RAW to add to the excitement, with Edge receiving the biggest pop of the night.

On the whole, this week’s RAW was one to remember as it managed to deliver entertainment of the highest order. However, despite its best performance, WWE did manage to give some moments that didn’t manage to match the better moments. We prefer to call it the flops of the show. Let us now look at the moments that failed to make an impression on the fans.

1. Alberto Del Rio vs R-Truth

Alberto del Rio

Why would the World Heavyweight Champion fight a wrestler who makes sporadic appearances on TV? Guess it’s WWE logic. Anyway, ADR has lost sheen as a champion, and despite a decent match against Truth, the time spent by WWE here looked meaningless. This was better showcased by the fans, who felt it better to cheer about random wrestlers and commentators rather than care about the match. Anyway, this is indicative of ADR’s significance as a champion, which is clearly in need of some reconstruction.

2. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler

It looks as though Ziggler went overboard in that interview complaining about WWE pushing Randy Orton, as the company has relegated him to the status of a jobber. The fact that he never got an entrance made it even more obvious. He ended up losing the match to Bray Wyatt, who is also in no way related to any storyline for Night of Champions.

The good part, however, is that Ziggler still has his US title match at Night of Champions, and though he winning can bring a good angle into the corporation storyline, expecting the same under the present circumstances look difficult.

3. No Intercontinental title at NOC

Curtis Axel

The objective of Night of Champions is for all the champions to defend their title on the night. However, WWE has chosen not to put its Intercontinental title on line, which doesn’t go with the entire gimmick of the PPV. Plus, Curtis Axel’s credibility as a champion is dropping, especially since he hasn’t defended his title for some time now.

His recent losses against Kofi Kingston suggest Axel will leave Heyman’s side and move on to a storyline that helps concentrate on his title. But despite that, not having the IC title defended at NOC is a poor decision by WWE.