After a loss in the ratings a couple of weeks ago to SD Live, Raw looked to bounce back with an improved show, as they brought in the returns of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels ahead of the Royal Rumble in San Antonio, Texas.
Still, despite the return of those two legends, the red brand was unable to produce a good show once again, as another episode left fans drained rather than excited. While there were some good moments in the show, including Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman and Chris Jericho’s U.S. Title win, the rest of the episode was lacklustre, with SD Live continuing to outshine Raw every week.
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So, which segments led to another poor showing from the red brand? Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each segment from the January 9th edition of Raw.
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Braun Strowman attacks Roman Reigns with JeriKO:
Grade: 6.5/10
This was a fine segment to open the show, as it allowed for the Reigns/JeriKO US Title match to be moved to the main event slot later on. It also set up Rollins vs Strowman. Although it was understandable that Strowman wanted to get his hands on Reigns, it was baffling that he left JeriKO alone rather than wreaking havoc on everyone.
Rollins continues to act as Reigns’ sidekick, which is a partnership that needs to end sooner rather than later. The use of chairs to fend off Strowman was smart; rather than having the ‘Mountain of a Man’ being simply overpowered by moves.
Overall, a solid opening segment, although it had a few minor missteps.
Check out the segment here:
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman:
Result: Both men were counted out.
Grade: 8/10
This was a strong match that told a good story, with Rollins attempting everything he could to bring Strowman down. The action here was fine, although Strowman is still a bit slow in the ring, despite his recent improvements. The double count out finish here was fine, as it protected both men, but it gave no momentum to anyone either.
Whether a rematch is in the cards or not is yet to be seen, but for now the finish here was weak. Still, a good match, and a nice story told throughout the bout.
Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak and Neville vs. Lince Dorado:
Results: Jack Gallagher pins Drew Gulak, and Neville submits Lince Dorado.
Grade for both: 7/10
These two Cruiserweight matches were fine, although they were both squash matches that did little to excite. Jack Gallagher’s feud with Ariya Daivari looks set to continue, which is acceptable for the time being. It gives both men something to work with, and Gallagher’s entertaining character can make it work.
Neville continues to prosper as top heel of the Cruiserweight division, with his post-match attack on Dorado emphasising his new attitude. Rich Swann gaining revenge on Neville was a nice touch, as they look set to clash for Swann’s title, possibly at the Rumble.
Still, the matches here were nothing special, but at least the story development after each match was good.
Shawn Michaels returns, Jinder Mahal vs. Big Cass:
Result: Big Cass pins Jinder Mahal.
Grade: 5/10
This was a lacklustre use of Michaels, who should’ve done something more significant than putting over the worst feud on the show. While it was nice to see him talk about the Rumble and his upcoming movie, nothing stood out here. The match was mediocre as well, with Cass picking up the predictable win.
It was great to see HBK hit Sweet Chin Music, but that was just to get a pop from the crowd. None of the four men involved in the feud (Cass, Enzo, Rusev and Mahal) benefit from bookings like this, with lackluster segments and matches continuing every week.
Overall, a poor use of Michaels, and a dumb continuation of an awful feud that needs to end immediately. One positive here was Michaels’ post-show interview. He alluded to an appearance at the Royal Rumble, check it out:
Sheamus vs. Doc Gallows:
Result: Sheamus pins Gallows.
Grade: 7.5/10
This was a strong, hard-hitting match, with Sheamus and Gallows working well together. It seems Sheamus is slowly morphing into a face, which is nice to see. What was dumb here, however, was the 50/50 booking.
Instead of gaining momentum for him and Anderson with another win over the tag champions, Gallows lost to the Celtic Warrior. Gallows and Anderson need all the wins they can get to be established as contenders for the titles, which meant another loss here was definitely the wrong decision.
Overall, a strong match, with the wrong man having his hand raised at the end, in my opinion.
The Undertaker returns to Raw:
Grade: 8.5/10
This was a great use of The Undertaker, who got straight to the point in this segment rather than wasting time like Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon. The announcement that the Deadman will be in the Rumble match adds another potential winner to the mix, with the unpredictability of this year’s Rumble at an all-time high.
The crowd was extremely hot for ‘Taker here, with a win for the Deadman in the Rumble match not unwelcome. Undertaker saying that he can be where he wants was a nice touch, as it cleared up why he was on Raw after appearing on SD Live a few weeks back.
However, one negative here was the brief showing of Strowman looking on backstage. An Undertaker/Strowman match is definitely not an exciting encounter at this point in the Deadman’s career. Hopefully, that was just a hint at a face-off in the Rumble bout rather than an actual one-on-one matchup.
Overall, a great use of the Deadman, who added more star power to the growing list of Superstars in the Royal Rumble match.
Check out his return and announcement here:
Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax and Charlotte:
Result: Nia Jax Pins Bayley.
Grade: 6/10
This was a solid tag team match, with the story of Stephanie McMahon punishing Banks and Bayley a nice aspect. Hopefully, the rumoured story of Stephanie and Bayley clashing in a Daniel Bryan-esque manner continues, as it could lead to an awesome payoff at Wrestlemania 33.
What wasn’t a nice aspect here, however, was the dumb finish. Instead of Jax pinning the injured Banks, the number one contender Bayley was pinned clean heading into the biggest match of her main roster run at the Rumble.
Sure, she is an underdog, but there is a difference between an underdog and a flat-out loser, and Bayley’s booking is close to crossing the line. However, the teases of Banks turning on her ‘friend’ Bayley continue to excite, and hopefully, it is executed at the Rumble.
Overall, a decent tag team match, but a weak finish.
Kofi Kingston and Titus O’Neill:
Result: Kofi Kingston pins O’Neill.
Grade: 2/10
This was the definition of filler, with the story of O’Neill trying to join the New Day continuing for another week. The attempts at comedy here were terrible, with old clips of O’Neill in NXT doing nothing to entertain.
The match here was also short and forgettable, with O’Neill continuing to lose every single week. The New Day aren’t benefiting at all from this either, and the result is the worst segment of television every week. Hopefully, this “feud” is ended now, as it is doing nothing but putting fans to sleep.
Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho (United States Championship):
Result: Chris Jericho pins Reigns to win the championship.
Grade: 8/10
This was a strong way to close the show, with Chris Jericho surprisingly capturing the title. After such a great run in 2016, Jericho deserved a title reign, and it looks like he has received it with his first US Championship.
However, the booking here was all off. It took two men together to beat Reigns, which is incredibly dumb and only served to make Reigns look ridiculously strong. Reigns dominated for a large portion of the match when he shouldn’t have had a chance. Still, it was nice to see the US title change hands, as it has been poorly treated with Reigns as Champion.
Overall, a nice way to close proceedings, even if Reigns was booked way too strong here.
Check out the title win here:
Overall Grade for Raw January 9th: 6.5/10
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