As always, whenever there’s a special episode of Raw, the quality of the show goes down the gutter. Remember the 4th of July special edition of Raw? This wasn’t nearly as bad, but still pretty bad. Yes, bad even by regular Raw standards. Live from the XL Center in Hartford, CT; Raw was a show that bored the hell out of us wrestling fanatics.
Imagine how bored the casual fans at home must be feeling right now. Believe it or not, we still found some good things to say about the show, amidst the bad. Here’s what we thought worked for the show, and what did not...
#1 Best (but awkward): Goldberg’s return to form
It’s always an awesome sight to see Goldberg, the legend who dominated WCW and WWE back in the day, return to the ring once again. When the music hits, the fun and games that characterise WWE these days are gone, and a beast emerges, breathing smoke and fire.
Today, while there was a hint of a confrontation between Lesnar and Goldberg, it turned out that Paul Heyman was just teasing. Rusev would interrupt proceedings, and enter the ring to challenge a man he grew up watching in the ring.
While Goldberg would slip at first, he’d recover his composure and deliver the Spear and Jackhammer that he made famous. Total mark out moment.
Here’s how Goldberg literally slipped while grappling Rusev:
WWE edited this part from the video they have uploaded on Youtube:
#1 Worst (also awkward): Smashing Pumpkins
Is the Smashing Pumpkins bit an inside joke by WWE, to hit out at Billy Corgan and TNA? Whatever the case may be, WWE proved why old WCW stars like Sting and Goldberg are still over, while their own stars are not.
With these stupid joke matches, all the credibility that Gallows and Anderson had as serious heels was undermined in just a second. Also, this is a classic case of 50-50 booking, with Enzo winning after the PPV loss.
#2 Best: Giants looked dominant
Braun Strowman and Nia Jax are finally in actual programs and not squash matches or filler feuds with Alicia Fox/Sin Cara. It was heartening to see WWE actually building new and dominant stars, and protecting them over a long period of time.
If they only extended this kind of booking to the rest of the roster as well, a lot more people would be over than they are right now. We like the fact that Strowman eliminated Zayn, and Nia Jax squashed Bayley...both of whom are serious competitors, and not glorified jobbers.
#2 Worst: Nobody cares about the Cruiserweights
This is not a criticism of WWE, but that of the fans. Always in WWE’s face to be different and take chances, they were absolutely still for the Cruiserweights, even though Kendrick is great on the mic, and inside the ring; and each one of the Cruiserweights can work his rear end off.
This is why filler segments with The Golden Truth and Mark Henry have existed and will continue to exist.
#3 Best: Survivor Series dynamics
The Survivor Series is unlike any other PPV during the year, most of which are ‘every man for himself’. Because there’s a necessity for alliances, and because we finally get to see Raw and Smackdown stars square off; this will lead to very interesting storylines with babyfaces and heels having to work together.
We are intrigued by the thought of Rollins (who’s bound to be the fifth guy) and Reigns teaming up. We wished KO had to work with Zayn too, but oh well...we can’t have it all!
#3 Worst: Wasted talent
One look at the participants in the Battle Royal, and we saw how many superstars Raw has that it is not capitalising on.
Neville is in no program right now and Cesaro/Sheamus deserve better than they’re getting. Heck, they even had a pretty good match against The Shining Stars. Look at how Smackdown has made Heath Slater into a star! And Raw cannot use Neville in a division that really, really needs him- The Cruiserweights.
Zayn wouldn’t be a bad hand there either, very honestly.
#4 Absolute Worst: Roman Reigns ascending the card
We saw how the crowd accepted Roman Reigns in the mid card. But we see what Vince McMahon is trying to do. Slowly he's entering Roman Reigns into the Universal Championship picture again. This will end badly. Heck, it will be a nuclear disaster, if it happens.
#5 Worst in History: Byron Saxton’s costume
In conclusion, this was a terrible show that must be DELETED!
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What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
