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There was nothing particularly bad or offensive about this week's show in my opinion, but there wasn't anything exciting about it either. It was just another WWE program with limited resources that seemed bland and extremely unexciting.
Maybe if the show was an hour shorter, I would have had a different opinion. But RAW just seemed to be a show that is the lull before the storm, setting the pieces in place before the eventual gush of excitement comes our way.
Or so I hope because the RAWs that follow WrestleMania have been known to be weaker than usual because the Summer months are not the best time with regard to exciting WWE content. And it may be even worse than usual considering the fact that there's no live crowd in attendance to make things seem special.
So, with that said, I present my best and worst analysis and invite you to do the same in the comments section too.
#1 Best: Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins
On SmackDown, we saw how Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman are already in the Universal Championship picture. I called it a worst because, in my opinion, neither man can really afford a loss at this point.
However, I am glad to report that Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre will be the next big feud on RAW and with the greatest amount of respect for Andrade, I have to say that I am just glad that it is not him. Rollins is the only person in the entire roster who looks like he has a shot at winning the Championship from Drew McIntyre and can also take a loss, without incurring far too much damage to his character and his position. This feud was extremely necessary.
#1 Worst: Lack of top guys in the Money in the Bank qualifiers
I mean this with the greatest amount of respect to the men in the Money in the Bank ladder matches from RAW, but bear in mind, that one of these men, if successful, will go on to be the face of the company. Can you imagine any of the contenders apart from Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black in that position?
MVP has had a great career and Apollo Crews has all the talent in the world, but wouldn't we have rather had Superstars like Kevin Owens in the mix instead? Do any of us really think that Murphy or Austin Theory can go all the way and win the contract?
It just seems like this year, the Money in the Bank contract hasn't been given due importance and the pay-per-view as such will not be nearly as exciting unless SmackDown amps it up with some big stars. Once again, I don't mean this as a knock on the stars that I have mentioned but I think we can all agree that we would have rather seen AJ Styles than any of them.
#2 Best: Asuka
Anyone who's grown up on Ric Flair in the same manner that I have, probably recalls the times that he would absolutely lose control and go completely nuts. I am yet to see the same level of mania in any performer since then except for Asuka. Asuka has come absolutely unglued and unhinged in recent times, dancing and prancing, and being the most entertaining person on RAW by far.
And then, when the bell rings, Asuka is a monster in her own right too. The Empress of Tomorrow can really go with the best of them, but we all knew this thanks to her stint in NXT and her WrestleMania match with Charlotte Flair. What none of us really knew about is that under the Kabuki persona was a person who has an incredible innate sense of comedy.
At this rate, she may even surpass Becky Lynch to become the top babyface on RAW, male or female. If there is a Superstar Shake-Up, I want to see her going after Bayley for her SmackDown Women's Championship.
#2 Worst: The botch
Yes, I actually thought that the match between Shayna Baszler and Sarah Logan was exactly what it needed to be. Shayna Baszler needed to look like a savage beast after her loss to Becky Lynch and that is absolutely what it was, even if it came at the expense of someone like Sarah Logan.
But what I did not care for, and I'm afraid a lot of you pointed this out on social media, is that WWE announced the name of the wrong winner once the match was over and done. Botches are a regular occurrence during live shows but when the result is predetermined, one assumes that the ring announcer can write down the name of the winner beforehand.
At least when it comes to the women, I thought that the right ones won, with Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax and of course, Asuka advancing all the way to Money in the Bank. I am only afraid that we'll see meaningless tag team matches featuring these women in the days that follow.
#3 Best: A new heel faction
Zelina Vega has been absolute gold in the time that she has been a part of WWE, whether it is on RAW or even as a member of the NXT roster. And I think that it was about time that she got her own faction to manage, comprising of Andrade, Austin Theory, and Angel Garza.
I love the fact that they will be allied because while nobody is a household name, with the possible exception of the United States Champion, the collective may get over if given the chance to shine. And with Andrade's help, this team could also lie, cheat, and steal (remind you of someone?) their way all the way to the RAW Tag Team Championships.
Because Vince McMahon has seen just how good Sami Zayn's faction has been on SmackDown, and because there is no faction led by the Monday Night Messiah, the time is right for this collective to make waves. Let's just hope and pray that they are booked in good storylines, in the coming weeks
#3 Worst: The loss
What I don't always like about WWE is how they build up certain stars in a very big way and then, all of a sudden, pull the rug from right underneath their feet. Ricochet and Cedric Alexander did seem like they were going to be positioned as the next exciting babyface unit but then, this week, they did the job to The Viking Raiders during RAW.
I don't necessarily know if I would be as excited about a program between The Viking Raiders and The Street Profits as I would be if it was Ricochet and Cedric Alexander. I get that The Raiders are big and strong and touch and move exceptionally well for men of their size, there is just something about them that feels very dated to me.
In conclusion, please do take a minute and check out our brand new series on Sportskeeda's official YouTube channel featuring none other than the one, the only, Goddess of WWE whom you may know and love as '5 feet of fury' Alexa Bliss.
