In what was the main focus throughout the show with a number of backstage segments, the main event between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns exceeded expectations with an incredible match that benefited Owens, Reigns, Rollins and the returning Rusev. After costing Reigns the victory, Rusev viciously assaulted the Big Dog, avenging the beating he suffered at the hands of Reigns at Summerslam.
But, despite the focal point of the show surrounding the main event, there was still plenty of other segments and matches to analyse, as we witnessed good and bad developments. Here is Reading Between the Lines of Each Segment from this week’s WWE Raw.
Opening Women’s Promo and Triple Threat to determine No. 1 Contender for Raw Women’s Championship (Bayley vs Banks vs Brooke)
Main Point: The crowd reacted really well to Dana Brooke slapping Charlotte. Be prepared to see Brooke vs Charlotte in the near future.
The opening promo felt like it was going to be another authority figure talking for too long, but the women of Raw quickly took over the segment. Charlotte’s heel work on the mic was great, and Sasha and Bayley both presented themselves well as worthy challengers. Although it might be a little early to turn Dana Brooke babyface, if the crowd keep reacting like that, WWE will pull the trigger sooner than expected. Having the women open the show was a wonderful choice as well, and the women’s revolution appears to be underway, even if this did drag on a tad too long.
This was a decent matchup, but it felt like they were hesitant to show off Bayley vs Sasha just yet, leading to most of the bout being centered around Brooke. The right woman went over, and we get a rematch between Sasha and Charlotte at Clash of Champions which looks like it will be tremendous. A solid way to open the show and highlight the Raw Women’s division after Smackdown’s Women’s division thoroughly impressed at WWE Backlash.
Bo Dallas vs Brandon Scott and Jack Swagger vs Jinder Mahal
Main Point: The backstage segment with Swagger after his loss was very intriguing. His Raw contract looks to be running out. Could we see Jack Swagger on Smackdown Live?
I thought I would combine these two matches into one slide as they both didn’t achieve much. Is Bo Dallas receiving a push or is he still trying to look strong ahead of his match with new signing Bin Wang? If Dallas is simply left off of TV after that bout what was the point of these squash matches? If they are actually trying to salvage him, kudos.
Suddenly, after a few weeks of playing the role of enhancement talent, now they are giving Jinder Mahal a push and a gimmick. Better late than never, but the crowd was completely dead for this match and it achieved very little for both men. The only intriguing part of the whole segment was the ‘news’ that Swagger’s Raw contract would be expiring soon. Is he leaving the company? Or are we seeing the first trade of talent for the brand split? Let’s hope WWE Creative follow up on this.
The Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho and Guest Sami Zayn
Main Point: This was the best Zayn has been on the mic since being on the main roster. His match vs Jericho at Clash of Champions is guaranteed to be brilliant.
This was a great promo segment for once, and it did well to plant the seeds for a Zayn-Jericho match and potential rivalry. Zayn was awesome on the mic, and it was the best he has looked on the mic since being on the main roster. Jericho was great on the mic as usual, and this current run he is having in WWE is one of his best. Zayn’s comments about basing his journey on wrestlers such as Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Jericho himself was great and felt genuine rather than a force-fed WWE promo line. Overall, a fabulous segment that highlighted Zayn and Jericho, and it gave both men something to do at Clash of Champions.
Match Five of the Best of Seven Series- Cesaro vs Sheamus
Main Point: Cesaro is destined to make a comeback in this series, and it will be a wonderful moment when he wins the grudge match to win 4-3.
You put Cesaro vs Sheamus on the card, you are guaranteed a solid match, and that is what these two men delivered. While nothing spectacular, the two superstars put on another solid, yet unique, matchup. I am excited to see the finale to this series, and Cesaro’s use of the ropes to get the three count was an intriguing development, as it added a little more layer to his character, highlighting his desperate nature to win by any means necessary. Signs of a heel turn? No. Interesting character development? Yes. Another strong bout between these two.
Alicia Fox vs Nia Jax
Main Point: I saw people on Twitter complaining that this ‘buried’ Alicia Fox, but to be honest she wasn’t really doing anything of note anyway. This was purely designed to get Jax over.
This was everything the squash matches needed to do. Looking dangerous and dominant, Jax destroyed a veteran woman with ease, hurling her into the barricades and hitting a destructive spear. This was a wonderful bit of booking by WWE Creative, and if Jax is continually portrayed like this, she should be a top women’s heel monster in no time.
The New Day vs Gallows and Anderson
Main Point: This felt like WWE apologising for last week’s Raw segment by portraying Anderson and Gallows as the ass-kickers they should have been from the start of this feud. Apology accepted, now give Gallows and Anderson the Tag Titles.
The promo by the New Day was a bit confusing, as they mocked Gallows’ and Anderson’s segment last week which they deemed ‘horrible’, yet WWE Creative were the ones who crafted the entire thing. Let’s just hope WWE Creative never book Gallows and Anderson like that again. This week was a bit of an improvement, and even though they pretty much gave away the bout that we are supposed to wait for, at Clash of Champions, it was still a much better way to present Gallows and Anderson, and was a decent match. In my eyes, the only way to salvage this feud is a title change at Clash of Champions. Let’s wait and see what happens.
Enzo Amore vs Epico
Main Point: For the second week in a row, Enzo Amore lost to a member of the Shining Stars. I don’t know what to say honestly.
This was a short if uneventful match that did nothing for either team. Yes, I understand that Raw is short on credible tag teams so The Shining Stars need to be built up. But we all know they are going to lose in the end, so it doesn’t really work. Let’s just wait for Enzo and Cass to beat them at Clash of Champions and then we can move past this feud (hopefully).
Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens (If Roman wins, he is added to Universal Title bout at Clash of Champions)
Main Point: I was starting to think WWE wouldn’t bring Rusev back for Clash of Champions. I’m glad they did but, Reigns vs Rusev will hopefully be marvelous.
This was one of the best matches on Raw in a while. A long, hard-hitting incredible contest, Owens, and Reigns tore the house down with plenty of near falls, as the hot crowd reacted to every move. Seth Rollins’ involvement halfway through looked to have cut the matchup short, but Mick Foley restarted it and from there it was awesome. Rollins’ involvement was also great, with his attack on Owens popping the crowd and his passionate hatred towards the champion shining in his attack. Rusev’s return was a perfect way to finish the bout, with Owens taking advantage of the distraction by hitting the pop-up powerbomb. With all four men benefiting from this bout, we are set for two matches at Clash of Champions that will look to steal the show. Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins especially will be incredible, and despite Raw’s weaknesses this week, I am genuinely excited for Clash of Champions.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, check out my other articles on my profile!
