Once the return of Goldberg was announced for this week’s episode of Raw, it was evident the show would be centred around his first time back in a WWE ring in 12 years.
Hyping it up with video packages throughout the night, Goldberg’s return was everything WWE could have hoped for, as the nostalgia drove the crowd wild, showering Goldberg in cheers.
Despite the incredible return of the icon, there was still Hell in a Cell to build towards, and WWE didn’t disappoint. More cracks became obvious in the JeriKO relationship, as Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens continue to clash heading into their Hell in a Cell bout.
Sasha Banks and Charlotte spoke about making history during interviews with Lita. Rusev finally gained the upper hand over the Roman Empire.
These segments and more were central to the show as Hell in a Cell approaches on October 30th. Did WWE follow-up from last week’s solid edition with another successful edition of Raw? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade Each Segment from the October 17th Edition of WWE Raw.
Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho are Interrupted by Seth Rollins:
Grade: 8/10
This was a solid segment to open the show, with all three men holding their own on the mic. Owens was his usual arrogant, conniving character, and did a brilliant job driving the fans to boo him.
Jericho was once again entertaining with his List of Jericho, and he is extremely over with fans despite his heel status. Rollins, despite the usual babyface jokes, was also great here in his continued quest to take down JeriKO.
Overall, a solid opening promo from the three men, as the Universal Title rivalry continues to heat up heading into Hell in a Cell.
Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho:
Grade: 7/10
Although not outdoing their effort last week, Rollins and Jericho still wrestled a solid bout that furthered the storyline between Jericho, Owens and Rollins. The match did have a few sloppy spots, and the fact that we saw this match only a week ago didn’t help its cause. Despite this, it was a solid opening bout for the show.
Rollins picking up the win despite Owens’ distraction kept him strong heading into Hell in a Cell, and the cracks in the relationship between Owens and Jericho continue to shine, as Owens completely ignored Jericho’s request to stay a non-factor in the match.
The slow build continues with the split between Jericho and Owens, and for now, it has been splendid. Overall, another solid match between Jericho and Rollins, as the cracks continue to show in JeriKO.
The Golden Truth and Mark Henry vs the Shining Stars and Titus O’Neill:
Grade: 4/10
This is exactly the type of match that we are forced to sit through due to the three-hour format of Raw. With little reason for the bout taking place besides a short pre-show segment, this is the filler matches that drags Raw down against the shorter, more efficient Smackdown Live.
No hate against any of the competitors, as their lack of character and direction has left them in no man’s land. A short, incredibly forgettable bout, these are the matches that should be left for WWE Superstars rather than Raw.
Sheamus vs Big E and Big Cass vs Karl Anderson:
Grade: 7/10
This was a nice mix of shenanigans and in-ring action, as the New Day’s promo and Cesaro’s Facebook live stream coincided with a hard-hitting, intense match between Sheamus and Big E.
The story of the dysfunctional tag partners continues between Cesaro and Sheamus, and although right now it is not as entertaining as Team Hell No were with the story, further segments in upcoming weeks will allow fans to enjoy it more.
The New Day, despite being considered stale by many fans, were still their usual entertaining trio, and their promo on Sheamus and Day 420 was great. Overall, a nice segment to continue the rivalry between these two teams heading into Hell in a Cell, as Cesaro and Sheamus’ tensions furthered with another loss to a New Day member.
Big Cass vs Karl Anderson:
Grade: 5/10
Why the hell did WWE book Gallows and Anderson as revitalised badasses if they are going to lose once again straightaway?
Enzo and Cass were incredibly entertaining as usual here (and extremely over with fans), but it means nothing if they are gaining short, worthless wins over Gallows and Anderson rather than long, worthy victories in hard-fought battles.
Unless WWE is serious about booking a credible feud between two equal teams, this rivalry will be merely a filler match at Hell in a Cell.
Bo Dallas vs Neville and Dana Brooke vs Bayley:
Grade for Bo Dallas vs Neville: 7/10
After weeks of beating enhancement talent, Bo Dallas finally gained a significant victory over a credible Raw talent, as he picked up the win against Neville. Attacking Axel after the match despite being allies, Dallas is as intriguing as he has ever been on the main roster.
A babyface turn for Axel and a series of matches with Dallas could do both men good rather than doing nothing.
Despite the solid win for Dallas and possible babyface turn for Axel, Neville has no direction at all. One of the most talented workers on the roster, Neville’s lack of faith from WWE has seen him fall to the bottom of the undercard, as he is being jobbed out instead of joining the Cruiserweights or engaging in a feud.
A poor misuse of the Englishman, despite Dallas’ win over him doing wonders for Bo and his fresh direction.
Grade for Dana Brooke vs Bayley: 5/10
I hate to say it, but Dana Brooke is horribly out of place on the main roster.
Instead of being developed further in NXT and honing her craft, she has been shunted into a rivalry with one of the best women workers on the roster. Botching the ending of the match horribly, Brooke failed to use the ropes for leverage for a cheap win as was obviously planned, getting a clean win over Bayley and making Bayley seem incredibly weak.
Up until the botch, both women were working a decent bout, but the ending soured anything that had been done up until then. A very poor mistake from Brooke, who needs to be sent back to developmental as she isn’t ready for the main roster.
Braun Strowman vs the Mile High-Trio:
Grade: 8.5/10
Instead of pointlessly dragging on Strowman’s destruction of local talent, WWE finally gave him a strong opponent to work with, as both Zayn and Strowman will benefit from a rivalry.
The story of the underdog finally standing up to the giant bully is splendid and a good fit for this feud, as we are bound to see Strowman’s best matches to date with a strong in-ring worker like Zayn.
In regards to the actual match, the destruction of all three men by Strowman was very fun to watch, and he is continuing to improve in the ring. Expect Zayn to bring the best out of him in the next few weeks.
Rusev Talks Family, Attacks Roman Reigns:
Grade: 7.5/10
The long promo from Rusev on his family’s heritage felt like a way to drag the segment, and it had little to do with the rivalry between the two men. Once Reigns arrived but, the intensity picked up.
Reigns was short and decisive on the mic, vowing to defeat the Bulgarian Brute so bad at Hell in a Cell he would need to call 911. Rusev’s sneak attack after hiding behind Lana was excellent, and the crowd were behind Reigns throughout the attack, chanting for him and popping when he fought back.
Rusev ultimately gained the upper hand though, which was a splendid booking decision after Reigns had stood tall in the past few weeks. Overall, a splendid segment, despite the boring opening promo, as Reigns became a much clearer babyface and Rusev continued as the vicious heel.
Lita Interviews Sasha Banks and Charlotte:
Grade: 8/10
After the monumental announcement last week of the first Women’s Hell in a Cell match, these sit-down interviews did a splendid job of continuing the already massive hype for this history-making bout.
Both women made it clear they understood the magnitude of the Cell’s history, and it was obvious that both Banks and Charlotte are set out on proving they are the best. With this match having a big-fight feel, expect Banks and Charlotte to have one of the best bouts at Hell in a Cell.
Overall, two great interviews to continue the build towards a history-making women’s match on October 30th.
Cruiserweights Six-Man Tag:
Grade: 7/10
Once again, solid in-ring action coincided with a lack of story in the Cruiserweight Division. Rather than strong, well-booked characters dominating our screens like in the Cruiserweight Classic, lack of depth in storytelling outside of the title picture has left most Cruiserweights with little connection to the crowd, heel or face.
Kendrick and Perkins’ story continues, and their rivalry has been strong, but the Cruiserweights aren’t faring to well with a lack of story, no matter how good the in-ring work may be.
Goldberg Returns to Raw:
Grade: 10/10
It may be a bit too much to give this a 10/10 grade, but the hugely anticipated return of Goldberg exceeded the hype.
The passionate crowd gave Goldberg one of the best ovations in recent years, as chants and cheers spread through the arena for minutes on end. The nostalgia of seeing him back in a WWE ring was incredible, and his emotional response to the fans’ support was heart-warming.
Nothing else to say, except that this was one of the best returns of a former superstar in a long time. Even if his match with Brock Lesnar turns out to be not as good as hoped, this return on Raw was incredible. A wonderful way to close the show, and overall a solid episode of Raw once again.
Overall Raw Grade: 8/10
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