After last week’s mediocre episode of Raw, the red brand looked to bounce back with the final edition of 2016 as the build to the Royal Rumble 2017 slowly continues. Instead, they produced another lacklustre showing with poor segments and weak bookings, leading to one of the worst showings from the red brand since the brand split in July.
Bayley faced Charlotte once again, with Dana Brooke’s officiating influencing the result significantly, in a weak segment. Kevin Owens challenged Roman Reigns for the U.S. Title in the main event, overexposing their eventual match at the Royal Rumble PPV even more.
Besides these two matches (which were poor in their own right), weak and insignificant segments filled the show with Raw failing once again to provide interest for their brand. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as there were a couple of entertaining segments among the mediocrity.
What were they? Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each segment from the December 26th edition of WWE Raw.
Stephanie McMahon Argues with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins:
Grade: 6.5/10
This was a decent opening segment that saw two matches set up for later on in the night. It was nice to see Seth Rollins continue to focus on Triple H, as ‘The Game’ should be his main priority heading into the Rumble.
It also made sense for Rollins to hassle Stephanie about her husband’s whereabouts. Reigns coming out was necessary as well, considering Rollins was asking for a match with Strowman despite both of them being attacked but his presence didn’t add much to the segment.
The tease of a Shield reunion was fun, and it seems WWE is planning something for the near future. But, Reigns and Rollins’ partnership continues to be overexposed. Hearing them talk about teaming up to take down Strowman should be exciting, but it is falling flat.
Reigns’ issues with Owens weren’t mentioned once here either, which is worrying. Promos are often a weak way to start the show, and this was no different. While it successfully set up Rollins vs. Strowman and Reigns vs. Owens for later, this was a mediocre segment to open the show that achieved little.
Check out the segment here:
Cesaro and Sheamus vs. New Day (Raw Tag Team Championships):
Result: Cesaro and Sheamus retain the titles.
Grade: 7.5/10
This was a solid match to open the show’s in-ring action, as New Day were granted their rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Cesaro and Sheamus retaining clean here was the right choice, as New Day look set to move away from the title picture, which will lead to fresh matches for the titles.
Who challenges Cesaro and Sheamus next is troubling, however, as Gallows and Anderson, the Golden Truth, the Shining Stars and even Enzo and Cass aren’t the most fitting challengers.
Hopefully WWE is creative, and debut a team such as the Revival to challenge the duo. Overall, a strong match that allows New Day to move away from the tag title scene while giving Cesaro and Sheamus a chance to face some fresh teams in the next weeks.
Nia Jax vs. Scarlett:
Result: Nia Jax pins Scarlett
Grade: 5/10
This was your typical squash match for Jax, who dominated and beat Scarlet extremely quickly. Scarlet wearing a Sasha Banks shirt and calling Banks her ‘inspiration’ was a nice touch, as it kept Jax and Banks’ issues at the forefront.
Besides that, this was a poor and short segment that did little for Jax. Beating main roster women would be a better choice for Jax in future weeks, as these squash matches get old very quickly.
Charlotte vs. Bayley (special guest referee, Dana Brooke):
Result: Charlotte pins Bayley after using the ropes for leverage.
Grade: 6/10
This was a weak segment that did little to add to the Bayley/Charlotte feud. For some reason, Dana Brooke randomly showed up despite not being alongside Charlotte for weeks. Charlotte having to resort to cheating and a dodgy referee to beat Bayley makes the ‘Hugger’ look strong, but Charlotte just beat Sasha Banks clean a couple of weeks ago.
It made little sense for her to jump through hoops trying to beat Bayley when she used very little underhanded tactics against Banks. This segment did well to set up Bayley getting her revenge in the coming weeks, but poor in-ring action and shenanigans left fans deflated once this match was over.
Overall, a lacklustre way to continue the build of this rivalry after last week’s strong start.
T.J. Perkins vs. Neville:
Result: Neville pins T.J. Perkins with a roll up.
Grade: 6.5/10
This was a decent Cruiserweight match that actually had the crowd making noise, but a few sloppy moments led to this not being nearly as solid as it should’ve been, given both men’s talents. Neville’s promo post-match was great, as he continues to prosper as a heel.
Calling out Rich Swann was smart, as the Cruiserweight Title should be Neville’s main focus. However, the integration of Neville turning into a ‘foreign’ heel of sorts, by berating American fans for disliking his accent, should be forgotten.
Foreign heel gimmicks are outdated, and heel Neville is better off without it. Overall, a decent match, with Neville continuing to excel as a heel in promos and matches.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass take out Rusev and Jinder Mahal:
Grade: 5/10
This was another weak segment that continued the lacklustre Enzo and Cass/Rusev feud. Jinder Mahal’s involvement is something nobody wanted to see, with Rusev deserving better than being partnered with Mahal, a directionless undercard superstar.
Enzo and Cass were good here, but the audience didn’t seem to buy into Cass alone on the mic. That is worrying, especially considering WWE’s big plans for him. Rusev and Mahal looked weak here, with an injured Amore managing to overcome a healthy Mahal.
This segment did little to further the feud either, and little was achieved. Overall, a poor segment that saw the lacklustre Enzo and Cass/ Rusev (and now Mahal?) rivalry stay stagnant.
Darren Young and Bo Dallas vs. the Shining Stars:
Result: Braun Strowman causes a no contest.
Grade: 7.5/10
This was one of the few highlights of the show, as Braun Strowman decimated all four men, coming across like a relentless monster. Strowman continues to be booked very well, and this was another instance of that. However, if this is all leading to a Strowman Rumble win, that will be a poor choice.
He is definitely not ready for that, although that hasn’t stopped WWE in the past. Still, for now, it is a highlight of each show, as Strowman saves the fans from boring matches with destruction.
The crowd reaction to Strowman here suggests he is starting to get over with the fans, and that is due to his strong booking. Instead of a weak tag match, this was a fun segment that saw Strowman wreak havoc.
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman:
Result: Strowman wins by DQ after Zayn attacks him.
Grade: 7.5/10
The match here was short and forgettable. Zayn’s attack on Strowman was the real talking point. Instead of hiding away, Zayn tried to slay the monster, with the Chicago crowd fully behind him. The announcement that the two will clash next week in a Last Man Standing match was great, as that should be a splendid encounter of David vs. Goliath.
This was a great way of setting that match up for next week. Jericho attacking Rollins made sense, but it did little to excite. The two have clashed for months now, and another match between the two would not be welcome.
The crowd continues to cheer Jericho as well, which isn’t good for Rollins’ current babyface run. Overall, a strong segment that saw Zayn and Strowman clash heading into a Last Man Standing match next week, although Jericho’s attack on Rollins here was mediocre.
The Golden Truth vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson:
Result: Anderson rolls up Goldust for the win.
Grade: 4/10
This was a tedious match that did nothing for either team. Gallows and Anderson still haven’t been given anything to work with, and a fluke win here for the duo was once again insignificant. Both teams are meaningless in the eyes of fans, which is indicative to WWE’s poor booking of both duos.
While Goldust’s aggression here was a nice change of pace, it will lead nowhere in the long run. Gallows and Anderson weren’t even allowed to get a dominant win here either, as they won with a roll up. Overall, a poor match that did little for either floundering team, but at least WWE made the effort to get them on TV.
The fact that Dusty Rhodes’ passing was used to set up this match is pathetic as well, considering this was the payoff for such an exploitation of Rhodes’ passing. Everything about this segment was just bad.
Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari:
Result: Rich Swann beats Ariya Daivari with a spinning kick.
Grade: 7/10
The match here was nothing special, and only served to give Swann a quick win. The post-match attack from Neville, however, was excellent, as he brutalised Swann heading into their announced clash on 205 Live tomorrow.
If Swann loses, there is a good reason why, and Neville looked like a major threat here by assaulting the Cruiserweight Champion. Some more strong booking in the Cruiserweight division, with Neville injecting new life into it with his presence.
Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship):
Result: Roman Reigns pins Kevin Owens to retain.
Grade: 6/10
This was a good match, but nowhere near the quality that you’d expect from Owens and Reigns. Their matches as of late have not been as high-quality, and the result was incredibly predictable here. Rollins and Jericho coming out was obvious from the start, and it did little to excite as we have seen them interfere in these matches so many times.
Why WWE decided to give us Reigns vs. Owens again is beyond me, as it is one of their biggest matches for the Rumble. Shouldn’t they be saving the two’s eventual clash for the PPV? The result here was awful as well, with Owens once again losing clean to Reigns.
The US champion should not be beating the Universal champion clean, especially considering Owens is yet to feel like a deserving champion. WWE continue to book him extremely poorly, and he has lost a lot of credibility in recent months, despite being Universal Champion.
Reigns is being booked like Superman more and more once again, which is why fans continue to reject him. Reigns and Rollins leaving JeriKO flat on their backs is another boring and repeated ending to Raw, with the whole ‘Shield’ partnership between Reigns and Rollins starting to wear thin.
The action here was solid, but the booking in Raw’s main event scene continues to be abysmal, and this was another showcase of that. This did nothing to increase fan anticipation for Owens and Reigns’ clash at the Rumble, but rather made fans less anticipated for it.
An extremely weak way to end the show, with Owens and Reigns being booked extremely poorly here.
Check out the match here:
Overall Grade for December 26th Raw: 5.5/10
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