After a solid WWE Clash of Champions PPV, this week’s episode of Raw addressed the endings to each match at the PPV throughout the show with either rematches and promos. Rusev and Roman Reigns clashed once again for Reigns’ newly won United States Title in a great opening match. Cesaro and Sheamus were both given championship opportunities, just not in the way they had both hoped. Sasha Banks made her intentions clear by interrupting Charlotte’s celebratory promo.
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens enjoyed the aftermath of their wins against Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins respectively. These matches and promos were the main focus of Raw, as the repercussions of each match from last night’s PPV were present throughout this week’s episode. Were WWE able to bounce back from recent poor ratings with a strong post-PPV episode? This is Analysing and Grading Each Segment from the 26th September edition of WWE Raw.
Roman Reigns def. Rusev (United States Championship)
Grade: 8.5/10
This was a wonderful change of pace to the usual episode of Raw, as a match opened the show rather than a promo. Not just a match, but a title match as well. Rusev and Reigns’ chemistry was present as they once again wrestled an extremely strong bout for the championship. Surprisingly, the crowd was firmly behind Reigns, excluding a small section of fans booing him. This helped the bout tremendously, as the babyface and heel alignments were much clearer than in their match at Clash of Champions.
Although the finish arguably didn’t progress the feud any further, it protected Rusev from another clean loss and gave the reason for another rematch between these two. Reigns did once again appear a bit too much like Super Cena, kicking out at two a shocking amount of times. But, the quality of the match overshadowed this flaw, as the two men put on a hell of a match to open the show.
Mick Foley, Sheamus and Cesaro Promo Segment
Grade: 4.5/10
This segment was only there to establish Foley’s idea of Cesaro and Sheamus as a tag team, with both men challenging for the same titles in the form of the Raw Tag Team Championships. This could’ve been easily established in a backstage segment, but instead ate up time that could have been added to either Cruiserweight match later in the show. Although the idea of Cesaro and Sheamus as a tag team is intriguing, it gives neither man the extra boost of momentum that would’ve been gained from winning the Best of Seven Series.
In a segment that was used to address the controversial draw in the final match of the Series at Clash of Champions, this was too focused on Foley rather than the two competitors, who didn’t get much time to speak but rather just bickered at each other instead. A poor segment, although it did set up an intriguing development with Cesaro and Sheamus as a tag team.
Also, seemingly it will not be mentioned as an individual segment later in this article, Foley was incredible in a backstage segment involving Cesaro and Sheamus later on the show, with his fired up speech about the two competitors drawing applause from the crowd.
New Day def. Gallows and Anderson (Raw Tag Team Championships) (A Big Mistake!)
Grade: 6.5/10
Another championship rematch from last night’s Clash of Champions, this was a chance for WWE to salvage Gallows and Anderson with a shock win over the champions on an episode of Raw. Instead, the New Day won clean. In what was another splendid match, the two teams gave it their all once again in a title bout, yet the result left Gallows and Anderson once again with a lack of credibility. Although The New Day are still infinitely popular among many fans.
I can’t shake the feeling that their reign as champions has become stale. Rather than changing direction, both teams are now left where they were when this feud began, with Gallows and Anderson worse off than before. A great match, but a worrying finish, as New Day are not gaining any new direction, and Gallows and Anderson are beginning to lose all credibility.
Bayley def. Anna Fields
Grade: 6/10
This was a solid tactic in gaining Bayley some momentum again after losing at Clash of Champions, but a new direction (feud with Nia Jax or Paige) would have done her more good than beating a jobber. Rather than moving forward, Bayley remains stagnant now while Banks and Charlotte continue their feud for the Raw Women’s Championship.
A string of successful victories over more established opponents will be needed to gain Bayley some more momentum after a short string of losses in the past couple of weeks.
Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander def. Lince Dorado and Drew Gulak
Grade: 7/10
This was a fun, fast-paced, yet short bout that was a means of getting other Cruiserweights on the show besides T.J. Perkins and Brian Kendrick. A lack of personal connection to the crowd with all four of these competitors means the fans only care about their in-ring ability rather than their individual characters. Instead of tag team matches like these in future, which are fun yet pointless, WWE should establish each Cruiserweights’ character through individual singles matches.
With a deeper connection to each man’s character and an insight into who is a heel and who is a face, the fans can begin to root for certain Cruiserweights rather than simply enjoying the in-ring action.
Cesaro and Sheamus def. Nick Cutler and Willis Williams
Grade: 4/10
This was only on the show to introduce the idea of Cesaro and Sheamus as a tag team to the audience. Squashing the local talent, Cesaro and Sheamus at least have the ability to make this new angle get over. Would this week’s episode of Raw have been affected had this segment never took place? Probably not. Let’s hope we see Cesaro and Sheamus face off against an actual tag team next week.
Charlotte and Sasha Banks Promo Segment
Grade: 8/10
Charlotte continues to improve with her heel work week after week. Her arrogant ‘Queen of the division’ character has developed to the point that as a fan, you want to see her beaten for the championship. Sasha Banks was especially over with the Cincinnati crowd, with her intentions to challenge for the Raw Women’s Championship in a singles match drawing big pops from the fans.
Although Sasha Banks’ character as a babyface has been weakened since Bayley’s main roster debut, she is still a strong challenger for Charlotte, and their match on next week’s episode of Raw should be great. Hopefully, it can set up a potential Banks vs Charlotte Women’s Hell in a Cell match for the Raw Women’s Championship at the HIAC PPV.
TJ Perkins def. Tony Nese
Grade: 7/10
This was a decent match that was designed to showcase Perkins after his strong showing at Clash of Champions. Tony Nese impressed with a number of awesome moves like his suicide dive where he landed on his feet, but Perkins was the main focus here. T.J. isn’t as over as WWE would like him to be, but he is still relatively popular among the majority of fans so far and his popularity will only continue to rise through matches like these.
The fans for some reason showed great disrespect towards the end of the bout, chanting for C.M. Punk and Randy Savage. This tarnished the climax of the contest somewhat and this was in no way the wrestlers’ fault. That disappointing crowd interaction brought the match down a little bit, although the bout was still a good showcase for both men, especially Perkins.
Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho and Guest Kevin Owens
Grade: 7.5/10
Although this segment was centred on the idea of Rollins coming out to attack both men despite being injured, Owens and Jericho still contributed on the mic with their extremely entertaining heel work and partnership. Owens’ comment about how he was not wearing a suit because Cincinnati was the hometown of Dean Ambrose was brilliant, and Jericho’s awesome work with his new ‘List of Jericho’ is ridiculously entertaining, as he even placed a cameraman on the list for filming him from the wrong side.
Rollins’ dedication to getting his hands on Owens and Jericho despite his injury was a nice touch to his new babyface persona, and his continued rebellion against Foley and Stephanie is building quite well. Although an appearance from Sami Zayn could have been useful, Enzo and Cass coming out was a fitting replacement, and they drew arguably the biggest pop of the night upon entering the fray. Overall, a decent segment that set up the main event between Jericho and Owens and Enzo and Cass.
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens def. Enzo Amore and Big Cass
Grade: 8/10
In a Summerslam rematch, Enzo and Cass faced JeriKO in a solid match to close the show. The dynamic of the heels isolating Enzo until Cass exploded into the bout with the hot tag was great, and Cass looked dominant, often taking out both men at the same time. Owens and Jericho’s trash talking throughout matches is insanely entertaining, as they berate and insult the babyfaces every time they are hurting. A clean win for Owens helped him as he didn’t appear too strong at Clash of Champions against Rollins, so a win tonight was necessary to keep him a strong Universal Champion.
Despite his injury, I was personally expecting Rollins and/or Zayn to come out and attack Jericho and Owens, but WWE decided to go off the air with the heels on top, which isn’t necessarily a negative. Overall, a solid main event that allowed Enzo and Cass to remain relevant (and extremely over with the crowd), as well as keeping Jericho and Owens strong for their inevitable clashes against Zayn and Rollins respectively in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you disagree with any grades or opinions of mine!
For the latest WWE news, live coverage and rumours, visit our Sportskeeda WWE section.
