Best and worst of WWE RAW - Big push for an underrated star, Legendary WCW Champion appears

Yeah, I actually liked RAW quite a great deal and have to say that It's been a great few days of wrestling, starting with SmackDown and followed up by the amazing AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view with the fantastic Stadium Stampede match. RAW was pretty great as well, and there were far more 'good' than 'bad' segments on this week's show.

What did I like about RAW and what are the aspects that I thought could have been done in a better way? Well, my 'Best and Worst of RAW' article should shed light in both cases, I guess.

Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this week's show and in fact, if you have a minute, be sure to even rate the show out of 10.

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#1 Best: Angel Garza defeats Kevin Owens on RAW

We all knew that Angel Garza was one of the more underrated performers on RAW, but I am glad to see that the WWE think tank also sees the future in him. The fact that he pinned a former Universal Champion in Kevin Owens is a testament to the fact that the company really believes in him and that they see a lot of stock in the young man.

This week's episode of RAW just seemed like it was all about building up the future, and yes, I think they did a pretty commendable job in this regard. Andrade was already an established performer and so he put over Apollo Crews and Kevin Owens did the same for Garza, a man with a world of potential.

A WWE Superstar is only as strong as the opponents that he/she faces and in doing the right thing, both Andrade and Owens affected business in a very positive way indeed.

#1 Worst: Pointless RAW appearances by Edge and Ric Flair

Ric Flair was the anchor that carried WCW for most of its existence and then, after the company shut shop, became a constant fixture on RAW as well. And yet, every time the man shows up on RAW, we know that it won't be for anything significant but to promote a catchphrase that makes no sense at all.

I don't claim to look into the future but yes, I know that Edge and Randy Orton will have a very solid match at Backlash. But I can guarantee you that it won't be the 'greatest wrestling match ever' and using a tagline of this nature on RAW just sets both men up for failure.

In fact, a lot of the romance and the grandeur of Edge's return to RAW has been sucked out thanks to the tagline already, in my opinion at least. I would go so far as to say that no appearances from legends excite me anymore because we all know that they're going to be absolutely pointless segments only designed to fill time.

#2 Best: Apollo Crews becomes the United States Champion on WWE RAW

If you head ov to Twitter right now, you'll see that there are a lot of Superstars congratulating Apollo Crews for finally becoming the WWE United States Champion after defeating Andrade on RAW. One can't help but feel happy for Apollo Crews, a man whose journey has taken him through some ups and downs, both in storylines (on RAW) and in reality as well. I mean this is one of those men who qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match but had to be replaced owing to a storyline injury.

And now, thanks to the brand-to-brand invitational clause, we could very well see Apollo Crews show up in SmackDown as well and mix it up with the likes of Sheamus and King Corbin. Of course, on RAW he could tussle with babyfaces like Aleister Black and heels like Murphy. It's been a great period of storytelling from Paul Heyman and his creative team, getting us invested in Apollo Crews as a performer on RAW.

Congratulations to the brand new champion!

#2 Worst: The RAW Tag Team division

How do you have the current RAW Tag Team Champions overwhelmed by a team that is not even a team? And this is not even a team that will enter the tag team division to challenge The Street Profits for the titles that they hold.

I understand that Bobby Lashley had to come out on top in the RAW main event in the manner that he did to look dominant for Drew McIntyre, but honestly speaking, I would have much preferred if The Street Profits were not chosen to do the job for him.

Also, I know that there's a certain section of the RAW audience that is a fan of the segments that we've been seeing from The Viking Raiders and The Street Profits on the golf course or in an ax-throwing contest, but I have to say that it is not entertaining for me.

I get WWE's attempt to make their content funny, but there's a lot about what we saw with the alligator and everything else that just fell flat, in my opinion.

#3 Best: Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre in the RAW main event segment

Did I mention that I loved the fact that RAW had a crowd this week? Not only did it make Apollo Crews' big win feel even better, I thought that the fact that NXT recruits came into the ring after the main event segment also made sense from a storytelling perspective.

Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley seem like two bulls who would have been top guys in any WWE era and in a lot of ways, the backstage drama that is going on with Bobby Lashley, with both MVP and Lana trying to get him on their side, could certainly play into the match. WWE is doing a great job with the build for McIntyre vs. Lashley.

This is the best that Bobby Lashley has looked since his arrival to the company. And if you go back in time and consider that this is the same guy who had three men dress up like women and pretend to be his sisters on RAW, not long ago, I think you will be inclined to agree with me.

#3 Best/Worst: Natalya gets a phone call, live on RAW

I know that there's an element of suspension of disbelief when it comes to watching RAW but it just seems that Natalya taking a phone call during a live interview is way too far-fetched, even then. And then Charly informs her that the interview is done, even though the camera lingers on Natalya after that for a good few seconds.

However, I loved Natalya in the ring this week on RAW where she took on Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax. I also think that Nia Jax winning the match and going on to challenge Asuka was the right call, because a feud between the two women has been building up on RAW for quite some time now.

As for Liv Morgan, they are slowly building her up in the right way on RAW and I have to say that Paul Heyman's creative genius is something to be noted.

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