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After this week's episode of RAW, we became familiar with what matches to expect at Extreme Rules. While the card does look stacked up, there is not enough build for us to get excited about the forthcoming PPV.
This week had many fillers along with a few faces missing in action. The show seemed draggier than the usual ones. It may be due to the legitimate injuries of a few Superstars or because of an overdose of Roman Reigns. Either way, this one really missed the mark in terms of storytelling.
All in all, it was an underwhelming show and here are four things that shouldn't have happened or could have happened differently.
#4 Many Superstars with no direction
Since the Money In The Bank PPV, many Superstars who played an important role at the PPV have been away from the limelight on RAW. Superstars such as Elias, Bobby Roode and Ember Moon may have had matches on the show, but they have had no direction or stable feuds.
Elias left his all in the ring at MITB while he tried to capture the Intercontinental Title from Rollins. That match, quite easily, was the best singles match of the PPV. Elias fought so hard that night that Rollins had to roll him up to pick up the win. After that night, Elias has not been featured in any match on RAW and that is in no way fair to 'The Drifter'.
Bobby Roode is another name that comes to mind when the WWE Universe thinks of underutilized talent. Roode's build to the MITB Ladder match was disappointing and nobody thought that he had a shot at winning the match either. The night after his MITB Ladder match, Roode beat Curt Hawking in a quick match and hasn't featured on RAW since. Like Elias, Roode too needs to find a meaningful feud.
In the Women's division, Ember Moon is talent being wasted in the way she is being booked. She has lacked direction and has been booked as the third wheel in Bayley and Banks' feud. The former NXT champion made a huge impact on her main roster debut and seeing her being squandered is too hard to watch.
#3 Bayley and Sasha Banks feud taking a comical turn
After Bayley snapped last week, the WWE Universe expected this feud to finally blow out of proportion. But on the RAW General Manager's order, Banks and Bayley attended a counselling session. If you thought this was just another step for these two to explode outside the ring to set up an extreme rules match between them, you'd be disappointed.
What we saw was the return of Dr. Shelby and he orchestrated what was not such a comical segment. The two women came across as kids, mocking each other's actions and complaining about one another.
The Dr. Shelby angle clearly blew and what was scarier, was the TO BE CONTINUED sign that ran across our screens at the end of the segment. Only WWE knows how far they will drag this angle. It would have made more sense to feature these women in an extreme rules match instead of Jax and Bliss. Bayley and Banks have proven that they can pull off amazing matches in NXT and featuring them in an extreme rules stipulated match should be the way to go.
#2 Riott Squad unable to hold their own without Ruby Riott
Ruby Riott was injured and hence absent from this week's show. Her teammates didn't seem to fend for themselves as Liv Morgan took on Ember Moon in singles action. Moon quite easily picked up the win and walked away without a scratch on her after the match.
An opponent getting away from the Riott Squad is unlikely and this just shows how important Ruby Riott really is to the team. However, had the two-thirds of the Riott Squad been able to get their hands on Moon after the match, the duo would have proved that even without its leader, the team can make the numbers game count.
An attack on Moon would have also set up a feud for her to be a part of. The feud would have only intensified after Riott's return.
#1 Kevin Owens playing the coward
This week, we again saw Kevin Owens again making a run for it away from Braun Strowman. This may be funny to many people but for how long can this go on? It was fine till MITB when Owens was trying to get all the competitors to team up against him. But now, it just portrays him as a coward.
It may seem impossible to beat Strowman and in no way am I implying the Kevin Owens is the one to beat him. But Kevin Owens gave Strowman good competition almost a month back when they squared off in singles competition.
Owens needs to play it smart and try to get the better of Strowman and get him so frustrated that he can't wait to get his hands on Owens.
What did you think of this week's RAW? Let us know in the comments below!
