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WWE Elimination Chamber is less than two weeks away and the red brand seems positioned for success. Not only did the final participants of the men's match get named in this episode but it was also a night filled with plenty of good wrestling. Most of the matches were above average and as a figurative icing on the cake, Braun Strowman attempted murder with an upright bass. The Monster Among Men is a treasure and overall, Raw was very enjoyable.
It's true that a good RAW with great wrestling offers little in terms of botches, but don't worry, there were still several mistakes and annoyances worth pointing out. Moments like Sheamus' dangerous rolling senton onto his already injured neck, that already obnoxious text add-on that happens with all of the promos, and a referee that robbed that main event from a clean ending are in this edition. So sit back, get comfortable, and relive the night that was from the perspective of the more outrageous moments.
#5 Question or answer
It's always great to see Kurt Angle on screen. He's an absolute legend. We'll cherish the fact that he's spending the end of his career on WWE programming. However, love for the current Raw GM doesn't excuse the fact that he jumbles his lines every now and then.
This particular malfeasance was very minor, but it still counts. He petitioned the crowd to see if they wanted Seth Rollins added to the main event match. The word answer was switched with question, which ended up being a mistake he quickly corrected. The crowd was more than willing to accept Seth into that match, which then became a 5-way contest for the final spot in the upcoming Elimination Chamber.
#4 Braun's guitar skills
Braun Strowman is amazing. Despite the cartoonishly zany situations WWE frequently puts him in, he seemingly knocks it out of the park every single time. Whether he's flipping automobiles, teaming (and flirting) with the incredibly tiny Alexa Bliss, or picking up very large musical instruments and playing them, he's proven time and again that he's an MVP in this era.
An upright bass was used in the place of a guitar to counter Elias' musical offerings and it was everything that's great in life. It was unclear at first if Braun was seriously attempting to strum his instrument but by the time he carelessly knocked the bridge loose from under the strings, it appeared that either did not have any actual musical knowledge or he simply didn't care. Just for the sake of including this hilarious highlight in this article, we'll go with the former.
All of this ultimately didn't matter because Braun destroyed the bass over the body of Elias. The spot was brutal.
#3 Rough on the neck
Remember those reports of Sheamus working through a serious neck injury? It was just a couple of months ago that The Celtic Warrior himself revealed that he had been rehabbing a serious bout with stenosis, causing many to speculate if he'd be taking time off or even hanging up his boots. That's because this is the same injury that ended the careers of legends such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and Edge, among others.
Keeping all of that in mind makes the viewing of this rolling senton on the floor all the more brutal. There's not as much 'roll' in this maneuver as Sheamus may have liked, causing him to sort of Piledrive himself on top of Roman Reigns. Those are the kind of bumps that could end his career altogether.
Don't make us worry so much for you, Sheamus. Keep The Bar around as long as possible.
#2 Words on the screen
It's as if WWE just recently discovered the popular gif Twitter account @totaldivaseps or, to a lesser extent, this very article series. Vince and company realized how simple text can accent what a superstar is trying to say so they've added it to the promos. All of the promos. In these few short weeks, the brand new trope has been beaten into submission.
Surely everyone is sick of the mandatory text addition by now. When this replay of Nia Jax's words from mere moments prior were replayed with it written just below her mouth, millions of pairs of eyes could be heard collectively rolling back a little. Even by WWE standards, this is outrageous how over the top they've run with this new shtick.
#1 Blame the referee
Monday Night Raw went off of the air in controversial fashion. Bray Wyatt was pinned by two men at once. Both Finn Balor and Seth Rollins grabbed a leg and leaned on the body of The Eater of Worlds. The ref counted to three and the match was over. It was an ending that left everyone confused and it never really had to if the official would've sized up the situation better.
WWE has reinforced many times recently how the ref's decisions are final, so why couldn't this guy refuse to count the fall because of the stalemate outcome it would've created? As far as he knew in that moment, there was literally one spot remaining for the Elimination Chamber and he let two men end the match with a claim to victory.
In the end, Kurt Angle ruled that they'd both enter the Chamber. Since Balor and Rollins are fantastic wrestlers, then it's all worked out for the good in the end. But still, the refs should at least consider these outcomes in the future.
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