5 things that should not have happened on the Raw before Super Showdown 2019 

The last episode of Raw before the Super ShowDown event was live in Austin, Texas, and if someone said they were not the least bit excited for this show, that would be a small lie. The line-up WWE had assembled was jam-packed to a certain extent.

In the house this week, we were going to see The Undertaker return to hype up his match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown, Brock Lesnar try to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, and the rest of WWE's main event acts who are striving to entertain you.

Now, there is no hiding the fact that WWE has been finding it challenging to craft an episode of Raw that doesn't feel like a repetitive mess over the last few weeks. And while things are yet to improve, the company are trying their best, as we saw some genuine changes in WWE's booking over the last few weeks.

Still, for some wrestling fans, a company that has the abundance of resources WWE possesses shouldn't be trying, but actually making a difference to their product. Well, it's disappointing to tell you that this episode of Raw did nothing much of importance, and here's why.

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#5 McIntyre Has Become A Midcarder

Mean Street Posse 2.0 right here

The one thing that has been apparent in the booking of Shane McMahon vs Roman Reigns is that WWE is not interested in producing a feud that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You might be thinking to yourself that WWE ,has only been concentrating on building this programme over the last few weeks, as it's all we ever see when we switch on the TV to watch an episode of Raw and Smackdown Live.

However, just think about the wrestling greatest rivalries, and the astonishing build WWE constructed for those legends, as to this day fans appreciate the meaningful moments from those feuds. But in the case of Shane vs Roman, the only thing that has been established throughout the course of this programme is that Drew McIntyre is Shane's right-hand man.

When Drew returned to WWE, fans thought that it was finally his time to become 'the Chosen One' Vince McMahon introduced all those years ago. Yet, here we are almost two years since his return and complaining that WWE has still not used him in the capacity they should have.

Even though McIntyre technically picked up the win for his team on Raw in their six-man tag team against Roman Reigns and The Usos, he was still playing Shane's henchman. This leaves us asking one important question: is McIntyre still capable of reaching the main event with the booking he is getting now?

#4 Champions Don't Feel Like Champions

Where are these guys?

Seth Rollins is one of the best wrestlers working today, as this is a man that has excelled in the ring as one of the best athletes, and on the mic, he has proved to be a fully realized character. However, ever since Rollins won the Universal Championship, it feels like WWE has double downed on his story.

Instead of fans getting the version of Rollins that we believed would be the perfect fit for the belt all those months ago, it feels as if WWE has discretely made this man a placeholder champion. On the flipside of things, The IIconics once again lost another match, as it seems the fact that they are holding the Women's Tag Team Titles doesn't give them any reassurance from the creative team.

And don't even get me started on the absence of the Raw Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, as these men have not been seen doing anything significant since winning the right to be called the division's top team.

It's truly unfortunate that WWE can't seem to build narratives that will showcase Raw's top champions in the best light possible. This week on Raw, fans saw how expendable these champions are in the grander scheme of things.

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#3 WWE Can't Build A Feud Without Charlotte Flair

Is Charlotte the glue that holds the women's division together?

The Wild Card Rule is one of the most controversial decisions WWE made in 2019, as many felt that destroying the meaning of the brand split in an effort just to raise ratings by a little bit is a mistake. The truth is that the fans might have been right.

There is no room for narratives to expand on Raw or Smackdown Live without another superstar from the opposite brand coming down to the ring to interrupt it. On Raw this week, we saw this scenario play out when Charlotte Flair made her way to the ring to interrupt Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans.

There is no doubt that Charlotte is one of the best wrestlers in the world, but WWE can't seem to do without her in any top-level feud. Moreover, Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans were just starting to make some really good points before Flair came out to make this one on one feud into a potential three-way for the Raw Women's Title.

WWE needs to put more faith into Becky when picking her programmes, as her wars with Flair are starting to make their once classic feud feel stale, and at the same time, it's ruining whatever chances she has of making her narrative with Evans work.

#2 A Segment That Does More Damage Than Benefit

A contest that no one asked for

What's the first thing you think about when looking two behemoths seething, anticipating and fuming to break each other in half? Well, most of us are not even thinking about the fine details, we just want to see these men fight. In WWE's minds, all they see is a potential arm wrestling contest between two giants that will send ratings through the roof.

Jokes aside, this was just terrible, and while that might seem harsh, as it is just some good old fashioned fun we have seen before in the WWE, the reality is that the entire arm wrestling thing was last over when Triple H and Scott Steiner challenged each other in 2003. Braun and Bobby are two of the most intimidating guys in the company, and it's a shame that WWE can't find a way to use them which will avoid moments like this.

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#1 Another Bait-and-Switch Tactic

A great segment that ultimately failed

Brock Lesnar arrived on Raw this week for the third time in a row to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. Paul Heyman made it quite clear on Twitter that Lesnar was ready to destroy Seth Rollins and take his Universal Championship during the broadcast. So, did we see that happen?

Well, only one part of Heyman's promise was kept, as Lesnar destroyed Rollins in a beating not seen on WWE TV in a long time, it was so bad that Rollins was stretchered out of the building and taken away in an ambulance. While that was all great television, what about the cash in?

It was on everyone's mind that WWE was not going to let Lesnar cash in his contract so early, as that wouldn't be any fun, but by them consistently having the man tease cash-ins that are never going to happen, it puts many fans off the idea of a cash-in at all. This classic bait-and-switch booking WWE is hell-bent on producing is really just turning fans away.

There are so many creative ways WWE could have stopped Lesnar form cashing in his contract, as one of those ways could have been Matt Riddle getting his wish by meeting Lesnar in the centre of the ring. At the end of the day, this is just my opinion, and hopefully, WWE knows what they are doing, as we don't want another failed cash in for the third year in a row.