7 Mistakes WWE made on Raw this week (11 March 2018)

The Raw after the Fastlane pay-per-view was supposed to be the show where the final stretch of WrestleMania match card building begins, and to WWE's credit they did that for the most of the episode, but when you reflect on the events of the broadcast, some decisions WWE made did not benefit the brand going forward.

From unnecessary title changes to big names roaming around with nothing to really do, this episode of Monday Night Raw could be described as a half baked, as it had all the makings to be a classic showing, but ultimately failed on execution. So let us go through all the mistakes WWE made on Raw this week, and how the could have easily avoided them.

#7 Wasted Homecoming

This week's episode of Raw saw two of WWE's biggest names enter the arena as hometown heroes, and the truth is that WWE failed to give both Kurt Angle and Elias segments that brought out the emotion in their segments.

First, let us start with Elias. "The Drifter" has been one of WWE's most consistent performers since he arrived in 2017, as every time Elias got on the mic and stepped into the ring he has improved with great success. But if WWE keeps him wandering on the show with nothing to do, they are wasting his talent.

As this week on Raw, Elias stood in the ring to perform for his hometown, and as per usual "the drifter" insulted the audience, except it didn't last long as No Way Jose came out to the ring to spread some excitement. Elias was not thrilled with this and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of Jose, as his conga line ran away in a frenzy.

What was the point of this? What does this do for Elias heading into WrestleMania? For the second year in a row, WWE is dropping the ball with Elias heading into the Show of Shows, as this is a man that would be more beneficial to the company if he was taken more seriously.

Also, the booking of Jose is just terrible, and while he may just be a 'jobber' to many, his character in NXT was much more than that, as he was a goofball on the outside but showed intensity when thing got heated.

#6 The Universal Title Feud Is Done

Did WWE waste the chance to build the biggest feud of the last few years?

The Universal Title feud between Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins is getting more disappointing as each week goes by, and that is not an exaggeration, as even if WWE brings in Brock Lesnar to have the craziest brawl with Rollins, it probably won't save this feud now.

And while it may seem too early to say that WWE has messed up this feud, as there is still a good few weeks for the creative team to turn this sinking ship around, it just feels like we are not going to get the WrestleMania type build to this programme truly deserves.

Some may blame Lesnar's absence for this situation; while others may blame the WWE creative team for diverting Rollins' attention from his trailing of Lesnar to another Shield reunion, whichever side of the argument you stand by, the facts don't lie, this feud is one big wasted opportunity.

As this week on Raw, Lesnar was not in the building as usual, but his trusted advocate in Pual Heyman appeared to confront Seth Rollins, and to be honest, this was a pretty good segment for what it wanted to accomplish. As Heyman was brilliant in his role, but at the end of the day, it did nothing for this title match.

As Rollins made some valid points on Lesnar struggling to beat smaller guys, while Heyman rebutted with the fact that his client had no time to prepare for these, and just before this segment could go any further Shelton Benjamin came out of nowhere to assault Rollins.

Benjamin on Raw was a huge surprise, and it makes sense as to why he wanted to help Heyman, but it just proves the earlier point that there is no consistency in this feud, WWE has these superstars doing so many things other than focusing on the main point in this narrative, the Universal Title.

The title is lost in this mix, and at this point, it seems as if no one really cares about making the title the main focus point in this narrative.

#5 Finn Is Still Not The Top Guy

The rise and fall of Finn Balor was something fans thought they would never see again, as gone were the days that Balor was struggling to stay relevant on Raw, as his IC Title win positioned him as a superstar that is ready for big things on the flagship show, but it seems like WWE still isn't prepared for Balor to be a top guy.

It's just classic Finn Balor booking that took place on Raw this week, as Balor going from taking Brock Lesnar to the limit, winning the IC Title and having the best month of his career in the WWE to dropping the title to Bobby Lashley in a disappointing match.

Yeah, you heard that right, Balor's IC Title reign was cut short by Bobby Lashley on Raw this week when Lio Rush provided a distraction for Lashley to take advantage of Balor and pick up the win. So the question everyone was asking, what was the point here?

Balor had just begun his IC Title reign, and it promised a good future for the Raw mid-card, but by WWE putting the title back on Lashley where it will most likely underperform, is a decision that will be a disadvantage to Raw. This was a mistake by WWE, as it only further buries the career of Finn Balor.

#4 A Wasted Opportunity

A confusing way to start your retirement tour.

The most concerning thing about Kurt Angle's career at the moment was how long was the former WWE Champion going to wrestle for? As Angle has not looked like himself ever since he returned to in-ring action in 2017, and fans knew that it was only a matter of time before the Hall of Famer was going to hang up his boots.

On Raw this week, it seems as if we got our answer, as Angle came down to the ring to let his hometown crowd know that at WrestleMania 35 he will retire, and his retirement tour will start in his hometown. So who was going to be the first opponent on Angle's retirement tour?

It was none other than Apollo Crews, now no offence to Crews, but this was a less than stellar way to send off one of the greatest wrestlers in the industry, as it is understandable to see what WWE was going for here, as Crews is the upstart looking to make a name for himself against the veteran.

But for how long will WWE keep painting Crews as an upstart looking to make a place for himself, as he is a fantastic wrestler, they have no interest in building up. The credibility Apollo gained here from Angle is meaningless, as we all know WWE has no interest in giving Crews a more significant role right now. So, this match should have seen Angle work with talent that would genuinely benefit from his star rub, and hopefully, WWE gets that right on Raw next week.

#3 No Plan For Strowman

Braun Strowman is one of the best things to happen to WWE in the last few years, but he is not booked in that manner, and it is hard to imagine that two years ago, Strowman was pegged to main event WrestleMania.

The mighty has fallen, as Strowman is not the monster he was just a few years ago, from being an imposing force in the ring to displaying that anti-hero type persona that can only grow organically, Strowman was the top guy in WWE.

But the booking he received from the creative team has destroyed his credibility, and on Raw this week, we saw a prime example of how WWE has no idea what to do with the big man.

The cast of Saturday Night Live had a run with Braun last week on Raw, and things didn't end well for the 'comedians' as Strowman took offence to Colin Jost's question on whether wrestling is real, but the SNL host wanted to make up for upsetting the monster as he sent him a brand new car as an apology.

Strowman in typical 'Strowman fashion' destroyed the car, which meant this could lead to a narrative at WrestleMania. What is going on here? WWE is wasting Strowman at WrestleMania for the third year in a row, it is a shame that Bruan is built up like a tank but is used like a mid-carder.

There are so many ways WWE could fit Strowman into the WrestleMania match card, he could be the man to end Kurt Angle's career, he could be the man to challenge Bobby Lashley for the IC Title, or he could even take on The Undertaker if The Phenom ever returns. WWE is dropping the ball big time here, and it's a shame to watch it happen live.

#2 A Disappointing Dream Match

When Shelton Benjamin came out to the ring and assaulted Seth Rollins, fans went crazy, well, maybe not all fans, as some of you might have forgotten that this man is still a WWE employee.

And when Correy Graves had to explain who Shelton was, it was at that point many realised that WWE is wasting the talent of this of this man immensely, as the match that followed between Rollins and Benjamin should have been nothing but a classic.

Benjamin was one of WWE's best wrestler during his peak in the Ruthless Aggression Era, and to this day it feels like the gold standard has not lost a step in the ring, while Rollins on the other hand, might be the best in-ring performer of his generation.

So how was this match anything but spectacular? Well, that could be down to WWE not giving it enough time, and missing the point of crafting a match that showed a rejuvenated Benjamin and a game Rollins.

This is a dream match for some out there in the WWE Universe, and it should have been more than what it was, as this could have been the match that benefitted Benjamin tremendously, just like the gauntlet match on Smackdown Live all those weeks ago did for Kofi Kingston.

#1 It Shouldn't Have Been Ambrose

The main takeaway from Raw this week was Drew McIntyre absolutely destroying both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in a brutal display. One could only describe the assault McIntyre inflicted on both these men as a character building moment for the heel, as it is clear after the events of Raw, WWE has all the intentions in the world to pit Roman Reigns against Drew at WrestleMania.

While that is an exciting prospect, it seems like it might be a mistake and a wasted opportunity from the creative team, as McIntyre being Reigns opponent either means one of two things, the first option is McIntyre beating a returning Reigns, and the second is Reigns defeating a highly protected Drew.

Most people would go for the latter as there is little evidence to support a McIntyre win, as WWE won't let Reigns lose his comeback WrestleMania match, especially after the support he has gained as a babyface from the crowd.

So does this mean McIntyre will be buried? Well, 'buried' is a strong word, as he is a huge star right now that can bounce back from a loss, but it will dent his credibility. So this leads to the question of who should have been Reigns' WrestleMania opponent? Well, it should have been no one else but Dean Ambrose.

Now Ambrose flip-flopping from heel to face then back to heel is never good for long term credibility building, but if there is one feud that could light Raw on fire now, it would be Ambrose vs Reigns.