The go-home episode of Monday Night Raw offered much promise and ultimately lived up to a lot of that promise and the hype is very real for the first-ever Great Balls of Fire pay per view that is coming up this Sunday.
The WWE creative team did a great job of building up most of the major feuds for the upcoming feuds and although there were a few hiccups through this latest episode of Raw, it was certainly an improvement on some of the other go-home episodes of Smackdown Live and Monday Night Raw that the WWE has put out in recent months.
So, what exactly worked this Monday night and what fell flat? Well, that’s what we’re here to explore. So, without any further ado, let’s get into our Best and Worst of the 03rd July 2017 episode of Monday Night Raw:
#1 Best: Braun Strowman looks like a real Monster Among Men
Going into this episode of Monday Night Raw, I think a lot of people expected Roman Reigns to get some semblance of revenge upon Braun Strowman after the brutal beatdown he suffered last week and to be fair, he did get a measure of revenge.
But the WWE ensured Braun would continue to look like the Monster Among Men as he rose up and shook off The Big Dog’s attacks like they were absolutely nothing adding a surprise twist to an expected end to the show.
#1 Worst: The Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt promos
Seth Rollins had yet another squash match against Curt Hawkins after which he cut yet another generic promo on how he would make sure the world knew Bray Wyatt wasn’t a God and that he was just a man.
This was followed later on the show by yet another generic Bray Wyatt promo where he said he would show Seth and the world that he was truly a God. The only original thing about both segments was that Bray was out in the sun in the desert.
There needs to be some much-needed substance to back up all the fancy words that The Eater of World likes to throw around whereas Rollins has been burdened with the same old thing week on week. It seems like the loudest pop The Architect can get is a cheap one when he mentions the city where the show is taking place.
#2 Best: Samoa Joe going after Brock Lesnar
With Samoa Joe booked strongly over the past few weeks, there was some worry that he would be dumpstered by Brock Lesnar on this episode of Monday Night Raw. Luckily, those fears proved to be unfounded.
The Destroyer was given ample opportunity to shine and the way he took over the interview segment and went after Brock Lesnar ensured that he maintained all the momentum needed to put on a strong showing at Great Balls of Fire. He might not win the belt, but he won’t look weak in defeat.
#2 Worst: Bayley’s “injury”
The tag team match pitting the team of Bayley and Sasha Banks against Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss soon became a handicap match when Nia attacked Bayley and apparently injured her in the process.
It was an innocent little thing where Nia knocked The Hugger off the apron and then into the barricade but that was apparently enough to have the medical team assist Bayley off to the back, leaving Sasha without a partner.
That harmless attack being sold like a serious injury only further discredits Bayley and to make things even weirder, Sasha won the whole match clean. Strange booking, to say the least.
#3 Best: The Miz and Dean Ambrose
While their feud might be getting a bit stale, both The Miz and Dean Ambrose showed off some of their strengths this week. The Miz cut a great promo on his most recent episode of Miz TV as he addressed last week’s debacle with the Ball family.
Then, during The A-Lister’s Intercontinental Championship match against Heath Slater, Dean was absolute gold on commentary, even going as far to make fun of the name, Great Balls of Fire, and asking who came up with the term.
The two provided separate moments of great entertainment and it did quite a bit to spark some more interest in a feud that is mostly dead.
#3 Worst: The Cruiserweight division is dead
With the exit of Austin Aries – who has taken time off due to injuries – the WWE’s Cruiserweight Division is dead in the water. Neville is the only credible wrestler left in the entire 205 locker room and even he can’t carry the whole division on his shoulders.
This week was more proof of the same. The crowd was dead during the Noam Dar vs Cedric Alexander match and not much better later on for Neville vs Mustafa Ali. The future for the division looks very bleak indeed.
#4 Best: The Casshole promo by Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore put on one his most memorable promos since coming up to the main roster and even went as far as calling Big Cass a “Casshole”. It was great work by the diminutive wrestler although it probably isn’t going to save him for a loss at Great Balls of Fire.
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