Everybody was excited for the second Raw after Wrestlemania because of Vince McMahon’s announcement last week concerning the Superstar Shake-Up or the brand new draft. This was a special episode indeed, thanks to the superstars who got shuffled between the two WWE brands.
Enough happened during this episode to give it a thumbs up rating, but as is always the case with Raw, it wasn't an episode without its faults. As is customary, let’s take a minute and look at the positives and negatives from this week’s episode of Raw in our weekly countdown.
#1 Worst: Wait, so everyone is on Raw then?
So, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Maryse, Alexa Bliss and Mickie James are all on Raw now? Talk about shaking things up for the red brand!
Unfortunately, this means that all the stars that SmackDown has elevated over the past year have moved to the other brand. The Miz redefined himself and reinvented his character. Bray Wyatt had a title run not so long ago on SmackDown.
Dean Ambrose has carried the second most prestigious belt in the company, The Intercontinental Championship, to Raw with him. Alexa Bliss was the highlight of the Smackdown Women’s division, over the past year for the company. SmackDown will be seriously depleted unless the bigger players on Raw are sent to the brand.
Unfortunately, we do not see that happening at the moment, at least.
#1 Best: AJ Styles is still on SmackDown Live
AJ Styles seemingly turned babyface last week on SmackDown, when he shook Shane McMahon’s hand after their epic encounter at WrestleMania last week. He implored McMahon to let him hang around on SmackDown Live, the brand that he had built from scratch.
Looks like Shane McMahon heard him. SmackDown needs a star like AJ Styles and while we’re sure he could have been the top star on Raw, it’s better this way.
#2 Worst: Miz loses his first match on Raw
The Miz was arguably the best thing about SmackDown. His very first week on Raw and he loses to Sami Zayn, the same man who's losing more matches than he’s winning, week after week.
What a crying shame, really! We seriously hope that the booking team on Raw understands The Miz’s character and plays to his strengths in the long run.
#2 Best: The epic beat down of Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was involved in a sit-down interview with Michael Cole when Braun Strowman blindsided him, leaving him laying broken and crumpled. Thereafter, he would roll the stretcher that Reigns was in, down an elevated platform.
Still not satisfied, he would attack Reigns in an ambulance. and add the finishing touch, toppling an ambulance with his bare hands. A monster among men indeed.
If WWE had hoped to generate sympathy for Roman Reigns with this segment, the effect was the opposite in this case. Strowman was cheered like a babyface as he beat Roman Reigns to an absolute pulp, through the entire segment. Truth be told, we did cheer him on too. With due apologies to Bobby Roode, this was glorious!
#3 Worst: Awful crowd
For an episode with so many surprises, the roof should have ideally blown off the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Instead, there was utter silence for a large chunk of the show, even during The Miz's hilarious skit in the very beginning.
The 'CM Punk’ chants during the New Day-Revival match just ruined the whole experience for us. Is it too much to ask for, for a live crowd to be excited at a WWE event? Their lack of excitement bleeds into the product too and ruins the experience for those watching on TV.
We do hope the crowd that arrive for SmackDown will react better when Superstars from Raw come in!
#3 Best: The transformation of the tag team division
Remember how the tag team division on Raw used to feature the same tag teams, week after week?
With the inclusion of the Hardy Boyz and the Revival, the entire landscape has transformed. Now, it is the most exciting part about Raw. How cool was it to see Jeff Hardy deliver a Swanton Bomb off Matt’s back, to the outside?
Or to see The Revival deliver the devastating Shatter Machine to Xavier Woods! From filler to thriller, we're immensely excited for the tag team division on Raw.
In conclusion, Alexa Bliss is on Raw and that’s all that matters for now.
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