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We were at Memphis, Tennessee this week for the latest edition of Raw. Home of Jerry 'The King' Lawler, who joined the announce team in the absence of Booker T, who was dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, with his family, at home.
The episode had a few very interesting developments, and some segments that we could have possibly done without. We would have to say, however, that it had more ups than downs, earning it a solid thumbs up.
Let's examine some of the segments and matches that occurred during the episode, and discuss the best and worst from the show.
#1 Best: Singles push for Jeff Hardy
While the signs of ageing are somewhat visible on Matt Hardy, his brother does not bear the scars of advanced age. Jeff Hardy can still go with the best of them, and certainly put on great matches, like he did in his heydey, right now.
Because of the injury to 'The Revival', we are glad to see WWE shake things up and give Jeff Hardy a singles push, in the Intercontinental Championship slot.
While we do not know if the feud will continue all the way to No Mercy, at least next week should be a fun affair.
By making Jeff Hardy the number 1 contender, they've also given us a reason to tune in next week, with a compelling match. We wonder if WWE will actually take the plunge and put the championship on him.
That should really spice things up by the time No Mercy comes around, and keep The Hardyz in the mix, despite the lack of viable opponents.
#1 Worst: Not in the same league
Say whatever you want about how 205 Live has been booked, the fact remains that everyone in that roster is a great worker, inside the ring. Enzo Amore looks more out of place in the Cruiserweight Division, than he did on the main roster.
Noam Dar worked circles around him, and Amore just seemed extremely green when confronted by the "Scottish Supernova". His mannerisms are getting more annoying by the week as well, and the overall package can bomb, in the long run.
Maybe NXT as a brand would have been a better fit, for the man.
#2 Best: See ya, fourth wall
Remember how only last week nobody really seemed interested in the dream match between Reigns and Cena, and seemed to prefer playing with their beach balls instead? All of that changed this week, as Super Cena cut a shoot promo on Reigns. He schooled Reigns in the art of cutting a promo, and got the crowd all riled up.
He even called Reigns a John Cena bootleg, spitting fire on the microphone. Reigns got a few shots in as well, but it was clearly the Cena show. An epic segment, perhaps the best of the year!
Say what you will about the two men, but they proved this week why they're the two most important men in the company. The crowd listens when they talk, and their match should be absolutely superb.
To be fair, few are allowed the kind of leeway these two men get, but boy, how well they used their freedom this week!
#2 Worst: Ruining a classic moment
After what was the segment of the week, if not the year, The Club confronted Reigns and Cena, calling them 'nerds'. This forced the two of them to team up, and ruin the heat they had built up. We could have totally done without this sudden match, that did nothing for Reigns, Cena or The Club.
It did not make sense from a storyline perspective, and nothing happened during the match to further the feud. Sometimes the key to making a moment is to know when to stop, as well!
#3 Best: Turning heel, on a heel?
Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss had a solid main event match this week, even though Cena and Reigns had exhausted the crowd. The real development in the match, however, came after it was done. Nia Jax came out to congratulate Alexa Bliss and turned on her.
She held aloft the Raw Women's Championship and we are certain she will be gunning for the title, very soon. This should be a fresh, new match and we can't wait to see how it develops, in due time!
#3 Worst: Same old song and dance
As great as Paul Heyman is at delivering his lines and cutting his promos, he needs to freshen up his content, so as to make the segments more exciting. If not, he drones on, in the same manner every single week, and makes our interest wane.
The worst part about this segment was that Braun Strowman did not come out to confront Brock Lesnar. Nor was he at the show. Of course, things did pick up when Lesnar picked up the microphone, but not by much.
#4 Best: Creepy Neville
Neville is still the most convincing character in the entire roster, and plays the part of a heel better than anyone. Him using Enzo Amore's trademark line, "How you doin", on Charly Caruso, was a thing of beauty. His spat with Enzo Amore should be really quite interesting, at least on the microphone, if scripted right.
We leave you with a picture of the reigning, defending and undisputed Raw Women's Champion and Goddess of WWE. Long may she reign in the roster, and atop the Raw Women's Division.
