All through the summer, we’ve seen the ratings for Raw slide practically into (almost) record breaking lows. Which is a strange thing indeed, considering that the wrestling on the show has definitely been good.
The writing and booking, on the other hand, have left much to be desired, and that was rectified on this episode of Raw with compelling plots and a genuine attempt at keeping the viewers interested. Sure, not everything was perfect about this episode of Raw, but what is heartening is that WWE is at least trying to improve the product.
Without further ado, we present the Best and Worst of Raw to you. Read on!
#1 Best: Big fight feel
Samoa Joe's victory at Extreme Rules just feels like business picking up. There is no greater joy for a significant majority of wrestling fans than to watch two heavyweights slug it out in the middle of the ring, and Lesnar and Joe can certainly give the fans the match they want if The Beast puts in some heart into the big-money match.
We saw the first chapter of their saga unfold in the ring this week, as Paul Heyman delivered a chilling promo that got us excited about the match at ‘Great Balls of Fire’. Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch on The Advocate and trigger The Beast in this process.
This was great storytelling, and while we know that Brock Lesnar hasn’t delivered on the big stage in the recent past, somewhere deep down fans really want these two bulls to battle it out and pick the superior competitor and new Universal Champion for the company.
#1 Worst: Joe needed help to win
Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe had a pretty decent main event match, but we had one major problem with the contest. It seemed at one point, that Seth Rollins had the match won.
It was only when the lights went out and Bray Wyatt sought retribution on The Architect for calling him a false prophet that Joe locked Rollins in the Coquina Clutch and defeated Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins.
If Joe cannot defeat Rollins clean, is he a believable opponent against Lesnar? The same Lesnar who defeated the unconquerable Goldberg at Wrestlemania and left Randy Orton in a pool of blood at Summerslam only last year? Anyway, moving on...
#2 Best: Unanswered questions (and a distant sighting)
WWE has left us intrigued about many angles (no pun intended) on the show, and this definitely interests us. What message did Kurt Angle receive that he had to rush out of the arena immediately? How does Corey Graves fit into this strange storyline? Who attacked Big Cass this week?
Was that The Revival we saw at a distance during the show, conspiring and generally making plans? Is The Big Show involved with all these conspiracies?
The best kind of storytelling leaves much to the imagination and this week’s Raw certainly left us with a lot of questions indeed.
#2 Worst: Missing losers from Extreme Rules
Except for Dean Ambrose, none of the Extreme Rules losers showed up on this episode of Raw for retribution. While they made a case for Bayley, who suffered kendo stick shots, Austin Aries, The Hardyz, and Finn Balor (who took the pin in the Fatal 5 Way Number 1 Contender Match) were nowhere to be seen through the episode.
This kind of booking makes it look like these babyfaces don't really care about being top contenders. We’d mentioned the same point when Randy Orton did not show up on SmackDown Live after losing to Jinder Mahal at Backlash. Terrible booking!
#3 Best: Paranoid Intercontinental Champion
The Miz claims to be an actor, and he certainly proved he is one with a brilliant performance on Raw this week.
Paranoid about Dean Ambrose showing up to crash his celebrations, he attacked a man in a bear suit (a rib on Dean Ambrose in his CZW days... too non PG to repeat here, so just google it, guys), and also attacked a package with a clock kept inside it, ultimately angering his wife Maryse who’d bought him a timeless clock as a gift.
Ambrose, of course, was dressed as a cameraman and decked the new Intercontinental Champion with the Dirty Deeds. This was some good television and the two men have fantastic chemistry.
#3 Worst: Heel vs heel programs
Cruiserweight Champion Neville is now in a feud with TJP and Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss is in one with Nia Jax. Will the crowd care about either feud, not knowing whom to root for, considering they're essentially heel vs heel programs?
Also, do you guys think that Jax or TJP could work as babyfaces at this time? We certainly do not think so.
#4 Best: Big Show’s comic timing
The Big Show was gold on the microphone this week. As he winds up his career, we can’t wait to see more of this gigantic entertainer. Who knew he had such amazing comic timing? Definitely a future Hall of Famer.
That concludes our review. Alexa Bliss needs our help and we must save her.
