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RAW came to us from the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week, as we head on the road to WrestleMania 34. It wasn't the best WWE show we've ever seen. It wasn't absolutely awful either. To be honest, it was a mixed bag.
In this post-show recap we shall segregate what we enjoyed about the show from what we did not. Let us know your valuable opinions in the comments too. What aspects of the show did you like and what aspects did you dislike?
The fact remains that in just over a month, we'll be ready for the 'Grandest Stage of Them All'. WrestleMania 34 from New Orleans should be a real treat to watch.
Here is what we felt about this week's show.
#1 Best: Two WrestleMania matches confirmed
Whatever your feelings about Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon may be, the truth is that it's a pretty huge deal. This is a match that will garner a lot of mainstream attention from beyond the world of sports entertainment.
We were glad to see the match confirmed this week. The same can also be said for the Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship. The WrestleMania card is looking clearer, and it's looking awesome.
The Miz was great during the lead up to the announcement of the match as well. The savage burn about Balor using a hand gesture not even invented by him, was too sweet.
Let's hope WWE continues the momentum in the coming weeks too.
#1 Worst: A few clumsy botches
Kurt Angle stumbled on a word at the start of his promo, but recovered his composure soon after. In fact, one may even say he was good, this week. On the other hand, Ronda Rousey jumped the gun a little, with her announcement. Instead of waiting for the drum roll to conclude, she challenged Stephanie McMahon during the actual roll.
Moreover, WWE showed a John Cena graphic when Michael Cole was talking about a Braun Strowman match. The consummate professional that he is, Cole made it work, but it was still an awkward sight.
#2 Best: Back to the Hardy compound
We had a chance to catch up with Matt Hardy during a teleconference last night. Woken Matt Hardy was quite enthusiastic about elements of the Woken Universe coming to WWE. Thankfully, the rumours have now been confirmed. Prepare for The Ultimate Deletion.
With Jeremy Borash in WWE, we do hope that it does justice to the wonderful gimmick. The key is to be corny, cheesy and goofy, and we're certain that with the right kind of scripting, this program could quite certainly work.
#2 Worst: John Cena vs. Goldust?
In a show where superstars such as The Club and Titus Worldwide don't even make TV, we were surprised to see John Cena return. We had assumed that going into Fastlane, he'd be on SmackDown Live only. However, he came in to RAW and had a bizarre little segment. He faced Goldust for the first time in history.
This first time ever match wasn't anything special really. If anything, it was a distraction from the current feud that Cena is involved in. It was also a major step down in terms of match quality, after his classic with AJ Styles.
No offense to Goldust, but considering how he's been booked, did anyone believe he even had a chance? This was a truly puzzling and random match.
#3 Best: The Symphony of Destruction
Gimmick matches can go horribly wrong. However, when Braun Strowman and Elias are involved, thankfully, they can make the corniest shtick work. The Symphony of Destruction match was hilarious and highly entertaining. Kudos to Corey Graves for all the Megadeth references, through the course of this contest.
There were guitars, pianos and of course, the upright bass as well. A fair amount of wood was destroyed on this episode of RAW.
#3 Worst: Still no Universal Champion
Yes, we know that Brock Lesnar will be a part of the proceedings on next week's show. Somehow, that doesn't cut it. The Championship feels meaningless without the Champion showing up, on the road to WrestleMania 34. Even if Paul Heyman's promos are incredible, they cannot make up for the lack of the Beast Incarnate.
Lesnar has proved time and again, that WWE does not really matter to him anymore. He is out of shape, going into his biggest Universal Championship match. Having Reigns as the Universal Champion may be a relief.
#4 Best/worst: Humanizing Nia Jax
We saw Nia Jax show her vulnerable side this week. While this is a progressive storyline in 2018, we're not certain of how it'll impact her career in the long run. Would Andre the Giant or Kane have thrived if they broke out in tears at the end of a match? We wonder.
The purpose is to obviously make her a babyface going into a possible feud with Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women's Championship. We wonder if tears are the way to go about it. Somehow, being a legitimately tough competitor has been known to work, since time immemorial.
Still, we're willing to give it a chance. Join us next week, as we gauge how this story will progress.
As always, we end this article on a really Blissful note.
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