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It's hard to believe that we're only a few days removed from a pay-per-view. This week's show was your typical Paul Heyman episode- class wrestling and crass segments.
There was much to like about this week's show, truth be told. And all said and done, I'd go so far as to say that the positives outweigh the negatives.
So, let's have a look at what happened on this week's show and whether or not it served its purpose, which is to get us excited for the big pay-per-view and beyond. I'd love to hear your thoughts and views are.
Without wasting any more of your time, let's dive straight into the action and list the 'Best and Worst'.
#1 Best: Rollins pins Rowan with an actual forklift
A lot of people don't give people credit for the storytelling they do, but I'm here to tell you that they did an absolutely commendable job with the match between Seth Rollins and Rowan to hype up the Rollins-Fiend clash at Crown Jewel in a few days. The fact that Seth Rollins is Roman Reigns' best friend and Rowan was a former member of the Wyatt Family pretty much bleeds into the storyline.
After brawling across the arena into the concession stand and then finally back into the ringside area, to go backstage once again, this was a match that showed us the layout of the entire venue and was a great change of pace from the action we usually see in WWE. The fact that the match ended with Seth Rollins pinning Rowan with a forklift goes back to the attack on Roman Reigns, again with a forklift.
It was WWE's way of telling us that a storyline has finally concluded. Sadly, they put a lot more emphasis on Seth Rollins' matches than anything else.
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#1 Worst: Where is Owens?
Kevin Owens was the big reveal in the main event segment of last week's RAW and so it only stands to reason that he should have returned on this week's show too. But unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen at all, and I do believe that this was a big missed opportunity for WWE, in many ways.
Maybe the fact that he's been reluctant to travel to Crown Jewel in the past could have played into this decision, with Heyman choosing to showcase him after Crown Jewel ends. But there were women on the show, and they will not be at Crown Jewel, so it makes no real sense at all.
It makes a lot more sense to have Owens on the show, even to cut a promo, than have the Viking Raiders defeat enhancement talent. It also makes more sense than the Street Profits' strange dance segment.
I don't want the smoke.
#2 Best: The Kabuki Warriors turn on Paige
We are very clearly heading for a showdown between Becky Lynch and Asuka. And what this essentially means is that one of them will have to turn heel on the other. As it stands, there is no way that the audience will root against Becky Lynch, so Asuka was the obvious choice for the big heel turn.
So the segment at the top of the show was fantastic. Asuka and Kairi Sane both stopped Paige as she heaped praise on both women and eventually Paige had to eat the green mist, as it was sprayed on her face. It is very clear that the Kabuki Warriors will not have a manager going forward, which may be the best course of action for the two women.
Lynch vs. Asuka should be a good feud. And the fact that it's heel Asuka makes things more exciting.
#2 Worst: The main event segment
The Rusev and Lashley and Lana segment would have been great in the 90s, I guess. I just don't think that this kind of content honestly holds up any merit at this stage. There's a lot more racy content available on platforms like Netflix if that is what you are looking for.
The scripting for the segment wasn't very good either, to be quite honest. Why is Lana's biggest problem the fact that Rusev can't get enough, but yet it compels her to go and seek out yet another man to have a relationship with him? It just does not make a lot of sense, if you honestly ask me.
I am not opposed to mature angles on WWE television, but this was just supremely cringeworthy to me. Maybe have the two men slug it out soon after the Team Hogan vs. Team Flair rivalry has ended, and stop this feud for good, WWE Creative!
#3 Best: Pushing Humberto Carillo big time
WWE has always been known as the land of the giants. Whether it was Andre The Giant or Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon has always pushed larger-than-life athletes as prominent players.
But Paul Heyman has always believed in pushing the 'workers' and creating new stars and he probably sees a lot of promise in a young man like Humberto Carillo. Last week, he had a chance to showcase just how good he was against Seth Rollins and this week, he had a chance to prove his worth against arguably the best wrestler in the world, AJ Styles.
Styles vs. Carillo was a solid match and let it never be said that WWE doesn't have good wrestlers in its roster. It's clear that Prichard will be pushing the established stars on SmackDown while Heyman creates new stars.
Murphy also scored a pretty big win, which should mean very big things.
#3 Worst: Making Aleister Black unexciting
There are so many ways that one can go with Aleister Black from a creative standpoint. You can focus on his MMA skills or you can even talk about the fact that he is in tune with the powers of the supernatural, based on his dark and creepy gimmick.
But he's always seated in a dark room, talking about picking a fight with persons or people unknown. I think that these vignettes just do him more harm than good and he needs to showcase his abilities in the ring regularly.
Black had all the momentum in the world following his match against Cesaro but somehow everything has just fizzled out since that time. If Buddy Murphy and Humberto Carillo can be pushed in the manner that they have, so can Black!
He's certainly got a more entertaining gimmick than the other two gentlemen that I've mentioned.
#4 Best/Worst: Sin Cara gets a new valet, still loses his match
Let me begin by saying that I love the fact that Sin Cara has a new valet. Carolina could use this opportunity to work her way up the roster until she is ready to branch off on her own and become a breakout superstar. But shouldn't the introduction of a new manager/valet result in the individual concerned picking up a victory?
What is the point of an equalizer if she fails on the first attempt? I understand that WWE sees a lot more value in Andrade than they do in Sin Cara, but still, it was a very weird decision to make.
But then maybe, it's a good thing that WWE is putting so much stock in Andrade because he's clearly destined for great things. I love that Vega has found her niche too, by Andrade's side.
Maybe they are blessed by a Goddess?
