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WWE RAW this week was a show of two parts- the part where the WWE Universe was alive and the point where it died. Somehow, when WWE lost the favor of the crowd, the whole show seemed to die as well, because the crowd would not react to anything.
My colleague Gary Cassidy actually remarked during the show that the referee's calls were audible during the show. Yes, that is just how dead the audience was when the show was on.
So, what worked and what did not this week? Let's recap the show and look at the good, bad and ugly from WWE RAW, then?
Please leave a comment and let us know what you thought of this week's show, ladies and gentlemen.
#1 Best: Robert Roode elevated to a prominent role
Someone like Robert Roode just seems far too talented to be wasted in the roster, considering what a gifted performer he is. As Corey Graves kept reminding us, he's done a lot of significant things even before he first arrived at WWE which is a shame if you consider that not long ago, he was chasing after the 24/7 Championship.
The pairing with Ziggler actually seems appropriate for him, if you consider the fact that both men are heels that like to show off in a flamboyant and over-the-top manner. It's also great to see them pushed right off the bat because Robert Roode and Ziggler are both top-tier performers that can do wonders in the RAW tag team division.
Ziggler has proved that he can do just about anything from his program with Goldberg, which is why he's in this deserved spot today! Let's hope others like EC3 also get elevated in the days that follow!
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#1 Worst: A never-ending Tag Team Turmoil match
A gauntlet match works when the top competitors in a division compete in it. I guess that was the case at RAW as well, but then Axel and Dallas, as well as Ryder and Hawkins just didn't feel like they were big deals at all.
Also, it's one thing to write off The OC and The Viking Raiders but the double disqualification just felt like a very easy cop out to me. Roode and Ziggler would go on to win the whole thing, which is fine but reveals how little Vince McMahon thinks of tag team wrestling overall.
Maybe involving the Street Profits in this match or bringing back the AoP would have been a fun way to book the contest. But it turned out to be just another by-the-numbers affair, that didn't do much for anyone at all.
This match killed the crowd.
#2 Best: Sasha Banks excels as a heel
I've had a chance to interview Sasha Banks on several occasions, and contrary to popular internet rumors, she's always been very pleasant and respectful to me. It's easy to forget that under the smiling, lovable demeanor exists a vicious heel, that we knew for a while in NXT, which many consider her best avatar. I thought she stole the show this week.
She appeared at the top of the show and addressed the rumors surrounding her absence since WrestleMania. She informed the WWE Universe that she had indeed thrown a fit and cried on the locker room floor. It was a great way to peel back the fourth wall and mix reality with prevailing rumors.
But all of this fed into her heel character that she unleashed upon poor Natalya. I can't believe this Sasha Banks had been concealed from us all.
#2 Worst: The Street Profits
I had a cursory glance across the internet to see if others felt the same way that I did. How could the coolest act in NXT become the most annoying thing on RAW is what I've been wondering ever since. It was great to see that a large portion of the Internet Wrestling Community echoes my sentiments about these two fine gentlemen.
The Street Profits are a little too boisterous and appear far too many times on the show for people to find them interesting, to any degree. Honestly, how many promos can you cut without actually competing, and expect to have the fans like you? I wish they'd remained on NXT because the brand needs Ford and Dawkins when it goes to the USA Network.
I'm sure they can be a big deal on RAW as well someday. They just need to be used better, in my opinion!
#3 Best: Not making Strowman the US Champion
I know a lot of people are already up in arms about the fact that Strowman and Rollins are the RAW Tag Team Champions. This essentially means that no real tag team will be a part of the Clash of Champions card.
I am just glad that Vince McMahon did not go all the way and decide to make Braun Strowman the US Champion as well, personally. It would have meant that Strowman would have had to compete thrice on the same night. Moreover, someone else from the card wouldn't have had a chance to compete on pay-per-view because of this title change.
The fact that Strowman lost due to an old Eddie Guerrero trick essentially means that he still looks strong. And it allows Styles to compete with someone else at Clash of Champions for his prestigious title.
Maybe someone like Cedric Alexander can potentially step up!
#3 Worst: SmackDown Champion competing on RAW
There is no reason for Bayley to appear on RAW at all. I mean you could have had some new team step up to challenge Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WWE Clash of Champions 2019.
But instead, you had one half of the Women's Tag Team Champions pinned in a match that did nothing to further Bayley's feud with Charlotte Flair, to any degree. Plus the fact that the SmackDown Women's Champion appeared on RAW doesn't sit right with me, because even though it's allowed thanks to the Wild Card Rule, it just feels weird.
Also, where was Alexa Bliss? Wouldn't you have her at ringside to support her best friend and watch out for her?
It just felt like a match with no storyline and no payoff that was just put together to kill time, with the crowd not reacting to anything at all.
#4 Best/Worst: The upset
Before the latest edition of the King of the Ring tournament began, it seemed like Drew McIntyre would be the man who'd go all the way in the tournament. I mean he certainly looks the part and would seem regal with a crown, cape, and a scepter. If you thought Cedric Alexander defeating Sami Zayn in the first round of the tournament was an upset, this week's show probably had your jaw fall all the way to the floor!
But then again, I'm glad that at least Ricochet got the rub from this big win. He's obviously going to be someone that WWE will push all the way to the very top. Could he go on to win the tournament?
If you look at the men competing in the tournament, he does seem like a definite favorite. Maybe him and Andrade from SmackDown.
Maybe you need a Goddess to predict the future.
