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Welcome to this week's episode of the best and worst of RAW. It was the penultimate episode before Crown Jewel 2022, and it also happened to be the weakest episode of the post-Vince McMahon era.
However, while it should be mentioned that the start and finish of RAW was great, most of it felt like a filler. However, we will get to the worst later while mainly highlighting the positives of a relatively dry show this week:
#3. Best: R-Truth's super-fun appearance and match
Johnny Gargano is fully involved in The Miz-Dexter Lumis storyline and is threatening to be a whistleblower to reveal why Lumis is targeting the two-time Grand Slam Champion.
While that part was ok, we loved R-Truth's appearance. The bonafide WWE legend is loved by everyone and he faced The Miz 11 years after their "Awesome Truth" tag team storyline that saw them feud with John Cena and The Rock as well.
The bout between the two legends was fun and it was R-Truth who beat The Miz with the help of Gargano – who trolled The A-Lister by pretending to be Lumis in a black hoodie and gloves.
Gargano also threatened to reveal the truth after The Miz mocked him with a "Get Well Soon" card for his wife Candice LeRae (who was assaulted by Damage CTRL earlier in the show).
#2. Worst: Omos' appearance on RAW leading to an instant drop in interest
Omos has had high expectations put on him by WWE management, and perhaps that isn't his fault. But given that he is being heavily pushed, and has been before, he has been disappointing and not living up to the hype at all.
Again, it may not even necessarily be his fault. Given that MVP turned Bobby Lashley into the main eventer from the fallout of the awful Lana-Rusev story, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he hasn't been able to elevate Omos.
Omos lacks the charisma needed to be a top-tier star, and the squash match against four local competitors this week did nothing to build any hype for his Crown Jewel match against Braun Strowman.
#2. Best: Nikki Cross and the ending of RAW
The only reason that fans won't be tearing this RAW apart is because of the epic ending angle. Bayley defeated Bianca Belair, but it was because of Nikki Cross's help.
The WWE commentary team made it clear that she is Nikki Cross again, and she has had a huge character change. She seems closer to her old Sanity character than the smiling, main roster Nikki Cross.
This is an indication that she will be a part of WarGames, and presumably in the RAW Women's title picture by November/December at most.
It will be interesting to see how this angle plays out as she not only took out all of Damage CTRL herself but the Women's Champion Bianca Belair as well. The ending certainly proved to be a cushion for an otherwise dry episode.
#1. Worst: Bad pacing and structure – making it the weakest show in the Triple H era
We can finally dive into the criticism of the show and why it was by far the most underwhelming since Triple H took over creative. There were hardly any important segments in between the show, and apart from The O.C.-Judgment Day storyline and the Bayley-Bianca Belair main event, nothing felt important.
Even the Miz-Lumis storyline hardly felt important, with R-Truth essentially saving the segment. Elias' match with Chad Gable felt unimportant, JBL and Baron Corbin's appearance wasn't bad but it wasn't great either, and the overall flow of the show felt like something we would see in the Vince McMahon era.
With that said, we don't want to tear the creative team apart for this as it's difficult to produce three quality hours of content for 52 weeks a year without a break. We understand how daunting a task it is, and unfortunately, such episodes which are a big "miss" are inevitable along the way. Here is hoping for a better go-home show next week!
#1. Best: The O.C.-Judgment Day feud and the way Rhea Ripley has been presented
The O.C.-Judgment Day feud is going better than we may have expected. Perhaps because we're used to the inconsistencies of the old era of WWE, it almost comes off as surprising when there is continuity.
Finn Balor vs. Karl Anderson opened RAW this week and despite the chaos at ringside, it was a fun bout. While Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest had their roles, WWE made sure to emphasize the importance of former RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley within the group.
She is the enforcer without it being said outright and it is a refreshing change to see a female enforcer in a male-dominated group. She is presented as more than an equal and she took out Luke Gallows, ultimately making the biggest difference in Finn Balor's win.
The O.C. made it clear that she was a big problem, and there was a subtle tease of them recruiting a female member, presumably for WarGames as it would even the playing field. This, along with the end, was a great part of RAW this week.
