Best & Worst of WWE RAW: Roman Reigns returns, Naomi relimquishes title, Jey Uso disappoints

Last night's Monday Night RAW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, continued a consistent run of solid television on Netflix, although almost anything WWE would have produced last night would feel that way due to how lackluster recent editions of SmackDown and NXT have been.

It had its share of ups and downs, but RAW is slowly beginning to get monotonous, and that may be a dangerous path to tread considering the already sad state of SmackDown. The red brand has the stars and the stories, and that continues to carry it through, but adjustments need to be made in terms of week-to-week presentation.

In this article, we shall explore the best and worst aspects and takeaways from RAW that stuck out last night.

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Best: Naomi announces that she is pregnant in sensational fashion on RAW

In perhaps the most entertaining title relinquishing segment of all time, Women's World Champion Naomi announced that she would be taking a break from wrestling, given her pregnancy. The segment was equal parts heartwarming and hilarious, and Naomi's mannerisms oscillated between being exceptionally and over-the-top comic and genuinely emotional.

The crowd played their part well, screaming the right chants and celebrating along with Naomi, despite her being a heel. The Glow, to her credit, stayed in character throughout the segment, issuing a warning to the women's division as she made it clear that she'd be back to reclaim the title soon. As great as the segment was, it was also disappointing on one level, though.

Worst: Naomi will be absent from WWE TV after just having hit her stride

For the longest time, Naomi had been typecast as a dancer who cosplayed as a wrestler, which meant a one-dimensional character catered to pre-tween girls, uninteresting promos, and a soft in-ring style. It all began to change when she turned heel this year, and finally hit her stride this summer.

Naomi had consistently been one of the most entertaining characters on the RAW roster over the past few weeks, with her comedy promos not just hitting the spot, but the material and mannerisms getting crazier and more demented with every passing week. She had also clearly been having a lot of fun playing this character.

It is, therefore, unfortunate that she will be gone from TV for at least a year. Nevertheless, she deserves all the congratulations and best wishes at this time, and so does Big Jim. The Bloodline Saga is about to expand, and a Baby Uso may be arriving to shake the landscape of professional wrestling.

Best: Bayley is going senile

Following up from last week's RAW and her social media activity, Bayley was once again featured in a vignette, where she sat down to talk about her recent struggles. She warned that what she was about to say didn't make sense, but it was a different Bayley who suddenly took over in the background, and what the latter had to say was completely sensible yet nonsensical.

WWE is clearly going for a split personality "Duality of Man" storytelling device to evolve Bayley's character, and it seems likely that she will continue to descend into madness before eventually shedding her babyface persona as her sinister self takes over.

That other self is knocking at the door as she screams "Ding Dong," and if the sane version of Bayley completely gives in, we might see her revert to the sort of persona she portrayed from 2019 to 2023. This time, though, it will likely be more nuanced, more layered, more insane, and rawer.

Best: Main event mess makes for massive crowd pops in Philly

The main event in Philadelphia last night was a Street Fight between Bron Breakker and Jey Uso, and it of course featured babyface run-ins from LA Knight, CM Punk, and finally, Roman Reigns. Reigns, of course, made his return following his absence on last week's RAW.

The crowd was red hot, almost as if they were waiting for Punk and Reigns, screaming for them as if the loud chants themselves could manifest the stars out of thin air. They were ushered in with massive pops and Punk was even serenaded with an a cappella version of "Cult of Personality."

Although some fans may consider this presentation formulaic, it makes for an incredible time for those in attendance, who get to see their favorite stars and have fun with them. Even for most fans watching live, anticipation building toward the babyfaces saving the day and then cheering wildly when they do so is the essence of professional wrestling. As long as the fans love to see their favorite wrestlers in arenas and on TV, subjective interpretations of narrative pacing can take a backseat when the conflicts are dynamic and compelling.

Worst: Jey Uso promos

This may seem like the antithesis of the previous point, but it is not. The crowd loves yeeting alongside Jey Uso, so why not continue the schtick? Well, this is different, primarily because his promos have lacked substance and storytelling for well over a year at this point.

When you are already interrupting the formulaic heel faction's 20-minute promo to open RAW, unless a compelling enough case is made to establish and justify a main event, the babyface has to be deemed a failure on that particular night in getting the crowd and viewers excited for the main event. Luckily, on this occasion, Paul Heyman shouldered that responsibility and knocked the ball out of the park in Philly.

The crowd was invested in the main event because they knew they'd see shenanigans; they knew they'd see LA Knight and CM Punk and possibly Roman Reigns, but Jey Uso, who to all his credit, has connected with fans to the extent a handful of men have ever been able to do, continues to make for dull and monotonous TV. At some point, his character needs to grow.

Best: Roman Reigns is set to take on Bronson Reed

Roman Reigns' return on RAW last night made it clear that he will be facing Bronson Reed at Clash in Paris. The Tribal Chief vs The Tribal Thief has been built to be an exciting feud, and it will elevate Bronson Reed to newer heights (that he can then Tsunami off of). For Roman Reigns, his first singles match in over eight months, only his second singles match since WrestleMania 40, would need to be a triumphant return.

The OTC can be the conquering babyface in Paris before he moves on to bigger matches with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Until then, WWE, in particular, Paul Heyman, has done an extraordinary job in making this feel like not just some filler match, but a fight with legitimate stakes and ramifications that serves to elevate Bronson Reed as much as it seeks to advance Reigns' respective stories with Heyman, Breakker, and Rollins on Monday Night RAW.