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WWE puts out a lot of content every single week, and while plenty of the company's booking decisions are liked by the fans, some things leave the viewers scratching their heads.
The week started with several bizarre booking decisions on Monday Night RAW. Ric Flair betrayed Charlotte again, Elias pulled out of a match due to injury, only to have one later in the night, and Triple H took on Randy Orton for what feels like the millionth time.
WWE NXT saw a bizarre ending to the show, with the champion come to the aid of his enemies and Friday Night SmackDown executed the same bizarre booking decision in quick succession.
Here's a look at five bizarre booking decisions WWE made this week.
#5 WWE booked two back-to-back matches with the same finish on SmackDown
WWE Friday Night SmackDown put on another excellent show, but there were two incidents in two consecutive matches that were very bizarre booking decisions. The matches in question were Liv Morgan vs Natalya and Rey Mysterio vs King Corbin and both ended with distraction finishes.
In the first match, Morgan was distracted by the newest member of the Riott Squad, Billie Kay. The former Women's Tag Team champion escaped Natalya's partner Tamina by entering the ring, which allowed the "Queen of Harts" to score the win with a roll-up.
The second match saw Mysterio distracted by his son Dominik, which gave Crobin the opportunity to execute End of Days for the victory.
The loss for Morgan halts a very good streak for her and the Riott Squad. The duo had completed a run of tag team victories and were potentially in line for a title match. This loss, however, throws a wrench in the works for Morgan and Riott.
Mysterio's loss makes him look weak and Dominik as an unwelcome guest who constantly messes up. The Mysterios are in desperate need of a shake up, but it seems as though another family feud could be on the horizon.
For WWE to book two matches with the same finish in succession is bizarre, especially as it was on SmackDown. The blue brand usually books its shows and angles pretty well, but on this occasion the execution felt a little odd.
#4 WWE booked Finn Balor to help the Undisputed Era on NXT
On this week's WWE NXT episode, champion Finn Balor came to rescue the Undisputed Era from a vicious beatdown courtesy of Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.
The booking of the "Prince" coming to the aid of Adam Cole and crew is bizarre for several reasons. Ever since Balor returned to the black and gold brand, he made it abundantly clear the show was all about him, and he was back to reign supreme, which makes his sudden need to help Undisputed Era somewhat baffling.
Balor has just come out of a brutal feud with Kyle O'Reilly, which resulted in a broken jaw for the champ. Last week O'Reilly and Balor once again battered each other in a match for the title, making Balor's heroic antics all the more confusing.
The decision was even stranger as Balor's rescue attempt failed, and he left lying broken with the rest of the faction.
It seems as though an alliance between the champion and the Undisputed Era to take on Dunne, Lorcan and Burch is playing out on WWE NXT, which could explode at any moment given the turbulent history between the faction and the "Prince".
#3 WWE booked several superstars to pull double-duty on Monday Night RAW
On this week's WWE RAW four superstars competed in more than one match during the show. Those superstars were Keith Lee, Riddle, Sheamus and Jeff Hardy.
The probable reason behind these bizarre booking decisions is Drew McIntyre testing positive for Covid-19, which threw the show into chaos. It was clear from the beginning of the show WWE was booking on the fly.
Jeff Hardy was first WWE Superstar to compete in back-to-back matches. He was due to face Elias, but the singer/songwriter pulled out of the match due to injury. His security guard, Jaxson Ryker entered the match and beat the "Extreme Enigma" in a matter of seconds with a sneak roll-up. Hardy would then challenge Elias, who made a miraculous recovery to face Hardy in his second match of the night.
Keith Lee and Sheamus were next to pull double-duty on the show. They first teamed to take on the Miz and John Morrison in tag team action. The big men defeated the Miz and Morrison, but an altercation backstage brought the two behemoths out again to face each other in another back-to-back match.
Finally, WWE fans saw Riddle face two members of the Hurt Business in consecutive matches. First, the "Bro" lost to Bobby Lashley, and then he defeated MVP.
Apart from Lee and Sheamus, who have great chemistry and therefore great matches, these bizarre booking decisions did nothing to make any of the WWE Superstars involved look good. It made the show's flow and pace awkward and did nothing to boost the fans' confidence in RAW moving forward.
#2 WWE booked Ric Flair to cost Charlotte her match for the second week running
This week on WWE RAW Ric Flair betrayed his daughter yet again when he cost her the match against Lacey Evans by tripping her up, just like he did last week.
On last week's show, Ric Flair tripped Charlotte during her match, which allowed Peyton Royce to pin her. After the match, Charlotte berated her Father and sent him packing. However, they seemed to patch thing up the following day on social media. But the "Dirtiest Player in the Game" lived up to his moniker this week when he deceived his daughter and sided with the "Sassy Southern Belle" Lacey Evans.
Mid-way through the match Flair's music hit and he jived his way down to the ring, much to the visible dismay of Charlotte. Charlotte had the match under control and seemingly won when she hit Natural Selection, but Ric Flair placed Evans' foot on the rope, saving her from the jaws of defeat. Charlotte confronted Flair, who denied his involvement, before confirming the betrayal by tripping her up and holding her feet down, allowing Evans to claim victory.
Flair and Evans celebrated on the ramp as Charlotte, and the WWE Universe, looked on in bewilderment.
Charlotte has now lost two matches in a row because of her Father's actions. This is bizarre and unprecedented booking, especially in the case of the most decorated woman in WWE history, who has been booked strongly ever since her main roster debut in 2015. "The Queen" hasn't been pinned in consecutive matches since 2019, one of which was a handicap match.
When Charlotte returned last month at WWE TLC she was portrayed as the returning Queen and, as the tag team title win would prove, conquering hero. Since then, WWE has placed her on a merry-go-round of strange angles and booking decisions.
It seems as though WWE is booking Charlotte in a feud with Lacey Evans and her Father. However, it remains bizarre because of the lack of significant build and explanation thus far.
#1 WWE booked Triple H vs Randy Orton in a street fight on RAW
Triple H appeared on WWE television for the first time in months when he opened the show, before being rudely interrupted by Randy Orton, who demanded the WWE Championship or number thirty entry into the Royal Rumble. The former member of D-Generation X not only refused Orton's demands but called him a "no good p***k." The "Viper" took umbrage to this and challenged his former mentor to a match later on in the night. Triple H reluctantly accepted after Orton insulted his manhood. The two long-time rivals would meet in a street fight later on that night.
This bizarre angle began in what was to be one of the company's most baffling episodes in recent memory.
Originally, Orton was to face WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, but before RAW aired news broke that the champion McIntyre had tested positive for Covid-19 and was now in quarantine. Therefore, the booking of the angle was as bizarre as it was forced. But if fans thought the street fight setup was weird, what happened during the match would take it to another level.
Triple H and Orton brawled until the "Game" unveiled his trusty sledgehammer. The hammer inexplicably burst into flames, and the lights went out.
Triple H was gone when the arena lit back up, and Alexa Bliss made her shocking return. Bliss returned to get payback on Orton with a perfectly aimed fireball to the face that sent the "Viper" writhing in pain, as the show went off the air.
The match itself was short and existed only to continue the Fiend and Orton's feud, which begs the question, why set up the match in the first place? Surely WWE could come up with a better and less bizarre way to reach the show-ending angle?
It was clear WWE was thinking and booking somewhat spontaneously from start to finish, due to McIntyre's absence. While it may have felt a little off, under the circumstances, the feeling is understandable.
