• home icon
  • WWE
  • WWE Raw
  • RAW before Backlash: Best and Worst - Unlikely WWE team formed, Alliance on the verge of splitting?

RAW before Backlash: Best and Worst - Unlikely WWE team formed, Alliance on the verge of splitting?

By Riju Dasgupta
Modified Jun 11, 2020 13:42 IST
We saw the reunion of Edge and Christian on RAW
We saw the reunion of Edge and Christian on RAW

While Backlash may not be the most highly-anticipated pay-per-view that WWE is putting on this year, I thought that RAW did a decent job in hyping up the show. I wouldn't necessarily say that they did a fantastic job because they did not, but RAW had enough good moments to make it an episode worth watching.

I genuinely think that the biggest issue with RAW is the length of the show because there are points where even important segments that built up to Backlash and beyond dragged on for far too long, just to ensure that the show had enough content. I have stated many times in the past that movies go on for a maximum of 2 hours these days because we live in an era of shorter attention spans.

And yet, RAW refuses to change, and, as a result, the viewership numbers continue to decline yearly.

#1 Best: Asuka and Charlotte Flair start and end RAW

Not only did Charlotte Flair and Asuka team up at the top of the show, but they also took each other on in the main event match in what I thought was the match of the night, on this week's episode of RAW. I know that some of you may believe that Asuka losing her big match heading into Backlash is not necessarily a good thing, but I choose to differ, and here's why.

Charlotte maintains her dominance over Asuka in one-on-one contests with how the match played out and it did seem like Asuka would have won the RAW match, if her Backlash opponent Nia Jax did not show up and influence the result. I also loved the fact that The IIconics, Sasha Banks and Bayley told a great story outside the ring too!

#1 Worst: A popular RAW team about to split for good?

There is no doubt at all that the RAW roster is filled with a lot of talent to the very brim. But, at the same time, it is also no surprise that the tag team scenario on RAW isn't the best right now and the two teams at the top of the food chain are both babyface namely The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders.

RAW needed a team like Angel Garza and Andrade, led by the ever-so-charismatic Zelina Vega to take over the division and remind us all that tag team wrestling can be great when a great babyface team works with a good heel team. But, from the looks of it, the two are on the verge of a split and I have to say that this is not the best course of action, especially if you consider that they never really had a run as a team on RAW.

It reminds me of AEW splitting up MJF and Wardlow before the partnership even got going.

#2 Best: Christian fires Edge up on RAW before Backlash

When Christian and Edge are in the ring and they cut promos, they prove why they are living legends and head and shoulders above every other member of the active RAW roster, in my honest opinion. Edge fires himself up in such a fantastic manner during every promo that whether or not you buy into the whole premise of 'greatest wrestling match ever' that the announcers seem to be pushing on RAW (I am guessing not), you can't help but feel for the guy immensely. Christian played the role of the best friend to perfection as well.

I also loved Kurt Angle and the promo he cut because it was far more realistic than what Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels said. He named some of the greatest stars from RAW and SmackDown and their arch nemeses- much like Angle and Brock Lesnar had that iconic feud all those years ago, Edge and Randy Orton have had a story in WWE that cannot be replicated or matched. I am pumped for this match at Backlash.

#2 Worst: Devaluing the 24/7 Championship even after it returns to RAW

I am a little confused as to why R-Truth wasn't pinned by MVP even after he lay incapacitated by Lashley on RAW. I am clearly not the only person who thought that way because the internet is full of fans questioning how much the value of the title has deteriorated even though it is back on RAW. Look, R-Truth was absolutely hilarious when it came to his interaction with MVP but the fact that nobody cares for the title just makes it worthless, does it not?

This review is being written before RAW Talk so I won't take the details of what happens in the post-show into account here, but technically, wasn't there a whole locker room full of RAW talent who could have brought a referee to pin R-Truth this week? I genuinely wonder if WWE wants to bury this title so that it is written off TV from the way that they have been using it on their program, which will be a shame because R-Truth brings an element to RAW that few others do.

#3 Best/Worst: The WWE Championship picture and Lana's role (as explained on RAW this week)

Listen, before I begin writing about the tag team match that we saw this week on RAW, let me just state that I liked the decathlon contest more than everything else that The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders have done thus far. I just think that the RAW Tag Team Championship picture would benefit if one of the two teams went heel, is all.

Moreover, I wasn't a fan of having Bobby Lashley in a tag team match on RAW with MVP ahead of his big fight with Drew McIntyre, when he could have easily decimated an opponent to show just how much of a beast he truly is. As for Lana, who is back to focusing on her career instead of her husband, I really do hope that this is not the eventual payoff to this angle of friction with MVP on RAW and that she actually plays a role in Lashley's title win/loss.

youtube-cover

Before I sign out, do check out what Drew McIntyre had to say to Sportskeeda's Rick Ucchino ahead of his match with Bobby Lashley at Backlash.

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.