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Last night's Raw was a lot better than the zero-effort shows WWE has served up in recent weeks. We got a number of good matches and some notable segments to make the TLC pay per view on Sunday feel a lot more important. While SmackDown's side of the equation feels hot, Raw's has lacked. Last night's show did a good job of heating the red brand's side up...for the most part, that is.
Who took the most and least out of last night's episode? We'll now take a closer look.
Loser: The Raw tag team division
For the love of God, why is this feud still going on?!
And to top it all off, why did the Raw Tag Team Championships change hands thanks to a pin on Drake Maverick?! The result was that the previous champions, the Authors of Pain, felt like chumps, and the new champions, Gable and Roode, already feel illegitimate right out of the gate. It isn't like they felt like a big deal before their title win, at any rate.
This is truly the worst division in the company at the moment. It isn't even close.
So close to the closing bell, this feud has merited conversation as being one of the worst of 2018.
Winners: Ruby Riott and Natalya
On the one hand, this was yet another time where WWE shamelessly exploited a death to further an angle. On the other hand, it actually worked. When this match was announced, it felt like there was no reason for it to happen. Now at least it feels like there are stakes involved.
This segment implies a Natalya victory on Sunday, which will at least make her feel like a bigger deal. She would be well poised to turn on and challenge Ronda Rousey at the Royal Rumble after this angle.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Bouncing back from his loss last week, Drew McIntyre took Dolph Ziggler down in a match that fully sold his star power. WWE doesn't usually do this with its talent and it's refreshing to see. McIntyre's push, for the most part, has been free of hiccups and one has to think that a much bigger 2019 is waiting for him.
This feud does feel like it's been rushed, though. For all of the months that these two were aligned, this seems like an anticlimactic ending. More could have been made of it (however, it will jump the shark if more is made of it now).
Nevertheless, this was a good match that brought a lot of thrillers to a Raw that badly needed such a thing. One only wonders what waits for McIntyre heading into the Royal Rumble after he inevitably defeats Finn Balor on Sunday. He has to be considered one of the favorites to win the January classic.
Loser: Elias
This feud with Bobby Lashley and Elias is doing neither man any favors. Elias taking a pin from Lio Rush does him even less good.
As if he hasn't proven it up to now, Elias is a star in the making. His performances as first a heel and now a babyface should prove his versatility to anybody that's actually had the stomach to watch the show. This isn't the way to get people behind him. He should be destined for a major push in 2019. This doesn't feel like a big deal at all. It just feels like filler, which gives no one a reason to care.
Hopefully when WWE's December sleepy period comes to an end, both guys will move on to bigger and better things, though in the case of Bobby Lashley, that's hard to imagine. He has been underwhelming, face or heel, since his return after WrestleMania.
Loser: The Raw women's division
Wow. Please stop giving Nia Jax the microphone. These segments are consistently among the worst on Raw.
Ronda Rousey thankfully didn't get in on the promo, but instead ran out and, with the assistance of Ember Moon, got a rather plodding match started. Ember Moon would eventually hit the Eclipse and defeat Tamina.
The sooner this feud is over with at TLC, the better. As if it wasn't obvious in the first half of the year, Nia Jax simply isn't main event material. Without the smoke and mirrors she got on her way to WrestleMania, all of her weaknesses are badly exposed.
Hopefully Nia Jax and Tamina will move down the card as soon as next week. Their presence at the top of it has been a huge drag on the Raw women's division, while far more talented individuals like Moon, Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott, and Bayley have been languishing.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins had a good night last night. As is habitual for him this year, he was the biggest highlight of Raw. First, he had a colorful promo which was WWE tacitly admitting how badly it has blundered with the "flagship" show. This led to a TLC match against Baron Corbin to headline the show.
As usual, the TLC match delivered, and it heat up the feud with Dean Ambrose by proxy. Seth Rollins retained his Intercontinental Championship after a war. Now, he's going to be weakened come Sunday, which would be the perfect cover for him to drop his Intercontinental Championship to Dean Ambrose without losing too much heat in the process.
Should such an event take place at TLC, Seth Rollins should be considered the favorite to win the Royal Rumble match on January 27th. That would certainly be a crowd pleaser, to say the least!
