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Last night's Raw, the red brand's go-home show to Money in the Bank, was thankfully an improvement over last week's abysmal episode that was the worst of 2019. "Wild card" nonsense was thankfully kept to a minimum, so it didn't interrupt too many storylines, and in fact, aided one, although it might not be the right move.
Sure, the annoying tropes and formulas were still around, like the long opening promo with Roman Reigns and the meaningless tag team match that followed it, along with another formulaic contract signing, but there were better things to be had across the Pond last night, even if it was nothing brilliant.
Who got the most and least out of last night's show?
Winner: Mojo Rawley
Mojo Rawley was brought back to the ring last night and squashed Apollo Crews. This will surely ruffle some feathers, as Crews is undoubtedly the more talented of the two in the ring, and Mojo Rawley isn't exactly a charismatic force of personality to make up for that gap.
Yet, it's long been clear that WWE has no serious interest in pushing Apollo Crews to anything beyond the lower midcard. Rawley's ceiling isn't much higher, but this was an effective reintroduction for him nevertheless, so he gained more than Crews lost.
Loser: Ricochet
The normalization of Ricochet continues.
Why WWE is so obsessed with pushing Baron Corbin, who's detrimental effect on ratings is well established by now, I have no idea.
This was, to put it simply, a stupid misallocation of resources. Ricochet has a higher ceiling than Corbin and could have used this victory heading into the pay per view where he will be one of the highlights. It's things like this which prevent anyone from getting over and have harmed countless NXT standouts.
Winner: Nikki Cross
First shoes and now luggage. I have no idea what's going on with Alexa Bliss, but this was a standout moment for Nikki Cross, who has lacked any since coming to the main roster at the end of last year. Nikki Cross won a fatal four way match and assisted Alexa Bliss in climbing the ladder afterwards (which means she's not winning on Sunday).
A partnership with Alexa Bliss isn't exactly ideal for the "psychotic Scot," but it's much better than sitting in catering and doing nothing. Any step would be a step for progress for her right now.
Of course, this might have simply happened because Raw was in her home country. We'll see if it sticks.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
That escalated quickly.
Bray Wyatt's Firefly Funhouse continues to be the most entertaining part of Raw. This week, Bray Wyatt revealed his darker side, still inviting all the kids to "let him in."
Wyatt's return to the ring shouldn't be far off now, and surprisingly, after years of being buried, he has a new wind in his sails. Always one of the company's most misused stars, we can only hope that the company doesn't drop the ball with him again.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Opinion will be divided on this one, but with the momentum Sami Zayn has since his return, it was the right call to put him in the match. Last year's ladder match centered around Braun Strowman anyway, so there was little interest in seeing the same story again.
As annoying as the alliance between Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin has been (the two got involved at separate intervals, so they arguably weren't colluding - and they shouldn't be anymore), Sami Zayn's victory adds some pop to the Money in the Bank ladder match. Few believed that Strowman would be winning again. Sami Zayn is a viable dark horse candidate.
This version of Sami Zayn against Seth Rollins should make for an interesting feud, if it were to happen.
Should Zayn have replaced Baron Corbin to begin with? Yes, but that, unfortunately, won't be happening. Best to make the most of a bad situation.
