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Memorial Day editions of Monday Night RAW are usually forgettable, and there was a streak of that too last night, but there were some notable and surprising developments that made it a better show than would usually be the case. WWE also learned a lesson from AEW and put wrestlers in the crowd to make some noise, giving a different atmosphere than what we've unfortunately become accustomed to over the past couple of months.
We saw a title change and a scramble to get to the Backlash card, with the PPV being only a few weeks away. Elsewhere, Seth Rollins continued the perfection of his Monday Night Messiah character and the IIconics got a chance to run with the spotlight. Who else got the most and least out of this week's RAW? Let's dive down and take a look.
Winner: Apollo Crews
The rumors about Apollo Crews getting a push on RAW, for now, appear to have been true. Last night, he defeated Andrade and won the United States Championship to secure his first title since joining WWE in 2015. WWE often books the title to be an afterthought, but I'm sure that for Apollo, it was a significant milestone.
At least this means he will be featured more on RAW. Let's not forget that Andrade's reign (which spanned a suspension) was entirely forgettable.
We now have to see if Apollo Crews can change the trend and actually be a meaningful champion on RAW. He'd be working towards that hasn't been done for the past 3 years (in my opinion there hasn't been a meaningful champion since Chris Jericho in 2017), but if he teams up with MVP, as the rumors further speculate, he'll have a better chance at doing something more meaningful with the title than his predecessors have.
Winner: Angel Garza
Out of nowhere, Angel Garza had a great match with Kevin Owens on RAW that had some heat to it. The result is that these two might find themselves embroiled in a rivalry to pad out the time. For Angel Garza, that would be a big step up on his main roster run. Even though he'd likely lose, feuding with an established superstar like Kevin Owens can only do good things for him as he climbs up the WWE ladder.
Now we need to see if this was a one and done deal or if it's going to last. By next week, we should find some of the answers.
Loser: The RAW tag team division
These segments between the Street Profits and Viking Raiders have been fun, but does anyone remember that RAW tag team titles actually exist at this point? The entire division and title scene appears to be on hold for some reason as these segments take up most of the attention.
One could well argue they've been more entertaining than the normal state of affairs. Nevertheless, if we're to take these two teams seriously, they're going to have to get back in the ring at some point soon.
Winner: Seth Rollins
A year ago, Seth Rollins was a babyface Universal Champion. Now, he's a lot more interesting than he was, even holding that title. Rollins is getting quite good at playing a delusional heel who still thinks he's the good guy on RAW. He delivered another inflammatory promo against Rey Mysterio, and when Mysterio returns, we can expect a heated confrontation.
When that happens, probably at Backlash, it should be one of the highlights of the show.
Winners: The IIconics
Surprisingly, The IIconics were winners last night on RAW, as they delivered a segment that was probably the best of their careers in WWE, both on the main roster or on NXT. Finally, the bookers are trying to add wrinkles to the story of the women's tag team titles, which have again slid into irrelevancy since the Kabuki Warriors lost them.
Might that now be starting to change?
We'll have to see what happens over the coming weeks on RAW, but there's some meat on the bones of this story to ride into Backlash. Let's hope WWE doesn't just drop it in a moment of forgetfulness.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Since falling closer to MVP's orbit on RAW, Bobby Lashley has emerged as a new man. We're seeing hints of the character he should have been from the moment he made his return in WWE two years ago, the guy who dominated IMPACT in previous years.
Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre is suddenly looking closer to a battle between behemoths at Backlash.
The problem is that Lashley has been booked so badly over the past couple of years in WWE, that it might be hard for fans to take him so seriously. He's just getting off the horrendous angle with Lana. Before that, he was little more than a utility talent that went here and there in random feuds, losing to the top guys. Before that, he was a babyface that wasn't getting over.
There are still a few more weeks to go before Backlash, so WWE has to do its most to build Lashley up to face McIntyre on RAW, but the current champion is himself a project that's turned on its head, so we'll see where it goes.
