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WWE RAW had a relatively better show planned for this week. We saw interesting developments in top title feuds ahead of the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. The show ended with a bizarre segment featuring Alexa Bliss and Shayna Baszler. But looking at the positives, it means that Baszler now has a good feud on her hands, Bliss will finally return to in-ring action, and we will now have more than one women’s rivalry on the Red brand.
In this article, we will take a look at top superstars who impressed us on WWE RAW and those who didn’t.
#1 Impressed on WWE RAW: Kofi Kingston
Once again this week, Kofi Kingston proved why he deserves the spotlight on WWE RAW. He teamed up with Xavier Woods to compete in a Tag Team Battle Royale to determine the next challengers for AJ Styles and Omos. The New Day were unsurprisingly the best team in the entire match as Woods and Kingston put on a few fantastic maneuvers on display.
Unfortunately, Woods was eliminated before Kingston. However, the latter continued to fight on behalf of his team and managed to dominate most of the WWE RAW Superstars present inside the ring. He was then attacked by Riddle, who had already been eliminated from the match at that point. This allowed Orton to capitalize on the small window of opportunity and eliminate Kingston from the match.
Later in the night, Kingston faced Riddle in an entertaining match on WWE RAW. He was aggressive in his attacks and was clever enough to take out Randy Orton at ringside. The former world champion also ended up taking a lot of punishment which made the match look well-balanced.
Towards the closing moments of the match, Riddle was close to pinning Kingston but he got wrapped up in imitating Orton, and the New Day member hit him with a Trouble in Paradise for the win.
It was great to watch him at his best inside the squared circle. Kingston showed why he deserves to compete for the top titles on the Red brand. The New Day will most likely engage in a brutal feud with R-K-Bro in the coming weeks that will help add more credible challengers to the WWE RAW Tag Team picture.
An exciting turn of events also saw an amusing conversation unfold between Kofi Kingston and MVP. The latter believes that Kingston will compete for the WWE Championship again if he aligns himself with The Hurt Business. Kingston was quick to dismiss MVP’s offer, but few comments about staying relevant in the world title scene left him speechless during the backstage segment.
Can we see a potential heel turn on WWE RAW?
#1 Flopped on WWE RAW: Elias
Elias was booked cowardly on WWE RAW once again. He started his segment in the usual fashion but was interrupted by Jaxson Ryker. Until recently, the duo was working together. Things changed The Drifter abandoned Ryker during a tag team title match against AJ Styles and Omos. Ryker wanted his revenge against Elias, and this led to a match between the two superstars.
Elias’ performance wasn’t necessarily ‘bad’ in the match. In fact, he looked good during certain spots and came close to pinning his opponent. However, he ended up losing the match via count-out after he decided to walk away from the fight. It made him look extremely weak on WWE RAW, something that he doesn’t deserve at all.
Another issue with this match is the creative’s attempt to show Ryker as a face. It is impossible to get him over with the crowd, and he would only survive as a heel. The booking on WWE RAW was bizarre at best and a complete cringe-fest at worst. Hopefully, this will allow the writers to now use Elias in better storylines on the Red brand.
#2 and #3 Impressed on WWE RAW: Asuka and Nikki Cross
This week on WWE RAW, Nikki Cross and Asuka teamed up to take on Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. Cross picked up impressive victories over Ripley and Charlotte in successive weeks, and she once again managed to beat the reigning WWE RAW Women’s Champion. Much had to do with the fact that Charlotte Flair attacked her tag team partner in the match's final moments that helped Cross in ultimately securing the pinfall.
That being said, we can’t take away from Cross and Asuka’s impressive showing in this match. The Empress of Tomorrow was as aggressive and entertaining as ever. She managed to dominate both Flair and Ripley. The same can be said about Nikki Cross, who surprisingly got the better of her opponents for most of their match on WWE RAW.
The tension between Ripley and Flair was evident right from the start. In light of their upcoming WWE RAW Championship match at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, they obviously struggled to get on the same page. Their bickering and continuous assaults on each other near the ring post were some of the biggest factors in the loss against Cross and Asuka.
Interestingly, the winners got together to celebrate, and the viewers recognized a potential alliance between both superstars. Nikki Cross will benefit immensely by staying on Asuka’s side. She will likely challenge the winner of the WWE RAW Women’s Championship match after Hell In A Cell. In the meantime, she can use her alliance with Asuka to gain more momentum on the Red brand.
#2 Flopped on WWE RAW: John Morrison
This week on WWE RAW, John Morrison represented himself and The Miz in the Tag Team Battle Royale. He was funny and entertaining right from his arrival, but the creative had barely allotted him any time. Since Morrison was competing alone, he understandably had no backup in the match. An injured Miz tried to help him from the ringside, but even he could only do so much while seated in his wheelchair.
Morrison had little to no impact on the match as he only eliminated Lince Dorado, who was also competing alone. Soon after that, T-Bar and Mace eliminated him. The order of elimination isn’t as much of a problem as his limited role in the Battle Royal. He may not be the strongest contender on WWE RAW, but he can make others look really good inside the ring.
The creative could have booked him in for extended encounters with the likes of Riddle, T-Bar, and Mace. He would have added more to their in-ring display. In the end, The Viking Raiders surprisingly won the match, and they now have the opportunity to challenge AJ Styles and Omos for the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships.
#4 Impressed on WWE RAW: Riddle
Riddle has emerged as one of the most impressive superstars on WWE RAW once again. He worked well in sync with Randy Orton as R-K-Bro put on a dominant display during the Tag Team Battle Royal. Riddle even attacked Kingston despite being eliminated and showed glimpses of The Viper’s character throughout his in-ring presence. Unfortunately, the same would prove costly for him later in the night.
Riddle once again met Kingston inside the squared circle for a singles match. He looked resilient as ever in the ring, and his determination to keep fighting shocked the New Day member. Riddle also showed a more aggressive side. However, his bid to mimic Orton too much led to him losing the match when Kingston skilfully escaped from an RKO and hit back with a picture-perfect Trouble in Paradise to seal his victory on WWE RAW.
The result certainly irked Randy Orton, who was advising Riddle to capitalize when he had the momentum. It would be interesting to see how this will affect the equation between the two superstars as R-K-Bro seeks to climb higher in the WWE RAW Tag Team division. Orton and Riddle also need to prepare for an impending feud with The New Day.
