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The WWE RAW Legends Night did not live up to the expectations, except for a couple of surprise returns that will directly impact current storylines. Aside from several popular faces, we saw Goldberg return and challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, a plausible betrayal on the cards, and a former champion subjected to brutal booking.
In this article, we will take a look at three WWE Superstars who flopped and three who impressed. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed on WWE RAW: Drew McIntyre
Last week on WWE RAW, Keith Lee and battled against Sheamus to win an opportunity to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship tonight. Both Superstars locked horns in a decent match that saw them deliver their best inside the ring. It would also be fair to say that Lee made the most of his championship opportunity and established himself as a credible threat on the roster.
The match kickstarted with McIntyre entirely controlling the momentum and worked well in stopping most of Lee’s attacking plans on WWE RAW. However, the challenger was not yet ready to back down as he soon started adding more intensity to his blows. Eventually, lee managed to throw McIntyre over the barricade that shocked the WWE Champion.
Following that, both Superstars continued their battle on the ringside for a while. McIntyre seized a wonderful opportunity to put Lee through the announce desk. Once they were both back inside the ring, Lee relied on a few good moves ff the top of the ring that has everyone staring in awe. Eventually, McIntyre regained his composure and used a well-executed Claymore to pin his opponent and retain the WWE Championship on WWE RAW.
Following the match, McIntyre took the mic to probably say something to Lee and address the legends. But before he could do that, Goldberg’s music hit the ThunderDome and the legend made his way to the ring. Goldberg wasted no time in stating that he is there to challenge McIntyre for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble.
In addition to the challenge, Goldberg left no stone unturned in insulting McIntyre as he implied that no one actually respects the current WWE Champion. The latter hit back by saying that facing Goldberg would be like ‘facing his dad’ before accepting the challenge for a title match at Royal Rumble to close this week’s WWE RAW.
#1 and #2 Flopped on WWE RAW: The Miz and John Morrison
In the WWE RAW opening match, The Miz and John Morrison locked horns with The New Day in a tag team match. Both teams were previously involved in a brief war of words that led to their in-ring battle. While the math wasn’t bad, it is the entire booking surrounding both teams that ended up showing both Miz and Morrison in a weaker light.
Both Kingston and Woods relied on their usual in-ring maneuvers to dominate the match. Miz and Morrison had a few moments in which they looked like credible opponents, but that didn’t help them for long. In the end, Woods and Kingston ended up picking a comfortable win over Miz and Morrison which is not the best decision for WWE RAW at the moment.
The Red brand needs a few tag teams to step up and pose a serious challenge for the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions. If not, we will go back to seeing the championships wrapped around The New Day. While Kingston and Woods are undoubtedly good champions, it is always good to see fresh challenges. Moreover, Miz should be booked strongly, especially now that he has his Money in the Bank contract back with himself.
#2 Impressed on WWE RAW: Lucha House Party
Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik and Escobar faced Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in a tag team match on WWE RAW this week. In a relatively fast-paced match, The Lucha House Party picked a huge win over the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions as the latter struggled to get on the same page throughout the match.
Both Alexander and Benjamin couldn’t agree with each other’s decision throughout this match. The conflict between the Superstars near their corner was evident, and Lucha House Party knew that they had to use it to their advantage. They managed to turn things around in the final moments when Alexander was not present in his corner, and Benjamin was trying to win the match all by himself.
Benjamin’s attack was skilfully reversed, and one-half of the tag team champions was pinned inside the ring. Following the match, MVP said that he was embarrassed for Benjamin and Alexander, which led to the latter walking away in anger. It was weird to see the creative tease a split between the reigning tag team champions, and there are no hints as to where this storyline is headed. That said it was a big win for Lucha House Party who may now receive a title shot soon.
#3 Flopped on WWE RAW: Shayna Baszler
A week ago, Shayna Baszler was on the different side of this list in the WWE RAW review. She looked like her old, dominant self that made us believe that she will again find herself involved in compelling storylines on WWE RAW. Unfortunately, that was not the case as was evident on what happened with her on tonight’s episode.
Baszler was scheduled to face Mandy Rose, but that didn’t happen because the latter was attacked right before the match. An irked Dana Brooke then made her way to the ring and challenged Baszler for a match while Rose stayed on the ringside. This WWE RAW match as short in length, and ended with Brooke pinning Baszler within minutes.
Although Baszler attacked Rose and held Brooke in a Coquina Clutch while she was being pinned, it wasn’t the best decision to have her crumble like that on WWE RAW. She is an extremely talented Superstar who can be a brutal champion – something that the Red brand could use right now. Instead, she is being booked in an extremely weak light that is not doing anyone any favors.
#3 Impressed on WWE RAW: Riddle
Tonight, on WWE RAW, Riddle had the opportunity to go one-on-one against Bobby Lashley. Riddle has been involved in backstage altercations with both Lashley and MVP for weeks. This week, he managed to get under their skin by picking a victory over the United States Champion – even though it had its flaws.
Riddle started strong in this match and worked hard to gain dominance over Lashley. The latter also deserves a lot of credit for creating enough room that allowed Riddle to become more creative inside the ring on WWE RAW. In the end, Lashley held Riddle in his submission maneuver and forced him to tap out. Unfortunately for Lashley, the match official didn’t see the part where Riddle tapped out.
While MVP and Lashley were busy arguing with the referee, Riddle rolled up his opponent from behind and quickly pinned him inside the ring. This was a big win for Riddle on WWE RAW. We will now probably watch him challenge Lashley for the United States Championship in the near future – an opportunity that Riddle certainly deserves.
