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The season premiere of WWE RAW was an eventful show. Several stories moved forward, with some new ones kicking off. The red brand's landscape looks quite different from the past month in a good way, as things seem fresh.
WWE RAW had so many strong points that we didn't even mention Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre's hostile promo.
So, without further ado, let's look at the main positives and negatives from tonight's show.
#3. Best: Everyone is allowed in the big time
Becky Lynch's reign as NXT Women's Champion is already a success. She has successfully defended the title on multiple occasions and has another few matches lined up. Thanks to The Man, several underutilized women have also gotten screen time on WWE RAW.
Tegan Nox has been established as a likable babyface, while Indi Hartwell will challenge Lynch next week. Xia Li is also earmarked for a title shot after confronting her backstage. The women's division is always better when Becky Lynch is a champion.
#2. Worst: Another title change
This is becoming a tiresome formula for WWE RAW.
The Judgment Day has main evented almost every week in the past five months, with most of them being tag team matches. It does work well, considering the heel heat they generate. However, Finn Balor and Damian Priest have won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships again.
Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso winning the belts was a refreshing change, but The Judgment Day seems to hold all the gold for a while. Jimmy Uso emerged and superkicked his twin brother, leading to the title change.
While this is inevitably leading to Survivor Series, one can't help but feel it's more of the same every Monday.
#2. Best: A very strong in-ring show
Besides the main event, WWE RAW featured a few other great matches. One of them was the likely feud-ender between Ricochet and Shinsuke Nakamura. Their Falls Count Anywhere Match was enjoyable and had creative spots around the ring and backstage.
Meanwhile, Gunther's Intercontinental Championship defense against Bronson Reed was brilliant. The two big men put together a hard-hitting contest that wowed the fans in attendance. The Ring General continues to add to his ever-growing list of victims and bangers.
#1. Worst: Johnny Wrestling loses on his WWE RAW return
Johnny Gargano wrestled his first WWE RAW match since May tonight, so it was natural to expect him to win. However, that's not what happened. The NXT legend instead lost to Ludwig Kaiser, while Tommaso Ciampa was conspicuous by his absence.
Giovanni Vinci helped his tag team partner get the win. Given how long he was away from WWE RAW, Gargano should've won without any issues. Severe work needs to be done for Johnny Wrestling to feel like a high-level star on the red brand.
Hopefully, this means he and Ciampa will win this feud. DIY does have potential as a fighting babyface tag team.
#1. Best: Sami Zayn is a conflicted man
Sami Zayn's story was the most engaging thing on WWE RAW. He opened the show and addressed Kevin Owens' move to SmackDown, stating how conflicted he was regarding Jey Uso. Zayn teased a heel turn and even walked out on Jey, who saved him from a Judgment Day beatdown.
Things heated up backstage as Sami Zayn showed his frustration at Jey Uso being the reason he and KO aren't together anymore. The two made up, but who knows what's next for the former Bloodline members?
Main Event Jey isn't a Tag Team Champion anymore, despite Zayn appearing during the main event. The two could potentially strengthen their bond and go after The Judgment Day, with the potential of a turn always seeping doubt into everyone's minds.
