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We break down the best, the worst, and the downright ugliest moments on the latest edition of WWE RAW.
The Good - Baron Corbin's Hair
Let's face it. Baron Corbin desperately needed a change and he came out for this evening's RAW looking like a brand new man, a huge accomplishment for a Superstar that, as of late, barely garners any attention. Gone is the throwback balding metal head look, which essentially served as a metaphor for his current WWE run. He had hair; but, not really, just like he was once the future of the WWE; but, not really.
Corbin can still turn things around. Blessed with a plethora of potential and athletic ability, he can still be the Superstar that won last year's Money in the Bank, the Superstar with an inevitable world title reign in front of him. Let's hope Corbin's new look signifies a more serious & business like RAW Constable, capable of making waves and causing a fair share of chaos on his own.
The Good - Women's Fatal 4-Way Match
What a way to start RAW! These four women (Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Natalya, and Ember Moon) left everything in the ring to put on one of the best RAW matches of the year. The Fatal 4-Way featured high spot after high spot, a reversal after reversal and gravity-defying suicide dives that left viewers in awe. These women arguably stole tonight's show amid well deserved "This is Awesome" chants from the Arkansas audience.
The Good - Elias' Seth Rollins Ditty
Elias came out to a chorus of boos and did what he does best: performed. Elias mic dropped his Money in the Bank opponent, Seth Rollins, with lyrics like, "Seth Freaking Rollins...am I supposed to think that's cool? You do cross fit so I know you're a tool."
Elias also revealed that he is personal friends with John Mayer, who gifted him a special acoustic guitar featuring Intercontinental Championship artwork. Before Rollins curb stomped Elias' newfound prized possession, Elias pleaded with the Intercontinental Champion and said of Mayer, "He's got a lot of good songs." Anyone so close to John Mayer is obviously one hell of a heel.
The Good - Sami Zayn's Obstacle Course
Sami Zayn has proven week in and week out that he is one of the greatest heels in professional wrestling. In a world of political correctness run amok, Zayn isn't afraid to go the unpopular route as he continually questions the legitimacy of Bobby Lashley's military service.
Zayn developed an obstacle course for Lashley to "prove" just how military he was & even went as far as to name a climbing device after Lashley's sisters. Zayn claimed that Green Berets complete the course in 2 minutes; but, that he was able to complete it in 90 seconds....with no warm up, a broken hand, and no motivation.
To add salt to proverbial wounds, Zayn claimed that he would dedicate his obstacle course victory to the country with the greatest military force in the world: Canada. After all that, Zayn sneak attacked Lashley before he was ever able to officially finish the course.
The Good - Kevin Owens' Leap Frog Off The Ladder
Kevin Owens garnered the courage to climb a ladder and then leap frog from the very top to a vulnerable Braun Strowman, spread across the announcer's table. It was absolutely exquisite and while words fall short in describing how masterful it actually was, the video does not.
The Bad - The Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal "Match"
They promised the WWE Universe a match no one wants to see and even failed to deliver on that. Fans could have taken solace in being spared Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal at Money in the Bank; but, that won't happen. Instead, the WWE inexplicably switched things up and gave us Roman Reigns vs Sunil Singh, saving Reigns vs Mahal for this Sunday's pay-per-view event.
After Roman Reigns was obviously victorious, Jinder Mahal rushed into the ring hitting Reigns with a blind-sided Coloss. It would have made more sense if Mahal had inflicted more damage ahead of their Money in the Bank match; but, then again not much makes sense with how WWE Creative is booking either Mahal or Reigns.
The Bad - Seth Rollins' Guitar Stomp
Seth Rollins absolutely should have annihilated Elias' guitar and he did. For one, Elias built the instrument up as an extremely important piece gifted to him by John Mayer, who he is apparently engaged in a friendship with. What Rollins should not have done; however, is a comment on selling the guitar to benefit charity.
The gesture was met by applause from the Arkansas audience; but, Rollins inevitably ended up smashing the guitar into smithereens. It isn't a good thing for a babyface to feign a charitable donation only to destroy what could have been auctioned off to those in need.
The Bad - Corey Graves' Brock Lesnar Announcement
Corey Graves announced that Brock Lesnar had broken CM Punk's modern championship reign record. He did not mention Punk by name. Instead, Graves offered a nonsensical defense of Lesnar's lack of title defences, claiming that The Beast doesn't have to defend his championship because Paul Heyman is an intelligent businessman.
For one, much of the WWE Universe would love to have a Universal Champion that actually appears weekly on RAW. Not only would it add to RAW's legitimacy; but, would solidify the Universal Championship as the brand's main title. Secondly, Graves conducted a scathing social media attack on CM Punk, following Punk's loss to Mike Jackson at UFC 225. Graves had no problem mentioning Punk by name then; but, couldn't bring himself to do it on RAW?
This is despite CM Punk's reign being obviously superior to Lesnar's. CM Punk had 141 title defences during his 434-day reign as WWE Champion. Brock Lesnar has defended his title a mere 10 times over a 435 day period. At the very least, CM Punk deserved a mention.
The Ugly - The Nia Jax/Ronda Rousey Face to Face
The Nia Jax/Ronda Rousey face to face was overly scripted and neither opponent seemed authentic with anything that was said. Week in and week out, Rousey seems fixated on her ability to break arms. The lines she is fed are predictable and cheesy. Rousey said, "I don't game plan, I improvise and I'm going to improvise your arm off." While that may work in a 1980s Steven Seagal movie, it just doesn't go over with modern wrestling audiences who expect authenticity in their entertainment.
Jax accused Rousey of not being ready for their upcoming Money in the Bank bout, due primarily to Rousey's lack of wrestling experience. Rousey then inexplicably proceeded to list her resume of Olympic and MMA accomplishments which of course did nothing; but, prove Jax's point.
Rousey was the victim of a vicious Nia Jax headbutt; but, after a brief scuffle, the former UFC Champion rebounded and placed Jax into her patented armbar. Jax inevitably "tapped" leaving the ring to boot. As Rousey exited the ring, she didn't sell one iota. Instead, she left the ring without a trace of sweat, smiling, and high fiving fans as if no physical altercation had even happened.
Do you agree with the list or would you like to add something? Sound off in the comments section below.
