DROP THE MIC: Debut feature looking at best and worst promos of the week from Bliss, Owens, Bo & Curtis, Sasha and Bayley, Angle, more

Hello and welcome to Drop the Mic!

My name is Chris Deez (@RuRuBayBay) and I’m here to kick off a new weekly column where I’ll be running down the best and worst promos from across WWE. Now, if you’re anything like me, you love a good promo. A good promo can do wonders for a wrestler’s career and help build excitement for a feud. They can make somebody relevant again. They can bring hilarity and entertainment. They can even start off new catchphrases and personas. Hell… even the worst promo can still get people talking even if it’s for the wrong reasons! We’ve seen once-in-a-lifetime raconteurs like Paul Heyman come out and wax lyrical, leaving people amazed at his linguistic expertise and suddenly becoming invested in whatever he is spouting about. But for every Heyman… there is a Bobby Lashley waiting just around the corner…

Would we really have it any other way though? I sure wouldn’t! I’d have nothing to write about!

So, let’s get to it and see who said all the right things, and who was just flapping their gums…

Alexa Bliss

What. A. Start. To. Raw!

The one and only goddess of WWE came down to the ring to gloat about her very successful night at Money in the Bank where she not only ascended the ladder to claim the briefcase, but she then went on to successfully cash in on Nia Jax to become a three-time Raw Women’s Champion… and boy was she quick to rub it in everyone’s faces. In my eyes, Bliss is one of the greatest female heels the company has ever seen, and she was in top form here once again. Her sarcasm, bravado, wit, and quick putdowns make her the perfect slimy heel on a par with someone like The Miz, and this promo was full of all those characteristics.  Her taunting of Ronda Rousey stokes the fire quite nicely for their upcoming feud once Ronda returns from her “30-day suspension,” and the insults centered around Rousey not knowing the difference between UFC/MMA and WWE bring a nice touch of reality to proceedings, as it’s how most fans seem to feel. I expect Bliss to carry this feud, but that’s in no way a bad thing. Working with Bliss can only be good for Ronda while she is improving on the mic. Who better to learn from than the woman with the best mic work in the company?

Highlight of The Promo: Bliss calling Rousey an “overhyped rookie,” which proved to be the final straw for the “baddest woman on the planet.”

Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman

I honestly believe that Kevin Owens is one of the greatest heels of his generation and, in turn, one of the greatest on the mic. He has never dropped a bad promo. He simply always hits the nail on the head, he helps put himself and others over, he is funny, brash, and full of bravado, and he draws SO much heat from the crowd. This week he was at his slimy, manipulative best while trying to strike a deal with Braun Strowman after he became Mr. Money in the Bank (I refuse to call him Monster in the Bank; it’s gross). Not only did he display his great mic work, he also showcased his great facial expressions, something every good heel needs. As Braun kept a firm grip of Owen’s hand, he was clearly resigned to the fact he was about to get pummelled. Owens cut a dejected look, accepting his fate. The saying goes that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and Owens understands this as well as anyone. The stellar expressive work continued backstage during an interaction with Baron Corbin, Strowman, and Finn Balor.

Once again trying to stoke the fire and cause trouble, Owens got involved in an argument between Corbin and Balor until a certain Monster Among Men scared the living daylights out of him. It was only a small touch, but the way Owens scuffled away in terror just added to the moment. His “deer caught in headlights” look was yet another reminder of how good this guy is. The promo added some nice foreshadowing to what may happen with the Universal Championship scene. We know it’ll be Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar with Strowman likely cashing in… but what happens after? Owens made his intentions clear here… he wants his UC belt back and is willing to go to any lengths to make that happen. In terms of Strowman, he has come on leaps and bounds in terms of mic work. He came out and made his intentions very clear… that he is coming for Brock Lesnar.

Highlight of The Promo: Owen’s telling Strowman, “No, I don’t want to get your hands, I’m fine thanks.”

Sasha Banks and Bayley

Some good work here from both women. Before this episode of Raw, I had lost all interest in this feud, or lack of feud, depending on how you want to look at it. This promo/interaction was spread over four short segments throughout the night. The first came backstage where the two friends hugged and made up after months of tension. All seemed well and good until they lost a tag match that same night, resulting in Sasha pushing Bayley away repeatedly until she forced her down to the ground. Trouble in paradise? The next time we saw them was backstage as Bayley tried to reason with Sasha, but it led to an almighty scuffle, ended by a vicious plastic cup throw from Sasha… savage!

Just when we thought it was all over, the fourth segment kicked off with Bayley STILL trying to reason with her former friend. Sasha simply told Bayley that she was done with her and drove away. The whole thing was very drawn out, but it did exactly what it needed to do. The last couple of months had been a real slog; the whole tension and miscommunication wasn’t really going anywhere, but by coming to blows Sasha and Bayley have reignited interest in their dilapidated feud. This was all action with very little dialogue, which is exactly what we needed to see. Seeing Bayley snap was surprising. We had all expected a Sasha heel turn, but by having the huggable one strike first it could signal the beginning of a new intensity and drive from the character.

The Usos

This one was a surprise for me because, honestly, I had forgotten about The Usos. Does anybody remember the brother’s new and improved badass, slimy, arrogant heels persona? I sure do. It was a breath of fresh air. 2017’s Tag Team of the Year have almost completely disappeared and become as irrelevant as they were during their face paint days. This short but sweet promo served as a reminder to everybody just who The Usos are as they hyped up their previous accomplishments and even mocked their former OTT personalities. It seems they will be entering into a program with the exciting Sanity. While I’m looking forward to them putting over the latest NXT call up, it would be nice to see them at least gain a few victories along the way. Their mic work is incredible, entertaining, and on a whole different level to most in WWE. It would be a shame for that hard work to be undermined by them losing a second feud in as many months. Expect them to come back out next week and cut a similar promo regarding Sanity taking them out and really kicking off their feud.

Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel

Well, this was just hilarious. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel were in real danger of fading away into obscurity after The Miz departed for Smackdown Live and left his former Miztourage lackies behind. Thankfully some thoroughly entertaining and funny skits have kept these two super-talented individuals relevant. Their interactions with Kurt Angle and the Memorial Day BBQ have all been great, but they saved the best for this week’s episode of Raw. Cosplaying as Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy was a stroke of genius, mocking the Deleters of Worlds to finally add something to this feud. Up until now we had only really seen the Raw Tag Team Champions talk their usual rubbish of being gods and entities and blah blah blah… but Bo & Curtis stepped up their game here and gave us one of 2018’s best skits so far. WWE Creative was right to leave this match off the MITB card so that the four men involved could properly build it up rather than letting it get lost in an already stacked card. Curtis playing the role of Broken Matt was pretty good, if a little subdued, but Bo playing the part of his real-life brother Bray was the real highlight. He had the mannerisms down to a tee, which you would expect really seeing as they’re related!

Highlight Of The Promo: Curtis asking Bo “Is it over?” to which Bo replies “Just go down.” Cue both men slowly crouching down out of the cameras views. Hilarious stuff.

Jeff Hardy

Now this one excited me. Jeff Hardy has forever been my favorite WWE wrestler, but since he and his brother Matt were put onto separate shows in this year’s draft, something has been missing with Jeff. He seemed to lack the fire and intensity that made him so popular during his WWE Championship/World Heavyweight Championship feuds with the likes of C.M. Punk and Edge. It seems now that something has awoken (pun intended) within Jeff, courtesy of Shinsuke Nakamura. Jeff is clearly out for revenge after the king of strong style took him out last week with a low blow, and hopefully this will usher in a darker side of Jeff… We may even get to see Brother Nero finally make an appearance. This promo sets up the rivalry quite nicely and should serve to get Nakamura even more over as a deadly heel during this U.S. Championship feud.

Highlight Of The Promo: Jeff turning around to revel his eerie face paint, and proclaiming “Shinsuke Nakamura… I see you.”

Worst – Kurt Angle

Jeez… what has happened to the great Kurt Angle? At one time synonymous with great promos and funny skits, the Olympic hero has really let things slip. In his entire tenure as the Raw GM I genuinely can’t remember a single promo where he hasn’t flubbed his lines. This week was an absolute calamity for Kurt as he botched his lines twice in the ring when introducing Alexa Bliss and then twice backstage with Ronda Rousey. A real fall from grace. Someone also needs to teach him how to say WWE properly because most weeks he just says “dubba dubba” and it frustrate the living hell out of me. Sometimes I have to skip when Kurt is onscreen, it’s just too much of a letdown.

NOW CHECK OUT THIS RECENT COLUMN: MONDAY NIGHT REIGNS-O-METER #66: Tracking Roman Reigns’s ability to beat the odds and come out on top