HEYDORN’S RAW RECEIPT 9/20: Big E delivers on the microphone and in the ring on first Raw as champion

This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.

-How refreshing was that show opening, championship victory promo from Big E? Just great stuff top to bottom. Big E looked like a star, communicated like one, put over his championship, and tapped into some emotion with the nod to Brodie Lee all within a couple minutes on the microphone.

-Big E brought it during the main event as well. His work was crisp, intense, and that of a champion. He looked like he belonged with Reigns and Lashley. Big E and his Big Ending finisher were also protected during the match — all good signals for the new WWE Champion.

-Bobby Lashley throwing his weight around in the ring and backstage was logical storyline progression that we don’t always see in WWE. Why wouldn’t Lashley be livid after how he lost his championship last week? Showing those emotions not only gives Lashley something to sink his teeth into, but it cultivates a psychology around things mattering week to week on the show. If Lashley didn’t care, why would anyone else?

-Matching headphones, synched Spotify playlists? Randy Orton and Riddle are full-fledged bros now I guess huh? This is working and lots of story left to tell between both.

-This isn’t a good thing, but Doudrop could probably get significantly over with fans if she keeps womping on Eva Marie week in and week out. Nobody knows where this is going, so it’s a fool’s errand to try and guess. Call me crazy, but I’ll take another squash next week too. Why not?!

-It’s fun to watch two pros, pros like Randy Orton and A.J. Styles go at it. This match was crisp and sported a unique finish that built on the previous run of matches both guys had together. Good stuff.

-Sorry, but nobody will be able to convince me that it should have taken THIS long for THAT Shayna Baszler to show up. This Baszler can draw money. We don’t know exactly how to feel about her yet, but a Baszler with edge is an act that can help Raw significantly.

-Garza and Carrillo are a welcomed addition to the tag team division on Raw. Proper booking of that division would be a welcomed addition as well, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

-Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H are the new women’s tag team champions. See above, though. For this move to matter, thought and direction around the division need to be prevalent when booking the show each week. Knowing Vince McMahon, we know that is hard to come by with tag team wrestling. Therefore, this move, while exciting in the moment, has a definitive glass ceiling of importance within the broader WWE ecosystem.

-Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss get a “B+” for their go-home promo segment. There was intensity there and given the crowd reaction to Bliss, clear heel and babyface lanes as well. Both women ran each other down in a believable way, with each leaning into their character to take shots at the other. The only missing ingredient was talk of the championship on the part of Bliss. Last week, she connected the dots between her gimmick and the championship. This week, she left both as separate entities and it would have been helpful to tie everything together one last time.

-Sheamus bleeding from his nose on a Monday night is just as common as Eva Marie missing a spot these days. Another good match from him though, keeping his hot 2021 alive.

-The triple threat main event between Lashley, Big E, and Roman Reigns was tremendous. There was hard-hitting action throughout, but a narrative to follow as well. Not sure how good this will do against Monday Night Football, but was well worth missing the pesky Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions for.

-Appreciate the art of Roman Reigns. He’s able to transfer that head of the table aura into intense physicality in a beautiful way. I enter the destruction of Kofi Kingston on the outside of the ring before the second commercial break into evidence. Reigns was downright scary with how he delivered that offense and it bounced out of the television and grabbed your attention. Overall, just great stuff from WWE’s true top star at the moment.

CATCH-UP: 9/20 WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT: Hazelwood’s alt-perspective on big The New Day vs. The Bloodline six-man tag, Women’s Tag Team Championship match, Hardy vs. Sheamus with PPV implications, Alexa’s Playground, more