HEYDORN’S RAW RECEIPT 4/25: WWE gets it right with Orton celebration

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.

-The Randy Orton 20^th Anniversary Celebration kicking off the show was a bit of a surprise, but not after what we saw in the main event. Orton looked genuinely appreciative during the segment and cut a promo that wasn’t over the top, but was right in line with the personality we’ve seen all these years. WWE doesn’t hit much with these, but they did this time.

-Kane and Bianca Belair backstage? The Knoxville connection, I get it. That’s all it was, though. An awkward pairing.

-So, they could’ve done better by Sonya Deville during that championship match. Changing the stipulations as the match went along is an obnoxious WWE trope, but in this case, it cast a worse shadow given how little of a fight Deville was able to muster up. She cheated, she lost, and there is nothing wrong with that, but the framing leaned too far into comedy rather than a real title contender.

-Judgement Day? Really? Well, the positive spin on this would be that Edge is at the helm and has made most stuff work throughout his career? The negative spin? Lots and lots of laughter.

-Veer Mahaan won a squash match in one minute and is already one of the coldest acts on Raw. Thumbs up, WWE. Eye roll. Look, the guy had potential and fans were looking forward to seeing what the act was. The fact that’s a one note, cartoon villain gimmick is disappointing.

-Arm wrestling matches aren’t exciting. Omos and Lashley took this the only way it could go, which was a fight. They’ll clash at WrestleMania Backlash and then Lashley needs to get on with being the “number one babyface on Raw.”

-This is the last time. No further analysis on the 24/7 Championship world is needed. It’s been fun 24/7 division.

-What Becky Lynch does in the ring matters. A lot. Whether it’s holding a title or not holding a title, she’s able to finesse her stories in a way that resonate. That promo was the beginning of what will become a drawn out babyface turn and program with Ronda Rousey at next year’s WrestleMania for Lynch’s shot at her “precious.” You heard it here first, folks.

-Asuka, good to see you. Great to see you, actually. Starting off strong working with Becky Lynch signals that Vince McMahon has plans for you. I’ll take it.

-Mustafa Ali beating The Miz is Ali’s biggest win in WWE to date, right? Someone check me on that, but, wow. WWE has something there if they want it. Always have.

-Finn Balor is going through the motions out there and who could blame him given the creative he’s gotten in the last, well, forever. With a more invested Balor, Priest could have gotten something out of this, but alas, it was not to be.

–Theory continues to impress. The John Cena comparisons are a bit too much, given Cena is one of WWE’s biggest stars ever. If Theory even gets near that ceiling, that’ll be a major pat on the back to him.

-Fun main event. Lots of action and I suppose the only way this particular show could have ended was with a flurry of RKO’s.

CATCH-UP: HEYDORN’S IMPACT REBELLION RECEIPT 4/23: Alexander title win caps off memorable Impact storyline