SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
This week’s episode of WWE Raw has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.
-Here’s the deal. Seth Rollins has to decide for himself that it’s just not as cool as he thinks it is to play a heel character, but then regularly fan a positive audience response. He knows better and sure, it’s fun for the crowd, but supremely counter-productive at the same time.
-What stipulation do you think Riddle vs. Rollins will have at Extreme Rules? I’m there, already. We know the rematch is happening and Riddle is likely going to cost Rollins the US Championship next week. Let’s go.
-Finn Balor vs. Riddle = a solid television match even with the obvious ending. Worth checking out if you avoided it.
-An excellent promo from Dominik Mysterio. Ambitious enough to make it stand out, but not overly ambitious that it became impossible for him to execute. This made sense – the story, his journey, Ripley’s involvement. All of it. Dom needs work. No question. This was a good start, though.
-Dear, dear, dear, that women’s tag team title match had some issues. Things felt off from the beginning and never got back on track. Damage Control getting the victory was the right call as that faction needs strong credibility given who it’ll be tangling with.
-How fun was it to see Johnny Gargano in a WWE Raw ring and actually look like he belongs and is a priority? Cool stuff. Very cool. He held up his end of the bargain as well – a great match with Chad Gable.
-Kevin Owens looks and sounds like a guy free of all creative shackles. He’s next level right now and even in eviscerating Austin Theory like he did, still elevated him as well. Owens is painting himself into the middle of the world title picture if he keeps this pace up.
-A solid win for Bianca Belair this week. I don’t think Sonya Deville qualified as a surprise opponent, but eh, it is what it is. Belair needs appearances like this to remind people she’s a strong champion. Belair vs. Bayley is on deck.
-Hey!! There is Omos!
-I’m very high on the idea of Bobby Lashley vs. Rollins for the United States Championship. Paul Levesque is clearly working to establish the secondary titles as main targets for talent on each brand with Roman Reigns and the world title appearing sparingly. The best way to do that is to have top guys competing for those belts and Lashley and Rollins fit that bill. Great stuff.
-Dexter Lumis trespassing? Again, it’s funny and all, but they’ve got to get somewhere with the story and with him. Otherwise, it’ll get real old and downright creepy in a bad way.
-Edge vs. Dominik wasn’t a great match, but it served its purpose. The Dominik, Edge, Rey, Judgement Day story can go a multitude of ways at this point, making it interesting to watch play out. This story has repaired Judgement Day in WWE, too.
CATCH-UP: HEYDORN’S AEW DYNAMITE RECEIPT 9/7: Tony Khan resets AEW after messy, unfortunate few days
MVP should consider uniting his client with Veer Mahan.