HEYDORN’S WWE RAW RECEIPT 9/19: Bayley still a flat act heading into Extreme Rules

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

-So, I really liked the Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins match to start the show, but I despised the finish. Paul Levesque, c’mon. Let’s have something of consequence end cleanly once in a while. The world won’t end. Look, Levesque has booked some excellent stories on Raw and have put intriguing wrestlers against one another. Ratings show that the audience is interested in what WWE is promoting. We won’t see an effect this non-finish booking will have overnight, but long term, it tells fans to not invest.

-Bayley feels like the college freshman at the high school party right now. She’s playing the same role, but the acts around here are very different from when she left. Flat is an understatement and WWE needs her to be hotter ahead of the Belair championship match.

-Good match between Kevin Owens and Austin Theory. Another distraction finish, though. Vince? Is that you?

-I hope The Street Profits made gobs and gobs of money off their recent run with The Usos. They just haven’t been featured anywhere since. The upside with them is so huge that it’s a shame they don’t consistently have impactful things to do. Now, on the flip side, it was smart to put Butch & Holland over. They are up next for The Usos, so why not make them as big of a deal as possible before Friday.

-Really digging the work Rey Mysterio is doing right now. Opposite his son, he comes across as more authentic than usual and is able to tap into his fatherly senses naturally. This is working. Rey, Dominik, and Judgement Day are all elevated because of how the story is playing out. Well done.

–Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins in the freaking Fight Pit? Yeah, that’s good stuff. These two are working well together minus Seth’s obnoxious babyface pandering as a heel. Get over yourself, Rollins! Joking aside, he makes it hard for babyfaces to get over when he undercuts via encouraging the song. Riddle will feel it and Lashley felt it earlier in the night. Seth, you know better.

-Hart to argue with The Miz not wanting Dexter Lumis in his house. That obvious fact stated, Lumis and Miz have chemistry. I know that Lumis hasn’t spoken, but Miz thrives with this type of story. He plays his emotions very well and it takes a story that is hard to believe and makes it interesting and fun to watch. Upside for Lumis? Who the heck knows at this point.

-I suppose a decent main event between Bayley and Alexa Bliss, but one that served the Bayley vs. Belair program. Bayley needed to get some direct heat over Belair and the angle to conclude the show gave her that. If she can find a voice to put behind her leader of Damage Control act, the feud with Belair will be effective for both women. If not? …….

CATCH-UP: 9/19 WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on Owens vs. Theory, Lashley vs. Rollins, Dexter Lumis on Miz TV