Raw came to us live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, the home of Dixie Carter. However, she was nowhere to be seen this week and we can all collectively breathe a sigh of relief at that. The flagship brand of WWE had some great segments and some really forgettable ones.
When they had to deliver, they did so in spades. Unfortunately, the rest of the show was filled with so many lacklustre segments, that our attention kept getting diverted through the course of the three hours. Let’s find out what worked, and what didn’t this week.
#1 Best: Establishing an indestructible monster
The best way to establish a dominant monster is to have him take out the two top talents in the company. Braun Strowman is being protected and built as a legitimate challenger for Brock Lesnar and the coveted Univeral Championship. As we reported recently, WWE is quite obviously heading towards a Fatal Four Way match at Summerslam in Brooklyn. However, we are truly enjoying how Braun Strowman is being built as a monster who cannot be hurt.
Shortly after walking away on his own two feet and refusing assistance from the paramedics who had come to help him after Roman Reigns rammed a truck into his ambulance, Strowman returned, seemingly unhurt, to avenge the wrongdoings done to him.
We loved his interaction with Joe during the main event match as well, and we're certain that’ll be a program in the near future too. Taking apart Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe who were involved in a battle of their own, Strowman made them look like chumps. This was fantastic to watch and makes us believe that Lesnar could be in trouble.
#1 Worst: Not quite a monster
While Big Cass may be significantly better than Enzo Amore in the ring, there’s something he lacks to catapult him to the next level. This week, The Big Show played his part as Big Cass overpowered him and Enzo single-handedly.
As did Enzo, who fired up the crowd with a compelling promo. However, coming out of the segment, we felt a little underwhelmed, quite truthfully. Big Cass needs to tap into his dark side, to unleash the monster within.
#2 Best: A whole week long hook
Well, it is official. Kurt Angle is the father of one-half of American Alpha, Jason Jordan. Angle announced this news at the two-hour mark, and our attention was grabbed almost immediately. There is much to like about this segment.
Conspiracy theories abounded all over the internet, and very few of them hit the mark. Moreover, it means a renewed push for Jason Jordan, who truthfully is one of the best athletes on the whole WWE roster. However, with the positives there come many negatives.
#2 Worst: Goodbye forever, American Alpha
They had been off television for a while now, and therefore we had a feeling that they were going to be split up. While we'd presumed that it would be Chad Gable who would be announced as Kurt Angle's son, it was Jason Jordan instead. The team never really had a run as the top tag team on SmackDown Live, and it is a tragedy that such was the case with these two men.
What annoyed us, even more, were the ‘What’ chants during Kurt Angle's promo. Even Stone Cold Steve Austin would have been angry at how much these chants push the show off-track. While it may be fun for the audience at the arena, it is certainly annoying for those watching on their televisions.
#3 Best: A much-needed feud!
We had seen a tease for a Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt program shortly after the Superstar Shake-up, and it was certainly something that we wanted to watch, considering both of these men are renowned for their supernatural personas. Both of them can carry this program and have a great match, presumably at Summerslam.
While plans were shelved then, we're delighted to see that they are back on track once again. This is a much-needed feud because both men need more momentum than they currently have and need to be booked in something meaningful, for a change, so as to be seen as top contenders. This program could just be what the doctor ordered.
#3 Worst: Michael Cole and his many botches
Michael Cole first referred to Alexa Bliss as ‘Little Miss Swiss’, before he was corrected by Corey Graves, seemingly confused between her and Cesaro. He went on to call the ‘Poetry in Motion’ wrongly as Jeff Hardy’s signature move ‘Whisper in the Wind’.
He got the names of the cruiserweights mixed up and went on to confuse Reigns, Strowman and Joe in the final segment. Maybe he's distracted because of texts he's been receiving too! Better luck next week, Michael Cole.
#4 Excellent: A dream match on Raw!
The Hardyz and The Revival put on a clinic. The former seems to age like fine wine and put on the best matches of their career, in their forties. The Revival are just as good, and redefine the art of tag team wrestling, every time they step into their ring. The match was almost as perfect as Alexa Bliss, but not quite.
