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Though WWE's usual annoying copy/paste booking formula certainly presented itself last night, Raw did a good job (for once) in building to SummerSlam for most of its major angles. The Lesnar/Heyman saga had a new twist, Ronda Rousey was in form, and a certain return sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Unfortunately, there was also a lot of filler to go around on this week's show, which advertised the fact that both Monday Night Raw and SummerSlam are longer than they need to be, burning fans out in the process.
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With only six days to go before SummerSlam, who made the most out of last night's go-home show and what detracted from the programming?
Winner: Ronda Rousey
This was a nice segment for Ronda Rousey. For obvious reasons, Natalya wasn't there, so it felt like the company just pasted Ember Moon into her place (as it had pasted Alicia Fox into Mickie James' place), but nothing was too far off here.
The match between Alexa Bliss and Ember Moon ended in a disqualification when Alicia Fox interfered on Bliss' behalf and stopped a pinfall on the champion from taking place (Ember Moon had previously hit her Eclipse). As champions getting pinned cleanly before a pay per view usually means they retain at the show itself, this was a nice way to keep everyone guessing.
Alicia Fox's interference is coming on Sunday, and the company did too much of a job in beating that fact over our heads with a cudgel, as usual. But the whole thing was fine and we can only hope that WWE finally pulls the trigger on a hot act. Alexa Bliss is beyond played out as champion, and it's time for something new to dominate the scene in Raw's women's division after nearly 18 months.
Loser: Bobby Lashley
WWE clearly has no idea what to do with Bobby Lashley. He meanders from one meaningless program to another, and last night's was the latest in a long line of subpar segments involving him since his return in April. He might yet be added to the SummerSlam card at the last minute, but it would only be to pad out an already unnecessarily long show.
The solution is obvious. Lashley should turn heel, especially when Raw badly needs main event heels. It doesn't seem that it's the path the company is set to follow for whatever silly reason.
Winners: The Revival
It might seem strange to list them under "winners," as they fell to the Rollup of Doom(TM) last night, but a rematch has already been announced for SummerSlam, and they dominated most of last night's match. With 50/50 booking, there's a real chance they could end the B Team's comedy run.
Might The Revival be revived after over a year of burials and meandering?
Winners: Everyone in this segment
When he's not repeating himself, Paul Heyman is truly a master at adding drama to a program. Teasing an alliance with Roman Reigns after his seeming breakup with Brock Lesnar a couple of weeks ago, the whole thing turned out to be a ruse when the Advocate and the Beat ambushed Roman Reigns.
The only flaw here was the hairspray since we just saw that a few weeks ago with Carmella and James Ellsworth.
If only this sort of stuff had been used with this program years ago.
Still, expect Brooklyn to not care.
Losers: The Authors of Pain
What is this company doing with the Authors of Pain?
Why? Why are they still feuding with Titus Worldwide? Why are they teaming up with the irrelevant Mojo Rawley? Why are they losing matches because of Mojo Rawley? Why are they being embroiled in Bobby Roode's irrelevant feud with Mojo Rawley?
If the idea was to keep them warm for a later time, this is doing the exact opposite.
Losers: Sasha Banks and Ruby Riott
Another meaningless, heatless match between these two. It doesn't really matter who wins or loses at this point. This program is nothing but wheel-spinning.
Women's tag team titles better be on the way after SummerSlam, because if they aren't, it just shows that the company has no idea what to do with all of these women and are only using them to fill TV time. Why should fans care?
Winners: Everyone in this segment
The Lunatic Fringe is back. He's not back as a heel, unfortunately, but that doesn't mean fans weren't excited to see him. His presence adds a lot to a Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins feud that was meandering and instantly ups the excitement for their encounter on Sunday.
Will these two teams eventually find themselves in the tag team championship picture as well, beyond the Intercontinental Championship?
Either way, SummerSlam just got much better.
