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Last night's Raw, unfortunately, went back into filler mode as the build for Extreme Rules continued, but there were a number of notable highlights that made it better than the episodes we've been used to seeing since the superstar shakeup. While a number of important characters like Braun Strowman remain in limbo, some memorable moments happened nevertheless.
The biggest indictment on the show continues to be the absence of its supposed top championship. We got a decidedly dreadful promo about Brock Lesnar's absence to kick things off, one which did no one any favors.
The tired attempt to get heat on Brock Lesnar's part-time status continued, but it's only led to a dead, dead rivalry so far this year. It didn't help that we got no progression into the Extreme Rules fatal 5-way match to determine the #1 contender.
Who walked away with wind in their sails in last night's filler-laden episode?
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Loser: Bobby Lashley
Putting the ice-cold Bobby Lashley in a rivalry with the equally ice-cold Roman Reigns isn't the best way to heat either man up. In the opening segment, Lashley once again proved that he's possibly the worst mic worker in the entire company, and the tandem losing to the lowly Revival, who have been treated as nothing but jobbers, doesn't do anything for either of them.
The good guys losing because of internal dissension has been done over and over again and the Revival, unfortunately, haven't been treated as anything more than jobbers in their main roster career.
If this loss was supposed to do something for their rivalry, it really didn't matter that much. It's hard to care, quite frankly.
Roman Reigns would go on to have a better night, however, because he wasn't done. He'd reappear.
Loser: Matt Hardy
When is WWE going to realize that making higher-grade talent lose to jobbers doesn't do anything to make a rivalry more heated, rather, it only makes the higher-caliber talent look worse?
That's exactly what happened last night when Matt Hardy got pinned after foolishly slipping, looking like a moron in the process.
WWE's creative process is so bankrupt that this is the only way it knows how to build rivalries. No one thinks the "B team" is anything more than a filler feud, and that's how this rivalry should be treated.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
The Authors of Pain showed up in the first time in forever last night. It doesn't matter that they had a squash match over local jobbers. The fact that they're around counts as a win for them and the tag team division.
With Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler seemingly focused elsewhere, will we see the Authors of Pain insert themselves into the tag team title picture after Extreme Rules? Only time will tell.
Loser: Alexa Bliss
Now that Natalya seemingly won't be inserted into the title picture until after SummerSlam at least (if ever), why did Alexa Bliss tap out to her last night?
Sure, she was distracted by Nia Jax, but the object here should be to make Alexa Bliss as insufferable as possible before Ronda Rousey demolishes her at SummerSlam. You want to make audiences so annoyed with her until she loses in a complete and total rout.
Instead she got a measure of what she deserved far too early, because WWE's creative process is bankrupt and doesn't know how to build rivalries except by exchanging wins and losses before a pay-per-view.
Winner: Bayley
Yes, it's hard to care about her and Sasha Banks' feud at this point. However, it looks like the heel turn in the rivalry finally happened last night, and it was Bayley that made the turn. The crowd went crazy, and it wouldn't be wrong to say she got a better reaction than anything she's experienced since her burial at the hands of Alexa Bliss a year ago.
Do I think this move will be a dramatic shift in her career's fortunes? No. But Bayley was beyond dead as a babyface, so this move is a welcome one for her.
If they don't change their minds next week, that is.
Winners: Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, and Roman Reigns
A fantastic match which saw Ziggler retain his championship by disqualification (thus setting up something else down the road), Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns also got involved in the melee.
Yes, this was probably another attempt by WWE to rub some of Seth Rollins' popularity on Roman Reigns, but the tease of a rivalry with Drew McIntyre is a welcome one. Reigns vs. McIntyre would sure be far more welcome than Reigns vs. Lashley and especially Reigns vs. Lesnar.
In fact, McIntyre vs. Reigns could be a potential WrestleMania main event.
Where things go from here remain to be seen.
