Whether Paul Heyman's hand was already at work creatively, tonight's shows provided just enough change to bring hope on the horizon. But there were still moments of frustration with the product overall. Let's get started:
Raw Thoughts
- We are welcomed to Dallas, TX by Michael Cole as the commentary team sets the table for tonight's show. This includes Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins appearing tonight, The New Day (Big E and Xavier) vs. Viking Raiders, and a possible Undertaker appearance.
- We start the show with Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Lashley takes the fight to Strowman immediately with a spear, but Braun catches him on the floor with some high impact moves. Lashley spears Strowman yet again, this time into the timekeeper's area. 2 count only. They go over the area into the crowd to continue the fight. Lashley uses a chair to the spine of Braun over and over again. Braun knocks down Lashley. Then he charges and runs over Lashley for a 2 count. They eventually make it up to the stage area. Lashley suplexes Braun on the stage. 2 count only. Strowman charges Lashley and goes through the stage. SPARKS GO OFF AND THE ENTIRE ARENA GOES BLACK! Corey Graves yells "Holy ****!" Strowman and Lashley, along with the equipment, are damaged and exposed to fire extinguishers. We are getting EMTS and stretcher jobs for the guys. We get a shot over the entrance area that sticks for a few minutes with personnel working on Lashley and Strowman.
(Great spot to start off the show. In the past, this spot would have closed the show. But it's obvious that they want to get the show going hot in order to generate some attention. I do want to point out the upcoming hypocrisy of people who are going to say that this was better than the gimmicked chairshot on AEW. Um... there's a lot that could have gone wrong on this too, especially anytime you are working with electricity and hardware. I'm not excusing the chair shot on AEW, but you can't brush this off as being automatically safer either. Regardless, hot start to the show.)
- We get Michael Cole on commentary narrating the EMTS taking Lashley and Strowman to the hospital. They air the spot again. Michael Cole goes over the top again putting over the "magnitude" of what just happened. The Viking Raiders come out next, complete with LED Apron screens still working around the ring.
- The next match is the Viking Raiders vs. New Day. Xavier Woods plays Franchesca as Big E takes the fight to Erik/Rowe. The Viking Raiders start beating up on Big E, but Big E is able to get away. As Big E goes for the tag, Samoa Joe comes out and chokes out Xavier for the DQ. Kofi runs out to help out his "brothers," but the Viking Raiders help him. Referees come out to break it up. We suddenly go to black.
(OH BOY! Let me guess: We're gonna restart this as a Six-Man Tag Team Match, playa! AND IT STARTS... RIGHT NOW! HOLLA! And just when you take a step forward on your programming, you take one step back.)
- It's The Viking Raiders and Samoa Joe vs. The New Day when we return from break, just as predicted. (I wrote that last sentence out during the break since I already saw the writing on the wall.) The New Day isolate Ivar, but Samoa Joe distracts Xavier. Ivar takes advantage, knocks Xavier down, and tags in Samoa Joe. Joe starts beating down Xavier while smiling at Kofi. He and The Viking Raiders continue working on Xavier for a few moments. Then, Kofi gets the tag. Kofi and Ivar/Hanson are the legal men. Kofi shows impressive skills against Ivar and then Erik. Boom Drop on Erik. Joe gets the tag, but Kofi prevents him from getting in the ring. Xavier and Ivar trade suicide dives. Clutch on Kofi by Joe. Kofi is out. Joe holds on to the move for a few seconds past the victory just to rub in the win.
(Good to see Joe actually... you know... win a match. Kofi has now lost two matches in one week after going about 2.5 months without losing a match.)
- We see a recap of the wedding segment for the 24/7 Championship. Drake Maverick brought his wife tonight on their "honeymoon." He had her blindfolded. He promises that she is more important than the title. They hug, and R-Truth shows up behind her. He mocks Maverick and goes off singing "The Mood for Love." (Um... just going to say this. Truth strikes me as being young enough, even in his late 40s, to not first reference "The Mood for Love" for the first romantic song on his mind.)
- We get a Good Brothers and AJ Styles promo. AJ Styles gets on their case for losing last week. They return the favor by saying AJ almost lost to the new guy last week (Ricochet). They bet that AJ can't beat Ricochet for the U.S. Championship. Karl Anderson bets his "hot Asian wife" that AJ can't win.
- We get No Way Jose coming out for a match with Cesaro. Drake Maverick and his wife are at ringside. R-Truth is in the Congo Line dancing with Maverick's wife. He lays in front of Maverick with the 24/7 Championship on him. Cue the R-Truth Chase as the low-card jobbers are chasing after Truth. Cesaro catches No Way Jose watching and pummels him. Neutralizer to Jose on the floor.
- The NXT Tag Team Champions The Street Profits are introduced backstage. They are officially on Monday Night Raw. (God help these guys.) They want the smoke. (They're going to get lost in the shuffle quickly. God help them. As I wrote on my blog post yesterday, Heyman?Bischoff Part 2 (check it out on the main page), I personally do not believe NXT stars need to be called up anytime over the next year. But that's what we're getting.)
- Miz cuts a promo backstage. He feels responsible for the "Best in the World" Shane McMahon fiasco, and he's glad that The Undertaker might be here tonight.
- Next out is Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. Shane talks about Lashley and Strowman (as Miz did earlier in his promo). But then he refocuses on his program with Roman Reigns and The Undertaker. He talks about last week's match with Roman and the interference of The Undertaker. They show clips of the beatdown of Roman Reigns. They promise to put The Big Dog and The Deadman in the ground. Drew challenges Undertaker to come out and face off with either of them. We get the corny "Lights Out and Lightning Bolts" in the ring. (Sorry. I'm a huge Undertaker fan. But that's a 1998 thing. It doesn't belong in 2019.) The gong goes off. And here comes The Undertaker. Shane gets Drew McIntyre out of the ring and over the barricade while Undertaker does his entrance into the ring. Undertaker gets on the mic. Roman never asked The Undertaker for his help. He explains who he is. He's here to collect the souls of Shane and Drew. Shane may be the "best in this world," but Drew and Shane are about to just be two souls going to eternal damnation. They will never Rest In Peace.
(God I hate to say this. I'm a huge Undertaker fan. He's perhaps my favorite wrestler ever. But it's been time for a while. The "talking souls" wording just doesn't work in 2019. I found myself watching this promo and just wishing that Undertaker had stayed retired at WrestleMania 33. Nothing he has done since that time has merited the diminishing returns each subsequent appearance has had. This did nothing to get me excited for Extreme Rules. The only thing that has me excited is the prospect of Roman Reigns turning on Undertaker and turning heel in the ever so slightest bit of possibility. I loved Undertaker's return last week. I have to be honest with myself and give a Thumbs Down to this.)
- Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans are shown backstage. They cut a pretaped promo. Baron Corbin asks if Becky Lynch is worth it. Lacey Evans then cuts in and talks about Becky Lynch being a movement. She's putting her faith in Seth Rollins and his "wandering eyes."
- Natalya takes on Lacey Evans next. A nothing match really with Lacey dominating most of it. When Natalya starts fighting back, Baron Corbin trips the leg of Natalya. Woman's Right ends it for Lacey.
(This served a purpose of getting the main event of Extreme Rules some build. I can't hate it.)
- Ricochet is seen with Hawkins and Ryder. He gets interviewed about facing AJ Styles. He says he'll beat AJ Styles the next time they face off. The Good Brothers come in. AJ could have put down Ricochet in 3 minutes, according to them. The real AJ Styles had him beat from the beginning. They say Ricochet is in trouble with "someone else."
- Mercy The Buzzard is seen behind The Miz, and I really couldn't give a damn less. Debut Bray Wyatt and ruin him now or later. Makes no difference. We know how this ends, unless Paul Heyman is really given the creative power to help guide his character. Like I said, Firefly Funhouse has done nothing for me. And I can't get invested in Bray unless I see results and proof that it is leading to something.
- We see The Good Brothers with AJ Styles manipulating the words of Ricochet. They are trying to work up AJ Styles. They accuse AJ Styles of losing his edge. AJ walks over and finds Ricochet. AJ tells Ricochet that he's taking that title tonight. Ricochet accepts. They trade slaps across the face as hard as they can.
(I'm torn on this. On one hand, Hell Yeah. I want to see these two go at it again. On the other hand, I would have preferred that the second match have been saved until Extreme Rules. It's definitely rushed in my opinion. I'm going to wait to see how it unfolds.)
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Elias.... and Miz's entrance cuts it off immediately. Miz has a "Dallas is Awesome" shirt on. (Is that how low his career is right now? That he has to wear Cheap Pop shirts that would make Mick Foley blush?!) Miz jumps Elias before the bell rings. It's another 2/3 Falls Match! Fall 1 goes to Miz thanks to the Skull Crushing Finale in about 10 seconds. It's time for Elias's 2nd Fall Opportunity! Elias ducks out of the ring. Elias gets thrown back in. A dropkick to the knee by Miz. Drift Away about 40 seconds later. Elias wins 2nd Fall.
(I HATE THESE 2/3 FALL MATCHES! Seriously, these falls just happened in 2 minutes. Regular matches take a lot longer, and we're supposed to say nothing and just accept this as being logical?!
We get our third fall after the break. Elias is aggressive early on in the fall, trying to put Miz away. Elias hits a Reverse Drift Away style move for a 2 count. On the edge of the ring, Elias charges with the knee. He misses hitting the ring post. Miz brings Elias into the middle of the ring. Figure Four. Tap Out. Miz gets his win back.
(Thumbs down. Sorry. I'm not giving credit to WWE for having a better 3rd Fall than the first two falls. That was rushed and completely illogical in its layout structure. I used to love 2/3 Fall Matches, but WWE has effectively killed any and all desire to see one again for a good while.)
- A recap of the Rollins/Corbin match from Stomping Grounds is shown. The interview is next with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Seth continues the Lashley/Strowman mentions throughout the show. They are asked about putting their titles on the line at Extreme Rules. They put over the stipulation of Winner Takes All and even sleeping with their championships. Maria Kanellis comes in and calls them out on calling themselves "The First Couple" of WWE. Maria says pushing an 8lb Baby out of her uterus is more impressive than Becky beating Ronda Rousey. Maria and her husband Mike ("her b....", as she says) want to take on Becky and Seth next.
(Nice to see Maria on something with actual viewers. Here's hoping they get some offense in and don't just get steamrolled. They're getting steamrolled, aren't they?)
- We get another medical update on Bobby Lashley and the ruptured spleen- suffering Braun Strowman.
- A Mized Tag Team Match is next with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch facing Maria and Mike Kanellis. (Both teams get entrances in a bit of a shock. I'm just happy for Maria and Mike Kanellis to get actual time on TV.) Jesus, Corey Graves just repeated Maria calling Mike her "b...." I guess the language has been loosened up on this show, huh? Seth has his way with Mike Kanellis without much trouble. He then forces Mike to tag in Maria. That means Maria and Becky are legal. "How could you do this? You said you were going to mop the floor with Seth. You couldn't even mop the floor at home." She tells Becky that she's pregnant and can't wrestle the match. Mike: "HOW COULD YOU BE PREGNANT?!" Maria: "I don't know. I don't think you're man enough to get me pregnant!!!!" Becky puts the Disarm-Her on Mike. He taps out. Seth and Becky win.
Maria comes back in the ring and ridicules Mike. She tells Mike that he's a disappointment. The Man was the only man here tonight. Maria says "Next time, I'll just ask Becky to impregnate me."
(I really don't know what to say. The match itself sucked. But I think we're getting more with Mike and Maria Kanellis on Raw. And I'm giving it a thumbs up as much as I was shocked by the things Maria said. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to where this is going because it's not insulting my intelligence and could lead to something more going forward.)
- PAUL HEYMAN is on the TV backstage. He teases Brock Lesnar cashing in the briefcase. Here comes The Street Profits. They interrupt Heyman and mock him. They mock the baby announcement and walk off.
- A Moment of Bliss with Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Bliss puts over the Lashley/Strowman angle and then introduces Cross. A video is shown of last week's win over Bayley for Nikki. Carmella interrupts Bliss putting over Nikki. Carmella and Alexa get "catty" with each other, and Carmella tells Alexa that they can do this now. And look at that: a referee just happened to be at ringside. She rolls up Alexa immediately and wins 1-2-3. We go to black suddenly.
(Nikki is going to face Carmella next, isn't she?)
- Nikki vs. Carmella is now. Called it. Nikki and Carmella go back and forth with 'Mella getting a leg scissors takedown. Nikki follows with the apron attack. They continue to go back and forth. Carmella gets a Bronco Buster for a 2. Swinging Neckbreaker by Nikki gets the 3. Bliss gets in Carmella's face after the match. Lol. Bliss celebrates like she won the match.
(This added to the "Alexa Bliss doesn't deserve anything she gets while using Nikki Cross to win her battles" narrative. So, I'm giving it a pass despite just being there for the most part.)
- Nikki is asked backstage about the fact that WWE fans want her to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Alexa says no comment.
- Drake Maverick and his wife are leaving backstage. She leaves to freshen up. R-Truth avoids the roster. But Drake throws the luggage at Truth's head. 1-2-3! New Champ. He tells his wife they get to do their honeymoon 24/7. They run off.
- A recap of Ricochet and AJ's confrontation earlier tonight.
- The main event is AJ Styles vs. Ricochet for the United States Championship. Ricochet hits some of his amazing moves, rolling around the ring with ease. He does a flop over the top rope to the floor. He hurts his ribs coming down. AJ Styles hits Ricochet with the Phenomenal Forearm! 1-2-3. Ricochet's right leg was under the ropes, but AJ is given the championship. Another referee comes out to explain the fall should not have counted. We go to another commercial break.
We return to find out the match has been restarted. The Good Brothers are at ringside, much to AJ Styles's dismay. Styles and Ricochet do more flips and dives in the ring and at ringside. Ricochet lands on his feet a couple times impressively. Styles gets the tease of winning the championship a couple times with some power moves, including a Torture Rack Powerbomb move, for a two count. Ricochet catches Styles with a surprise rollup for a 3 count. The Good Brothers are at ringside holding their arms out like he failed them. Styles and Ricochet shake hands after the match. The Good Brothers applaud at ringside. Styles decks Ricochet and starts beating the hell out of Ricochet. Gallows and Anderson come in and hit Magic Killer! AJ sits in the corner and hits THE STYLES CLASH FROM THE CORNER! The Club is back! They take turns beating down on Ricochet and pose as the show goes off the air.
(Again, I'm not a fan of spending the Ricochet vs. AJ Styles sequel on live TV a week after the initial match. It's too much 50/50 booking. But I am a fan of what happened afterwards with The Club reforming and AJ Styles turning to the dark side. We now have a strong heel that can rival Seth Rollins on Raw once the program with Ricochet is over (especially if Brock Lesnar goes to SmackDown.)
Overall, I felt that this was a good first step to changing things. There was still plenty on this show that I hated (and surprisingly so in one case), but you can see the effort was kicked up on this show. Without spending too much time on rehashing the whole show, here's the quick list of my likes and dislikes:
What I Liked
- Opening Segment + Continued Mentions Through The Show
- Samoa Joe getting a win
- Drake Maverick and R- Truth's 24/7 Feud
- Mixed Tag Team Match/ Maria Kanellis Spotlight
- Unpredictable in some spots.
- The Attempt to Do Different Things
- The Club is Back!
What I Didn't Like
- Six Man Tag OVERKILL
- Undertaker Promo
- 2/3 Falls OVERKILL; Illogical Match Layout
- Too predictable in some spots
- Spending Ricochet/AJ Styles II to sell an angle + 50/50 Booking
I'm curious to see what SmackDown does tomorrow night. Is it going to be refreshing as well, or is it going to be Diet Raw as it has been since Money in the Bank (at least)?
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Comments
Post a Comment