Written by: Kevin Berge (All images courtesy of WWE.com)
This is like one of those photos at the zoo where a stupid kid decides to poke the bear in its cage. Except Ambrose actually jumped in the cage then poked the bear.
Dean Ambrose Promises Brock Lesnar He Will Overcome Suplex City
Overview: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman opened the show with Heyman addressing Bray Wyatt's attack at the Royal Rumble as well as the match to come with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Through the words of Heyman, Lesnar promised to imprison both brothers-in-arms in Suplex City.
As Heyman talked about Ambrose being crazy, the Intercontinental Champion came out to look Lesnar in the eyes and make it clear he was ready to do anything to get teh World Championship. He wanted to take punishment from both Lesnar and Reigns, but he promised he would be the winner at the end of the night.
As an amused Lesnar looked on, Ambrose walked away having said his piece.
Analysis: This was a fantastic way of establishing the triple threat story which might not get a whole lot of build with Brock Lesnar probably not making too many appearances before Fast Lane. Ambrose was allowed to establish himself on his own, looking Lesnar in the face and smiling at the thought of getting destroyed.
While it was odd that Reigns did not get involved at all, it was important Ambrose and Lesnar have their moment together with no Reigns drama mixed in. It's the most fresh dynamic of the match and the one that needs the most build.
The only real problem here is that this really didn't need to open the show. It established nothing for the rest of the show, so it kind of felt like a misplaced segment.
As Heyman talked about Ambrose being crazy, the Intercontinental Champion came out to look Lesnar in the eyes and make it clear he was ready to do anything to get teh World Championship. He wanted to take punishment from both Lesnar and Reigns, but he promised he would be the winner at the end of the night.
As an amused Lesnar looked on, Ambrose walked away having said his piece.
Analysis: This was a fantastic way of establishing the triple threat story which might not get a whole lot of build with Brock Lesnar probably not making too many appearances before Fast Lane. Ambrose was allowed to establish himself on his own, looking Lesnar in the face and smiling at the thought of getting destroyed.
While it was odd that Reigns did not get involved at all, it was important Ambrose and Lesnar have their moment together with no Reigns drama mixed in. It's the most fresh dynamic of the match and the one that needs the most build.
The only real problem here is that this really didn't need to open the show. It established nothing for the rest of the show, so it kind of felt like a misplaced segment.
That is the face of a man who truly loves his job, a few days a year.
Kalisto def. Rusev by Count Out
Overview: With Alberto Del Rio bashing Kalisto on commentary, Kalisto tried to take out the legs of Rusev repeatedly but constantly was overwhelmed by the monster's power. With Kalisto finally sending Rusev on the retreat to the outside, Rusev superkicked a diving Kalisto who came over the top rope.
Taking a stronger stance as minutes passed, Rusev crushed and dominated Kalisto until he fell right into a tornado DDT. Kalisto kept up that momentum with a senton and corkscrew only to take another harsh slam into the mat. When that only brought a nearfall, an angry and dazed Rusev lost his control of the pace.
Kalisto knocked down Rusev repeatedly and sent him running to the outside. Rusev tried to catch and slow Kalisto but only got thrown around by Kalisto's legs right into the steel barricade behind Alberto Del Rio. Kalisto slipped back into the ring just in time for the win. Afterward, he escaped Del Rio's grasp and held his title high.
Analysis: There is clearly a lot here to work with between Kalisto and Rusev. The two have the classic power vs speed dynamic, but Rusev is much more fluid and fast than most powerhouses. This gives the two a nice framework but also space to experiment together. Though it wasn't clear if the two had chemistry, their first match was solid.
This juxtaposed the current feud that Del Rio has going with Kalisto which has already run its course and run out of ideas. While the two are good together, they have given up telling any more story. Del Rio flubbed much of his time on commentary not even comfortable talking about how Kalisto would never beat him again.
Hopefully, this all ends at Fast Lane so that Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio can find more interesting rivals for WrestleMania as they both should take a crucial part in the show.
Taking a stronger stance as minutes passed, Rusev crushed and dominated Kalisto until he fell right into a tornado DDT. Kalisto kept up that momentum with a senton and corkscrew only to take another harsh slam into the mat. When that only brought a nearfall, an angry and dazed Rusev lost his control of the pace.
Kalisto knocked down Rusev repeatedly and sent him running to the outside. Rusev tried to catch and slow Kalisto but only got thrown around by Kalisto's legs right into the steel barricade behind Alberto Del Rio. Kalisto slipped back into the ring just in time for the win. Afterward, he escaped Del Rio's grasp and held his title high.
Analysis: There is clearly a lot here to work with between Kalisto and Rusev. The two have the classic power vs speed dynamic, but Rusev is much more fluid and fast than most powerhouses. This gives the two a nice framework but also space to experiment together. Though it wasn't clear if the two had chemistry, their first match was solid.
This juxtaposed the current feud that Del Rio has going with Kalisto which has already run its course and run out of ideas. While the two are good together, they have given up telling any more story. Del Rio flubbed much of his time on commentary not even comfortable talking about how Kalisto would never beat him again.
Hopefully, this all ends at Fast Lane so that Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio can find more interesting rivals for WrestleMania as they both should take a crucial part in the show.
Sure, the Social Outcasts could have won the match, but they had other important things to do like learn all the things you can do with a WWE mic. They haven't been able to carry them very often up to this point.
The Usos def. Social Outcast's Curtis Axel and Adam Rose
Overview: The Social Outcasts covered for Bo Dallas being gone for the night, saying he was mixing some new tracks for his Bo Rida album to come. Curtis Axel began dominating this match with stiff stomps before showing some teamwork with Adam Rose. Behind the referee's back, even Heath Slater got in a good shot.
Jey was isolated so long that it seemed like he'd never get out of the match, but he managed to daze Rose long enough to get Jimmy the hot tag. Jimmy had so much time to get pumped up that he seemed unstoppable, running right through both men. He cleaned up the ring and hit a superkick before letting Jey get the win with a Superfly Splash.
Analysis: The Social Outcasts are so entertaining right now that it's tough to see them lose. The group will hopefully get its time to shine soon though being the other funny heel team isn't an easy gig with New Day the tag team champions. The Usos meanwhile feel like they've lost their fire but are just the only face team around.
This match was fairly standard affair. Rose showed some fire in his moves that told you he'd like to be the Social Outcasts member wrestling more often. Heath Slater is also becoming a fairly solid manager/distraction for his team even if it would make more sense if he was the team's lead wrestler.
Jey was isolated so long that it seemed like he'd never get out of the match, but he managed to daze Rose long enough to get Jimmy the hot tag. Jimmy had so much time to get pumped up that he seemed unstoppable, running right through both men. He cleaned up the ring and hit a superkick before letting Jey get the win with a Superfly Splash.
Analysis: The Social Outcasts are so entertaining right now that it's tough to see them lose. The group will hopefully get its time to shine soon though being the other funny heel team isn't an easy gig with New Day the tag team champions. The Usos meanwhile feel like they've lost their fire but are just the only face team around.
This match was fairly standard affair. Rose showed some fire in his moves that told you he'd like to be the Social Outcasts member wrestling more often. Heath Slater is also becoming a fairly solid manager/distraction for his team even if it would make more sense if he was the team's lead wrestler.
And here again we see the little boy at the zoo. This is his final moment of taunting the local lion before its anger allows it to jump over the gate and begin to maul him.
AJ Styles Speaks With His Fists on Miz TV
Overview: The Miz put over AJ Styles as a great story that his Miz TV was made to present. The two men even shook hands as Styles walked into the ring. However, the tone began to shift as The Miz barely let Styles' mouth near the microphone. He put over AJ's career in a way that came off decidedly patronizing.
Even when Miz finished his recap of Styles' career, he still refused to give up the mic, turning to Daniel Bryan who Miz saw as a parallel to Styles. Miz used the opportunity to offer his managerial services to Styles which AJ seemed to consider.
However, Miz messed it up by continuing to talk. Yelling at the crowd that Styles was a nobody who would do nothing without him, AJ finally lost it and assaulted Miz until he ran out of the ring and up the ramp to be safe from Styles' reach.
Analysis: This was not quite the segment it promised to be though worked for what it was. The Miz has slowly turned into one of WWE's most entertaining personas, constantly absorbed in himself to the point it rubs everyone the wrong way. It is a lot of fun to watch him do his thing with everyone.
Styles' biggest weakness in WWE is his mic skills which have always only been solid. This was a chance for him to prove he can step up to the WWE speaking game, but it didn't really prove anything on that front. Instead this was still about establishing the character of Styles.
While I wouldn't mind a one-off match between Styles and Miz, this hopefully wasn't the start of a full scale feud for Styles who is bigger than Miz nowadays. The way it could work though is if Miz does get someone to agree to be his client, someone big in need of a mouthpiece.
Even when Miz finished his recap of Styles' career, he still refused to give up the mic, turning to Daniel Bryan who Miz saw as a parallel to Styles. Miz used the opportunity to offer his managerial services to Styles which AJ seemed to consider.
However, Miz messed it up by continuing to talk. Yelling at the crowd that Styles was a nobody who would do nothing without him, AJ finally lost it and assaulted Miz until he ran out of the ring and up the ramp to be safe from Styles' reach.
Analysis: This was not quite the segment it promised to be though worked for what it was. The Miz has slowly turned into one of WWE's most entertaining personas, constantly absorbed in himself to the point it rubs everyone the wrong way. It is a lot of fun to watch him do his thing with everyone.
Styles' biggest weakness in WWE is his mic skills which have always only been solid. This was a chance for him to prove he can step up to the WWE speaking game, but it didn't really prove anything on that front. Instead this was still about establishing the character of Styles.
While I wouldn't mind a one-off match between Styles and Miz, this hopefully wasn't the start of a full scale feud for Styles who is bigger than Miz nowadays. The way it could work though is if Miz does get someone to agree to be his client, someone big in need of a mouthpiece.
The ref tries his best to keep Ric Flair from jumping in the ring and smothering Brie Bella with a kiss, for the sake of distraction of course.
Charlotte def. Brie Bella
Overview: With Alicia Fox in her corner, Brie Bella showed a fire early on because of Charlotte's recent insults of her sister Nikki, beating down on the Divas Champion before getting tossed to the outside. Charlotte beat her into the mat from there, constantly using Brie's long air as leverage.
Brie fought back enough to get to the second rope for a dropkick with Charlotte stopping her but getting caught in a sleeper hold. While Flair failed to distract anyone but Charlotte on the apron, Charlotte slammed Brie into the mat only to get rolled up for three by Brie for the upset.
Analysis: The Divas Championship has been in a good place lately. There was no need to suddenly throw Brie Bella back into the title picture. While the company clearly wants to take advantage of the story of Nikki's recent surgery, there was a ready made and developing story that should not have been superseded.
I have no idea where Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks were for this segment. It felt like they were ignored when they should always be in the immediate conversation when Charlotte is wrestling as the two contenders to Charlotte's title. It was odd, as if this segment was the Total Divas segment which cannot connect with the rest of the division.
Brie fought back enough to get to the second rope for a dropkick with Charlotte stopping her but getting caught in a sleeper hold. While Flair failed to distract anyone but Charlotte on the apron, Charlotte slammed Brie into the mat only to get rolled up for three by Brie for the upset.
Analysis: The Divas Championship has been in a good place lately. There was no need to suddenly throw Brie Bella back into the title picture. While the company clearly wants to take advantage of the story of Nikki's recent surgery, there was a ready made and developing story that should not have been superseded.
I have no idea where Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks were for this segment. It felt like they were ignored when they should always be in the immediate conversation when Charlotte is wrestling as the two contenders to Charlotte's title. It was odd, as if this segment was the Total Divas segment which cannot connect with the rest of the division.
Oh no! Not the dreaded slam onto the steel steps. What will Big Show ever do to recover?
Big Show def. Erick Rowan
Overview: Without Bray Wyatt, The Wyatt Family surrounded the ring and made sure the odds were not in Big Show's favor as he came to the ring. He used some steel steps though before the match to ward off Braun Strowman. As the match began, Erick Rowan struggled to even move Show.
Show managed to avoid multiple interferences by Strowman and Luke Harper to quickly chokeslam his way to a win. Afterward, the Wyatt Family swarmed the ring and destroyed Show in the ring and outside it, slamming him hard onto the steel steps.
Analysis: This match was over quick and really didn't show any sign that this feud between Show and The Wyatt Family has legs. If WWE doesn't believe in Erick Rowan to work three minutes with Show, how much time will they give Braun Strowman against Show in their likely higher profile contest?
This all really did nothing for me, and I'm not sure what it was supposed to accomplish. Show just isn't a very interesting competitor anymore, only serving as the big obstacle. Strowman will prove nothing against Show and neither will any member of The Wyatt Family.
Show managed to avoid multiple interferences by Strowman and Luke Harper to quickly chokeslam his way to a win. Afterward, the Wyatt Family swarmed the ring and destroyed Show in the ring and outside it, slamming him hard onto the steel steps.
Analysis: This match was over quick and really didn't show any sign that this feud between Show and The Wyatt Family has legs. If WWE doesn't believe in Erick Rowan to work three minutes with Show, how much time will they give Braun Strowman against Show in their likely higher profile contest?
This all really did nothing for me, and I'm not sure what it was supposed to accomplish. Show just isn't a very interesting competitor anymore, only serving as the big obstacle. Strowman will prove nothing against Show and neither will any member of The Wyatt Family.
This is the face of a man who truly regrets his life choices.
Titus O'Neil def. Tyler Breeze
Overview: Tyler Breeze got immediately caught by Titus O'Neil and throw around the ring. Breeze though found a quick opening as he took out the knee of O'Neil and began kicking and stomping on his prey.
After breaking up Breeze's half Boston crab, Titus grabbed Breeze and slung him across the ring. Following it up a clothesline and the Clash of the Titus, Titus picked up the fairly dominant win.
Analysis: I had low expectations for Tyler Breeze's potential in WWE. As much as I like the guy, he just doesn't have a gimmick that translates beyond the midcard. Still, he could have been a Dolph Ziggler-like journeyman who had some spurts of success. I'm feeling like my expectations won't even be met as this point.
While I can appreciate WWE finally doing something with the charismatic Titus O'Neil, this match never even allowed Tyler Breeze to look competitive. It was a one sided squash of a guy who was one of NXT's top guns a few months ago.
After breaking up Breeze's half Boston crab, Titus grabbed Breeze and slung him across the ring. Following it up a clothesline and the Clash of the Titus, Titus picked up the fairly dominant win.
Analysis: I had low expectations for Tyler Breeze's potential in WWE. As much as I like the guy, he just doesn't have a gimmick that translates beyond the midcard. Still, he could have been a Dolph Ziggler-like journeyman who had some spurts of success. I'm feeling like my expectations won't even be met as this point.
While I can appreciate WWE finally doing something with the charismatic Titus O'Neil, this match never even allowed Tyler Breeze to look competitive. It was a one sided squash of a guy who was one of NXT's top guns a few months ago.
Turns out if you keep challenging the same guy over and over again, he eventually learns how to win. Lesson learned for Owens. Got to get a new punching bag.
Dolph Ziggler def. Kevin Owens
Overview: Kevin Owens wasted no time destroying Dolph Ziggler, throwing him into the timekeeper's area early. When Ziggler tried to get back into it, he got smashed into the top turnbuckle and took a cannonball. Owens kept taunting and beating on Ziggler as the referee worried Dolph wouldn't be able to continue.
Dolph finally dodged a few shots and began running at Owens to try and make some mark only to get rammed into the mat. Owens tried to hit the pump up powerbomb, but Ziggler dodged it and hit him with a superkick to knock Owens off the apron. He then went outside to hit a Famouser outside.
Back in the ring, Ziggler took an Owens superkick for two. The two fought to the top rope with Dolph stuck in the tree of woe and taking another cannonball. When Owens went for another pump up powerbomb, Ziggler dodged it, hit the Zig Zag, and won the match. Afterward, Owens lashed out at the commentary team in anger.
Analysis: These two are great together, but this is not how you book a rivalry. Having singles matches every week kills the novelty of the two fighting. This was a good and different match from the two though with Owens dominating in a way that stood out as Dolph spent the entire match in comeback mode.
This was also a different match because Ziggler actually won. This isn't an indictment against Owens as it was necessary to make this actually feel like a feud. Owens is at his best when he's angry and motivated. This will get him motivated and show Ziggler is a real threat to Owens.
I have no idea what the end goal of Owens vs. Ziggler is. I don't even know when it went from a series of one off matches to a full scale rivalry. I'm just confused how Ziggler cut in front of AJ Styles and Sami Zayn.
Dolph finally dodged a few shots and began running at Owens to try and make some mark only to get rammed into the mat. Owens tried to hit the pump up powerbomb, but Ziggler dodged it and hit him with a superkick to knock Owens off the apron. He then went outside to hit a Famouser outside.
Back in the ring, Ziggler took an Owens superkick for two. The two fought to the top rope with Dolph stuck in the tree of woe and taking another cannonball. When Owens went for another pump up powerbomb, Ziggler dodged it, hit the Zig Zag, and won the match. Afterward, Owens lashed out at the commentary team in anger.
Analysis: These two are great together, but this is not how you book a rivalry. Having singles matches every week kills the novelty of the two fighting. This was a good and different match from the two though with Owens dominating in a way that stood out as Dolph spent the entire match in comeback mode.
This was also a different match because Ziggler actually won. This isn't an indictment against Owens as it was necessary to make this actually feel like a feud. Owens is at his best when he's angry and motivated. This will get him motivated and show Ziggler is a real threat to Owens.
I have no idea what the end goal of Owens vs. Ziggler is. I don't even know when it went from a series of one off matches to a full scale rivalry. I'm just confused how Ziggler cut in front of AJ Styles and Sami Zayn.
Silly Sasha, you should know better than to trust another woman in the WWE. Vince McMahon only has one story for women that aren't friends.
Sasha Banks def. Becky Lynch by Disqualification
Overview: Sasha Banks came out first and promising she was now on her own and would not be stopped by anyone in her quest for the Divas Championship. Her words brought out the former members of Team BAD, Naomi and Tamina, who promised this would not ruin their friendship which Sasha was skeptical about.
Becky Lynch then came out for the scheduled match with Banks. Sasha tried to taunt and manipulate the match early only for Becky to knock Sasha down and ground her. The two traded fast shots until Becky got kicked to the outside.
Naomi and Tamina decided to try and beat up Becky in front of the referee, barely stopped by Sasha who got beaten up by the two instead. Lynch recovered in time to decide she wanted to help Sasha fight the two of with the two women standing tall in the ring as Naomi and Tamina retreated.
Analysis: The Team BAD promo ahead of this match was terrible and confusing, not quite breaking up the group or showing their solidarity. Maybe this was to set up worry for the match result, but it just felt like poor line delivery and scripting. Luckily, the follow up worked far better.
Again, Becky and Sasha are not getting much time to do a lot. Sasha seemed out of sync all match, partially botching many of her moves. The match didn't even really matter just setting up the situation for the beginning of Sasha's slow face turn.
It was cool to see Sasha choose to fight on her own terms then Becky fight with Sasha to make the fight even. It was never a showcase of teamwork but a showcase of what good guys should do, right unfairness.
Becky Lynch then came out for the scheduled match with Banks. Sasha tried to taunt and manipulate the match early only for Becky to knock Sasha down and ground her. The two traded fast shots until Becky got kicked to the outside.
Naomi and Tamina decided to try and beat up Becky in front of the referee, barely stopped by Sasha who got beaten up by the two instead. Lynch recovered in time to decide she wanted to help Sasha fight the two of with the two women standing tall in the ring as Naomi and Tamina retreated.
Analysis: The Team BAD promo ahead of this match was terrible and confusing, not quite breaking up the group or showing their solidarity. Maybe this was to set up worry for the match result, but it just felt like poor line delivery and scripting. Luckily, the follow up worked far better.
Again, Becky and Sasha are not getting much time to do a lot. Sasha seemed out of sync all match, partially botching many of her moves. The match didn't even really matter just setting up the situation for the beginning of Sasha's slow face turn.
It was cool to see Sasha choose to fight on her own terms then Becky fight with Sasha to make the fight even. It was never a showcase of teamwork but a showcase of what good guys should do, right unfairness.
Ambrose and Lesnar can fight all they want. Reigns isn't jealous. He has more important things to do than participate in a feud like... fist bump fans and stuff.
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose def. The New Day
Overview: The New Day had some choice words for The Rock before this match, telling him to think of the children. They also dissed Reigns and Ambrose. Paul Heyman watched on commentary as Reigns was taunted by Kofi as they locked up. Kingston though went quiet quick as Roman put him down and used quick tags with Ambrose to isolate him.
When Roman teased the Superman Punch, Big E pulled Kofi out of the ring to save him. This allowed Big E into the match who got Reigns down for a little while, giving Ambrose the hot tag to clear the ring and gain back momentum which he took with a suicide dive to Big E. Xavier Woods then took out Dean behind the ref's back.
Back and forth this match went with Reigns fighting his way through Kofi and Big E's tactics and Ambrose blasting through them. Dean fought off a double team finisher to take out Kofi on the top rope, allowing Reigns to hit a Superman punch followed by a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose on Big E for the win.
After the match, Brock Lesnar immediately hit the ring, distracting his two future opponents long enough for them to get beat down by the New Day. While Reigns battled Kofi to the outside, Dean cleared the ring long enough for Lesnar to run in and F5 Dean into the mat.
Analysis: This was a pretty solid main event. It would have been more interesting if he had not already seen it multiple times and still had no stakes involved. It all really felt like it was just happening to stall for the big Lesnar appearance to come which was cool but not a real main event spectacle this time around.
As much as I love the triple threat and the slow builds of the stories involved in the match, I get the slight feeling WWE doesn't know how to sell this story. This whole episode of Raw was supposed to be about Ambrose and Lesnar introducing themselves to each other, but it came off a bit too paint by numbers in the closing moment.
It would have been cooler if we had gotten a bit more of Ambrose taking punishment and getting back up to ask for more. They may save that for the actual match though. No matter what, the match to come will be incredible. Now they just need to figure out where Reigns properly fits in rather than just coming off as the guy who will win.
When Roman teased the Superman Punch, Big E pulled Kofi out of the ring to save him. This allowed Big E into the match who got Reigns down for a little while, giving Ambrose the hot tag to clear the ring and gain back momentum which he took with a suicide dive to Big E. Xavier Woods then took out Dean behind the ref's back.
Back and forth this match went with Reigns fighting his way through Kofi and Big E's tactics and Ambrose blasting through them. Dean fought off a double team finisher to take out Kofi on the top rope, allowing Reigns to hit a Superman punch followed by a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose on Big E for the win.
After the match, Brock Lesnar immediately hit the ring, distracting his two future opponents long enough for them to get beat down by the New Day. While Reigns battled Kofi to the outside, Dean cleared the ring long enough for Lesnar to run in and F5 Dean into the mat.
Analysis: This was a pretty solid main event. It would have been more interesting if he had not already seen it multiple times and still had no stakes involved. It all really felt like it was just happening to stall for the big Lesnar appearance to come which was cool but not a real main event spectacle this time around.
As much as I love the triple threat and the slow builds of the stories involved in the match, I get the slight feeling WWE doesn't know how to sell this story. This whole episode of Raw was supposed to be about Ambrose and Lesnar introducing themselves to each other, but it came off a bit too paint by numbers in the closing moment.
It would have been cooler if we had gotten a bit more of Ambrose taking punishment and getting back up to ask for more. They may save that for the actual match though. No matter what, the match to come will be incredible. Now they just need to figure out where Reigns properly fits in rather than just coming off as the guy who will win.
As AJ Styles sits back and listens to his entire career be summed up as indie success, he feels the first tinge of worry crop up. Don't worry, Styles, it only gets worse from here.
Final Notes: Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns both invaded The Authority's office and were interrupted by Stephanie McMahon who announced the main event of tonight to see how much solidarity the brothers-in-arms truly have with so much soon to be on the line.
Nikki Bella's recent surgery was shown with Brie Bella being interviewed about how she was recovering only to be confronted by Charlotte and Ric Flair who took credit for Nikki's injury. Triple H found Brock Lesnar backstage and goaded Lesnar by questioning why he let Ambrose walk away from their staredown.
Chris Jericho was interviewed about his loss last week to Styles. He said he couldn't stop thinking about the contest and the result. He put over AJ and promised to keep a very close eye on Styles this week, perhaps wanting another shot at Styles.
The crowd for the show this week was pretty bad. In fact, I could swear at times WWE was piping in sound for segments to raise the dead energy level.
Conclusion: When you take into account that this was a middle episode, not quite a pay-per-view build up show and not quite the start of new stories, it wasn't a terrible show. It was just a usual Raw. Guys wrestled. The right people talked. There was some added mystery and tension added to developing stories.
This was basically exactly what I would have expected from this show. Brock Lesnar was there but wildly underutilized. There wasn't even a real direction to the show with a lot of repeat matches along the way. It was hard to get excited throughout the night especially with a crowd that wouldn't have popped if Stone Cold Steve Austin showed up.
Hopefully next week will be a show with more forward momentum toward Fast Lane. If not, these reviews are going to really start being a drag. I can only take so much three hours of filler. There is far too much else for people to watch to expect them to watch boring episodes of Raw that even WWE didn't care enough to book well.
Nikki Bella's recent surgery was shown with Brie Bella being interviewed about how she was recovering only to be confronted by Charlotte and Ric Flair who took credit for Nikki's injury. Triple H found Brock Lesnar backstage and goaded Lesnar by questioning why he let Ambrose walk away from their staredown.
Chris Jericho was interviewed about his loss last week to Styles. He said he couldn't stop thinking about the contest and the result. He put over AJ and promised to keep a very close eye on Styles this week, perhaps wanting another shot at Styles.
The crowd for the show this week was pretty bad. In fact, I could swear at times WWE was piping in sound for segments to raise the dead energy level.
Conclusion: When you take into account that this was a middle episode, not quite a pay-per-view build up show and not quite the start of new stories, it wasn't a terrible show. It was just a usual Raw. Guys wrestled. The right people talked. There was some added mystery and tension added to developing stories.
This was basically exactly what I would have expected from this show. Brock Lesnar was there but wildly underutilized. There wasn't even a real direction to the show with a lot of repeat matches along the way. It was hard to get excited throughout the night especially with a crowd that wouldn't have popped if Stone Cold Steve Austin showed up.
Hopefully next week will be a show with more forward momentum toward Fast Lane. If not, these reviews are going to really start being a drag. I can only take so much three hours of filler. There is far too much else for people to watch to expect them to watch boring episodes of Raw that even WWE didn't care enough to book well.