Reverse Hipster What Mattered
6. Wyatt Chants
The fan chanted for Wyatt during Golberg's segment. I'm happy to hear fans showing how much Wyatt meant to them. I hope they keep doing it.
5.24/7 Title
I'm glad the title is getting a spotlight, and I enjoy Reginald. I think most people do. This week's match was okay, but hopefully, they get more creative in the future. But for now, Reginald picks up a win and rolls on.
4.Omos vs. Riddle
Omos did some of his best work here. The match was fast-paced and entertaining and continues the feud between RkBro and the champs. I think Omos winning was the right choice because it shows Riddle needs Randy.
3.Doudrop vs. Tamina
I enjoyed this match. Doudrop and Tamina are people I root for, and with the heat from the Natalya match, it made perfect sense. I think it was the right choice to give Tamina and the win and keep the tag champs strong.
2.Rhea vs. Nia Jax
Rhea may be out of place in the Summerslam feud, but she is still hot with the crowd. I thought they made excellent use of her in her match with Nia Jax. They had a very competitive match, and Rhea won and looked even more like a star. Nia and Shayna argued and seemed to break up after the match after Shayna's miscue led to Rhea escaping with the win. Nia Jax looked great in this match. She even got busted open halfway through and kept going. My only criticism of this match is that Rhea should have done the Riptide to finish the match instead of in a sneak attack.
1.Nikki Cross Saves RAW
Nikki Crosse's no-hold-barred match was far and away the best thing on Raw. She was gritty attacking Charlotte with a chair from behind earlier that night. She also took so much intense punishment during the match, but she never gave up. She came back with a new, more destructive finisher and beat Charlotte clean in the middle of the ring. The sky is the limit for Nikki. She and Charlotte went to war, and A.S.H came out on top. Unlike many other talents at the moment, Cross has become a draw that makes me wonder what's next.
Rob’s What Mattered
3. Reggie vs. Akira Tozawa
Reginald has rebranded as Reggie, and I think it makes him more interesting to realize he is a person who has squeezed his way into WWE by conforming to the roles that have been presented to him. This match was on the fringe of mattering, but it felt different in a good way. I feel like these matches are the first steps to the 24/7 title mattering again.
2. Riddle and Damien Priest
Riddle’s backstage segments are always something to pay attention to. I love his backstage friendship with Damien Priest and their dialogue. It’s also an organic way to launch into their other feuds. Priest held his own on Miz TV and in the match against John Morrison and Sheamus. Riddle made the match with Omos entertaining. I’m excited for both of these rising stars, heading into potential Summerslam clashes, Priest against Sheamus for the US Title, and Riddle tagging with Randy Orton against AJ Styles and Omos.
1. Nikki A.S.H. and Charlotte Flair
I have to admit when something is working begrudgingly. I have my reasons for not loving this feud, but overall, I’m emotionally invested in Nikki A.S.H. vs. Charlotte Flair, rooting for Nikki every step of the way. They put on a fantastic no-DQ main event in front of the thirsty Chicago crowd. I’m eager to see their match at Summerslam, figuring out if Nikki can find a way to squeak out a win or if Flair will upset her detractors again.
Rob’s What Didn’t Matter
4. Rhea Ripley
This is the third piece of the Raw Women’s Championship feud, but she feels largely absent from the title picture compared to the other two. I still think Rhea Ripley needs to go back to the drawing board and build support for her character before she should compete for the title again. Regardless, she is so talented she will add to the match when it comes.
3. Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal
I like this feud conceptually, but it has had no depth or development to it. Unlike most people, I actually like the involvement of Drew McIntyre’s sword and how he has used it. I don’t like that the entire narrative of this feud is Jinder Mahal keeps interfering in McIntyre’s business, and he’s mad primarily because it feels like we are setting up for McIntyre to destroy Mahal at Summerslam.
2. Goldberg and Bobby Lashley
This feud is undoubtedly the main event match, but it doesn’t feel like the main event feud. I can’t get over that Goldberg can come back whenever he feels like it and demand a world championship match. There is no conflict between Bobby Lashley and Goldberg now. They will have to put in work the next couple of weeks to make this championship match feel like more than a side attraction.
1. Direct rematches and 50/50 booking
Mace and T-Bar got their win back against Mansoor/Ali, Keith Lee defeated Karrion Kross, and Nikki A.S.H. defeated Charlotte. All of these were direct rematches with different results. Raw’s lack of creativity leads these feuds to be overexposed before they even get to the PPV. 50/50 booking has never worked. Neither talent makes any progress in getting over. When the results are varied, wins and losses don’t matter because there’s no consistent way to rank the superstars. That was the central theme of this lackluster Raw, and we are at risk of fans losing interest in all of Raw’s mid-card acts because of it.
Reverse Hipster What didn't matter
4.Endless Feedback Loop
There were a lot of rematches this week that just made me tune out. My number one, what mattered was a rematch, but it was a well-done storyline in that instance. In these instances, it wasn't. First, the tag team rematch between Extinction and Ali and Mansoor; they just got a massive win over this team last week. Then they just do it over for no reason at all, and they lose, undercutting their big win last week. Same with Kross and Lee, two NXt guys trading wins over each other isn't helping them establish themselves. There were crickets for Kross this week, and it's hard to be happy for Lee when I know it's just meaningless fifty-fifty booking. Also, Miz and Damien Priest did their best, but I didn't care about them redoing their feud with from earlier this year. Especially knowing Miz can't wrestle for a long time. I also didn't care for Richotet rehashing his feud with Sheamus.
3. Eva vs. Alexa
This feud just isn't going hard enough. Eva and Doudrop beat down Alexa this week, but it was so soft. If you are going to jump her, make it memorable, mess her up, infuriate her. I just don't feel like WWE is taking this feud far enough. It's nice that Lilly stood up, and she is going to haunt Eva. But based on what I have seen, my expectations are very low for how Lilly will haunt her. Please, WWE, turn up the heat before this feud waste away.
2.Golberg
The Golberg segment was somehow terribly predictable and convoluted at the same time. It was predictable and boring listening to Golberg say all the usual stuff and have Bobby just sit there and take it for some reason. Also, I think it's strange Golberg, and Bobby don't get physical. The last time these two met, Bobby had to be restrained; now he is just going to let Golberg diss him? Then the kid’s part was the worse. Golberg had to pretend to leave so that MVP could mess with his kid. Bobby had to pretend to celebrate so that Golberg could spear MVP, and it was such a blatant setup. Also, Mvp didn't even do anything terrible to his kid. It would have been better if they actually did beat the kid up before Golberg intervened.
1.Drew vs. Jinder
This week was worse than last week. This time Drew emasculated all three of Jinder and his crew despite them outnumbering him and having weapons. The two-on-one handicap match ended in DQ because, of course, it did. Why would two people be able to beat up Drew when they had the advantage, right? The segment ended with Jinder and his goons saying they were running away because Drew is crazy. How can I take them seriously as a threat to Drew? How can I care about Drew vs. Jinder in a singles match when they can't even win in a three-on-one? This feud is like Maven Undertaker bad.
Shoutout to Donnya, Prince FN, and Kali, who just became executive Hipsters on Patreon
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