Reverse Hipster What Mattered
Xavier Woods defeats Bobby Lashley!
This match defies logic. It should have been bad deescalating from Hell in the cell to a regular singles match shouldn't have been good. However, the match was awesome. Bobby violently threw Xabier around, and it seemed like he had no chance at winning this match. It seemed like all he could do was hope to escape without an injury, but Bobby wouldn't put him away, and Xavier caught him with a roll-up. Bobby couldn't believe it he was so shocked he left the building. This established a story for the night because Bobby had a segment in the main event scheduled. Also, Xavier is looking closer and closer to achieving my projection(Read here) for King of the ring. Xavier Woods wants it too.
{Last night I beat the @wwe champion. Normally normally that means I’m owed a championship match. I’d like to exchange that for a one night King of The Ring tournament at the companies earliest convince. And I’d like Riddle on the opposite end of the bracket. I owe him one…} -Woods
2. Richotet vs. John Morrison Falls Count Everywhere
Another match I didn't see coming. I thought the third week of the same match was going to be stale. However, these two over-delivered. They almost gave us too much; it was a spectacle—so many amazing high spots. If you haven't seen it, go back and watch it is must watch. Also, I can't commend Miz enough. He is one of the most entertaining people on Raw even while injured. Anyone who ever questioned his love of wrestling couldn't have been more wrong.
3. VIP Lounge
I love this storyline. Bobby is starting to question MVP, and he is more on edge more vicious. He is starting to speak for himself. It seems like the New Day is causing the Lashley Character to grow, and I love it. He doesn't want to party and bullshit. He wants to rip people apart. I feel like Kofi and Bobby are peaking simultaneously, and I can't wait for their match at money in the bank.
4. AJ vs. Ivar
Yet another upset on Raw tonight. Ivar pinned AJ with a beautiful catch Bonzai drop. These two had an awesome match, and Ivar pushed Aj out of cruise control, and Ivar showed off how diverse and talented he is.
5. Women's Fatal four-way
Asuka vs. Nikki Ash vs. Naomi vs. Alexa. This was an exciting match. The women all had their moments and actually got time to work. Eva even showed up and ignited her feud with Alexa Bliss which I am exctied about. However, the best part of this match was the finish where Nikki Ash defeated Asuka! What an upset Nikki Ash is on fire lately, and she is my pick for MITB. I have believed in her potential since Nxt, but I have been pulling for her to win MITB since her smackdown program with Bayley.
6.Rhea vs. Natalya
This match was an unexpected gem. A champion vs. Champion match; It was pretty random, but Rhea and Natalya actually got time, and they delivered a very compelling match. It even seemed like Natalya might win at one point. Also, Charlotte attacked Rhea afterward and made her match with Rhea more compelling. Because now we have to wonder, will Rhea be 100 percent? How will that injury show up in her match this Sunday?
7. Sheamus
Sheamus is such a great U.s champion. He is violent, cunning, and he delivers as a character and in-ring. He was told he had to defend the title against the man that broke his nose, and Sonya even laughed at him. So what did Sheamus do he gave Humberto an injury before the match so that it would be a fair match-up. Then he kicked Humberto's head off in like ten seconds and won the match. Some people might dislike this, but I loved it. I thought it was hilarious, and turnabout is fair play. Also, Damien Priest, apparently Humberto's friend, came out to save him, and now it looks like he and Sheamus will feud, and I'm really looking forward to that.
8.Omos vs. Erik
This barely makes the what mattered section. Omos destroyed Erik to establish that the champs were still credible and show the weak links on each tag team. However, despite Omos being super strong, he isn't exciting to watch at this point.
Rob’s What mattered
1. Ricochet and John Morrison
This was the easy match-of-the-night. It was a PPV-worthy Falls Count Anywhere match that made both guys look better. After being ignored for a year, Ricochet looks like a contender to win Money in the Bank. With the Miz out, John Morrison is reminding everyone that he is a worthy, entertaining wrestler in any situation. The spots these two can pull off is jaw-dropping. If this is just a taste of the match Sunday, we are in for one of the best Money in the Bank matches of all time.
2. Goodbye to the Thunderdome
I took almost two weeks off of reviewing for vacation, and I honestly forgot about wrestling during that time. Coming back to watch a Thunderdome show was challenging. With no audience, the action and promos lose the natural compelling quality. To end the show, Bobby Lashley destroyed the set of the VIP lounge. His new demeanor was a welcome addition to his feud with Kofi Kingston, and the whole act felt symbolic of the end of the Thunderdome era. For one last time, they did something they could only do with no fans, destroying their COVID-era set in the process, and giving us a more organic tone, hopefully, one that carries into next week. I can’t wait for fans to be back.
3. Nikki A.S.H.
The fatal-four way was a great use of the Raw women who will be competing in Money in the Bank. Nikki is shining in backstage segments and in-ring with her new gimmick. This win is huge for her, as her booking implies she could challenge for the championship and a Money in the Bank win could be the perfect way to get her there.
4. Sheamus and Damian Priest
The match between Sheamus and Humberto Carrillo was a non-event. Maybe it’s time to end that feud. Out of that emerged a promising new feud between Sheamus and Damian Priest. I think these two could have incredible chemistry and absolutely steal the show with their match. If I were WWE, I would keep building a feud and save this match for Summerslam.
5. Eva Marie and Alexa Bliss
The juxtaposition between the prissy, celebrity-like Eva Marie (with Doudrop) against the genuinely scary, delusional Alexa Bliss made for an entertaining segment. I haven’t given up hope that they can do something great with Marie’s return, and Bliss’s character makes a great dancing partner for her.
6. Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre
Good middle-upper card wrestling is based on unlikely and interesting feuds between people who are just away from the world title. It’s easy to forget Jinder Mahal is a former WWE champion, so this feud with THE guy on Raw right now is great for him. Drew McIntyre needs to be away from the world title picture for a while, so I like this for both of them.
Rob’s What didn’t
1. AJ Styles vs. Ivar, Omos vs. Erik
This is a WWE special to have two one-on-one matches to promote a tag team championship match. Like most of them, this segment was designed to not quite scratch the itch to see the match. I’d rather they do this than give away the match, but it was uneventful to promote the tag team championships.
2. Xavier Woods
This is nothing against Woods’s performance. Him and Bobby Lashley had an above-average match to open the show, but I can’t help myself to critique his booking. His shock win over Lashley with a roll-up made it seem like nobody in WWE thought he could win. Woods got destroyed by Lashley in the Hell in a Cell match. Woods has been building his case as one of the best performers in the COVID era. His shock win makes sense in the context of Lashley’s promo to end the night, but I think his reputation was a slight casualty of this feud.
Reverse Hipster What Didn't Matter
Mandy and Dana and Nataly and Tamina
They had a good backstage segment on Raw, continuing their feud. However, the very next day, Mandy debuted on NXT, which is great for her. However, it's not great for the tag team program she was in the middle of, and if the decision-makers in WWE don't care about this program, why should I?
2. Alexa
I'm not crazy about how Alexa was used on Raw. First, I'm glad she is feuding with Eva; it's cool seeing characters who are so different interact. But what about her Feud with Shayna? Is it just over? Has she just given up on haunting her? Also, in the playground segment with Eva, Alexa was not shown enough respect. Her character should be feared, especially in her territory, but Eva totally disrespected her to her face and got to walk away. Then in the fatal fourway, she just disappears and never comes back, so it was really a triple threat.
3. Jinder vs. Drew
Drew defacing Jinder motorcycle was just kind of basic and predictable. It wasn't terrible, but it was one of the weaker segments. I think they will do better in the future, but this is where they are now.
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