Liv Applies Pressure
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Dom tried to come out and stand up for Rhea. He warned Liv that Rhea would kill her. Liv didn't seem to care. She said that she wanted to take everything from Rhea, including Dom. Then Liv said Rhea would kill him, too, but she would make it worth it. Then Liv said that Dom clearly wants her, and that's the real reason he keeps showing up.
Once Liv had Dom cornered, Finn Balor ran out to get her to back away because the entire Judgment Day wanted nothing to do with her. However, she inferred Dom wants her to stay before feeling on Dom and leaving. I'm loving this story. Liv being the aggressor in this story is a flip from what we are used to watching. Liv's romance with Dom is shaping up to be the highlight of the revenge tour. It's clear Dom will fold eventually, I mean, wouldn't you?
Kizer Fixes the Fight
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️.3
When Kizer brawled with Sheamus, I talked about how surprising it was that Kizer didn't back down. Well, Sheamus seems to have been surprised as well. Sheamus even hinted that if Kizer could hang in the ring, then he could gain his respect. However, Kizer took a cheap shot at Sheamus's leg on the way to the ring. This was a good way to praise Kizer while still establishing that he's a scumbag.
Sheamus vs. Kizer
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️.1
Kizer got what he wanted. Sheamus did what he always does, and he brought the pain to Kizer's doorstep, but Sheamus couldn't finish the job because of the knee that Kizer attacked before the match. Sheamus's knees gave out twice, and the second time, Kizer took advantage and got a quick pin. Should We respect Kizer after this match? I don't respect this. He didn't prove anything.
Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Dragon Lee had his best main roster match against Finn Balor. For some reason, Finn and Dragon Lee have incredible chemistry. Finn Balor won thanks to the numbers game with Judgement Day, but Carlito isn't the only person with more allies. Bruan Stroman is now on the side of the LWO, and he cleared Judgment Day out of the ring and saved Dragon Lee alongside Rey Mysterio.
Alpha Academy Stress Test
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gable Continues to Stress test Alpa Academy. He is terrorizing them to get the results that he wants out of them. He sneak attacked Sami after Sami tried to convince Alpha to leave Gable. Then Sami pushed around Otis, and Akira stopped him, and then when Gable pushed around Akira, Maxine stopped him, and then Gable made Maxine beg him to stop on her knees, and then Otis stood up for Akira and Maxine as they were getting kicked out. Then Sami Zayn tried to attack Gable and got knocked into Alpah Academy, who was doing a group hug. Maxxine and Akira were knocked off the apron to the ground, and Maxine was injured. Gable convinced a furious Otis Sami to do it, and Otis slammed Sami to the ground. Gable's plan might be working. Alpha is standing up to him and maybe getting the killer instinct they want.
Take it from R-Truth
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Damian Priest told Carlito that he would have to prove himself by taking care of Braun Stroman. Then R-Truth came over and gave Carlito a pep talk. He said Judgment Day will kick you when you are down, but being on Judgment Day was the best day of his life. Then Miz, his fellow Tag Team champion, said no, these are the best days of your life. R-Truth accused Miz of being obsessed with Judgment Day.
The Judgement Day part of this segment was fine, and R-Truth and Miz are funny, but I hope Miz and R-Truth can start carving out a bigger role. They are the tag team champions, and although they remain entertaining, they also feel like such a small part of the show.
Ricochet vs. Bron
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️.1
This was a tough spot. Bron and Ricochet had a really good match, but Bron beat him cleanly. Bron needed to continue his momentum, but it just felt wrong to have Ricochet be the one who had to look like a jackass at the end of the night again.
Kiana James Def Natalya
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️.2
Kiana had a good debut match. Natalya is so experienced and skilled that she is the perfect opponent for Kianna to show her skills against. Kianna beat Natalya, and she is off to a great start in her career.
You Know You Want Me
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Braun very easily defeated Carlito. Braun even beat up the Judgment Day after the match. However, when Braun had Dom dead to rights, Liv Morgan saved him. Braun didn't want to hit a girl, and that opening led to Judgement Day savagely beating him up and shattering his knee with repeated chair shots. Liv took advantage of the goodwill she created and seductively strode up to Dom, who seemed close to giving in. However, Finn Balor broke it up but even had to know deep down that Liv Morgan just did them a big solid. Liv walked away with a look that said: You Know You Want Me. Could Liv take Dom and Rhea's place in Judgement Day? Speaking of loyalties, where was the LWO when Braun was getting jumped?
Bianca and Jade vs. Zoey & Shayna
Didn't Matter ⭐️⭐️
This should have been a highlight match, but it ended up being a lowlight because Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn ran in and beat up Bianca, and Jade, Zoey, and Shayna helped. It was anticlimactic and nonsensical. Why are Jade and Shayna welcoming Alba and Isla, ruining their title match?
Jey Uso Vows To Win Money In The Bank
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a good segment that shows how popular Jey is with the crowd. He cut his promo from the crowd, and when he talked about losing his Bloodline family to make it on his own, you could see that people were invested in his journey to the top. What if it was Jey Uso who ended Cody Rhode's run?
IYO Attacks Lyra
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️
IYO attacked Lyra during a backstage interview. This should be a good feud for both women. They are fierce competitors, and their stocks are high right now, so they should both benefit.
Authors of Pain vs. New Day
Mattered ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Day lost to the Authors of Pain. However, the bigger story is that Karrion Kross successfully manipulated the New Day. He distracted Kofi so that when Xavier needed him, he wasn't there for the tag, and Xavier got hung out to dry, and they lost.
Damian vs. Rey
Didn't Matter ⭐️⭐️
The match itself was a tad too slow. Plus, I didn't see the point of the match. What was on the line in that fight? Priest won, but it was only because of distraction. Drew attacked him after the match but was also distracted, and Damian put him through a table. Raw can make Damian Priest look strong in more interesting ways than this. Plus
Reverse Hipster's Final Grade 88/100 B+
This Raw mainly was superb. The Liv Morgan storyline was extremely interesting, and the war between Judgment Day and LWO has also become very entertaining. Plus, Alpha Academy knocks it out of the park every week. However, the show didn't have a big finale set up, and the ball dropped during the women's tag team match. So what we are left with is a really good Raw that could have been great but messed up the two biggest moments of the show.
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