Step aside Backlash. Crown Jewel is the captain now.
Emanating from a purposefully undisclosed location, WWE’s most recent pay-per-view had all the makings of a memorably awful event.
It was a kernel of terrible matches wrapped in a layer of political outrage, coated with crumbs of ineptitude and callous disregard. It was like a turducken of awfulness, except more sinister. It was, in fact, the human centipede of offensive wrestling showpieces.
Full disclosure – in case you hadn’t already guessed it – I did not enjoy this pay-per-view. For a full review of Crown Jewel, you should check out our excellent, and decidedly more positive, review.
But it wasn’t the quality of the matches that annoyed me. It was something far more insidious.
FOUR #F5s!!! THIS is wild! #WWECrownJewel #UniversalTitle @BrockLesnar @BraunStrowman @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/bMHLtgMV8y
— WWE (@WWE) November 4, 2018
Repeatedly we’ve been told that WWE listens to its audience. It’s a sentiment often driven home by the company’s executives, most recently publicly echoed by Stephanie McMahon. Our opinions matter, we’re told. In WWE lore, our voices were the catalyst for Daniel Bryan’s rise to the top, the increasing prominence of women which culminated in Evolution, and Becky Lynch’s recent success.
But we know that’s a load of McMahon family gibberish. The truth is our opinions are only relevant when they conveniently align with the company’s objectives. We’re only acknowledged when we cheer who we’re told to cheer. Any other time, the reaction is cast as being “controversial” or “polarising”.
Daniel Bryan was buried for years before he tasted championship gold. Trish Stratus and Lita were headlining Raw long before WWE decided to introduce the Divas division. Would Evolution even exist if it weren’t a public relations boon; if it weren’t necessary to counteract some of the controversy created by Crown Jewel? And regardless of how loud you cheer for Becky Lynch, don’t forget that she’s a heel. Because that’s the story we’re being told.
And so, in the face of massive public outcry, WWE decided to stage Crown Jewel. They did so at the expense of the entire women’s division and, previously, the ‘undesirable’ Sami Zayn. They did so while parading an unrepentant racist as the night’s host. They did so in spite of the fact that it meant replacing the biggest star in the company, making last minute changes to the company’s championship match and luring at least one fifty-year-old out of retirement. Oh, and of course Brock Lesnar is the Universal Champion once more and this idiot is supposedly the “best in the world”:
There’s the value of your opinion.
Duly noted.
But not even that is the reason I got so annoyed.
What really bothered me was the knowledge that I was so deeply entangled in this web of self-congratulatory, conceited narcissism that I was not going to find my way out again. As much as I generally enjoy Raw and SmackDown, and as fantastic as NXT and pay-per-views like Evolution are, WWE will continue to pretend that what we say matters – while doing whatever it wants.
And I’ll keep tuning in every week, regardless. That’s what upset me. The thought that no matter how bad things get, WWE‘s core audience will stick around. And the company will consider that validation for the treatment of its workers and justification for the sacrifice of its values for money.
Shortly after the conclusion of Friday’s main event, Michael Cole joylessly exclaimed, like the damp firework that he is: “this will be a moment that we remember for a long time”.
I agree, Cole. You’re still the worst.
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One positive coming out of the weekend was that WWE was clearly so embarrassed by Crown Jewel that they barely acknowledged it on the night and have tried to move on as quickly as possible. That means that things were largely reset on Raw as we speed towards Survivor Series in two weeks.
So what did our WrestleTalk writers make of this clean slate? Which segments did they enjoy and which could have used slightly more Elias? Join us as we cover the best and worst from last night’s Raw, then share your thoughts and let us know your rating of show.
What was your favourite moment from Raw?
JP Wood
Without a doubt this goes to that main event. Getting Drew away from Dolph and giving us a better idea of his character was literally all it took to frame Drew McIntyre as an absolutely unstoppable, devious monster.
A top heel if ever I’ve seen one. Before last night’s Raw, I liked McIntyre. After last night’s Raw, I can’t wait to see more of him in a top heel role.
An Olympic gold medal, a hall of fame career. Accolades that would normally guarantee victory against a “normal” man. But know that I’m not a “normal man.” If you step into the ring with me, I will hurt you, I will humble you, and I will beat you. #Raw
— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) November 6, 2018
Eric Stites
My favorite moment was the main event between Drew & Kurt. The match was absolutely fantastic.
I loved that they made it seem like they were in the middle of a blood feud, when they were meeting for the first time in a WWE ring. The moment when Drew was looking into Kurt’s eyes and telling him he was nothing, and Kurt’s reaction, seemed so real. The finish was great too with Kurt tapping out.
Nicholas Holicki
I’ve got to give the Manchester crowd some credit here. While their football teams have been slowly eroding my will to live recently (for different reasons), the wrestling audience was massively hot throughout Raw.
Obviously Elias was the highlight here, but Kurt, Ronda, Seth and Braun also got raucous reactions last night. It’s the kind of energy we haven’t often seen of late, but whenever it is there, it automatically makes the show better.
So, power to you Manchester. Now get rid of Jose Mourinho and I’ll really love you forever.
Dylan Kapisky
Seth Freakin’ Rollins. Everything Seth Rollins did this week on Raw was outstanding. His promo (which was strangely aimed at Brock Lesnar) felt incredibly genuine, almost as if he was given free reign to speak his mind. His performance in the handicap match against Author o- I mean AOP, was convincing and inspired. His selling following an attack from Dean Ambrose was spectacular, as he portrayed anger, pain, and confusion in beautifully equal measure.
After being bogged down by a poorly booked Shield run, it seems Seth Rollins’ stock is on the rise once again, and The ‘Kingslayer’ is carving his way back to the top of the card.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
JP Wood
No, I’m not going to say Natty’s father’s sunglasses. It is literally the first time the Riott Squad has actually seemed like a real chaotic threat. Instead, I’m going back to Seth and Dean.
Turning Dean two weeks ago was a stroke of storytelling brilliance. Having Dean stay quiet about his reasons for a single week felt like they were building suspense. Having it happen again this week makes it feel like they’re either treading water for something specific, or they don’t have a clue what to do. Each is as likely an answer as the other.
Eric Stites
I didn’t like when Baron and Alexa said they couldn’t compete in the Survivor Series elimination matches since they were the captains of each team. Did that stop Triple H, Shane McMahon or Kurt Angle from competing in the match in previous years? No it did not.
Nicholas Holicki
The late-90’s cartoonish booking format. It seems that every Monday, Raw‘s writers ask themselves what they’re going to do tonight. And all too regularly the answer seems to be “the same thing we do every night, Pinky”.
Finn vs Lashley was a rematch from last week. As was Ember Moon and Nia Jax. The Riott Squad taking on the team of Bayley, Sasha and Natalya was ostensibly a rematch from Evolution, but was in reality just a variation of the match we saw last week (as well as weeks prior to that).
It’s tiresome, uninspiring and outright lazy. Particularly when you consider the size of Raw‘s roster.
Dylan Kapisky
Rematch City.
Finn Bálor vs. Bobby Lashey. Nia Jax vs. Ember Moon. Riott Squad vs. Bayley, Banks & Natalya. What do these matches have in common? We’ve seen all of them multiple times in the last 30 days.
The three hour format of Raw lends itself to rematches, but this week was especially bad. The one positive to watching the same matches over and over, is at least we know when it’s safe to use the bathroom. That’s a horrendously poor trade-off to get after sitting through over an hour of lazy booking on any given Monday. Simply terrible.
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: In Awe, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Bore)
JP Wood
This week’s Raw was AvRAWge. Nothing of particular interest happened. The Tamina / Nia alliance reveal felt a bit flat but at least they’re trying. The Rollins / Ambrose feud has stalled. The Riott Squad did a very heelish thing, and Corbin ran away.
Maybe slightly above average, but honestly, not enough to bump it up.
Eric Stites
I thought this was a solid show. Definitely not the best Raw ever but a very good one nonetheless. I loved the Braun and Baron story, the continuation of the Seth & Dean story, and of course the main event. I’m giving last night’s episode a Cor.
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Nicholas Holicki
The crowd was hot throughout last night’s broadcast and that certainly made Raw feel more exciting, even if it wasn’t.
Braun’s nightlong hunt for Corbin was fun, as was Elias’ appearance. But it’s hard to get away from the fact that the show is three hours long, and made to feel all the longer when every segment ended with either a reference to Shane McMahon being the best in the world or a reminder of Survivor Series being “the one night a year when”… you get it. God, that phrase is already permanently branded into my brain.
Without many notable moments, Raw was a bog standard AvRAWge.
@beckylynchwwe, see you at #SurvivorSeries #Nov18
@niajaxwwe, don’t worry I haven’t forgot about our unfinished business. You know I was born ready for the challenge. https://t.co/ePxaMqRcoX pic.twitter.com/SqUt8InAzZ— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) November 6, 2018
Dylan Kapisky
Bore. This show had two bright spots in it. One being Rollins and the other: a solid promo from Ronda Rousey. However, there were three lackluster rematches on the show.
While the rest of the show wasn’t poorly executed, and nobody was really harmed, it was very boring. The Corbin / Strowman story is uninteresting, especially when you remember what WWE creative risked to get us there. Everything underneath was seemingly given no thought, and the result was a painfully long three hours.
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