Can we just take a moment to celebrate Becky Lynch?
She truly is a bright spark in an otherwise dull women’s division at the moment. At a time when most feuds revolve around friendships – be they turbulent (Sasha and Bayley), opportunistic (Alexa Bliss, Mickie James and Alicia Fox) or inexplicable (Naomi and Asuka) – Becky stands out like the North Star, guiding us towards the real prize. Reminding us of what the singular drive of every competitor should be.
The title. The gold. The prestige of being the best in the world. And that’s precisely what Becky took from Charlotte on Sunday night.
And then, with stone cold intensity, the new SmackDown Women’s Champion drove that point home by refusing to shake Charlotte’s hand. I’d be tempted to call her WWE‘s crown jewel, but apparently that’s reserved for the BEAUTIFUL city of Riyadh.
And that brings us to Raw.
Like me at my favourite Taco Bar on ‘all you can eat Wednesdays’, Raw‘s plate was full last night.
Hell in a Cell, while largely considered a success, left many questions unanswered. Who would Ronda Rousey’s next challenger be? What is the next chapter in the storied battle between Roman and Braun Strowman (and how would Brock Lesnar factor into those plans)? Where is the Intercontinental Championship? …Seriously, has anyone seen it? It’s cold out and I’m worried.
We got our answers to all those questions and more in a bumper edition of Monday Night Raw. We had title matches, refreshed rivalries, pay-per-view announcements and open challenges.
For better or worse, WrestleTalk is here to guide you through it. Follow us as we dissect last night’s episode, taking a moment to highlight some of the best moments of the show as well as the ever-present stinkers. Once we’ve weighed up the good and the bad, we share our impressions of the show overall.
So, without further ado, let’s get to the good.
What was your favourite segment from Raw?
James Dixon
Any time The Undertaker is on the show these days is a highlight. The man is a living legend. We wrestling fans should savour his appearances because it is only a matter of time before they dry up for good. In many ways his promo was standard fare. All he really did was call Triple H a delusional corporate sell out and announce that Kane would be in his corner at Super Show-down to counter Shawn Michaels (which is leading to a DX vs BOD tag match at Crown Jewel, whether we like it or not), but the promo held my interest throughout when little else did. He still has a unique presence about him that nobody else on the roster can boast.
If @TripleH has @ShawnMichaels in his corner, The #Undertaker will have @KaneWWE in HIS corner at #WWESSD! #RAW pic.twitter.com/flzlSlGkOV
— WWE (@WWE) September 18, 2018
Sean Patrick Eckmann
I’m the biggest mark for Bayley and she was so incredibly in her element with the Connor’s Cure kids. She got a win. Hugs all around. My faith in humanity is restored and I truly believe I can accomplish my biggest dreams if I just set my heart to it. Ronda and Ruby were fun (though the Bellas were so unnecessary – but if it brings casual fans to Evolution, fine.) And Ember Moon got an awesome hometown pop, teaming with Nia Jax. All in all, a great night for Raw’s women.
JP Wood
I’ve been complaining for a long time about the fact that the edgiest thing that the Riott Squad had done involved cutting a tie, writing with lipstick, and PG defacing the Bellas’ locker room. This week, they beat down Nattie and dragged her barely conscious body out in front of her best friend. Finally, the Riott Squad did something halfway cool. Special mention goes to Lio Rush. Thoroughly entertaining.
Dylan Kapisky
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler. I was tempted to put Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre in this spot, as I was more invested in that match going in, but in terms of the actual match, I had to give it to the title match. I loved everything about this! The setup, with the backstage segments between Dolph and Baron Corbin, was fantastic. The selling of injuries from the night before was fantastic. And the action between the bells was, you guessed it, excellent. Okay, fine, that was fantastic too.
Those two men have incredible chemistry and did everything right in this match. The booking was smart as well, as the match was shorter than their previous encounters, which could be attributed to the punishment they withstood less than 24 hours before. It wasn’t a 5-star classic, or even my favorite TV match by a wide margin. However, within the context of this weekend, and this episode of Raw, I loved this match.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
James Dixon
Raw main events are a painful slog to endure at the best of times, coming as they do almost three hours into a commercial filled show. Last night’s headliner between Roman Reigns and Boring Baron was particularly difficult to stomach. Corbin is like a throwback to the days of limited one-note acts like The Warlord and Crush. His matches are like watching paint dry. I don’t mind him in the GM role but please keep him out of the ring.
Sean Patrick Eckmann
Hell In A Cell was filled with great matches and strange finishes. Similarly I really enjoyed last night’s Raw despite a wacky end. Things just got too crowded, and for what it’s worth I was enjoying the Corbin / Reigns match more than I expected. When Braun, Dolph, Drew, Seth and Dean all came in, the match itself got devalued. I really hope that every match between any of these men doesn’t turn into a six-man brawl.
JP Wood
Literally everything having to do with the Super Show-down build that happened tonight: Heyman bringing out the cage door, Corbin announcing the triple threat nobody wants to see, a promo that made me miss the old Undertaker more than I enjoyed seeing the current one, naming the pay-per-view Crown Jewel. Literally all of it. Could we maybe spend some time building to shows that aren’t just glorified house shows?
#WWECrownJewel will emanate LIVE from Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2! https://t.co/9aEgEJKTT8
— WWE (@WWE) September 18, 2018
Dylan Kapisky
There was nothing wrong with the Bayley / Dana Brooke match from an action standpoint; no botches, no awful spots, or anything else like that. But tell me, has there ever been a better example of filler? Bayley has been booked so far into oblivion that when her entrance hit, I instantly and audibly groaned. This is the same Bayley, and I’m hesitant to repeat the same cries that have been heard for two years now, that got over more than any woman in WWE this millenium during her NXT stint. The same Bayley who put on, for my money, the best women’s match in company history opposite Sasha Banks. Now she’s in matches with Dana Brooke with no build, story, or care. It’s pitiful.
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: In Awe, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Bore)
James Dixon
It was Poor, like it is every week. I am convinced at this point that it is impossible to produce a quality three-hour television show, due to the bitty nature of the broadcast because of adverts and incessant shilling. The good moments (Undertaker, Ronda, Drew) were overshadowed by the lame (Bellas), uninteresting (Bayley) and downright tedious (Baron) moments. It’s a pattern Raw has followed for many years.
Sean Patrick Eckmann
This was my hometown Raw, I acknowledge any potential bias from that. But it was great to hear Elias dig into MY local sports team. I saw one of the guys who lost to AoP at an indie show last week. Ember is my hometown girl. But even forgetting the locals, Lio Rush made a great impression tonight. I told you before how I enjoyed the women’s segments. There wasn’t a bad match tonight. And all that’s without even mentioning the Undertaker. There wasn’t much to dislike, making this the best Raw in quite some time. Rating: Cor.
JP Wood
Poor. Wasn’t there a pay-per-view just the night before? Shouldn’t we have seen some new storylines, or at least interesting twists to ongoing feuds? Of course we should have. Hell in a Cell may not have been one of ‘the big four’, but it still should have wrapped something up.
Did we get any of that? Not really. The matches were dull, with the exception of Ziggler / Rollins, which has been the best match on the card somewhere in the realm of 42,000 times this year. Final word: Raw was 45 minutes of entertainment in a 3 hour 15 minute package.
Dylan Kapisky
AvRAWge. There was a lot of filler / early story development on this show that made it feel quite missable. Despite that, when the show was good, it was great. Dean and Drew had a hell of a match, as did Dolph and Seth. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but definitely not great. 3/5 sounds just about right.
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