So I guess Triple H is a face now. Go figure. New Era, am I right?
That was my first – but certainly not most important – takeaway from a generally enjoyable episode of Raw. In hindsight, kicking off the show with three of the best beards in the company was a dead giveaway that this would be a great show. I mean, honestly, we were one Tomasso Ciampa appearance away from me finally getting to experience the same kind of arousal that Vince feels whenever he locks eyes with Lars Sullivan.
And so last night got underway with Seth Rollins, Triple H and Dean Ambrose. The three “muske-beards”, if you will. (You don’t have to.)
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Seth, of course, as the winner of Sunday’s Royal Rumble, had a choice to make. Would he challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title? Or would he set his sights on SmackDown and the man who runs that environmentally-friendly, emissions-neutral operation, Daniel Bryan? Triple H, as any decent office manager, was there to smile and ensure that the show kept motoring along efficiently. As such, he gave Seth until the end of Raw to inform the respective champions and the larger WWE audience of his election.
This set up the narrative thread which ran through the night. With both Bryan and Lesnar in the building to hear Seth’s decision first-hand, the tension was slowly ratcheted up as we all eagerly awaited to hear the news.
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Thankfully, a string of tag team qualifiers, surprise appearances, heel turns and two giant men trying to shatter one another’s skeletons kept things interesting while we waited. It was a night of intrigue, singalongs and Ronda Rousey getting mercilessly booed into oblivion.
So with so much to choose from, what did our WrestleTalk writers enjoy and which guitar-strumming character did they hate most? As usual we’ve compiled the best and worst moments from last night’s Raw. Read on to find out what we thought.
What was your favourite moment from Raw?
Eric Stites
My favorite moment from this episode of Raw was Becky coming out and choosing Ronda. This was a fantastic segment. As soon as Becky’s music hit the crowd was going crazy, as was I at home.
Becky’s promo was excellent as always. My favorite line was definitely “even after that you never came looking for me to prove that you’re the baddest”. I can’t talk about this segment and only praise Becky however, because Ronda’s response was great too. “I have the ability to kill you with my bare hands” was a great line and makes me wonder if they might turn Ronda heel for this match. I cannot wait!
Emma Heeley
I very much enjoyed Rollins vs Ambrose. I know we’ve seen them wrestle a thousand and one times, but I truly enjoy the chemistry that pair has in the ring. And if the rumors are to be believed and this is Dean’s last WWE hoorah, I’m going to enjoy every last little moment of my favorite ‘Lunatic’.
I also appreciated his little back and forth with Triple H, but it gets a point deducted for that odd bit with Nia Jax… please don’t let that become a feud. Also honorable mention to hearing Zack Ryder’s theme music on Raw! Such a good tune!
Kyle Payne
Raw had a lot to like this week for me. I’ve been openly critical of starting the show with talking segments that drag on, but this one was nicely done and brought us into action. Seth Rollins is over, cuts a great promo, and he was at his absolute best. His match with Ambrose was fine (with the right outcome), and I liked knowing we would get an answer as to who Rollins would be facing at ‘Mania.
Becky Lynch gracing Raw with her presence and letting everyone know right off the bat that it will be her versus Rousey at WrestleMania was great and unexpected. This needs to be the main event and Lynch should be the one to win it all by pinning or submitting Ronda. The crowd was 100% behind her and made the first part of this show even better.
Raw had a lot of other great little details that I liked, like the women earning their place in the Elimination Chamber to try to become the first ever women’s tag team champions. The promos taking place while the entrances are finishing up returned, Riott Squad winning, and Daniel Bryan’s promo were all great. They also managed to have me interested in what they will do with Mojo Rawley, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins.
Nicholas Holicki
Last night was all about Seth and the question of who his opponent would be come WrestleMania. He grinned, he pointed, he got emotional… which made Triple H emotional… which made me groan a little bit because of how insincere it all was. But the show-long intrigue surrounding his choice of opponent really drove Raw along and led to a fascinating conclusion. By the end of the night, Seth’s decision was made for him though, as Brock brutally and repeatedly drove the ‘Architect’ into the mat.
I’ve heard rumblings that Seth has been cast as a fairly uninspiring choice to face Lesnar at the ’Showcase of the Immortals’. But personally, I’m looking forward to seeing the two go at it. Even more so, I’m looking forward to the moment when Seth finally conquers ‘The Beast’ to claim the Universal Title. And that, my friends, is a spoiler.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
Eric Stites
My least favorite moment was Dana Brooke’s promo. Is she a heel? Is she a face? Who the hell knows at this point? It really irritates me when WWE just have people come out as a heel or a face suddenly without a proper turn. It doesn’t happen too often thankfully but it’s often enough that it’s getting annoying. That and flipping back and forth in mere months is just confusing.
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Emma Heeley
I can’t be the only one who felt bad for Ronda. That crowd was brutal. My heart literally went out to her during that first promo. And the match against Bayley which followed didn’t really help her cause either.
She has got the potential to be a badass heel, and I seriously hope the WWE capitalize on that going into ‘Mania. Going up against Lynch, that girl is going to get serious Roman Reigns levels of heat up from that New Jersey crowd.
Kyle Payne
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins. Again. Their feud not too long ago was a dud, and Ambrose’s character is all over the place. I know the intention of the segment was to lead to the match we got, but Ambrose’s promo didn’t make any sense. I just don’t care about his character and this upsets me most about this show, considering how great he is and the rumor he is leaving the company.
Another moment that was absolute trash was Kurt Angle losing. Again. His loss to Drew McIntyre made sense and was even his idea, but Corbin doesn’t have the momentum or crowd support that Drew does. Asinine booking. Speaking of Drew McIntyre, what a boring match he had with Braun Strowman. This was a match, at one point, we all wanted to see but Strowman is damaged goods at this point and desperately needs to be rehabilitated. This match, however, did him no favors.
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Nicholas Holicki
Tamina. She’s just the Bermuda Triangle of charisma. Any wrestler who spends too much time caught in her vortex loses the ability to be interesting.
As shocking as it sounds, Nia Jax’s foray into the men’s division was starting to make her somewhat intriguing. I enjoyed her standoff with Dean Ambrose last night. However, just as she builds any kind of momentum, we got a cruel reminder that she still forms one half of a team with the scarecrow come to life, Tamina. The pair sadly defeated Alexa Bliss and Mickie James in an Elimination Chamber qualifier on Raw, which robbed us on two counts.
First, Nia is so much better as a solo act. And second, I’d much rather see the team of Bliss and James compete for the tag team straps at Elimination Chamber.
A very, very close second to that moment has to be Finn Bálor’s relegation from a Universal Title match against Brock Lesnar to a feud with Bobby Lashley inside of 24 hours. But should this really surprise us anymore?
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: In Awe, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Bore)
Eric Stites
I thought this was a solid show. I think there were definitely many places where it could have been improved but I thought there was much more good than bad, and the good was excellent.
There were plenty of very entertaining moments and I think Raw did a good job of playing off of any angles that had been set up at the Rumble. I’m giving this episode a low Cor.
It's not looking good for @BraunStrowman. #Raw pic.twitter.com/c1dSDqPZST
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2019
Emma Heeley
I felt this week’s Raw simmered down the excitement post Royal Rumble. It didn’t feel anything special, nor did it really seem lackluster. Not sure how I feel about Finn and Lashley going into a storyline (considering Finn went up against Brock 24 hours prior), while I’m pleased they decided to turned Elias heel again. This week’s Raw was AvRAWge.
Kyle Payne
AvRAWge rating for me. The show was pretty balanced between the good and the bad. Lynch, Bryan, Rollins, and Rousey stole the show with their segments. The conclusion of the show leads us to believe we are getting Rollins vs Lesnar at WrestleMania (which has since been confirmed) and the interaction between Lashley and Bálor leads us to believe they’ll be feuding over the Intercontinental Championship leading to the event. It all seems to be taking shape and it’ll all get clearer the closer we get to April. Also, seeing Bayley wrestle Ronda was nice.
Some things don’t come across as well as I’m sure the company hoped, like the Strowman / McIntyre match and Ambrose generally. It’s funny in a sense that the best part of Raw were the wrestlers from SmackDown.
Start with the man in the mirror. @MojoRawleyWWE #Raw pic.twitter.com/6AAniJDJV2
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2019
Nicholas Holicki
This was an In Awe for me. While Elias’ sudden heel turn and Finn’s fall back into mid card oblivion were a bit mystifying, in the greater scheme it was all overshadowed by the large serving of good.
On a night that gave us Seth’s WrestleMania choice, Mojo Rawley grumbling into a mirror like a grizzled detective from a noir film and more Becky Lynch than we had any right to experience, I struggled to find much to complain about. Keep it up, Raw!
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