Raw has featured some nonsensical, contradictory segments in its past. I’m talking Hornswoggle being revealed as Vince McMahon’s child. Mae Young birthing a healthy, 2-pound human hand. Kevin Federline pinning John Cena in the main event in 2007. (And people say he never put anyone over.)
While nothing on last night’s show quite rose to those lofty standards, it was nevertheless a real doozy of an episode, riddled with confusing segments and illogical booking. Like Paris Hilton in the early 2000s, this show was all over the place.
As you can probably tell, I have a number of thoughts about Raw. But in keeping with the template the show set, I’m not going to sweat the little things like cohesion or context. Instead I’ll just deliver them all in a rapid-fire, borderline nonsensical sequence. So get comfy, because here we go.
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Stephanie proudly proclaimed that Becky’s match with Ronda could be the biggest draw in WrestleMania history. But she wouldn’t let it happen unless Lynch apologised for knocking her out last week, setting the scene for the entire night to revolve around ‘The Man’s ethical dilemma. Surely Stephanie is the one who needs to swallow her pride in this scenario though? By her own admission, Becky vs Ronda is what’s “best for business”. Would she really let something as trivial as a non-apology scupper WWE’s marquee match? Why was no one talking about this?
“The Samoan Slaughterhouse“. Christ almighty. If the Easter Island statues ever became self-aware, they’d have as much personality as Tamina and Nia Jax.
What does Finn Bálor know about being too prideful? He was completely nonplussed when surrendering the Universal title due to injury in 2016, and then never demanded a rematch upon his return. He also seems quite happy to have lost to Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble, because he “made him believe”. I don’t think having too much pride is what’s holding you back, my man.
Becky thinks Finn’s abs are awesome. I concur. Obviously.
"I've seen pride get the better of many a-man. Don't let it get the better of #TheMan." – @FinnBalor to @BeckyLynchWWE #RAW pic.twitter.com/hx1Jp5IAvB
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) February 12, 2019
Renee Young implored Lucha House Party to let Elias sing his undoubtedly insulting and demeaning song. For goodness sake you’re a face, Renee! I mean, I think you are. Possibly. Aren’t you?
Lucha House Party spent ten minutes doing a lot of bad lucha things, leading Elias to clobber Kalisto with a conveniently placed second guitar. I’m happy for his feud with Jeff Jarrett to be over, but this reeked of one week filler material – which nobody really wants. Unless of course this encounter was intended to lead to the revival of Lucha House Rules matches… in which case we all desperately want this to be a one-week deal.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville suggested that they should be the first ever women’s tag team champions simply because they’ve been in – and lost – a whole bunch of other matches in the past year. Later in the night, the IIconics appeared in a recorded message to deliver a decidedly babyface promo about their chances at Elimination Chamber. Don’t worry, none of this matters. Investor marketing isn’t canon.
"I only got one thing to say to you. Slay the beast."@TheDeanAmbrose to @WWERollins?! 🤨 #RAW pic.twitter.com/cRBPNY9cFz
— WWE (@WWE) February 12, 2019
This was followed by another blatantly bad call from a WWE official. This week, the referee missed Finn’s foot clearly being on the rope during a pin fall. The match was almost immediately restarted, but that only begs the question – what was the point of the screwy finish in the first place? To demonstrate that the only competent company official is Curt Hawkins?
Seth Rollins said he was willing to sacrifice everything, to sell his soul to the devil himself if it meant beating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. This peculiar choice of words struck me as a bit odd. Remember when Stone Cold said he needed to beat The Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven and that he was willing to do anything to ensure that he walked out with the title? Austin unexpectedly turned heel that night, and I can’t shake the feeling that perhaps we’ll see the same thing from ‘the Architect’ come April.
EC3 (who has in the interim found EC1 and EC2) lost his second match on the main roster. To the same man he beat last week. Nikki Cross lost too. This is how you build stars.
Available: https://t.co/Nx5UU36W8x pic.twitter.com/5LGOJWKDUT
— ecIII (@therealec3) February 11, 2019
I’m glad that The Revival are Raw tag team champions. I wish I could’ve written that sentence a year ago. This match was great. Also, Chad Gable is awesome.
Becky ultimately capitulated, apologised to her bosses and meekly shook their hands. And then she got suspended anyway, yanked from the WrestleMania match and replaced by Charlotte.
I would’ve preferred to see Mae Young pop out another hand baby.
So my feelings about last night’s Raw are fairly obvious. But fortunately my opinion isn’t what really counts. You’re here to find out what our decidedly more optimistic WrestleTalk team thought of the show. Read on to find out.
What was your favourite moment from Raw?
JP Wood
For once, the best match on the Raw card was also the one that WWE highlighted. In case you’ve been hiding from spoilers, the Revival are the new Raw Tag Team Champions after winning a great match against Roode and Gable.
Tag team wrestling was on display in all of its glory on tonight’s show, and it was given the time to play out a fun story with lots of credible, edge-of-your-seat two-count moments. Those fans who speculated that the Revival were going to be punished for their real-life request to be released from their contracts may not have been as accurate as they thought.
THEY. HAVE. DONE IT!
@ScottDawsonWWE & @DashWilderWWE just SHATTERED @REALBobbyRoode & @WWEGable to become the NEW #RAW #TagTeamChampions! pic.twitter.com/9h0mED1YBp
— WWE (@WWE) February 12, 2019
Kyle Payne
The opening segment was great. We saw the McMahon family doing what they do best: being snakes and conniving manipulative bastards. I liked how they teased Vince McMahon and left us waiting with the whole “will Becky apologize?”. It added some intrigue to the show, though common sense would tell you she would not. Another nice touch was her whole interaction with Finn Bálor because if anyone knows anything about being screwed by the McMahons, it’s Finn. Ask his booking.
The ending segment was so, so good. Charlotte Flair is going to be in that main event; I have no doubt about that but the way they put her in, with Vince harkening back to his Attitude era roots and calling himself “The Man”, was excellent. No doubt the internet is mad because WWE is the master at getting that sort of reaction. Enjoy the triple threat, enjoy the story they tell over the next couple of weeks, and pray Lynch wins at ‘Mania.
The video package for Kevin Owens was nice, dropping a few hints that he’ll be returning as a face. But in that package one line stuck out, and he’s right, it is rough watching Raw.
I thought the women’s tag match was fun with a good finish which sets Bayley and Sasha as the ultimate underdogs at Elimination Chamber. Seth Rollins cut a good promo and I look forward to him defeating Lesnar and becoming Universal Champion. With his work ethic and in-ring ability, the title will finally get some prestige, and his potential feuds are endless.
Now the absolute highlight, despite the terrible crowd, was The Revival vs. Chad Gable and Bobby Roode. For months the story had been told about The Revival getting screwed out of the belts, backstage stories of unhappiness and wanting to leave, and how they were tearing it up at house shows. This was a great story because of this match and finish and hopefully The Revival can finally get the recognition they deserve and showcase the amazing abilities they have like they used to in NXT.
Oh, and every time Elias hits someone with his guitar, I smile.
Dylan Kapisky
“Shove it up your a***.” The parts of this segment where Triple H and Stephanie McMahon dominated the microphone were a bit tedious. However, when Becky Lynch was given the chance, she shined with the stick. She spoke with passion and delivered her lines with conviction.
There was meaning behind what she said, and she got in some great one-liners against WWE’s true ‘Power Couple’, and even a few aimed at Vince. Not that we needed any more confirmation, but this proved, once again, that Becky Lynch is a badass.
Emma Heeley
I legitimately loved the main event Tag match, the Revival winning the titles was definitely the best call. Sadly, Roode and Gable as a tag team just did nothing for me, but this match was incredible! And reminded me just how good all four of these men actually are. I fell for every near fall, completely engrossed in the whole thing. I love a good fast paced tag team match! But… can we turn Roode heel now, please?
While this might stand as an unpopular opinion I am more than intrigued to see where they go with Rousey/Becky/Charlotte. Yes, I would have preferred (like so many others do) just Becky and Ronda, but I am invested in this storyline because of this unsurprising turn off events. And Becky being suspended is just fantastic idea. I just hope the momentum for these three continues to ‘Mania.
It seems @VinceMcMahon has chosen a side for #WrestleMania…and it's with THE QUEEN @MsCharlotteWWE! #RAW pic.twitter.com/u8XCjdF44P
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) February 12, 2019
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
JP Wood
The ending. This episode was cruising along at an entertaining clip with an engaging Becky Lynch storyline that was threaded throughout the show. It culminated in the ‘Man’ swallowing her pride and apologizing to Mr. and Mrs. Stephanie, clearing her way to WrestleMania. Then, for no reason at all, Vince suspends Becky for 60 days and replaces her in the match with Charlotte Flair.
There had been a lot of speculation about how they were going to get Charlotte into the ‘Mania main event, but nobody guessed that it would be rammed down our throats by Vince for no practical reason. We really should have guessed.
Wow, I didn’t realize that so many of you didn’t want me in the match. Taking that into account, I’ll be asking management to remove me effectively immediately.
J/K
I could not possibly care less what you think 👸
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) February 12, 2019
Kyle Payne
Despite how good the ending was, I didn’t like how Becky actually apologized. The words should have never left her lips and if she’s supposed to be the female, modern-day version of Steve Austin, well, he never apologized and always managed to get out on top in the end. It may be a minor complaint but I didn’t like it.
I don’t like how bland the Lucha House Party has become and they come off as a cheap imitation of the New Day. It’s sad to see three extraordinarily talented men relegated to doing what some might think is comedy.
I also don’t care for the interactions between Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre and would rather see them far apart. Strowman needs to be rebuilt, because he’s drastically cooled down. And, if they aren’t careful, the same will happen to McIntyre.
Dylan Kapisky
Where have I seen this before? Tell me if you’ve heard this one: Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre teamed together on Raw for no reason. In what started as a Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Bálor match, WWE decided to reunite the trio none of us wanted.
All three men should be doing much more – well, maybe not you, Baron – than teaming together in random Raw matches. Then, to make matters worse, in the 6-man tag that followed the initial singles match, WWE did something equally familiar (and equally terrible). After missing a foot on the rope, therefore handing the win to the wrong team, the referee had his decision reversed by a second ref in the back. Where was this official when The Revival had the same thing happen to them just a few weeks ago? Why haven’t referees done this for years? Why does WWE do this once in a while, but never follow through on it? It’s very frustrating.
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Emma Heeley
While I had nothing but praise for the main event tag match, the same can’t be said for the 6-man tag match at the midpoint. I’m getting a bit fed up of seeing the same 6 guys in the same style matches week in week out. That’s nothing against the competitors involved, I just think it’s time we moved on from this stale way of keeping various rivalries afloat.
Bar the odd referee restart (Why don’t they do this for other matches?!), this match was a pretty dull affair. Which is a shame because 5 out of the 6 of those guys are really good. I just wished they were showcased better.
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: RawSome, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Rawful)
JP Wood
This week’s Monday Night Raw was a Low AvRAWge. Between an unoriginal six-man tag match, pointless segments about Becky’s pointless decision, Lucha House Party and Elias, Nia and Tamina breaking up a pin that would have been beneficial to them, and Vince showing up for no good reason, this Raw was ‘meh’. I felt very ‘meh’ about this whole thing.
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Kyle Payne
What was good on the show was either very good or serviceable and what was bad was, well, really bad. It didn’t help that the crowd were completely unresponsive at times.
Becky should have never apologized. Lucha House Party, like Dean Ambrose, is lost. WWE’s determination to force Charlotte Flair into the WrestleMania main event is tone deaf, despite it being nicely done and playing the internet. Becky Lynch is still a rockstar, though, and she is completely beloved by the audience. Vince McMahon is still the ultimate heel and he can make Becky a star the same way he helped Austin.
The Revival getting love and Seth cutting a nice promo almost balanced everything out. Unfortunately, I have to give it a Poor rating. It’s unbelievable how great SmackDown and NXT can be, but Raw doesn’t measure up as of late. Let’s not forget that one of the highlights of this show came from a current member of the SmackDown roster, Becky Lynch. Maybe next week will better.
Dylan Kapisky
AvRAWge. This show was alright. Missing a standout segment or match, it was mostly paint by numbers stuff. However, that doesn’t mean it was bad. The night-long Becky storyline was entertaining, Seth Rollins had a strong promo, and there was a fun women’s triple threat tag match. Nothing special, but a decent episode of WWE’s flagship.
Emma Heeley
This week’s Raw felt a bit strained for me. The first two hours felt like another filler week, however the show definitely picked up steam towards the end. That promo with Seth / Heyman was great, main event tag was especially awesome and the closing shot of McMahon and Charlotte saved this week’s show from being a lower score. This week’s Raw was AvRAWge.
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