It’s a new era in WWE. That’s what they want us to think anyway, and despite the fact they bombarded the audience with this new phrase ‘new era’, it’s hard not to agree with them as of recently. Since Wrestlemania 32 things have changed drastically in the biggest wrestling company in the world. Whether it’s calls ups from NXT or imports from other promotions the main roster seems to have gone through a shift. This week’s episode of Raw has honestly been quite difficult for me to pin down. The show had solid matches and new talent (hence the new era) however, the booking was odd, to say the least. We had 4 out of 4 champions who wrestled tonight lose. Why? Well, it wouldn’t be WWE if I didn’t question the booking.
OPENER
The show starts with Chris Jericho’s highlight reel. Firstly I have to point out something that cannot be overstated. Chris Jericho is a perfect heel. Jericho quickly brings the crowd to life, managing to get them to chant the name of a plant pot. Pretty impressive. Jericho’s monologue can’t go on forever though as Big Cass comes down to the ring to shut up Y2J. Even with the absence of Enzo Amore the tag team of Enzo and Cass is over like crazy, Big Cass didn’t even need to say the catchphrase “And you can’t teach that” as the crowd was saying it for him. This segment ends with a boot kick that could be heard around the world onto Chris Jericho.
- Jericho then speaks to Stephanie but against his wishes, she puts him in the main event with Big Cass. Wow! Big Cass in the main event? Things are going well so far.
CORBIN def. ZIGGLER
Our first match of the night is Dolph Ziggler against Baron Corbin. The match itself was as good as their opener at WWE Payback, but this time the right man wins, Baron Corbin. The match starts off with a good pace. Ziggler clearly tries to use his speed to counter Corbin’s size, while Corbin portrays the monster opponent with great moves such as that amazing deep six. The moment of the match was when Ziggler played possum in order to use the fameasser for a near pin. This showed the veteran that Dolph has become.
- Backstage we see another instance of someone trying to turn Shane and Stephanie against each other. Once again they fail to do so.
- Jojo interviews The Club, hopefully soon to be renamed the Balor Club (please). AJ is pissed at last week and the lines between face and heel get blurrier by the week.
TRUTH def. FANDANGO
How long has this Golden Truth angle been going on for? It feels like babies have been conceived and born while this feud has been going on. At least Tyler Breeze is getting screen time. This match was the definition of average.
- Backstage we get an IC title debate. Miz, Owens and the sharpest man in wrestling Cesaro all make their case to Stephanie and Shane, but Stephanie eventually tells them how it’s going to be. A triple threat match at Extreme Rules for the title. However Zayn has yet to present his argument and when he does we get another match scheduled for tonight. Zayn vs Miz, if Sami wins he gets a place at Extreme Rules.
PAIGE def. CHARLOTTE
Having been the face of the division in recent years it is good to see Paige back on Raw after a long absence. The match was very back and forth, Paige and Charlotte looked even. The match ends when despite being banned Ric Flair makes his way to ringside to confront Natalya, however, this distraction costs Charlotte the match. The way this was booked was extremely confusing honestly. It seems purpose of the match was to show Charlotte’s weaknesses without her father, but all it did was make it seem like the Nature Boy was a distraction. The glaring issues though was the commentary. JESUS CHRIST, THE COMMENTARY! This week Natalya was a special guest commentator and somehow things got even worse. The constant bickering between all 4 commentators was extremely distracting, and this proved that while she is an expert in the ring it, unfortunately, seems as if Natalya will always remain poor on the mic.
ZAYN def. MIZ
This match is a prime example of two superstars who know their characters. Sami Zayn is the ultimate baby face. A true underdog and before the match even begins we hear ole chants from the crowd who are all behind Sami. The Miz, however, is a true heel right down to his core and he plays the role like he was born to. This match was great tonight and though only the fourth match of the planned eight it is an early contender for match of the night. Zayn especially looked great, from his barricade moon sault to his as always brilliant Helluva Kick, Zayn was on form. After Sami gets a pin on The Miz we see footage of both Kevin Owens and Cesaro watching the match, the Intercontinental Championship match at Extreme Rules is going to be great no matter what.
- Renee Young interviews Becky Lynch backstage asking about her match with Emma the previous week. She tells Renee that she will give Emma a lass kicking but is suddenly interrupted by Emma and a debuting Dana Brooke, who proceed to ambush Becky.
- Another Make Darren Great Again segment. Am I weird for laughing at these? They don’t seem like they should be funny at all but I can’t resist chuckling.
- Oh yeah! Upupdowndown getting the recognition it deserves? About time! Oh, wait… W-What’s happening… is that pizza hut? Really? God damn it.
- The backstage segment shows Zack Ryder pleading his case to Shane O Mac as to why he should be in the fatal 4 way at Extreme Rules. Kevin Owens interrupts the two and after getting in Shane’s face the match has been set, Ryder vs Owens for a place in the fatal 4-way match
SIN CARA def. RUSEV
If we cast our mind back to Wrestlemania 31 Rusev was one of the strongest wrestlers on the roster in both kayfabe and talent wise. However since he lost the US title he has been on a downward spiral that hit rock bottom with the League of Nations. Hopefully, his chase of the US title helps him reclaim former glory. The match between Sin Cara and Rusev was standard, it helped heat up the feud which is all that it needed to do. You can’t go wrong when you have Rusev’s acting ability.
THE FAMILY def. THE CLUB
The Club make their way down to the ring, the team of Styles, Gallows, and Anderson seem like a formidable unit, and despite their differences in the previous weeks, they seem ready to take on The Family. Said Family make their way down to the ring (I don’t even need to mention the boos at this point). The match starts and I have to say both teams look very comfortable working with each other. This shouldn’t be surprising giving the ties all the respective teams have, but it was nice to see how well they gelled for this match. It is obvious that Roman and AJ are being kept away from each other as they should early on. The Usos and the team of Gallows and Anderson put on a good show with the club being able to pick up the first elimination on one of the Usos (I can’t tell them apart). As Newton’s third law tells us though there must be a reaction from The Family as Anderson quickly follows Jimmy/Jey. After this, we go to commercial break only to come back to see that another elimination had happened and that we missed Styles hitting a spectacular phenomenal forearm. Eventually, we are down to only Styles and Reigns when all hell breaks loose. Both men quickly exit the ring and it seems we might get a repeat table spot from last week. However, eventually, The Club and then the Usos return to support their teammates. After a chaotic brawl and one intense stare down we are left with Reigns staring down Styles while lifting the title. As a professed AJ mark, I have to admit I am ecstatic about a WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch in 2 week’s time.
OWENS def. RYDER
The stipulations of this match were established earlier by Shane McMahon, and while I love me some Long Island Ice Z, Owens winning was the correct outcome. It seems that Vince and the rest of WWE do not have any long-term plans for Ryder and I have to come to deal with that I guess. The match was good, Ryder was able to get in some good near falls and looked threatening, but in the end, Owens did not seem troubled by Ryder as he hits a pop-up power bottom to get the pinfall.
- Big Cass calls tonight, “the biggest match of my career” and dedicates it to Enzo (aww). He then flirts with Renee (no one tell Dean)
DUDLEYS def. NEW DAY
The Dudley’s defeating the New Day really wasn’t necessary, even if you give the reasoning that it created more heat. Too many champions lost tonight. I have no comment on the “people like us” line.
ENDING SEGMENT
Well, this week’s Raw has been hit or miss so far but we have a great match to close the show. The one and only Big Cass will be main eventing on Raw for the first time in his li- sorry what’s that? Dean Ambrose? Fuck…. Well, it seems like we are closing on an Ambrose/Jericho brawl instead. There was nothing wrong with this brawl but it seemed like an odd way to close the show. Definitely, could have close with Styles/Reigns instead. Also, if I was Ambrose my number one priority would be the limitless amounts of scarfs, not the jacket.
FINAL NOTES/SCORE
- Tonight’s MVP: Sami Zayn
- Match of the Night: Sami Zayn vs Miz
- Moment of the Night: AJ/Roman staring competition
- As much as it pains me to admit I have lost all hope for a serious Ryder push. At least he got his WM moment.
- Did anyone else get a weird vibe between Shane and Stephanie? It wouldn’t be the first time Vince wanted an incest story.
- Despite the fact we all miss him, Big Cass does not need Enzo to be cool.
- New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era…..
As I said earlier this week’s RAW was very hit or miss. The show contained some very great technical ability but it was ultimately let down by its booking. This week’s RAW gets a 6/10 from me.
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