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RAW in Toronto: Bayley Gets No Love, Jordan is the New Reigns & Last Men Standing

Monday Night RAW in Toronto…was definitely interesting. We had some really strong in-ring work, a couple of hot angles, and the requisite garbage which did not thing for anybody.

Brock Lesnar Crashes to MizTV: This was a HOT angle to kick off the show. Yes, there was the requisite “Brock goes smash” part of the segment, which is always fun, but it was The Miz who came off like a star here. His shut down and impersonation of Paul Heyman was brilliant. He offered a great alternative commentary to Brock’s odds for Summerslam, and in all honesty, I hope they elevate Miz to a feud with Brock. He held his own with Heyman, and despite getting laid to waste by The Beast Incarnate, I think think there’s still money to be made here. Probably not happening, but this was still a fun and different way to get the show started.

Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus: This was a battle battle between two dudes who can go in the ring. It wasn’t a five-star classic, but it was a really good back-and-forth. The booking, however, was fairly obvious though. Rollins loses, so that means Cesaro would lose to Ambrose later in the evening. But let’s be real — this isn’t about the tag belts, this is about the build to Seth vs. Dean — and I’m all about it.

Jason Jordan is the New Roman Reigns: Obvious pushes lead to obvious boos. WWE is force feeding us Jason Jordan, and the crowd cares little about this guy. I beg WWE creative to stop with the “tell don’t show” style of booking they’ve done with Roman, and now seemingly Jordan. Braun Strowman was pushed as a monster, but for some reason he won us over. WWE didn’t (overtly) tell us “this is the guy” we came to find that out ourselves through his matches, and his rapid improvement. The whole “Jordan is Kurt’s son” thing is dumb as hell. Regardless, Jordan is crazy talented, and in his match with Jean-Pierre Goulet, he channeled his inner Jeff Cobb and tossed the Goulet around with ease. I think there’s money in Jordan, but they need to follow the Kurt Angle blueprint — turn Jordan into the All-American heel.

Bayley Gets Booed: Seriously? No, seriously? Bayley comes out to talk about her injury and gets booed? Complain about Bayley’s booking all you want, but it comes down to this — sometimes fans are just douchebags. Get better Bayley.

Sasha Banks vs. Emma vs. Alicia Fox in the Winner is Obvious Match: When it was announced as No DQ, I thought there was an outside chance Sasha would lose. But seriously, there was no way she was. This was a fun match with a couple hiccups, but the winner was obvious — The Boss goes on to face the winner of the next triple threat (also obvious) next week on RAW.

EnzSho Makes Their Debut: Put me in the minority here but I can’t stand Enzo. I wish they had made him and Show heels. Cass would’ve made a better sympathetic face, and Enzo would’ve been better as the loudmouth heel with a giant at his side. Instead it’s the opposite, and I couldn’t care less. Tonight, The Good Brothers (aka The Club) came out, and somehow scored the win. Good job…nerds.

Finn and Bray Make Magic: This is the perfect feud for these guys, and I think if they take this to SummerSlam, they have the potential to steal the show. These two are insanely talented, and I think they’ll really lay it all on the table when it comes to a big money match. For now — these angles are great.

Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro in a Winner is Obvious, But Don’t Sleep on This Match: As stated before, it was obvious Ambrose was going to win this match. However, we still got some surprisingly great moments here. The spot with Cesaro perched on the ring post, and battling Ambrose (on the top turnbuckle) was very unique. These two, despite their differences, worked well together.

Tozawa vs. Daivari: Last year at this time the Cruiserweight Classic was all the rage. Now, the cruiserweights are exactly where they were in the early 00s — treated as an afterthought on the main show. It’s nice they get there time, but the division has been so deflated that it’s a shame.

Nia Jax vs. Dana Brooke vs. Mickie James in a Yeah, You Injured Bayley, But You’ll End Up at Summerslam Match: Nia Jax isn’t bad. She just needed way more time in NXT before hitting the big time. With more seasoning, she’d be awesome. But, what do I know, I’m a guy typing about wrestling. You knew there was 0% of Mickie or Dana making it to a big time match next week. Although Mickie vs. Sasha would be great. Let’s just hope we get a Boss vs. Goddess match at SummerSlam in two weeks.

Roman Reigns v. Braun Strowman in a Last Man Standing Match: Even if you loathe Roman Reigns (which I don’t) go watch this match. Braun and Roman have had a fun feud, and this really was a crown jewel of the feud. They beat the hell out of each other here, and put on a PPV quality match for free. The ending…with Joe choking out Roman, allowing Braun to win (despite being down for more than a 10 count) was a nice way to keep heat on Joe, keep Roman strong (forever), and give Braun a much needed win.

Bill Bodkin
Bill Bodkinhttps://thepopbreak.com
Bill Bodkin is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Pop Break, and most importantly a husband, and father. Ol' Graybeard writes way too much about wrestling, jam bands, Asbury Park music, HBO shows, and can often be seen under his season DJ alias, DJ Father Christmas. He is the co-host of the Socially Distanced Podcast (w/Al Mannarino) which drops weekly on Apple, Google, Anchor & Spotify. He is the co-host of the monthly podcasts -- Anchored in Asbury, TV Break and Bill vs. The MCU.
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