The Paul Heyman Era of Monday Night RAW began in Dallas, Texas last night. As someone who was a loyal, diehard fan of Heyman’s original ECW, I was very hyped at the news that he’d be in charge of WWE’s flagship program.
However, going into the show, I did have my doubts. I remember the reincarnation of ECW on SyFy, and how that was an unmitigated disaster. So, my fears of a watered down Heyman, restrained by the handcuffs WWE could potentially place on him gave me worry.
Then the show started with basically Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley blowing up half of the RAW set as Corey Graves yelled “HOLY SHIT,” and I realized, we were all going to be okay.
The show was not perfect — nor was I expecting it to be. However, what this show did was tell (mostly) logical storylines that built characters. Everyone who lost (minus Elias) lost well, or their lose furthered a storyline for someone. This is what’s been missing from the show. Too many yo-yo pushes, too many “why did this even happen” matches.
Also, if you’re going to give me a reunion of AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows as a top heel faction, while simultaneously pushing Ricochet, and building a feud between Styles, and The King of Flight — I am here for it, and living every moment of it.
Let’s break down the matches:
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley in a Falls Count Anywhere Match: These two have been saddled with some really, really bad stuff. Arm wrestling, tug of war — while they do well on YouTube for views, what does that do for the actual feud? Does that give it more juice? More excitement. Not. An. Iota. But this does. We go back to what brought Braun to the dance — when he’s involved in something “extreme” there is absurd property damage. In reality none of this makes any sort of sense. Literally, both men should be deader than dead. But listen, I forgive that, it’s wrestling. What this did was give this feud some drama…and both literal and figurative electricity. This won’t be shoulder blocks and tests of strength — this is two men willing to go to the edges of safety in order to win a feud. Give me more.
Viking Raiders vs. New Day…which becomes Samoa Joe & The Viking Raiders vs. The New Day: I was so amped when I saw the announcement of this match. However, my excitement got cold water tossed upon it when a friend said, “You know this is going to turn in a six-man, or a 10-man, or something absurd.” And it did. However, it makes sense. I like the Raiders working with Joe — it establishes them (for now) as heels — and I’m down for seeing them working with Joe going forward as his neutralizers for Woods and Big E. I thought the match itself was fine, but I believe on a PPV they’d be allowed to go longer and do more. The finish — Kofi passes out to Joe’s Coquina Clutch — worked perfectly. Joe looks like a killer, and Kofi did not tap.
Cesaro vs. No Way Jose: This was a segment to play up Drake Maverick and R-Truth’s feud. However, it also reminded us that Cesaro suffers no fools. It was quick and painless, and given Heyman’s history with Cesaro (he did manage him at one point), hopefully this means a renewed push for the Swiss Cyborg.
The Undertaker Confronts Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre: Nothing anyone says on the microphone even remotely matters for this program. This about The Undertaker getting his hands on Shane and Drew. That’s all we care about. With that said — Shane’s been fairly dreadful since Wrestlemania and that didn’t stop tonight. Drew at least is interesting because he doesn’t fear Undertaker, and I gladly welcome it. Now just let him win a match. Taker’s promo started strong than got weird. Kind of like a David Lynch movie minus Kyle McLachlan.
Natalya vs. Lacey Evans: This match did what it needed to do. To be truthful, both Lacey and Baron bore me to tears. They make me lose interest any time they’re on my television screen. I would not be shocked to see them take the belts at Extreme Rules in order for the Power Couple (if they don’t implode) to regain them at Summer Slam.
The AJ/Ricochet Confrontation: Simple yet effective storytelling. Anderson & Gallows do the “Hey did you hear what this dude said about you?” heel tactic, and get their buddy to not only get off their backs, but eventually rejoin The Club. I loved Ricochet’s bright-eyed babyface role that respects AJ, but respects his own abilities even more.
Miz vs. Elias in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match: This was the low point of the show. As soon as Michael Cole said, “We’ll go to commercial after Fall 2” I knew the pins would come really quick. And boy Howdy did they ever. I know Miz and Elias have been in this offshoot feud spawned by Shane vs. Roman — but does anyone really care? Just pull the trigger on Miz vs. Bray Wyatt already, and give Elias something else to do.
You Bring Your Bitch, and I’ll Bring Mine: Well, we know people can swear on RAW again now. The segment with “bickering” power couple Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins was painful to watch. The chemistry between Becky and Seth, in their characters, is not working right now, and I think that’s because of what they’ve been given creatively. The insertion of Maria and Mike Kanellis, was definitely outside the box thinking. Maria cut a scintillating promo, reminding people that this isn’t your mid-00s Maria.
Then there’s the match. You’d think it’d be a straight-up squash, right? N O P E. We get this wild, straight out of ECW angle where Maria announces she’s pregnant (so Becky won’t hit her), then claims Mike isn’t the father, he isn’t a real man, and if she wanted a real man to get her pregnant, she’ll call Becky.
Wow, that’s a lot to unpack. First, I enjoy that everything here wasn’t what we expected. There was no squash, and Mike and Maria are given something to do. Cynically you’d say this is because they signed with WWE for five years and didn’t go elsewhere. However, these two have been a major staple in the 205 Live social media game, and work hard to make a lot of noise. Good for them.
Bringing the Swag Back: The Street Profits debuted on RAW. I don’t know if they’re going to be called up ASAP, but boy are they entertaining as hell. Their opening promo went a touch long, but their interaction with Paul Heyman was solid gold. When these two officially debut on RAW, they need to be positioned as top dudes immediately.
Alexa vs. Carmella then Nikki vs. Carmella: Carmella is a bit bulletproof at this point given her stuff with R-Truth, so taking a loss doesn’t hurt her. I love Nikki Cross, so seeing her in the spotlight is fantastic. I hope they actually pull the trigger on an Alexa/Nikki feud and don’t turn them into Team Hell No 2.0
Drake’s Revenge: While the Benny Hill chorus of characters still chases R-Truth, I liked that we had a singular story to focus on in regards to the 24/7 Title. Drake and Truth are comic geniuses, and their feud is the definition of “Fight Forever.” I think we do need more focus with the 24/7 Title, and this is a great start.
AJ Styles vs. Ricochet: This was a lot of fun. While the restart has been done to death, I like that it was used as the final straw for the AJ heel turn. These two have awesome in-ring chemistry, and I want to see this feud grow. I love that Anderson & Gallows — who’ve been mired in mediocrity for years — finally get something here. I believe Paul Heyman can and will do something special with them. The Club closing out the show to actual heel heat was so refreshing. I also look forward to see if Ricochet gets some back-up. Maybe The Usos?
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