-It’s amazing how good the WWE product is when it actually is logical. Going into the big explanation of why The Vision did what they did to Seth Rollins this week, I wanted logic and WWE delivered it in abundance. First, the way Adam Pearce worked opposite Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman this week was epic. His choices as a leader were logical and he wasn’t a pushover either. That was refreshing. Better than that was Heyman’s explanation on what happened. In one promo, Paul Heyman not only tied the storyline attack on Rollins together, but he also gave a reason for he and Rollins simply not having much chemistry out there together in the faction. That was noticeable throughout the run of the full Vision. While this may be a retcon on Heyman’s part, it worked.
All eyes on Paul Heyman
-Now, even more important than all of that is this reality. Paul Heyman just became the star attraction of the new Vision faction. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are, of course, the star wrestlers, but based on how Heyman spoke to them, he’s going to call the shots and be the driving force behind what they do. Heyman is a generational talent. This not only makes the group better and those stars better long-term, but the show overall will be better with him as a focus.
-Just a wonderful tag team championship match this week. AJ Styles and Dragon Lee won the titles from The Judgment Day and the match was exciting all the way through. With matches like this one out there to showcase, it’s bewildering when WWE keeps the tag division off television for so long. Props to JD McDonagh. He was bumping and selling like a madman out there. Need proof? Check out the bump he took out of the ring near the end of the match. Money.
-Dominik Mysterio retained his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Rusev this week, but Penta certainly made his presence felt during that match. Looking like a triple threat is brewing between those three guys and none of it is working the way it should because Dom continues to get cheered. Until WWE addresses that in one way or another, the psychology around anything involving Dominik is going to be off.
-Oh, Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch was fine, but nothing I want to be overdramatic about. Dupri is leaps and bounds behind Lynch. The match came across as overly rehearsed and that is directly caused by Dupri’s shortcomings in the ring. There is certainly a third match on the horizon between these two. Does Dupri have another gear? We’ll find out.
Uncomfortable Vaquer
-I get that you want to make Stephanie Vaquer look like a star and that that effort requires and top tier presentation. Vaquer looks like a star without a huge presentation, though. She has an “it” factor all by herself. The big entrance this week was cool, but she looked uncomfortable doing it. I wouldn’t sacrifice her comfortability for an entrance. The most important thing is that she’s authentic and it didn’t look like it this week. Nothing wrong with a wild entrance, but it has to enhance the act. It didn’t this week.
-Glad to see Becky Lynch have a moment with Paul Heyman. It was a little strange because she came across as a total babyface, but this was more about checking the box of storyline continuity than it was about character consistency. Because they did this, Lynch can go many different directions in this storyline whenever Rollins comes back.
-If you don’t understand the Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer pairing raise your hand. I’m right there with you. Bella seems out place. Vaquer is a bigger star, but comes across as subservient and overly passive toward her. The tag match that’s upcoming is fine for a Saturday Night’s Main Event, but here’s to hoping this isn’t a long-term partnership.
Jey vs. Punk
-Jey Uso vs. CM Punk for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship is set for Saturday Night’s Main Event and it’s the right match to do. It’s big-time star power, but also a big-time storyline that gets the world title and a main event. Punk chasing his world championship and Jey chasing the same thing with Roman Reigns and drama with Jimmy Uso in the background is the most compelling thing they could have done given the circumstances of the Seth Rollins injury. Good stuff.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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