-Well, WWE did a nice job this week recapping not only the end of Raw last week, but the end of Smackdown on Friday night as well. They were smart to present Jey losing the IC title and reunion with Jimmy on Smackdown as essentially the same storyline, because it set the table for the plan that was set to unfold this week on the show. WWE is getting near perfect at showcasing previous happenings in a major way that leaves the audience wanting the next chapter.
An easy reunion
-A bit of a mixed bag for me on the Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso in-ring segment. On one hand, I very much liked Jey calling out that there were lots of issues to unpack between him and his brother and that he was able to do just fine without the family behind him. On the other, he ran that back almost instantly, when he said that nothing was more important than being brothers with Jimmy — thus, kind of negating what he had just confirmed about being on his own and the fruitful success he garnered in that spot. I thought they needed to draw Jey’s open acceptance of Jimmy out more to give Jey credibility. They’ll try to play that card with Roman and Jey, but it was important to jump through that hoop with Jimmy too, so that Jey stays perfectly relatable to fans.
-Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser are destined to exchange wins forever aren’t they? Once again, this week both guys had a really strong television match, but c’mon, we didn’t need more of this and it sounds like we’ll be getting even more next week. Stop trolling, WWE!
-A pre-recorded vignette was a smart way to feature Rhea Ripley without having her actually appear on the show. My guess is we’ll see more of this kind of deal from a lot of the roster as WWE pulls back from the three hour Raw format.
Guess who’s back
-There it was. Sami Zayn is now back in The Bloodline story and all is right with the world. Zayn confronted Jey Uso about being careful in letting Jimmy and Roman back into his circle. Jey’s response? Sami doesn’t understand because Sami isn’t family. We’re back to that dynamic with Zayn I guess, but listen, nobody plays this kind of emotional drama better than Jey and Sami together. Sami is looking out for his friend and his friend is doing his thing. That’s relatable.
-Zayn speaking with Solo Sikoa at the end of the show was a nice nugget into where the future drama inside The Bloodline will live. How dare you cheat on Jey, Sami! No yeet.
-Ivy Nile got a win over Zelina Vega this week. Not a great match, but better than past Nile matches. Progress!
Don’t overdo the backstage brawl
-Look, I don’t think WWE can have a feud going at all times in which huge brawls are taking place backstage. So, they do need to find added depth for Bronson Reed, as much of what he’s done to get over has been that and only that. That said, the Reed against Rollins fight outside of the arena was well done. It was intense, didn’t feel abnormally staged, and continued the trend of Reed coming across as an absolute destroyer of a character. I liked Rollins calling out to the world that he had found is inner monster. Helps sell the match.
-Not a surprise to see The War Raiders become number one contenders for the WWE World Tag Team Championships. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win the titles either — maybe after a Damian Priest interference. Between the Motor City Machine Guns winning the titles on Friday and now this, it looks like we’re witnessing a soft restart of the tag team scene across WWE.
-Final Testament vs. Wyatt Sicks appears to be on. How Miz fits into everything will be something to follow. In this story, Miz is as fresh as he’s been in years. Thumbs up.
Ouch
-The main event wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was damn entertaining. Damian Priest CRUSHED Dominik Mysterio with chair shots after he lost the match via a rollup after vigorous interference on behalf of Judgment Day for Dominik. I’m not sure what this sets up, though. Priest has already beaten Finn Balor. A rematch there? Likely, I’d guess.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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