-WWE did a fantastic job shooting Madison Square Garden all show long. Especially the moment right before John Cena made his entrance. The wide shot from the top of the ramp looking out at the crowd was wonderful.
Cena being Cena
-As for John Cena, well, he did John Cena things. Whether you like it or hate it, Cena was like he always was out there this week for his final appearance as an active wrestler on WWE Raw. He hammed it up to the audience, but also did really good business and wrestled a mach that the entire crowd was invested in. The six-man tag alongside Rey Mysterio and Sheamus was the perfect way to get Cena on the show in a physical capacity, send fans home with the dose of Cena that they came for, while keeping integrity for the build to his rematch with Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series.
-It’s crazy to think that Cena was a heel a little over three months ago. It took way too long, but the retirement tour stuff is sizzling for WWE right now.
From The Takedown on SI
-Not a good night at the office for Nikki Bella. And Stephanie Vaquer for that matter. Bella had the right script. Leaning into being a forgotten WWE Diva and overselling her importance to women’s wrestling in WWE is a smart way to use her and get heat. She was terrible in delivery. The promo lacked emotion and intensity. Plus, Vaquer got punched like three times. She couldn’t fight back at all during that entire thing?
-The news broke early in the day on Monday that Dolph Ziggler would be the mystery entrant into the Last Time Is Now tournament and fight Solo Sikoa on the show. Still, his return was a cool moment and the MSG crowd reacted to it as such. He lost, but no surprise there.
Ice cold War Games for the women
-Yikes. The women’s War Games segment was … awkward. The entire thing was built on Charlotte Flair valiantly running out to join the team and save Alexa Bliss, but when that happened the audience barely reacted. This is where WWE has to not be so cute. Fans were into the idea of Bliss and Flair as partners — team members that got along. It’s not nearly as fun to see them not on the same page. Women’s War Games is ice cold and this little angle with Bliss and Charlotte didn’t help things.
-Maxxine Dupri is the new WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion. She beat Becky Lynch. Becky freaking Lynch. That’s a tough sell for me because of just how long of a way Dupri has to go to be anything close to a mid-card star in the women’s division. The match wasn’t good and Dupri missed a kick out. She’s just not ready for the spot she’s in. Now, that said, AJ Lee returning and directly costing Lynch the title was the only way to get this done without total laughter. Lee made the moment feel really big and Lynch was a pro in selling the loss.
-Here’s the silver lining on Maxxine Dupri winning the IC title, though. It can actually function as a mid-card title again. Lynch carrying the belt made it awkward for the world champion. This aligns the women’s division hierarchy better.
From The Takedown on SI
-A *chefs kiss* to Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans. The match was fantastic and did what it needed to do in terms of showcasing Evans in the best way possible, even in a clear and distinct losing effort. How do you not give Evans an entrance??! The guy oozes energy and charisma. WWE openly decided not to capture and showcase that by not giving him a tone setting moment to introduce himself to the Raw audience for the first time ever.
Keep it simple
-I’m glad to see WWE not over-complicate the men’s War Games match. It’s a pretty easy formula. Get your big stars, have different feuds between them, sprinkle in some chaos, add more big stars, more chaos, and boom. War Games. The face-off this week worked to build the match. With both Lesnar and Reigns now involved, it’s a can’t miss match at Survivor Series.
-Quick note. What are we doing with the police officers? Initially, the announcement that they were there to break the War Games brawl up added some heat to everything going on, but they looked incredibly lame. WWE, either do it well or don’t do it at all.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
