-Maybe this is crazy to say, but I’m glad Seth Rollins isn’t dressing up in the outrageous outfits anymore. The Rollins character has surpassed that and is more serious with the all black clothes. Throughout his career, a serious Rollins has always been a more effective Rollins.
It’s finally going to happen
-As for the Rollins and Bron Breakker promo exchange? Thumbs up. Breakker held his own just fine opposite Rollins and is slowly finding a way to translate the intensity of his character to the microphone. Rollins vs. Breakker should be a helluva match at Backlash between two guys wanting to prove a lot.
-Did WWE just write Stephanie Vaquer out of storylines for a while? It seemed like that was the goal of the backstage attack. Leaves the door open for a big Morgan vs. Vaquer rematch down the road. Glad to see Morgan embrace being a heel and actually trying to get boos. She didn’t always strike that tone in the lead up to WrestleMania.
-Penta is the perfect Intercontinental Champion for WWE right now. He’s probably not a world title guy yet, but significantly more valuable than a guy having random singles matches on a week to week basis. The IC title level is his sweet spot. Triple H can line up the entire heel side of the mid-card and Penta can not only have compelling feuds with all of them — he can have compelling matches with all of them too.
From The Takedown on SI
-El Grande Americano vs. El Grande Americano in a mask vs. mask match? Hell yeah. What else is there to say? Hell. Yeah.
-I set the over/under on chants for Kairi Sane at 2. The under hit. The chants were loud, though.
Can Becky Lynch really still be a heel?
-I’m not sure how much time Becky Lynch has left as a heel. The more she works her current gimmick, the more it comes across as if she’s trying to play the part of a bad guy by doing things that a bad guy would do. Fine in theory, but fans are ready to cheer Lynch, though. Why not just let them at this point?
-Lynch vs. Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship was a fun surprise this week. A non-finish, but one that made sense given the Asuka and Sky feud to this point. Asuka vs. Sky we’ll see at Backlash, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sky vs. Lynch again sooner rather than later.
-Ok, this week’s Joe Hendry concert wasn’t the worst one he’s ever done. That doesn’t mean it was good. Hendry is soooooooooooo cheesy and corny during these. The song sounded like something a fourth grader would come up with to win a rap battle. If this is an indication on what Hendry’s good stuff will be? I’m scared to experience everything else.
-That said, Logan Paul isn’t a bad first feud for Hendry. He could do a lot worse. If you’re Paul, I’ve got a lot of questions. When he started with WWE, he was a part-time attraction that got to work with Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. Now, he’s a low-card guy in a fledgling faction set to wrestle a comedy act.
-Cool to see The Street Profits back and with a small push behind them. Like Hendry, feuding with The Vision is a perfect spot for them to get back in the mix with.
-Was anyone else confused by the Imposter El Grande Americano vs. Rey Mysterio match this week? Early in the show, this El Grande cut a babyface promo and just an hour later he was wrestling Mysterio — one of the most over babyfaces ever. At this point, the crowd is reacting to El Grande vs. El Grande like a face vs. face match. Trying to force another narrative, even opposite Mysterio, is a poor choice right now.
Not enough for Femi
-Oba Femi vs. Grayson Waller in a squash match isn’t exciting enough for Femi right now. Femi got one of the biggest wins ever at WrestleMania and has pretty much done nothing since. Femi isn’t a burn slow kind of character. He needs big thing after big thing after big thing to maintain momentum at a high level. Femi got the win this week, but his presence on the show has to be more meaningful than this. It will take a lot for the Lesnar shine to wear off, but it’s not impossible. Like anything else in pro wrestling, the success is in the follow-up.
-Are we excited for the Oba Femi Open Challenge? WWE surely can make something out of this, but even this feels too little for Femi at this point.
-Oh, the Roxanne Perez babyface turn is on. It’s on! Finn Balor planted the seed for Perez to see the bad ways of Judgment Day. Now, the build to that moment begins. Perez is born to be a babyface. She’s naturally likable and will draw fan interest when the time comes.
-Now, with the babyface turn in the works for Perez, her win alongside Raquel Rodriguez against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria this week is a lot more interesting. The door is open for Liv Morgan to turn on her and cost her the tag titles. Not sure what that means for Rodriguez, but it’s a perfect way to get to a Morgan vs. Perez title program.
It’s on
-Jacob Fatu’s Tongan Choke submission needs some work. Reigns tried to sell it, but Fatu applied it so nonchalantly that the selling didn’t quite stick. That said, the overall promo between Fatu and Reigns was strong. Fatu comes across as in Roman’s league and a little more unhinged than Reigns typically is. The foundation for an exciting match is there inside of that exact narrative.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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