-Brock Lesnar as Oba Femi’s main foe greatly enhances Femi. WWE wasn’t ready for what they had with Femi after the Lesnar match at WrestleMania. Because Lesnar is Lesnar, Femi is instantly hot again because he’s having a feud there instead of random open challenges with Otis. It was an epic miscalculation on the part of Triple H and Lesnar is helping salvage what should have been a creative layup.
Why, why, why, why, why?
-Femi is wonderful on the microphone. He has a different cadence and pace than anyone else on the show and it stands out. The writing of his promo this week was god damn horrendous. Femi is not going to and should not be angling to “kill” Brock Lesnar. Threatening that has zero impact because nobody believes it will happen.
-As for Lesnar, it will be a while before there is clarity on what exactly was supposed to happen with him coming out of WrestleMania. The reason he gave for coming out of retirement so quickly worked in the context of the story being told right now.
-A very good WWE Men’s Intercontinental Championship match to start the show this week. Penta vs. Je’Von Evans was an example of similar styles complimenting the other. The match was action packed. It’s been a hidden story on WWE Raw, but the Penta IC title run is a thing now. Here’s hoping WWE feeds it even more.
From The Takedown on SI
-Attention WWE. Don’t turn Je’Von Evans heel. He’s as perfect of a babyface as you’ll get. Figure out how to write good guys better. Boom. Problem solved.
It’s time
-Alright, let’s discuss The Vision. It’s time. Like Old Yeller, it’s time to take the faction out back and put it down. The entire stable has been snake bit from the beginning and now all that’s left is Austin Theory and Bron Breakker. Theory tried to come across as a menacing heel to be taken seriously, but he hasn’t found that performance level yet. He looks out of place in that spot. At this point, having a fake serious Theory next to a future star in Breakker hurts the aura of Breakker. Breakker has a much higher upside and can’t be held back by a silly Theory character that is looking to find his footing. Pull the plug. Put Breakker with Heyman and then go.
-Tough blow for Logan Paul. It’s never good to see someone get seriously injured. If there is a silver lining, Paul will come back in a post-Vision era, so he can return as a special singles attraction again. That’s his most valuable role in the company.
-Based on how the Judgment Day vs. Lyra Valkyria and Bayley match went this week, I’d put my money on Roxanne Perez to win Queen of the Ring. The announce team and cameras focused on her and her reaction to losing the match because of Dominik Mysterio’s poorly executed interference. Another layer of anger to build on between her and the current WWE Women’s World Champion, Liv Morgan.
=The LA Knight and Jimmy Uso in-ring promo segment was compelling, but it’s tough to see a reasonable endpoint for the story that doesn’t lead to eye rolls. Knight is calling The Usos out for going back to their old Bloodline ways next to Roman Reigns. Jimmy counters and says it’s family business and that they are different people now than they were during the Bloodline run of terror. So, it can go one of two ways. Knight is right and The Usos go back to their old heel characters. Or, Knight is wrong and he looks like an ass for hating on and not trusting two guys that are supposed to be his friend. Neither of those directions are strong.
Go with Montez Ford
-It was cool seeing Seth Rollins and Montez Ford wrestle a singles match together. Why not give Ford a little dose of strong booking for once? Not saying that he had to beat Rollins here, but the guy has shown enough to get at least a small singles push. It took the beat down of Angelo Dawkins, but finally Rollins and Ford are on the same page. For now? I still smell a Ford heel turn. Maybe the push comes after that.
-Well, Rey Mysterio beat Rusev this week and earned a shot at Penta and the WWE Men’s Intercontinental Championship, but I think we know how that’s going to go. Rusev and Ethan Page aren’t hovering around the the IC title for no reason. Look for them to get involved in that match outcome. You heard it here first.
What about the world title?
-The Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu Tribal Combat contract signing was entertaining. Fundamentally, the feud is focused on the wrong things, so the audience hasn’t invested as much as they could. Why do fans care who is putting food on the table for the Anoai family? What matters to them is the championship. The world title. It’s kind of an afterthought in favor of the family Bloodline drama. If it was focused toward the title, the audience could invest deeper. As for the match on Sunday, it should be excellent. The story isn’t where it needs to be, but the two stars involved are A players.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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