-Seth Rollins kicking off the show was a big surprise and a welcome one. Bigger than that was the fact that Rollins looks to be fully cleared and will have a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank. It appeared as if Rollins had significant leg issues, but he’s back and looked really good.
Money in the Bank gets it’s match
-The back and forth between Rollins and Damian Priest worked well in two ways. First, it obviously helped hype their upcoming Money in the Bank title match, but it also continued to position Priest as a likable babyface, even as he continues to hang out with The Judgement Day. Priest was respectful of Rollins and acted like a fighting champion in offering Rollins a title shot out of the gate so that both could determine who the best was. Priest came across as on the level of Rollins this week and that’s a major step forward for him and his character.
-Chad Gable vs. Braun Strowman was what it was. Not shocking to see Strowman get the win. What was shocking was the Otis turn. I mean, can you even call it that? After weeks and weeks of being berated by Gable, Otis rises up only to push him down and then walk away? I’d assume this wasn’t the big turn, but Pat McAfee and Michael Cole sold it as such on commentary. Plus, when you factor in Gable’s involvement with The Wyatt Sicks at the end of the program, it feels as if the Alpha Academy storyline is finished and without a definitive, satisfying end.
-The Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan drama continued this week, this time with Morgan owning some of Dom’s property in the form of his vest. The more this goes on, the more I enjoy it and the more I think Balor, JD McDonagh, and Carlito are in on it with Morgan and Dom together — Priest as the odd man out. Priest vs. Balor at Summerslam looking like a strong possibility.
-Glad to see Iyo Sky in the Women’s Money in the Bank match again this year. She’s not going back to back with it, but she’s a perfect talent for the match.
Breakker and Zayn equals buzz
-Did you feel that? Wellllll? That’s buzz and it was prominent in the audience as Bron Breakker and Sami Zayn stood face to face in the ring. That match is so obvious right now, that it was strange to even put Sheamus in Breakker’s way on the road to earning it. All we got was a bad, shenanigan finish for Sheamus vs. Breakker and things landed exactly where they should have anyway — Breakker vs. Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship. Sidebar: Breakker continues to be a top highlight of Raw each week.
-I get what Shayna Baszler was trying to get at this week in explaining to Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn that they could easily beat them like they did last week, but c’mon, they just were pinned by Dawn and Fyre four days ago. A tough putt to land Shayna, but “A” for effort. Honestly, the women’s tag team titles fit better on Dawn and Fyre than they did on Cargill and Belair. The titles dragged those two down and now they are where they belong — around the waists of a low card act in the women’s division. Yes, that’s a sad state of affairs, but facts are facts.
-Dragon Lee vs. Carlito was solid. A good match with a predictable interference finish. Triple H has to find a way to have some of these matches not end like this one. They happen too often on Raw and Smackdown each week and the strategy has drastic diminishing returns.
Better than a home run
-Drew McIntyre needed a home run promo this week. One that kept him heel, while addressing reasonably being upset at what went down during his championship match at Clash at the Castle. He didn’t hit a home run, but addressed it perfectly. McIntyre quitting the company is a smart way to keep heat on him. The fans will see him as a quitter and that’s not a likable quality, even if you were screwed over in the worst way possible. This is an intriguing turn in the story and smart one to make when the other option was bulldozing through some convoluted idea that McIntyre is still detestable even after what CM Punk did to him. Good stuff here.
-Katana Chance and Kayden Carter getting a win on television signals that they are next for a tag title opportunity.
-Everyone saw that look Xavier Woods gave Kofi Kingston after Kingston took it upon himself to answer Karrion Kross’s challenge right? Seeds of dissension? Let’s hope so. The New Day desperately need something new to sink their teeth into. Kross isn’t a top shelf opponent by any means, but one that makes sense if this is the story they are telling between Woods and Kingston.
-Pretty easy to see that Jey Uso win coming after the promo he cut about being in Money in the Bank a few weeks ago. Uso looked good and had the crowd with him all the way again this week. WWE has a nice story for Uso and Money in the Bank heading into that show now that Jey has officially qualified.
-Rey Mysterio beating up Dominik Mysterio will never get old will it? It’s a surefire way to a pop for WWE these days and makes me smile every single time it happens.
A sick debut for The Wyatt Sicks
-Man, The Wyatt Sicks stuff was pretty darn good this week. I still have my reservations on how it will really work in the confines of pro wrestling and a wrestling ring, but as debuts go, this was on a high level. The group promised a massacre and WWE delivered one. The group was also presented in a chilling fashion with music to go along with the destruction, which made everything pop off the screen in an impactful way. Just like any good angle, this needs strong follow-up, but night one was a tremendous success.
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