-WWE trotted out another classy Hulk Hogan tribute on Raw this week — same with Smackdown on Friday. Nothing over the top, but appropriate given how much Hogan meant to pro wrestling and the WWE itself.
What now?
-An odd promo to start the show this week. Jey Uso seemed to either lose his place in the promo or forget all together where he was supposed to take things. Paul Heyman walking through how Jey’s family has screwed him over throughout the years is a strong heel touch, but the segment didn’t have the right babyface response from Jey. Just a bit awkward all the way through.
-AJ Styles launching Kairi Sane into the air for a flying elbow drop was a highlight of the show this week. A great spot and a good win for the babyfaces too. Styles seems rejuvenated by this feud with Dominik Mysterio. Expecting to see a good match between the two at Summerslam.
-Yeah, I’m not buying the Grayson Waller and New Day pairing. No chemistry at this point and the two acts just don’t mesh. Apparently Triple H understands this as well as he jobbed the newly “freed from Austin Theory” Grayson Waller right to Sheamus.
Underrated
-Speaking of Sheamus, we’ve got a rubber match coming up between him and Rusev. As I’ve written in this very column multiple times, Sheamus is a helluva worker when it comes to TV matches on Raw. It’s a specialty and something that his style is suited for because of how intense it is. Sheamus vs. Rusev 3 has “banger” written all over it.
-A horrendous promo from Lyra Valkyria this week. She needed to come through much stronger than she did. She whiffed on this. Look, sometimes you need your stars to step up and get a big hit. Valkyria had a moment available to her with this promo time. It’s the big go-home babyface promo to wrap a feud that has happened simply to make her. She needed a bigger hit. She wasn’t ready or comfortable and the lines were poor and eye-roll inducing.
-Sami Zayn is a special kind of “over.” More than anyone on the WWE roster, Zayn can make people care about what he’s doing. The Zayn vs. Karrion Kross feud isn’t great, but it’s better than expected because fans genuinely want to see Zayn win. I’m expecting a fun showdown between these two at Summerslam.
Almost Stephanie’s time
-The women’s eight-person tag match was a blast. Tons of action and big one-on-one moments carried the bout. Stephanie Vaquer got the big-time presentation and the victory for her team. Not an accident. She continues to be featured as a major star on the Raw brand.
-The men’s tag team championship match had almost zero drama. The match was fine for what it was, but neither team was able to take the crowd to the next level without the drama of who would win. Fans seemed to assume Judgment Day would win and they did.
-Gunther and CM Punk were much better this week compared to the snooze fest that was last week’s promo. Punk showed some fire this week. He put his mission on the line and was almost desperate in talking about how badly he wanted to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The match needed that. Punk’s nonchalance about winning the title last week was a massive disservice to the bout. He corrected course this week, but not fully. This program could use another two weeks of build.
Heat
-Interference in the Raw main event. Shocking I tell ya! The interference was expected, but the big heat angle with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker over Roman Reigns and Jey Uso was very effective. Breakker and Reed needed that dominance to help get over the idea that they are lethal killers in the ring. This segment did that. Reigns sold his butt off for Breakker and those two are on a collision course for a singles match sooner than later. With the angle, WWE created a mountain for Reigns and Jey to climb and overcome at Summerslam. Smart booking.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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