-Ya know, it was a bummer that an injury once again sidelined Stephanie Vaquer this week and she wasn’t able to wrestle in her scheduled match against Becky Lynch. A bummer indeed, but also a blessing in disguise. Lynch against Vaquer is a huge match for WWE, but it’s been treading water in the bickering zone like Kevin Owens and CM Punk on SmackDown. Holding off on it hopefully allows for a reframe and that the match is bigger when it eventually goes down.
A workable improvement
-As for the pivot away from Lynch vs. Vaquer this week? It’s about as good as could be expected. WWE took away that match, but then added in a Sami Zayn title defense against Je’Von Evans and a world title match for Lynch against Liv Morgan. Because Crown Jewel looms in the distance, a title change wasn’t realistic for either of those matches, but both worked given the circumstances of the night.
-Zayn vs. Evans was fun while it lasted. The match had a nice near-fall in it and the Penta cash-in tease got a huge pop. Whenever he does cash-in, the roof is going to explode off of whatever building they’re in.
-Before the match, Zayn cut a better than fine promo, but one that reiterated a lot of what he’s been saying for weeks. The promo got heat — just like on SmackDown — and Zayn continues to be a level above most in WWE right now in that regard.
-At Crown Jewel we now know The Vision will defend their tag team gold against Penta and Je’Von Evans. The match has been brewing for weeks. Breakker isn’t going to take another loss is he?
-Speaking of Bron Breakker, where was Oba Femi this week? Femi is the next big star of the company and can’t get on TV? It’s just a massive miss on the part of the booking. Creative has to have something for the guy and they don’t.
WWE women’s division delivers
-Match of the night honors go to Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria with no disqualifications. You never quite know what you’re going to get with a no DQ match in WWE — interference, weapons? It’s usually a mystery. Bayley and Valkyria took the stipulation literally. They beat the hell out of one another. Valkyria took two nasty bumps — one back first onto the pointed part of a steel chair and another flat back off the apron and to the floor, through a metal garbage can. It was a proper end to a nice mid-card feud between both women.
-Where do the women go next? Good question. Bayley can be elevated into the title picture. Valkyria is still finding her way. Without Bayley, it’s likely she gets lost in the mix.
-This week was a quiet week in the 946 feud with The Bloodline. Well, except for the obvious AI promo by Solo Sikoa. Since when is Roman Reigns just standing in the background while someone else talks? This was awful. It looked like Sikoa was standing in front of a green screen that had been overwhelmed by AI bots. WWE is going to use AI in their product, but this? This ain’t the way.
A star babyface
-Is there a better overall babyface in WWE right now than Iyo Sky? Not only did she loop some young fans into the action this week, but she fights from underneath and sells so well. As a fan you can feel her struggle.
-Is someone from WWE reading this column???? Ethan Page looked strong on Raw this week. He got the victory for his team in the tag match alongside Big Cass and opposite Dragon Lee and Chad Gable, but he presented as a dangerous opponent for Gable. With the win, Page certainly jumps to the front of the line for an IC title match. That’s the feud. Page and Gable as characters compliment each other positively, which can make for compelling television with the title on the line.
-Shout out to Big Cass. That guy has eaten loss after loss lately, but got back on track this week. He was a dominant, big-man force in the match and helped facilitate the babyface hot tag. Is this a one-time thing for him or a conscious effort on the part of the booking? Remains to been seen and we’ll need a bigger sample size.
-In the main event, Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch battled to a no-contest. You guessed right! Judgment Day got involved and interfered. We’re nearing House of Torture territory with them. There were obvious forces working against this match. Crown Jewel. Morgan vs. Chelsea Green is a Crown Jewel match and there was nothing inside of the story told there to think WWE would pivot away from it at the last second. That said, the match was good enough where the final near fall after the second Man Handle Slam pulled a nice pop from the audience. Morgan and Lynch had them.
The benefit of meta
-I liked the cash-in tease by Tiffany Stratton to end the show. It worked from a story perspective, but also on a meta level. As a viewer, you knew WWE wanted to present something big given all the changes made to the show. A Money in the Bank cash-in was a lever to pull to achieve that goal. That reality helped the tease land. My money is still on Stratton cashing in on her friend, Chelsea Green.
What was your favorite part of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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Sami Zayn makes a lot of good points (being forced to work when Roman skips it, not given the same respect as him or Punk or Cody, having the bullseye on his chest) but continues to be an insufferable prick about it. Je'Von Evans passed the main event test with flying colors. If he and Penta can get the tag titles to keep both men busy before something opens up singles-wise, that would be good. The No DQ match ripped. Bayley still has her fastball and Lyra should get a lot of credit for putting her body on the line with those insane bumps.
I don't think the Bloodline pre-tape was AI-created. Must be shot with a different camera (8K)
The main event was engaging but the Judgment Day horseshit continued to rear its ugly head and even worse; Tiffany's pump-fake with the MITB proves that she was the wrong choice to get the briefcase. It's deja vu all over again. Either they need to give JD a newer direction or put it out of its damn misery. They've gone full House of Torture.