We are once again seeing what WWE has to offer with their
Monday Night Raw show. They were in Hershey, PA and I was sold out. The show
started with Cody Rhodes getting assaulted by Brock Lesnar backstage. He got a
beat down and it started the show with a bang. This would be an ongoing story
throughout the night as we move into the show with Paul Heyman in the ring.
I don’t know why I expected wrestling on a wrestling show to
start. Paul Heyman showed up, cut a promo and then Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
showed up to cut a promo as well. Imperium showed up, but didn’t come inside the
ring because Matt Riddle showed up, so they walked away and waited for the end
of the show for the six man tag that was scheduled.
Or did they?
Nope, the Imperium ran inside and started to fight the trio
of Owens, Zayn and Riddle, and they were thrown over the top rope, and that was
it. Opening done, and we get into the crux of the action.
Bronson Reed defeated Ricochet
Ricochet is impressive as always, and he really threw down
with Bronson. The big man would be reeling a lot here, and it was a good match
overall, under ten minutes, but one of the better matches that WWE has thrown
together for RAW. I liked this one a lot, and Ricochet is just awesome in ring.
Bronson Reed got the big win here, after a splash from the top, which looked
brutal.
Seth Rollins had an interview segment, and it was ok. We
also had other interview stuff, but nothing to write home about, unless you’re
really into interview segments.
Zoey Stark defeated Candice LeRae
This match was less than 3 minutes long folks, and it is sad
to see such a limited time given to women’s wrestling. The match was adequate,
nothing crazy, just short and Zoey Stark winning. I can’t really say much about
this one, it wasn’t a complete squash, but it certainly wasn’t a good match
either. LaRae did get a little offense, so there’s that, and there was a Nikki
Cross cameo, so maybe there’s something to that for the future.
Brock Lesnar beat down Cody Rhodes
Brock went into the ring and called anyone out, Cody Rhodes
answered and got a beat down for his troubles. Brock left smiling with his hat
on, and Cody was left with what appeared to be a broken arm, so there’s that.
Not sure what will happen this weekend, but this is interesting.
Alpha Academy defeated The Viking Raiders
This was a short and sweet match. Less than 5 minutes
overall, but it was a fast tag team match. Alpha Academy got the win, and the Viking
Raiders were chumps here. Ok, so it wasn’t a complete squash, but it was so
short, that you didn’t get a lot of action from both teams. The Viking Raiders
seemed to get a lot of the action but it was Chad Gable’s quickness that would
get his team a victory. Not a great match, but it served for filler I guess.
Raquel Rodriguez defeated Sonya Deville
Well, if you’re a fan of women’s wrestling, you’ll be saddened
by this one yet again. It was about 2 minutes long, and that was it. A quick
women’s match, nothing to write home about, and Sonya Deville loses. That’s not
without having a post match beatdown, and Shotzi ran out to save her, the two
will team up next week for the women’s title four way match.
Trisha Stratus and Becky Lynch Contract Signing
This was ok, but it wasn’t wrestling, just a lot of talk. I
just like looking at Trish, so I guess it gets a thumbs up just to see her in
the ring, looking good.
Dominik Mysterio defeated Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews was firmly in control for a good portion of
this match, but eventually Dominik would get some shots in. Rhea Ripley would
get involved on the outside, and after rolling Crews in, Dom hit one hell of a
frog splash. This was an ok match, but the frog splash, wow, epic one from Dom.
Crews loses here, in a 5 minute match, which wasn’t half bad, but not necessarily
grand either. I liked it.
Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle defeated Imperium
A strong contender for match of the night was found here.
The six men put together a good match with Riddle, Owens, and Zayn doing a good
job at isolating the ring, throwing down some great power moves, lariats ,and
more. Both teams worked together well, and a swanton and pinfall got this one
to end with a nice finishing point. Imperium stared back at the winners from he
top of the ramp, and that was it. The show was all about done.
Cody Rhodes got a visit from Triple H.
They ended the show with a visit from Triple H, and he was
going to try and cajole Rhodes into getting medical attention and getting an
upgrade for his arm. Cody refused, and Triple H left, and that’s when the show ended.
Overall Thoughts
I’m tired. So tired that I almost didn’t write this review. The
show was ok, not great, but just ok. I liked the matches somewhat, although
some were shorter than others. I wish the WWE gave women’s wrestling more respect
on the main roster, and let stories come out, rather than just giving them 2
minutes or so. That’s just my two cents. Raw was ok at best, you could miss it,
and read results and you’d be relatively caught up with the goings on.
