SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Opening Segment – HIT: I certainly had some issues with how WWE handled the announcement that Becky Lynch is pregnant. They set us up for bad news, but before giving us the good news, they had Asuka celebrating getting the Women’s Championship when it looked like Becky might be seriously injured or ill. That part was off putting. But, I did enjoy the way she celebrated. That was good, just poorly timed. Asuka as the replacement Champion makes sense. I’m glad she’s being rewarded for the fun work she’s done in these empty arena shows. Becky was also good which makes sense given that she was being real. It sucks that she won’t be on for a long time, but obviously great news for her and Seth Rollins. I’m not sure we needed to see 17 replays of it for the rest of the show though.
Lashley vs. Carrillo – HIT: This worked as a nice follow up to Bobby Lashley getting disqualified in the gauntlet match last week against Humberto Carrillo. Carrillo showed fire in attacking Lashley with the chair. Lashley is in line for a big push which I am fine with so giving him a strong win here was the right way to go. He had a chance to introduce the full nelson as a new submission finisher. I am intrigued to see where they go with him with MVP as a potential manager which we saw more of later in the show. MVP did a good job of talking up Lashley as deserving a WWE Title shot against Drew McIntyre.
Garza vs. Tozawa – MISS: I sound like a broken record (at some point, I switched to a broken MP3 player, but even that is now outdated), but how can WWE keep having Akira Tozawa lose on Raw and then expect fans to take him seriously on NXT? This match also suffered from the poorly told story of Zelina Vega’s group arguing with each other for reasons that were not well explained at all. It also set up Drew McIntyre to come out for no real reason. He is playing his part so well, but unfortunately he didn’t have much to work with this week.
McIntyre vs. Andrade – MISS: That segment led to this match with McIntyre taking on Andrade. The match itself was perfectly fine, but it was yet another loss for the United States Champion Andrade. It was another loss for one of Vega’s trio of wrestlers. Andrade has so much talent, that he should be protected much more than he is. Plus there is so much potential in this group, that it is a shame that the only time they actually get a win is over Tozawa who should be protected himself.
Brand to Brand Invitation – MISS: WWE is getting desperate with their sinking ratings that they are partially doing away with the brand split with this brand to brand invitation which is similar to the wildcard rule which eventually turned into a total lack of a brand split. Maybe if they had better storylines and created new stars and did something to make the show feel like it had some actual ambiance in this difficult time, they wouldn’t have to use these stunts. And if they have to use these stunts, why have the first Smackdown wrestler on Raw be King Corbin? Corbin isn’t the answer. It is just ridiculous.
Bliss & Cross vs. The IIconics – MISS: The Moment of Bliss was not good. None of the women came across well in that segment. The match was okay, but the real issue is that once again it is a case of champions losing non-title matches. If you want to get to The IIconics getting a Tag Team Championship match, why not have them on for a month getting some wins over jobbers and then move on to a few established teams and then have them earn a title match against Cross & Bliss? That way they actually are built up, while anticipation to see them against better competition is also built, while the Champions continue to look strong.
Pretty Ricky – MISS: I don’t know anyone who was missing this horrible alter ego from R-Truth. I couldn’t care at all about the six man tag match just because of his involvement.
Shayna Baszler – HIT: Shayna Baszler saying that Becky Lynch’s baby is going to suck was possibly my favorite moment on Raw this year. That was one hell of a heel interview. That is where WWE using a real life issue in a storyline works well. It fit in perfectly with her character. Her delivery was spot on. The follow up with Natalya was also strong with her saying that Natalya will be the last of the Hart Dynasty. Their match was also good. She should ultimately beat Asuka and go on a very long run as the women’s Champion on Raw.
Mysterio and Black – MISS: So Corbin tried to kill them and nothing was made of it on the actual PPV. They went out of their way to say that they only fell 6 feet, but that wasn’t a great explanation. Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black should have sold that even if it was just a 6 foot fall since it came after that long brawl throughout the headquarters. The fact that they both were cleared to wrestle one night after that takes away from the supposed danger of the match which undercuts the whole concept of the match.
Mysterio & Black vs. Murphy & Rollins – MISS: There was certainly plenty of good wrestling action in this match, and it was interesting to see Rollins acting like a zombie and not participating in the match. The problem is that two babyfaces were in a 2-on-1 situation against Buddy Murphy and couldn’t keep control. That is backwards psychology with the heel getting sympathy for not having a partner helping him in the match and it made Mysterio and Black look weak. And then you had Rollins getting disqualified for no real reason at all.
Rollins Snaps – HIT: Despite not liking the match, the post-match attack when Rollins snapped on Mysterio and tried to take out his eye was very well done. That was good work from Rollins to go from being in a trance to totally snapping and going rabid after Mysterio, to later acting like the didn’t know what had happened. I am intrigued to see where they go with his character after the loss to McIntyre at the PPV and now becoming a father. I assume that aspect will be a part of it since Mysterio brought it up. If not, they should not have reminded the fans that this guy is Becky’s baby daddy.
Basketball Game – MISS: I do miss the NBA, but I don’t need to see comedy basketball skits on Raw. I get that they need to find some creative ways to fill out the show, but this wasn’t the answer. Turning The Viking Raiders into a comedy team isn’t a good idea. The Street Profits do have a good sense of humor, but can also turn serious and have a bit of an edge too. That wasn’t the case here. The comedy wasn’t good. It made both teams look bad. This was definitely not the way to follow up on a very good non-title match that they had last week.
Edge – Orton – HIT: Raw finished strong with this set up for a straight up wrestling match at Backlash between Edge and Randy Orton. Edge was good in his interview to start the segment. Orton was great in his interruption. It was good to just watch Edge listen to what Orton had to say without actually responding to his challenge. This storyline was the best storyline in WWE in 2020 starting at The Royal Rumble going all the way to the start of their Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania. Unfortunately, that match didn’t live up to the great story that built to it. This was another good segment revisiting this feud and it will be interesting to see the rest of the build after this strong start. Fans should also want to see Edge in a regular wrestling match. This also was the most uses of the word “wrestling” in a WWE segment in a long time. The only problem with this closing segment was the end when Charlie Caruso inexplicably said that if they have a wrestling match it will be the greatest ever. That has me worried some.
Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com’s WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw and Smackdown each week. Email him at jmezz_torch@yahoo.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonMezzera.
“The only problem with this closing segment was the end when Charlie Caruso inexplicably said that if they have a wrestling match it will be the greatest ever. That has me worried some.”
You ain’t alone, brother. My first thought when she said that was that sure did telegraph a big ol’ vintage VKM eff you is coming to “wrestling” fans at BackLash
Yes you would think Vince would just let them have their match without him showing up to ruin it.