HEYDORN’S RAW RECEIPT 8/30: Clean win over Drew McIntyre indicates strong push for Damian Priest

BY ZACK HEYDORN, PWTORCH ASSISTANT EDITOR

WWE stock increases for Damian Priest after Backlash
PHOTO CREDIT: Sports Illustrated

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.

-Damian Priest looked the part kicking off Raw. It’s a new spot for him and the moment didn’t look too big or overwhelming. This and the clean win over Drew McIntyre a bit later in the show clearly indicate the company is behind him. He’s quietly been one of the more protected guys on the show, so it’ll be interesting to see how far they go.

-Decent win for Rhea Ripley tonight, though, who had Ripley vs. Baszler basically unannounced and without a title on the line as their first main roster encounter given their history in NXT?

-I’m going to hear that damn “Raid!” chant in my dreams, aren’t I? Curse you Viking Raiders. Curse you.

-A very good triple threat match between McIntyre, Priest, and Sheamus. It was hard-hitting and well booked with the audience biting on every big spot and moment. Three pros in there doing work.

-Doudrop vs. Eva Marie. Will it ever end? On multiple levels, this feud incapsulates the recent issues plaguing Monday Night Raw.

-Well, this week Karrion Kross has the match he should have had out of the gate on the main roster. Unfortunately for him and WWE, nobody cares anymore. You could hear a pin drop in the arena during his entrance.

-So, Charlotte and Nia Jax just decided to throw down huh? The match was messy most of the time, but intriguing given how the action progressed. It looked like both Charlotte and Jax were stiffing each other near the end. Jax earning the clean win was also a surprise given what was setup last week between Charlotte and Alexa Bliss.

-Ok, why did John Morrison want that match again? Omos is clearly a project for Vince McMahon and though he was fine with what he did out there, jobbing a freshly turned babyface in Morrison is questionable at best. Certainly, there are other guys on the roster who could have taken that Omos beating tonight.

-Xavier Woods vs. A.J. Styles was enjoyable. Good action and it felt fresh. A smart finish too, keeping the Calf Crusher credible and something that can realistically end matches.

-A lot happening in the main event. We saw storyline progression for RK-Bro vs. Styles & Omos and also were teased with something between Orton and Lashley down the road. Orton’s RKO on Lashley to end the show got a strong reaction from the crowd. After Goldberg, Lashley is going to need babyface opponents lined up and ready to go. Damian Priest is looking like one, but a newly minted babyface Randy Orton is another option at this point as well.

-Raw gets a slight thumbs up this week. The Priest push, triple threat match, and whatever happened between Jax and Charlotte was enough to carry through the Doudrop nonsense and other recent frustrations.


CATCH-UP: 8/30 WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on Doudrop vs. Eva Marie, Lashley & MVP vs. Orton & Riddle, Styles vs. Woods, Charlotte vs. Jax

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