HEYDORN’S RAW RECEIPT 8/23: Crowd response solidify Randy Orton and Riddle as the highlight of the show

BY ZACK HEYDORN, PWTORCH ASSISTANT EDITOR

Randy Orton injury update

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.

-Given what we saw at Summerslam, it’s hurts to think about having to watch another Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg match. Especially if said match takes place in Saudi Arabia. That painful note aside, MVP’s promo on all things Lashley crushing Goldberg and Gage at Summerslam was tip top level stuff. MVP sold the story, it was rooted in heel logic, and the delivery was succinct and obnoxious. All while allowing Lashley to look like the star that he is in the middle of the ring.

-Good to see Damian Priest get a shot at the top of the card. He’s a guy that Vince McMahon has kept protected. He did well enough opposite Lashley this week to get another go at it sometime soon. Is he a guy that you strap the company to? Probably not, but he’s becoming an act that can flirt with that top spot when it makes sense or is needed.

-Doudrop likes the name Doudrop? Nobody buys that. The story and angle this week on the show is booking 101 for the lower part of the card and it’ll be an uphill battle repairing either of these women moving forward. This is what happens when you trot out characters without a backstory or context and expect people to care out of thin air.

-Umm, Karrion Kross? Was it something you said? Did? What happened, man? The getup for Kross was laugh out loud funny and evaporated any shreds of credibility he had. The win was definitive, yes, but the ring attire may as well just say mid-card all over it.

-WWE tried to make sure Logan Paul received a positive reaction, but were instantly unsuccessful. How long is the line of people waiting to say “I told you so!” Bottom line? Logan Paul gets the reaction Logan Paul deserves.

-Since their reincarnation as a tag team, Miz and Morrison have been a comedic duo tasked with filling time on talk show segments in the ring. Now that Miz stabbed Morrison in the back, we’re supposed to take these guys seriously? They have an uphill battle to climb here. Will people care enough to invest? That is the question.

-How many oddball tag team storylines can you have going on the same show? Orton and Riddle, Mansoor and Ali, and now Rhea Ripley and Nikki?

-Charlotte Flair cut a nice heel, championship victory promo. It felt like a reset for the title and for the hierarchy of the women’s division as a whole. It will be interesting to see the Alexa Bliss act with storyline context around it. Targeting the voodoo madness on Flair because she wants the championships gives things more of a reason to exist. Flair vs. Bliss feels fresh, so I’m on board at this point.

-Good main event. Riddle and Styles had a hard-hitting match and the audience looked genuinely enthusiastic about Riddle in particular. He and Orton together as a team continue to be the highlight of Raw each week. I think we’re looking at some sort of Extreme Rules match between them and Omos & Styles at the next PPV.


CATCH-UP: 8/23 WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT: Hazelwood’s alt-perspective on RK-Bro Championship Celebration, A.S.H. & Ripley vs. Jax & Baszler, Logan Paul on “Moist TV,” more

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