SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Opening Segment – HIT: The post-PLE Raw got off to a good start with Jey Uso coming out to talk about what happened to him and Roman Reigns the night before. I greatly appreciated how Jey refused to run it back. He wasn’t out there to celebrate. That fit perfectly with what happened at Clash in Paris. I liked how he questioned what he did in helping Reigns, but still said it was the right thing to do. L.A. Knight was good in his interruption talking about his own view of what happened in the main event World Title match. The interruption from The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed worked well. We don’t get to hear them on the mic as much as Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins, so it was good to hear them talk here. This set up the tag team main event which temporarily put on hold the issues that Knight had with Uso.
Kabuki Warriors vs. Judgment Day – MISS: This match had far too many sloppy spots. Kairi Sane looked off multiple times. The ending with Asuka not knowing if she was supposed to go for a pin on Roxanne Perez or just right to the Asuka Lock was awkward. There were other times when a wrestler would oddly put themselves in a position to take a move in an unnatural way, or stand too long waiting for their opponent. The booking of the match made sense to give the Kabuki Warriors a win and some bragging rights in their storyline with Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley. But, the match just wasn’t good enough especially considering the talent involved.
Balor vs. Lee – HIT: I don’t understand giving Dragon Lee a win over J.D. McDonagh last week, only to turn around and give him the loss against Finn Balor here. It is stupid 50-50 booking where nobody can get ahead. Why not get behind Lee? This was a very good match between two very good wrestlers. I am still giving it a Hit for the wrestling quality despite my questioning the outcome.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Styles vs. Doninik – HIT: This was a good Intercontinental Championship match with Dirty Dominik Mysterio successfully defending the Title against AJ Style with the help of El Grande Americano. I would have rather seen a clean finish, and Michael Cole absolutely has to stop praising Mysterio for his heel tactics. But, the match was good before the disappointing, but predictable finish. The Parisian fans really loved Styles. That must have been a great moment for him. Will he move into a feud with Americano now?
Punk – Lynch – HIT: This was a very compelling segment which is being interpreted by just about everyone as a sign that A.J. Lee’s return to WWE to team up with her husband C.M. Punk to take on Seth Rollins and his wife Becky Lynch. Both Punk and Lynch were very strong on the mic here. Their interplay once Becky came out to interrupt instead of Rollins was great. They both performed their roles very well. I get having Punk sharing a moment with Ripley earlier in the show was meant to throw us off the scent and make us think that she might team with him. But, everyone knows, so they don’t need to play coy too much and try to set up some swerves. Just tell the story and get to the point.
Main Event – HIT: The main event tag match was a strong way to get Breakker & Reed a needed win over two big stars. They can’t just lose every match and then stand tall after beating down their victorious opponents. That has happened a lot, so seeing them get the win here was nice. The save from Jimmy Uso during the post-match beatdown was interesting. What was he doing there on Raw? He is also intwined in the Solo Sokoa story on Smackdown with Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn. So, will these two feuds somehow end up mixed together?
(Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com’s WWE Raw Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw each week. Email him at jmezz_torch@yahoo.com. Follow him on BlueSky @jonmezzera.bsky.social)
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