SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Opening Segment – MISS: I just don’t care about the concept of Crown Jewel. I don’t care who wins between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in this Champion vs. Champion match that isn’t for either of the Championships, and I can’t imagine WWE doing anything to change that. So, the mic work from Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins was perfectly fine. The idea that Rollins would wave off Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed to stop them from potentially jumping Rhodes as he left the ring was interesting. But, in the end it is all for a meaningless match which only serves to hurt one of your top Champions. This also didn’t feel like a strong way to follow up on both of their matches from WrestlePalooza. Where were CM Punk and AJ Lee?
New Day & Waller vs. War Raiders & Penta – HIT: This was a fun, chaotic six man tag which fit well into the no disqualification stipulation. Everyone performed well here. There were several memorable spots throughout. Presumably they aren’t done with the Penta vs. New Day feud, considering the ongoing storyline of trying to get the Mexican Destroyer banned. However, Penta wins all the matches, so it isn’t much of a feud. I would much rather see him go on to something new.
Bayley vs. Perez – HIT: This was a good match that continued to tell the story between Bayley and Lyra Valkyria with Bayely’s split personality character. It was nicely set up earlier in the show with hugger Bayley unaware that angry Bayley had berated Valkyria last week. She and Roxanne Perez put on a good match with Raquel Rodriguez also getting involved. The aftermath with Valkyria getting shoved by angry Bayley after the match despite her winning was an interesting next step in the story.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Night vs. Uso – HIT: The Jey Uso saga continues. It was cool to see him interacting before this match with both his brother and Cody Rhodes. He continues to descend into darkness. He took advantage of The Vision getting involved in this match to get the win over LA Knight, and then refused to go to his aid when Breakker and Reed were looming to beat him down after the match. Jimmy Uso had to help out instead. I’m curious to see where all of this goes.
Asuka vs. Ripley – HIT: The story setting up this match and building to it was woven successfully throughout Raw. We saw multiple segments in the back involving The Kabuki Warriors, Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley. WWE can’t go right to a challenge for Stephanie Vaquer’s newly won Women’s Championship because of the silly Crown Jewel gimmick, so they keep this story going as a way of drawing out her first challenger on Raw. The story is entertaining, even if some of the acting is over the top and too cartoonish. I still get a kick out of it. It isn’t surprising that Ripley and Asuka would have a very good main event against each other. The post-match angle with the mist, Sky and Kairi Sane all being involved worked well. Clearly they are setting up The Kabuki Warriors vs. Sky & Ripley, but where will Sane’s loyalties ultimately land?
(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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