SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The Bloodline- MISS
WWE is doing overly complicated stories revolving around the Bloodline which isn’t needed in pro wrestling which should be simpler. I’m not sure how WWE wants me to feel about anyone in the Bloodline.
I liked how the opening segment started. I get that they want Roman Reigns to show that he is in total control of the Usos and now Jacob Fatu. From that standpoint, the segment was successful. But, poor Eric Andre. That was such a heel move from both Fatu and Reigns, yet the fans popped for it. Were they supposed to? I don’t think they want Reigns to be a heel, but he continues to come across as one.
It was also not believable that there would be no consequences for Fatu’s actions. I guess that plays into the idea that GM Adam Pearce is playing favorites, and adds fuel to LA Knight’s fire. I’m sure we’re supposed to like him. But, fans want to cheer the Usos too which isn’t working. There were good performances, and it was very memorable, but the story and characters are all over the place.
Sky vs Rodriguez – HIT
This was a good Queen of the Ring semi-final match between Iyo Sky and Raquel Rodriguez. I wasn’t sure going into the match who was going to win. Sky is obviously a big star worthy of Queen of the Ring status and a title match at SummerSlam. But, WWE played up the idea that it could be an all Judgment Day finale, so Rodriguez certainly could have won. The wrestling action was good and built nicely to Sky getting the big win.
Gable vs. Rusev – HIT
The Chad Gable redemption tour continued with this good match against Rusev following up on the angle from last week when he came to the aid of Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta. Gable and Rusev worked well together and had a nice match.
I like to see the Ankle Lock as a legit finishing move once more. For years, nobody tapped out to it, yet the announcers always treated it like this great move that was likely to win the match even though it never did.
The post-match angle was a nice recall from last week as Mysterio & Lee came out to save Gable from Rusev and Ethan Page. I’m curious to see the next steps as Gable needs to make amends to the Alpha Academy, while Rusev and Ethan seem to need more backup. How will the Creeds be involved? Hopefully the story continues to stay strong and we get more good matches like this one, which isn’t difficult considering the high amount of talent involved.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Charlotte vs. Perez – HIT
This was a good match which potentially set up an injury angle for Charlotte Flair after Roxanne Perez targeted her right hand throughout the match. Charlotte was able to overcome that injury to get the win (with some help from Alexa Bliss who neutralized Liv Morgan’s cheating), but the hand injury might come into play in the Queen of the Ring semi-final match on Smackdown against Morgan.
Vision – Evans – MISS
The actual match between Austin Theory and Je’Von Evans was good enough, but the whole story didn’t make a lot of sense. There is nothing in The Vision’s history where they have tried to force someone to join the group. It felt forced. The set up for the match wasn’t good and took away from where the focus should have been for Evans, which is his King of the Ring semi-final match on Smackdown against Jey Uso.
The match was good, but had a non-finish with Bron Breakker getting involved. That did lead to the Street Profits coming out to make the save, which worked well and showed that Angelo Dawkins is healthy which is good. But, this whole angle could have been a lot better.
Dominik vs. Femi – HIT
The only way that Oba Femi was going to lose to Dominik Mysterio here in this KOTR semi-final match was if Brock Lesnar got involved. That wasn’t the plan, so it made sense to have Femi just squash Dirty Dom even with the help of JD McDonagh.
The match was exactly what it needed to be. They don’t all have to be 10-15 minutes of back and forth action. Sometimes, Oba Femi is just going to plow through a Dominik Mysterio. Femi was very strong on the mic afterwards to end the show. The question of Lesnar’s eventual return and presumed involvement in the KOTR tournament remains in the air.
(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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