{"id":174116,"date":"2024-02-20T18:51:54","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T00:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=174116"},"modified":"2024-02-21T11:55:12","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T17:55:12","slug":"over-unders-wwe-raw-2-20-jeys-sunglasses-mcafee-getting-cut-off-codys-wordsmith-fail-dominiks-dart-misses-nfl-scribbles-on-screen-ivars-and-nias-acting-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/02\/20\/over-unders-wwe-raw-2-20-jeys-sunglasses-mcafee-getting-cut-off-codys-wordsmith-fail-dominiks-dart-misses-nfl-scribbles-on-screen-ivars-and-nias-acting-more\/","title":{"rendered":"OVER &#038; UNDERS \u2013 WWE RAW (2\/20): Jey&#8217;s sunglasses, McAfee getting cut off, Cody&#8217;s wordsmith fail, Dominik&#8217;s dart misses, NFL scribbles on screen, Ivar&#8217;s and Nia&#8217;s acting, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-194031411\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>It\u2019s Monday night, and you know what that means! It\u2019s time for another 3-hour ride of suspense, unpredictability, and the big question of whether or not Main Event Jey Uso will take the Intercontinental (Heavyweight) Championship off of Gunther, just days away from a Premium Live Event. Will he? Won\u2019t he? Only the wrestling gods, Paul \u201cTriple H\u201d Levesque and the entire board of T.K.O. know. So let\u2019s dig into the most OVERRATED and UNDER-APPRECIATED MOMENTS from tonight\u2019s Monday Night Raw.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; JEY\u2019S SUNGLASSES<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Am I the only one that doesn\u2019t get amped up to watch Main Event Jey Uso when he\u2019s dressed like he\u2019s on vacation? He looks like he&#8217;s about to go snorkeling. I don\u2019t think any accessory could get me less excited for a match. Oh wait, J.D. McDonagh is wearing a purple shirt that\u2019s 2 sizes too small, which makes him look like he\u2019s cosplaying Judgment Day, while walking WITH Judgment Day, like he won some kind of WWE.com raffle. Use code WWEWANNABE at checkout for your chance to meet The Judgment Day.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; CODY (RHODES) CRYBABIES AREN\u2019T WE ALL<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I loved seeing a sign that said \u201cI\u2019m a Cody crybaby too.\u201d The Rock trying to demean Cody Rhodes with a childish nickname is backfiring in all the best ways. Now the Cody loyalists have a fun nickname to call themselves. Move over Cenation. Step aside Zayniacs. Back of the line Hulkamaniacs. The Crybabies are here to sob you a river and drown your hopes of anyone taking Cody\u2019s spot.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; SWORDS BUT NO SWORDS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Drew McIntyre\u2019s augmented reality graphic of the swords with blue flames is incredibly cool. That said, how can you have multiple swords on screen but have Drew come out swordless like he couldn\u2019t pull it from the stone? Also, why the blue flames? If he doesn\u2019t come out in Perth with a flaming blue sword, I for one am going to be disappointed with WWE heating up my hopes, and then extinguishing my dreams. But this is WWE, they would never do anything like that to us, right? RIGHT?! On a side note, Drew looks particularly happy tonight. Does he not have his sword because it\u2019s stuck in someone\u2019s back somewhere? I look forward to his defense in a homicide case being \u201cThis is who I\u2019ve always been.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; PAT MCAFEELINGS GET HURT<\/b><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2324807047\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Poor Pat McAfee. The man tried to make a poignant statement about, well we may never know because someone in the production truck has a strong disdain for him and hit the promo button a few seconds early. This felt like the production version of Dr. Evil shushing, or maybe shooshing, his son in Austin Powers, played by lifelong WWE fan Seth Green. Hi Seth!<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; TRYING TO BE A WORDSMITH WITH BAD WRITING<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The start of the Cody Rhodes WrestleMania promo literally said, \u201cOne man\u2019s path is carved toward his destiny.\u201d I\u2019ve never seen a path carved before. Even if you could carve a path, which sounds like it would take eons, how would you do so toward a destiny? It\u2019s not like you can type in \u201cDestiny\u201d into Google Maps and find your way. I\u2019m all for being clever with words, but if you&#8217;re going to get metaphorical, WWE, can we at least try to make sense? I feel like you\u2019re just spitting on me and calling it thunder. See? It\u2019s not fun when metaphors don\u2019t make sense is it? The promo also said \u201cTheir roads to WrestleMania go through each other.\u201d No, they actually don\u2019t. This match doesn\u2019t affect either of their roads in any way. A more apropos phrasing would be \u201cThey are pit stops for each other on the road to \u2018Mania.\u201d Their roads don\u2019t intersect, run perpendicular, or even cross the same county. Hell, McIntyre\u2019s road is so long and distant that he\u2019s going to have to drive on the other side of the road to get there (I\u2019m looking at you, Perth).<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; LONG FORM STORYTELLING<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I love that Drew McIntyre has a chip on his shoulder from winning the main event of WrestleMania in front of no one. WWE shines when they have these meaningful callbacks. We don\u2019t all have amnesia like Vince used to think we do. This is rewarding for fans. It also just makes his heel turn all the more believable and weighty, because he has a legitimate reason to be such a moody McIntyre. All the best villains have a valid point but extremist methods.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; BAD CAMERA WORK<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I think my compliments to Cody Rhodes\u2019 entrance camera man last week went to his head. He prematurely dipped, jarringly, before Cody bent down to pound the stage, popped up even more dramatically to reset, and then missed the shot altogether. WWE has more than one\u2026good cameraman. Time to tag this one out.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; FANS MORE CREATIVE THAN WWE<\/b><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2529049511\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Did anyone see the brilliant sign that said \u201cI <b>Drew<\/b> McIntyre\u201d that featured a drawing that the sign owner was presumably the artist behind? Brilliant, pun-tastic creativity, anonymous fan. Take notes WWE. That\u2019s real writing.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED \/ THE WORD RAW<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m trying to enjoy Cody Rhodes versus Drew McIntyre but I am so utterly distracted by how many times the word \u201cRAW\u201d is visible in the background. I feel like I\u2019m looking at a child\u2019s artwork where they wrote their name a hundred times on it. Welcome to Monday Night Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw\u2026it may never end.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; SELL-A-THON<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Watching Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre fight is like watching two salesmen with rival pitches giving their absolute best swings at each other. I can\u2019t decide who sells better, but my God do they compliment each other well. Every move feels brutal. Every kick feels painful. Every submission feels like a necessary break so Drew doesn\u2019t get blown up, but it still looks legit!<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; COMING BACK FROM COMMERCIAL BREAK WITH A\u2026WHIMPER<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Why not come back from commercial break right in the middle of the action between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes? Throw me back into the ring, suck me in! Nope. We come back with a weird wide shot of the arena where we can see the action on a ceiling TV, and the word \u201cRaw\u201d about 10,364 times across the arena in big red font. And we\u2019re back for more Monday Night Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw!<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; THE ACOUSTICS OF CODY RHODES\u2019 CHEST AND DREW McINTYRE\u2019S HANDS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The chops from Drew McIntyre to Cody Rhodes sound absolutely brutal. The audible synergy between Cody\u2019s chest and Drew\u2019s hands are like a twisted duet made in violent heaven. This is like watching an aggressive chemistry akin to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Those two were meant to sing together and Drew\u2019s hands were meant to brutalize Cody\u2019s chest. Seriously, that music they\u2019re making alone should win a Grammy.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; THE DISASTROUS KICK<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Cody Rhodes versus Drew McIntyre match has had so many audible hits (see what I did there?), that any strike that doesn\u2019t meet the bar they\u2019ve set is going to sound weak by comparison. This, unfortunately, is what happened to Cody\u2019s disaster kick tonight. Compared to the raw (or should I said Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw) hits of the other moves, this felt like a love tap between two friends. Fortunately, the Cody Cutter moments later totally redeemed Cody. That was primal and poetic<b>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; TWO MEN OVER THE TOP ROPE<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes going over the top rope together was so well timed, executed and beautiful that it felt like choreography straight out of <i>La La Land.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; HEELS TELEGRAPHING MOVES<\/b><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s fun to count down for Drew McIntyre\u2019s Claymore Kick but does he really need to be hosting a sing-a-long for fans as a heel? I feel like he should tee up the countdown, then stop cold, sneer at the crowd and just deliver the kick. It undermines the heel heat otherwise. No sing-a-longs needed Drew. Just kick the man.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; \u201cLIVE EVENT\u201d JIMMY USO<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Oh look, it\u2019s \u201cLive Event\u201d Jimmy Uso. Seeing him show up does absolutely nothing for me. He just feels like the lackey of the lackey right now. He\u2019s like that kid in <i>A Christmas Story <\/i>that follows the bully around spouting things like \u201cYeah! What he said.\u201d On a side note, I\u2019m super proud of the nickname, \u201cLive Event\u201d Jimmy Uso. Jimmy, I\u2019ll apologize for this next time I bump into you, but for now, I\u2019m going to swim in the pride of my clever quip. And man, does the water feel nice. On another side note, why does Solo Sikoa always look like a grumpy kid who didn\u2019t get what he wanted for Christmas? Surely Rikishi got you everything you ever dreamed of, no? Honorable mention to Jimmy Uso going for a high five with his brother, post interference, and getting left hanging for an amazingly awkward period of time. That was absolutely hilarious. Kudos to \u201cLive Event\u201d Jimmy Uso for fully committing to the moment.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; GREAT HYPE VIDEOS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>That promo hyping the main event between Jey Uso and Gunther was succinct, powerful, hard-hitting and adrenaline-inducing. It was the cliff notes of the lead up as written by Michael Bay. It was explosive and incredibly effective. I went into Raw (Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw) expecting Jey to eat a loss inconsequentially, but now I\u2019m actually hopeful, if not a tad pessimistic, that he could eke this one out.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; THE GOLDEN TITLE<\/b><\/p>\n<p>That title looks cooler than the World Heavyweight Title as well as The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. First of all, why create something that makes your top titles look like the bargain bin leftovers? Second of all, why show a bunch of celebrities holding the title? All of this is just dripping water on the fire they\u2019ve built around Roman Reigns\u2019 title. Win the Royal Rumble and you too can challenge for a title that doesn\u2019t look as cool as this one!<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; ANDRADE GETS HIS GROOVE BACK<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Andrade el Idolo\u2019s promo started off a little clunky but once he dipped into speaking Spanish, he was pure magic. It was so effective that I\u2019m willing to forgive the <i>Pirates of the Caribbean <\/i>font they used for his subtitles. Also, I\u2019m so happy to see superstars reclaiming their original, or at least full, names back post Vince McMahon. Pete Dunne must be feeling particularly light on his feet these days.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; NFL BREAKDOWNS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I like Pat McAfee, I do. I think he has a childish aura of fun about him that enhances my juvenile delight while watching the product. That said, now I\u2019m starting to feel like they just put him on commentary so they could scratch a weird itch they had to do NFL-style breakdowns with sloppily scribbled graphics on screen. I hate it. I feel like someone made a delicious pie and just as I was about to enjoy it, they stuck their fingers in it, swirled them around, and then licked them, just to reiterate how yummy it is. I\u2019ll pass on the pie now. That was too much. That\u2019s like Seth Raw Raw Rollins coming out in a polka dot shirt to connect the dots with his \u201cI\u2019ll be your shield\u201d point. Thank God that\u2019s not going to hap\u2026<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; UNIMPRESSED KID<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The kid in the front row who was gifted Natalya\u2019s glasses looked so uninterested I half expected him to leave her hanging with the high-five, \u201cLive Event\u201d Jimmy Uso-style. That kid definitely wanted Cody Rhodes\u2019 belt more. He probably would have even settled for a Judgment Day shirt from R-Truth. Side note, Pat McAfee just referred to Michael Cole\u2019s fans as Cole Miners. I kind of love that. I\u2019ll never buy a Cole Miners shirt or chant it in an arena, but I will always give creativity its cookies. Here\u2019s a dozen chocolate chip for you, Pat. Well done.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; SLEEP ELIMINATION<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Thanks for reminding me that I have to wake up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday for The Elimination Chamber. I\u2019ll do it, but I\u2019m still not going to be happy about it. I\u2019ve already agreed to be there, WWE but can you please stop rubbing it in my face.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; RAQUEL BROCKRIGUEZ<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I came into this match expecting Zelina Vega winning but Raquel Rodriguez showed (pre-controversy) Brock Lesnar vibes. She was just a force to be reckoned with and I\u2019m impressed. Honorable mention to Natalya who showed a few seconds of pure fire that she hasn\u2019t shown in years. I hope she keeps stoking that intensity and goes somewhere with it. Maybe a feud with Raquel after the chamber would give her a great program to do so. I wasn\u2019t excited for this match but having it come down to a newly dominant Rodriguez, and a synergy-fueled duo in Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler has me on the edge of my seat.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; CHELSEA NOT SO GREEN<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I loved the Raquel Rodriguez win. I doubly loved the swerve of having Chelsea Green not being eliminated, creating a brief moment of panic, only to have Raquel reaffirmed by eliminating her promptly. That was a veteran spot by Green, executed with the experience of a true WWE vet, which she is years away from. Kudos to you, (in Samantha Irvine voice) Chelsea Green!<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; JEY\u2019S SNORKELING ADVENTURE CONTINUES<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Who is Jey Uso talking to? What is he talking about? Why does he remind me of all these ridiculous TikTok videos of people using Apple Vision Pro in public?<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; NIA JAXX\u2019s ACTING<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Nia Jaxx\u2019s acting is more cringe-worthy than a Mike Adamle-driven commentary team (YouTube him talking about Jeff Harvey and you\u2019re welcome).<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED -E!-TRUTH HOLLYWOOD STORY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I love the \u201890s as much as the next 40-year old, but I don\u2019t need to take a time machine back there with an <i>E! True Hollywood Story<\/i> vignette, just to rehash and hype the R-Truth match tonight. That said, I did love his line about how being in Judgment Day was special, like the first time John Cena put on a pair of jean shorts. R-Truth, making lemonade out of lemons since he came to the WWE as K-Kwik in 2000. Also is Truth wearing a rain poncho when it\u2019s not raining? Classic. Sometimes I just can\u2019t handle the Truth.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; DOMINIK \u201cTHE DART\u201d MYSTERIO\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I loved Pat McAfee pointing out that Dominik Mysterio missed the board when he threw a dart. That kind of throw away, deadpan observational comedy pops me every time.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; AMAZING OPTICS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I was skeptical of this silly-seeming shot of the camera zooming in through the hallway but once we landed in the arena and saw the camera was drowning, overwhelmingly so, with rabid fans, it was well worth it. The exclamation point was Pat McAfee saying \u201cPacked\u201d with dominant gusto. This kind of ego-driven cinematography, while shallow in its motivation, works like a charm to make WWE feel hotter than ever, which it is.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; IVAR\u2019S ACTING<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t decide whose acting is worse, Nia Jaxx or Ivar. I feel like we\u2019re watching <i>Dante\u2019s Peak<\/i> and <i>Volcano <\/i>compete at the box office, with no clear winner but we the audience are the losers. I kid, <i>Dante\u2019s Peak<\/i> is fantastic and neither Nia nor Ivar are at the level of a Pierce Brosnan volcano movie.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; 2 NON-WOKE WORDS FOR YA<\/b><\/p>\n<p>D.I.Y, The Miz and R-Truth throwing out a \u201cSuck it\u201d taunt was a funny callback to last week\u2019s joke, albeit a bit dated and icky of one. Nostalgia is always welcome, and I for one enjoyed this, but this is one taunt that should probably go on the shelf, especially with the negative quicksand WWE finds themselves in right now, due to the alleged, but totally believable, debauchery of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. I got 2 words for this creative decision\u2026NO THANKS.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; TOO MANY NUMBERS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Okay, I\u2019m an advocate in favor of showing these WWE2K24 ratings, but not in an 8-man tag team match. I feel like I\u2019m looking at a Bingo board with nothing checked, which is depressing, deflating and makes me not want to continue playing. I\u2019m not traumatized from losing at Bingo. You are. Or maybe R-Truth is, even though he actually lost at Checkers. I feel like<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m looking at the wrestler embodiment of the value of pi.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; THE R-TRUTH IS THAT WRESTLERS ARE FANS TOO<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There is something so playfully innocent about R-Truth paying homage to his hero, John Cena. Lest we forget, these guys were all fans before superstars. This kind of fandom just makes Truth even more likable, relatable and over. I think he gets a louder \u201cYou can\u2019t see me\u201d than Cena did in his heyday. If Truth starts coming out in jorts though, I\u2019m out. This is fun, but some things are just too far, like having a Nickelback song as the Monday Night Raw Raw Raw theme. Yeah, that actually happened once upon a time.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH R-TRUTH?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m loving this sympathetic, bullied and revenge-fueled version of R-Truth. That said, he\u2019s taken up so much of Judgment Day\u2019s time, if we\u2019re not heading to some sort of WrestleMania match with Truth versus Damian Priest, what\u2019s the point of all of this? I get that JD (Judgment Day, not J.D. McDonagh) needs a reason to be on television, but I really hope there\u2019s a plan here or Truth is going to cool off faster than Seth Rollins at a press conference.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; THE CIAMPA OF CARDIO<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Is Tomasso Ciampa human? The amount of cardio that guy puts on display is exhausting to even watch. I\u2019m honestly wondering if he didn\u2019t lose his hair, and he actually shaved it to be more aerodynamic. Ciampa is like watching a hamster hyped up on Red Bull, run its wheel until it breaks\u2026and then continue running in place for another 56-minutes. Why isn\u2019t he the spokesman for Slim Jim? Frame him as the energizer bunny who flat out doesn\u2019t have time to stop and eat, so he always snaps into a Slim Jim while (quite literally) on the run. Back to wrestling, I think WWE should lean into this king of cardio motif. He could literally move so fast that his opponents just collapse in the ring from exhaustion. That would really give him something to sink his teeth into, besides a Slim Jim of course.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; DOMINIK MISSTERIO<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Yes, I spelled it that way on purpose. Why? Because like his attempt at darts earlier, Dominik Mysterio just missed a kick wide enough for WWE\u2019s shameless self-promotion to fit through. Hey fans, we\u2019re good people, we swear! Look at all the good things we do that cameras just happen to be present for!<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; THE VALUE OF MOCKERY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I loved seeing Finn Balor set up Tomasso Ciampa for a finisher, only to pause and (channel The Undertaker with a) taunt. This was enhanced by Ciampa reversing it and giving a brief mockery of his own before landing his move. That is the kind of fluid chemistry and charisma that makes wrestling so fun. Honorable mention to Balor and Ciampa running into each other, fueling my favorite Pat McAfee line of the night, \u201cSixteen abs just ran into each other.\u201d Classic McAfee, turning fit bellies into belly laughs. Jokes aside, I love seeing D.I.Y. focus on getting over with pure athleticism. No need to pat yourselves on the back for a cheap pop. You\u2019re better than that, and I\u2019m happy you read my critique last week and obliged. Don\u2019t deny it. You\u2019re letting these pun-fueled irrelevant points steer you in the right direction. That\u2019s what I\u2019m going to tell myself anyway.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; DAMIAN\u2019S DANCIN\u2019 LEGS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Why does Damian Priest stomp his feet like he\u2019s in a marching band covering <i>Uptown Funk<\/i> by Bruno Mars? He looks like he\u2019s trying to stand still but the hits are so hard they\u2019re causing his legs to convulse into a sick chain of dance moves. Damian, unless The Judgment Day is going to become a boy band, in which case I think you should kick J.D. McDonagh out, let\u2019s calm those marchin\u2019 legs down a bit shall we? It looks like you\u2019re in the middle of a dance fight but R-Truth got confused and thought that meant he fights someone trying to dance.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; PUNCTUAL MOVES<\/b><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s called Johnny Wrestling not Johnny Punctual for a reason folks. I love Johnny Gargano, but it was absolutely hilarious watching him set up to jump the top rope in unison with The Miz and Tomasso Ciampa, only to have them leap in unison, leaving Johnny behind and forcing him to join the leap party several seconds later. Oh Johnny. It\u2019s not your fault. Let\u2019s just blame J.D. McDonagh since that\u2019s who you attacked. His inexplicable assimilation into The Judgment Day is enough to make anyone lose track of time.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; MCAFEE\u2019S BREAKDOWNS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Pat McAfee really needs to stop with this already overrated NFL play breakdown trope. I absolutely hate it. Little yellow arrows don\u2019t make me like a moment more. They make me hate it. I get it, WWE is letting you be yourself and doodle on the screen. I\u2019m happy for you. But I\u2019m equally unhappy for the rest of us forced to endure your childish drawings, ruining great moments like Damian Priest\u2019s finisher. I feel like I\u2019m babysitting a toddler that keeps saying \u201cLook what I can do\u201d and then under delivers with some idiotic display of what they perceive to be artistic greatness. In case you can\u2019t tell, Pat, I don\u2019t like it. It makes me want to McAfee all over my dinner table in anger.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; WORDS BESIDES INEVITABLY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I love a good promo from the man, Becky Lynch but this inevitably had too many uses of the word inevitably, which inevitably made me hate the word inevitably, inevitably souring the taste of this promo for me. Can we give Bex a man-sized thesaurus to dig into while wearing her cool new hat, or cap, or head ornament?<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; LIV FOR REVENGE<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I honestly forgot about all of the history between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. Liv has a legitimate list of gripes against Ripley that make for a very strong backstory in her pursuit of vengeance. While I don\u2019t think Liv is going to take Becky Lynch\u2019s spot on the grandest stage, I\u2019m loving the fire behind her promo. It really props her up to be a viable winner should WWE decide to go that route.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; TEA PARTY GUESTS\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Becky Lynch doesn\u2019t need to act stunned every time another Elimination Chamber participant joins her for (as she calls it) the tea party in the ring. We all knew this would happen once Liv Morgan decided to start a trend. I also found Naomi\u2019s promo a little presumptive. She shouldn\u2019t assume people have any idea what she did when she left WWE.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; TIFFY TIME IS A GOOD TIME<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Never underestimate the value of an arrogant, effective and wildly annoying heel. Tiffany Stratton exudes heel in spades. She has swagger, annoying confidence and no respect for the people that paved the way for her. All of that works incredibly well in my humble opinion. Her personality is like salt, it doesn\u2019t matter what you put it on, it\u2019s going to bring out all the other flavors in the dish. Honorable mention to the absolute wordsmithery of Bianca BeLair. If you look up \u201ccool\u201d in the dictionary you\u2019ll find a 6-page spread on everything that works for Queen B. She has the timing, the look, the moves and the words to keep her on top for years to come.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; NIA JAXX UP THE COMPETITION\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In some ways, having Nia Jaxx come in and annihilate everyone is effective for reasserting herself as a viable threat to Rhea Ripley\u2019s title, but at what cost? She just buried the entire marquee match for the premium live event.\u00a0 Also, her acting is just horrendous. She had such a forced, stoic smile on her face while attacking everyone, that I felt like I was watching a cheap knockoff of the horror movie <i>Smile<\/i>, as found in the bargain bin at Walmart. She has a lot of heat behind her, but it\u2019s not earned like Dominik Mysterio. It\u2019s just \u201cWe think you\u2019re bad\u201d heat. Side note, Liv Morgan\u2019s painful screams after taking a Nia move are blood-curdling and effective. I legitimately felt like I just watched someone get murdered in a slasher movie. Seriously, play it back with your eyes closed. Move over Jenna Ortega, because that\u2019s some horror thespianism that you just can\u2019t teach.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; A MAN OF HIS WORD<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Gunther is so good at cutting a promo. He just buried Jey Uso, which he should. That\u2019s the role of a dominant, insurmountable heel champion. It\u2019s hard to root against someone so talented but those kinds of quick promos work to make you want to see him lose. How dare you tell our beloved \u201cMain Event\u201d Jey Uso that he doesn\u2019t belong in the main event. It\u2019s in his name! Only we get to insult WWE superstars when we decide we\u2019re over them. Get\u2019m Jey.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; BAD TITLE GRAPHICS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Who (Who? Who?) chose the stills for this Gunther versus Jey Uso title graphic?! Gunther looks like he just saw a kite in the sky for the first time and Jey looks like he\u2019s struggling through a bowel movement, or trying to sit through one of his sister in law Naomi&#8217;s promos. Neither of these images get me excited to see an epic clash.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; NAKAMURA OF THIS PLEASE<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Shinsuke Nakamura is completely in his element and firing on all evil cylinders right now. His cadence, his demeanor, his subtle timing with delivering each villainous bite are all gloriously dark. His message is quite clear too, and he has a valid point, which all the best villains do. Sami Zayn is whining instead of fighting. He\u2019s hosting pity parties and Nakamura is about to R.S.V.P. Not only can these two tear the house down, Sami is a great actor and Nakamura is doing Oscar-level promos.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; CHAD GABLE\u2019S FLIP KICK<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Chad Gable\u2019s flip kick to Ivar on the turnbuckle was slow, clunky and ugly. I felt like I was watching an elderly man fall in slow motion. This is very unlike the normally fluid Gable. Here\u2019s hoping this is the low point in the march and everything goes up from here. Honorable mention to Ivar\u2019s overrated outfit that looks like he\u2019s starring in a community theater version of <i>Robin Hood: Men in Tights. <\/i>It\u2019s so hard to take him seriously when he dresses like Peter Pan\u2019s drunk uncle that embarrasses everyone at Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; BIG BRAINS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I loved hearing Pat McAfee point out that Chad Gable has a masters degree and should be smart enough to not try to German suplex Ivar. I didn\u2019t know that about Gable and that actually paints him in a stronger light. Now we know he\u2019s clever, and Alpha Academy isn\u2019t just a fun club\u2026of which Akira Tozawa is still being hazed to earn admittance.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; GABLE GOES FULL HOGAN<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Seeing Chad Gable hit the German suplex on Ivar after several painful fails was incredibly rewarding. This gave me old school Hulk Hogan vibes, and I enjoyed it. It really builds up the strength people overlook when it comes to Gable. I also loved seeing Gable go into full Kurt Angle mode with losing the straps on his singlet, doing a moonsault and then transitioning into a match-ending ankle lock. If he didn\u2019t look like a 12 year old boy, he\u2019d be one of the top guys on Raw Raw Raw Raw. There are so many Raws that they could easily rename the various arena rows as Raw 1, Raw 2, etc. instead of Row 1 and 2. What does this have to do with the match? Everything, because I have A.D.D. and it\u2019s like a swarm of butterflies stealing my attention away when I\u2019m trying to enjoy the match. Oh look, another one!<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; DREW MCINTYRE\u2019S POSSIBLY DEVIATED SEPTUM<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Drew McIntyre is absolutely crushing it right now. WWE is incredibly lucky that he hit his stride when he was needed to step into the main event scene in C.M. Punk\u2019s absence, which Drew caused with prayers by the way. That said, I\u2019m growing more and more concerned that Drew may have a deviated septum that is affecting his breathing. I get that he\u2019s going full evil but he doesn\u2019t need to go full Darth Vader for that to work. Drew McIntyre, one of the hardest working and hardest breathing superstars in WWE today.<\/p>\n<p><b>UNDER-APPRECIATED &#8211; GUNTHER<\/b><\/p>\n<p>He really can\u2019t have a bad match. I really hope he\u2019s thrust into the main event scene after WrestleMania. He would be a fantastic follow up feud for Cody Rhodes if he finishes his story, which is taking longer than George R.R. Martin\u2019s final <i>Game of Thrones <\/i>book.<\/p>\n<p><b>OVERRATED &#8211; LIVE EVENT JIMMY USO<\/b><\/p>\n<p>We shouldn\u2019t be sacrificing a clean win for Gunther to prop up the Uso brothers\u2019 feud for WrestleMania. Also, is it just me or does Jey Uso feuding with Jimmy Uso define him down a bit? Jimmy is levels underneath him at the moment, and Jey truly deserves a better \u2018Mania spot, even if it\u2019s their dream match.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s it for this week\u2019s episode of Monday Night Raw Raw Raw Raw.. I\u2019d like to thank \u201cLive Event\u201d Jimmy Uso for stepping in to poorly end an amazing main event, because why would I want a clean finish? I\u2019d also like to thank Johnny Gargano for being late to the ring leap party, Liv Morgan for terrifying me, and J.D. McDonagh for all the material you so lovingly provide me with each and every week. See you on Friday for Smackdown!<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2551607198\"><div id=\"pwtor-3050970305\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It\u2019s Monday night, and you know what that means! It\u2019s time for another 3-hour ride of suspense, unpredictability, and the big question of whether or not Main Event Jey Uso will take the Intercontinental (Heavyweight) <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/02\/20\/over-unders-wwe-raw-2-20-jeys-sunglasses-mcafee-getting-cut-off-codys-wordsmith-fail-dominiks-dart-misses-nfl-scribbles-on-screen-ivars-and-nias-acting-more\/\" title=\"OVER &#038; UNDERS \u2013 WWE RAW (2\/20): Jey&#8217;s sunglasses, McAfee getting cut off, Cody&#8217;s wordsmith fail, Dominik&#8217;s dart misses, NFL scribbles on screen, Ivar&#8217;s and Nia&#8217;s acting, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":174118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,52,6930,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-over-and-unders","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-20-at-6.51.28\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174116"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174119,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174116\/revisions\/174119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}