WWE Raw: A dull, boring slog

Thomas Starr

Cody and Gunther face off before Crown Jewel.
Cody and Gunther face off before Crown Jewel.

It is good that WWE Raw is two hours now. I can only imagine how bad this show would have been at three hours. Nothing of any significance happened.

There were two tag matches, one that opened the show and the other that ended the show. The opener was sloppy with a poorly executed finish involving two women who are not ready for the main roster.

The main event was the same angle they did between Rhea, Liv, Raquel, Nia, and Tiffany on Smackdown. This time the angle was part of the match causing a no contest.

In between those two matches we had squash matches and a Gunther-Cody theatrical recitation. Nothing hit the level of unprofessional or unintentional comedy, it was just dull. It was a boring throwaway show with nothing I can recommend.

Show Open

Rhea Ripley opened the show. She called out Liv and Raquel, but Tiffany Stratton came out instead. Tiffany delivered a message from Nia saying to stay out of her way. Liv and Raquel attacked both women. Liv did terrible strikes to Rhea’s back and Raquel messed up whatever she was trying to do and dropped Stratton face down to the mat. This was a taped show, how did that stay in?

Adam Pearce made a tag match with Rhea and Tiffany versus Liv and Raquel. And that is the main event.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL – Women’s Tag Team Titles

Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson were in the crowd. So, they were squashed by Bianca and Jade on Friday and now we are asked to care that they are in the crowd watching this match? Okay. The two of them may be the least ready for the main roster, so it is hard to understand why they are on Smackdown and Raw.

The crowd was dead for this match. It does not help the wrestlers when they are not defined as heels or babyfaces. This is a babyface vs. babyface match, I guess, but I cannot be sure because Damage CTRL has never turned face on TV. They wrestle, sloppily, like babyfaces though.

Inexplicably, Iyo jawed with Lash and Jakara. Jakara hit Iyo and she propelled into the ring apron and up into the ring. What a punch! It defied the law of physics it was so good. Bianca hit the KOD and pinned Iyo.

A sloppy match with a ridiculous finish. I am at a loss for why Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson are on these shows.

Winners: Bianca and Jade

Chad Gable is back as a comedy figure. They did a goofy vignette with American Made that was straight out of the WWF 90s playbook. Gable resigned for this?

Bron Breakker did a pre-taped promo where he explained why he attacked Jey Uso. They brought up his family legacy with highlights of the Steiner Brothers. He said he will make his own reputation unlike Jey who lives off his family’s legacy. Good promo.

Adam Pearce did a sit-down with Bronson Reed. Bronson was wearing a Big Van Vader T-shirt. Respect. He wants a match with Seth Rollins. Pearce makes him promise not to wreak havoc and he will get him his match.

War Raiders vs. Alpha Academy

War Raiders have their old names back. They no longer have Viking apparel on.

Otis and Tozawa are being used as jobbers again. They were always comedy figures, but Otis was very popular, and they stopped any momentum he had gained.

This was a squash. Tozawa took the brunt of the punishment. The War Raiders look like beasts, but I do not know if it is too late for them. They have been used so poorly for so many years. We will see.

Winners: War Raiders

Seth Rollins was backstage with Adam Pearce. He made his case for facing Bronson Reed. Pearce is worried about what Bronson might do to Seth.

Nine o’clock hour

Cody Rhodes was out next. He mentioned some basic St. Louis wrestling history. Cody name dropped Sam Muchnick and Wrestling at the Chase. I hope they will do more of this. A history package would have been great too.

Gunther interrupted Cody. He called Cody the “quarterback of this operation.” Gunther mentioned the current boom period and gave Cody credit for it.

Eventually, Gunther referred to Cody as a “secondary champion,” but they did shake hands. Gunther told Cody “Good luck to me.”

Not an exciting segment, but it did its job.

Bron Breakker vs. Kofi Kingston

Kofi took some nasty bumps for Bron. He got in some offense, so it was not a total squash. Breakker won decisively though. He hit the spear on Kofi for the win. It was an okay match.

Winner: Bron Breakker

Woods came in to stop Breakker from attacking Kofi after the match. Bron attacked Woods, but Jey Uso intervened. Uso, Kofi, and Woods slapped fives after the match.

Damien Priest, the big brother of WWE, told Rhea he has her back whenever she needs it. He gave her a friend zone hug. Pointless.

Jey Uso entered his locker room and found Jimmy Uso waiting for him. Jey stormed off.

Miz vs. R-Truth

Truth rapped to the ring. Miz entered and Truth laughed at him and then offered a handshake. He thinks they are still friends. A Wyatt Sicks blip took over the screen momentarily.

The Final Testament came out to no reaction. This distracted Miz enough that Truth rolled him up.

Winner: R-Truth

Kross told Tokka and Rahzar to beat up Truth. They rolled him into the ring and Miz gave him a Skull Crushing Finale.

So, we are getting that long-awaited Wyatt Sicks vs. The Final Testament feud with the Miz and Truth adjacency feud. I am sure it will be just as good as the Wyatt Sicks vs. American Made feud with the American Made and Alpha Academy adjacency feud. That was riveting stuff.

Tiffany Stratton and Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez

Stratton played babyface for most of the match. She sold for the heels and built to the hot tag with Rhea.

Nia Jax ran out for the no contest finish. Tiffany teased cashing in the Money in the Bank on Liv Morgan, but Dom made the save.

Flat finish.

Winner: No contest

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