Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
I'm glad AJ's one of the focal points of Raw after so many years "toiling in obscurity." TNA never had the kind of crowds or platform he has here.
Good to see the two main events announced really early. They should be important!
I'm kind of glad to see Stephanie from a story perspective; her sitting back and "letting" Shane run the show, as well as not reacting to Reigns beating her husband, is uncharacteristic. Not that I'm complaining that we've gotten more of a focus on the wrestlers lately.
Stephanie's definitely Vince's daughter with this promo. She's a natural heel.
Well, they got to the point pretty quickly. Fine by me.
I like the idea of the fans' input mattering in who gets to run Raw after so long of the heel authority figures who obviously dislike the fans.
Stephanie's a pretty fiery heel, which makes it a shame she doesn't get her comeuppance very often.
- AJ vs. Sheamus:
I like how these two gel. Sheamus' brawling style adds something to the equation.
This is going pretty well so far.
I like seeing Sheamus' power on display against the quicker AJ.
Also good to see the Cloverleaf again.
That was pretty good overall. Both men are veteran workers.
It's almost not the Bullet Club without 15 members.
Roman and the Usos vs. Styles, Anderson, and Gallows would be good for Smackdown.
Good to see Xavier make a Prince reference.
I wish we'd see even more throwbacks from Aiden and Simon. They just kind of debuted as "that black and white TV team from NXT."
That tag team segment wasn't all I wanted it to be. Too many moving parts; it felt more like a triple threat feud. I kind of wish the Dudleys would have come out to continue their feud with Enzo and Cass. It's crazy they're not on Payback and neither is New Day.
Wow, Anderson and Gallows had to get ready in AJ's locker room?
Cena returning on Memorial Day makes a lot of sense. I'm curious who will be his next opponent.
- Anderson/Gallows vs. Usos:
I really enjoy the Usos. They've been overexposed at times, but they're a good team.
The Usos are getting a lot of offense in. I'm glad this isn't just a squash.
Anderson's fired up. He can move pretty well for his size.
The Usos have a lot of energy. I like it.
That was pretty good. It's nice to have another veteran team around that's still got legs.
Glad to see Reigns not just letting his cousins get their asses kicked.
Wow. The Good Brothers didn't wait long to get backstage.
Payback will be pretty interesting as far as what Anderson and Gallows do. I really doubt they end up working with AJ. I could see Balor or even Reigns being their leader.
Owens vs. Zayn should be really great.
Really great video package on the history of the former El Generico and Kevin Steen. I love Owens feeling he's the victim in all of this.
- Zayn vs. Rusev:
This should be good, given their styles.
Sami's always a lot of fun to watch.
I love Rusev being a lightning bruiser, also having technique. He's not quite "Bulgaria Joe," but he's enjoyable all the same.
That was pretty good overall! I think Zayn got a LITTLE on the flippy side, but overall this was a solid encounter.
I like Lana's temper tantrums.
Owens is such a cruel bastard.
I'm a little surprised they openly had Crews refer to Stardust as Cody, and Stardust was cool with it. Maybe he is dropping the gimmick soon.
Another thing that seems minor but irked me: Apollo saying Dusty gave him his name, acknowledging it's not his birth name. I don't think it was worth it to throw away kayfabe just for that.
- Crews vs. Stardust:
Good to see these two working together. I think Stardust could help round out Apollo's game.
Stardust is working his ass off here.
I love Crews' athleticism, but at this point his matches are just showing off his signature moves. He needs something bigger to sink his teeth into. Also, how long until he faces Viktor?
I'm glad Ambrose isn't doing a silly talk show tonight. I also like him putting over Jericho as an opponent.
Good babyface promo from Dean.
Jericho's an effectively annoying heel.
Good banter going on here. I'm looking forward to this match at Payback.
That was a good ending to the segment.
- Natalya vs. Emma:
I've missed Emma on Raw all these months!
This is going pretty well.
That was going well; they just didn't get a lot of time to tell a story because it was just about building Natalya up for Payback.
Nice to see Chyna put over.
So much for Sandow having a match on Raw. Ziggler vs. Corbin should be good.
"Two Puerto Rican guys" is an incredibly boring gimmick. I mean, holy shit. Talk about minimum effort.
Miz is a really great heel. He can elicit genuine heat.
Miz insulting the Cesaro Section was great. I'm glad they're acknowledging Cesaro's support.
Miz's movie quotes gimmick is pretty funny.
Mostly a good back-and-forth between champion and challenger.
Nice ending to that segment.
I'm excited for AJ vs. Reigns. It should really be something.
Two Kickoff shows in a row for Kalisto and Ryback. Hopefully they're on the main card for Extreme Rules.
- Reigns vs. Del Rio:
Del Rio always works pretty hard.
Reigns has his moves of doom, but he does that style well.
I'm glad Roman didn't take the loss via distraction. He needs to build momentum as champion.
That was an interesting ending. I'm a LITTLE surprised we didn't see Balor involved, but maybe he'll appear at Payback or next week.
More wrestling coming up.
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