Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
Great to see the show start off with Sasha instead of Stephanie and Mick. The authority figures need to enhance the storylines, not be the centerpieces themselves.
The Bayley namedrop makes me hope she'll be on the main roster after Summerslam weekend.
I like Charlotte being fired up and not needing her dad or Dana. I like Dana in her role, but I'd love to see Charlotte and Sasha show what they can do without interferences.
DAMN. I liked the "one night stand" banter. TNA usually just has women call each other bitches for cheap heat.
I didn't expect Y2J to interrupt...
I'll have to check out Flair vs. Jericho on the WWE Network. That sounds like a fun feud I've somehow forgotten about.
Jericho going pretty hard himself.
This is a really fun opening segment. I'm glad Enzo, Sasha, and Charlotte are getting this kind of spotlight without it having to hinge on Stephanie or Flair.
Mick was involved there without making the whole segment about him or burying the talent. That's what a good authority figure does.
- Enzo/Sasha vs. Y2J/Charlotte:
I love heel Jericho. He always goes all out with his antics. He's a made man, so he doesn't have to worry about getting in his signature spots or anything.
Fun women's action.
That was actually a good stereo suicide dives spot since we don't usually see these two team. It's a unique tandem.
This is really solid.
That was a really good ending to keep things going.
I assume we'll end up with Y2J vs. Cass. Works for me.
I love the idea of wrestlers being paid more if they win. It's old school, but it's a good motivation for someone to get in the ring with someone like Braun.
- Strowman vs. Anderhold:
I like the occasional big man squash match. It calls back to an earlier era.
Mark as an ambassador to the Olympics is a good idea given his accolades.
I REALLY like the idea of Mark actually having a role. He should want one last hurrah. It's a New Era, and damn it he should be able to hold a chance against Balor and Rollins given his size, strength, and experience.
I assume Rusev's going to destroy Mark, but it's good to believe.
Goldust, K-Kwik, and Pokemon in 2016. I can't say I expected that.
- G. Truth vs. S. Stars:
That was really silly, but fun for what it was. I miss when some matches were goofy (like the hardcore title era or Nashville Street Fights). A good card should have a variety of matches, not just everyone going all out with big moves.
I'm very glad Balor is being spotlighted after so long honing his craft outside of the main roster.
Well, it didn't take long for Rollins to rain on Balor's parade.
I love Rollins trying to one up Balor will still putting him over. "You're good, but I'm better" is preferable to "I'm good and you really suck."
That was a really good promo between Rollins and Balor. I'm excited for them facing off at Summerslam.
Nice ending to the Rollins/Balor segment.
Why do I get the feeling they won't show Ryback appearing at Rusev's wedding? He's still technically under contract, but they're not acknowledging him in any way.
- Rusev vs. Henry:
Henry's impressive when he's fired up. He's got a lot of mileage, though, so it's not as easy for him as it was years ago.
Welp, thanks for coming, Mark. Rusev made the most of that one.
If Henry is retiring soon, I wonder if they'll have Rusev or Strowman do the honors of sending him off.
Clever acknowledgement of the Olympics scandal without it seeming forced. Rusev's great.
Roman vs. Rusev would be pretty fun. That's a demotion for the Big Dog, though.
That should really be a collision between Reigns and Rusev.
I liked Nia's video. I'm a fan of vignettes in general.
Wow. So much for a PTP reunion!
- D. Young vs. Titus:
This is pretty fun. I like how their styles and personalities mesh.
NICE counter to Clash of the Titus.
And a really solid counter to end the match. This could be an interesting feud.
Sheamus has a point about being overlooked...
Cesaro has fewer accolades than Henry OR Sheamus, so he has no dog in this fight.
Good segment to set up Sheamus vs. Cesaro. The authority figures didn't dominate.
I'm somewhat interested in seeing where Titus vs. Darren goes, but the real test will be where they are three months from now.
- Nia vs. Monroe:
Jax just killing this woman. She's like the female Braun. I ALMOST want to see that as an on-screen couple, just for the pure oddity of it.
NICE post-match with Nia.
I wonder how they're going to keep Zayn and Owens apart. Mostly good Zayn promo, but he's pretty bland as a babyface on the mic.
Odd New Day segment, but that's hardly a surprise at this point.
So what has Brock been doing all night?
New Day's pretty fun. At least Xavier won't lose in his hometown (this time).
- Club vs. Big E/Kofi:
That was OK, just surprisingly short. I don't know if that really does much of anything for the Good Brothers.
Well, they made up for it with the post-match. Wins and losses aren't as important as the final impression left at the end at the night.
- Sheamus vs. Cesaro:
These two always work together well and really bring it from a physical standpoint.
Sheamus is really underrated. He can work a great match when he's booked to not just be a power/five moves of doom guy.
Very surprised to see Cesaro get the clean win that quickly. I hope he shows he's more than European uppercuts and a Giant Swing. He's shown he can be in the past.
Nice post-match. How about Rusev, Mark, Cesaro, and Sheamus in a Fatal 4 Way at Summerslam?
This is pretty awkward with the third 3MB member in TNA.
Pretty fun Slater/Mahal segment. Heath's probably at his most fun when he's the guy talking a big game but getting beat up.
- Jinder vs. Slater:
Wow. Mahal didn't even pull out any kind of finisher.
Who else was hoping Ralphus would help out Jericho?
So, how long until Owens turns on Jericho and they face off? There's still plenty of time on the show.
- Zayn vs. Rollins:
Seth marking himself as a heel early.
Both men are amazing athletes. Would these two have even been signed 10 years ago?
I like Sami capitalizing on Rollins taking too long. You know, like he's actually trying to win the match instead of it just being a lot of MOVES.
Both men doing great stuff here.
Really good ending to a really solid match. The story was Zayn was good but Rollins was better. He didn't need to cheat to win, which was nice.
It kind of makes you wonder why Brock showed up so early just to hang out in his locker room, unless Stephanie and Foley were going to fine him for not being on time or something.
I really missed Heyman as a hype man.
Heyman's always money as a promo guy.
I like Heyman putting over Orton's accolades even though he still thinks Brock will win.
I also like the tie-in to Orton hearing voices.
I get the feeling the Jew line will be cut when this episode makes it online.
Well then! Didn't see that coming. How did Orton get in the building? Someone needs to be fired.
Fun ending to the show.
More wrestling coming up.
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