Raw Reax - 7/3/17

Read on for my take on last night's Raw.

- Enzo/Cass:
Cool to see this angle open the show. I like them changing things up from the usual players at the top and bottom.

Enzo has definitely been through a lot!

Enzo's really great on the mic.

I mean, yeah, Enzo has already had a scary KO moment on PPV.

I like Enzo acknowledging he's not the biggest, baddest, etc. So many wrestlers claim that when it's obvious there are plenty of pretenders to the throne.

This is awesome.

I'm not as crazy about Enzo insinuating Cass isn't anything to worry about, because Cass is one bad dude.

That was MONEY.

Wow. Big moment for Enzo.

Cass vs. Enzo is going to be something special.

Enzo's got a lot of fight in him!

- Bayley/Sasha vs. Alexa/Nia:
Nia and Bayley have worked together enough to be pretty seamless.

I like Nia being the big monster of the division. It adds a new dimension to things.

I really like the faces teaming up against the big threat.

Good work so far.

Nia can really be a destructive force.

Uh-oh. Sasha's got her work cut out for her now.

I was wondering when Alexa would get involved here!

Good work between Sasha and Bliss while it lasted.

The heels make a pretty fun duo.

I'm looking forward to more between Sasha and Alexa.

Not bad at all! Everyone here is talented.

- Angle/Braun:
I really want to see Angle vs. Strowman at Summerslam. That could be amazing.

Please make that happen.

- Joe/Brock video:
Joe has definitely had quite the legacy, but you can't see much of it on WWE Network! GFW and ROH need to be pushing his DVDs for people who want to see more of where he came from.

Brock could very well drop the title at either GBOF or Summerslam, which is a little surprising.

Brock vs. Joe is going to be one hell of a fight.

That was pretty good. None of this calm sitdown interview "I'm the better wrestler" bullshit.

- Cedric promo:
STOP THIS MADNESS. TIME FOR EVERYONE TO MOVE ON. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER WOMEN OUT THERE FFS. I did like the promo, though.

- Cedric vs. Noam:
GOD I HAVE SEEN THIS SAME MATCH 5,000 TIMES.

Talented guys, but 205 Live needs something fresh.

OK to kill some time, I guess.

- MizTV hype:
WWE couldn't care less about how terrible that segment was. It got people talking about Raw, damn it!

- Miztourage/Ambrose/Slater/Rhyno/Angle:
Miz is such a great talker. He makes the most of some of the awful stuff they give him.

How many people has Miz elevated? That Daniel Bryan guy, Alex Riley, Damien Sandow, and now Curtis and Bo!

I definitely don't want Dean to represent WWE.

Yeah, remember THAT Dean Ambrose? The unhinged badass? That feels like a lifetime ago.


Miz going OFF on Dean's lackluster run. He has absolutely underperformed as a top guy.

Ha. This is good banter. I'm glad they're acknowledging what a mess last week was.

Dean not even trying to pretend he's lived up to the hype.

I love Heath Slater. He's really grown into his role.

Heath was great there.

Wow. Dean throwing Slater under a bus there. Wacky Dean Ambrose would totally do that in a segment, too.

Miz is so based. I'm BEGGING to see him copy Kurt's mannerisms.

Fine enough segment to set some things up. Miz got to be Miz, which is all I ask.

- Miz vs. Slater:
Heath trying to put himself on the map right out of the gate.

Good start.

Glad to see Heath get this kind of shine instead of jobbing in two minutes or some wacky Dean shenanigans.

This is pretty fun so far.

Rhyno looking out for his partner. I like it.

I'm liking this. Slater's perfect as the underdog babyface.

I like the outside-the-ring shenanigans here. It adds something to things.

Not bad at all!

- Post-match:
The Miztourage on the attack!

Oh, snap! I was expecting Dean to clean house. Glad he didn't.

- Titus/Apollo:
Oh, man. Titus signing Crews up for something he probably doesn't want to be part of.

Ohhhhhhhh Kalisto straight-up BURIED there.

That was good. I like Titus as a manager who also wrestlers.

- Goldust/Truth:
I like Goldust digging deep and bringing back his classic heel role (without all the weird gyrations and stuff).

Ah. I love a heel actually being an asshole.

That was cool enough. I hope they can deliver at GBOF. Both men have been taking bumps for quite a while.

- Angle/Sheamus/Cesaro:
OH WOW. That's going to be one hell of a match. And a LONG night for the battered and bruised Hardy brothers.

We'll definitely see how much Matt and Jeff have left in the tank in that one.

Hahahaha no one wants to get in the rign with Braun.

I prefer heel Cesaro to "Cesaro Section King of Swing Grab The Brass Ring Underrated Remember When I Was Claudio On The Indies" Cesaro. Ugggghhhh.

- Hawkins/Seth:
Hahahahahah Curt's arrogance.

Hawkins does his role pretty well.

Seth pulling a face Chris Jericho.

- Rollins vs. Hawkins:
Well that was quick!

- Rollins/Bray:
Good point about Wyatt's availability for appearances.

I like Seth acknowledging his heel past and its role in shaping him. Often once a heel becomes face or vice versa, the past is kind of brushed under a rug.

I'm excited for their clash. Should be a barnburner.

- Cole/Joe/Brock:
Do they really need to sell this match any more?

I do like the confrontation here instead of just sitting there being interviewed calmly like dweebs.

These two are convincing badasses.

Wait, I thought they were "via satellite?"

Nice acknowledgment of Joe's history. I'm glad he's getting to be the monster he's been elsewhere.

Joe has had enough of this shit.

That was pretty good overall!

- Neville vs. Mustafa:
Pretty good start.

Mustafa's putting in a good showing against the champ.

Impressive work here!

Yeah, you're not going to put Neville away that early.

Neville's good at targeting his opponent and really doing a number on him.

Neville teaching the peasant a lesson!

Pretty good ending sequence.

- Bray promo:
I like this kind of thing. It breaks up the monotony.

Impressive tie-in to the PPV theme.

I love the grandiosity. Bray's not just here to win matches. He's an agent of chaos.

That was a pretty cool.

- Alexa interview:
What a rude question!!

Good enough, I guess.

- Balor vs. Cesaro:
Fine start here. Both men are technically sound.

Balor's another guy you don't want to go for a sunset flip against.

This is pretty fun. Finn can go on a tear.

Pretty good work here.

Cesaro can do some really impressive things. Grabbing the brass ring means more than that, but I do admire his skill.

I like the counter-wrestling going on here.

Pretty solid work.

Six-man tag with Elias, Sheamus, and Cesaro vs. Balor and the Hardys??

Wow. Finn's got a lot of obstacles to overcome here.

Glad the Hardys evened things up there.

Well this is a lot of fun with so many people involved.

Everyone fighting everyone here!

That was a really fun ending sequence. Good work by everyone.

- Braun/Titus:
Braun vs. Roman should be absolutely insane.

I really want to see Braun vs. Angle, even if it's not at Summerslam.

Titus is confident to put his client in this situation.

That was a pretty good promo.

- Strowman vs. Apollo:
I hope Crews has a pretty good showing here. He's someone with a lot of potential.

I'm glad there's a new monster for a new generation.

Ha. Crews is struggling against this behemoth.

Oh my God! Slapping Braun took some balls.

BIG counter to that moonsault.

No mercy from Braun after that slap.

Now that was an efficient ass-kicking.

- Post-match:
Titus, man. That wasn't wise for Apollo.

Titus is brave, but there's no stopping this guy.

Braun might need two ambulances if this keeps up.

Hell, the driver might end up going for a ride if he doesn't obey.

Oh I am SO excited for this battle.

This is some horror movie monster shit.

HOLY SHIT that's how you end an episode of Raw.