Raw Reax - 12/31/18

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
- Dolph vs. Drew:
I mean I don't blame Dolph for wanting to win quickly, but surely the point of a grudge match is to send a message to your opponent physically? Especially for a babyface like Dolph.

Drew's power is great, and Dolph is always an awesome seller.

These two are smooth together.

I'm glad this is intense now.

That was pretty kickass.

- Post-match:
Now this is the Dolph I want to see. Someone who fights until he can't stand up. Not the "DID YOU SEE THAT BUMP I DID? NOTICE ME! PUSH ME!"

See, Dolph, sometimes it's better to stay down.

Now that was a hell of a promo.

Drew vs. Braun for the Universal Title at WM35 would be special.

GODDAMN Drew killed Dolph there.

- Shane/HHH:
Dumb but hilarious. That would actually be a fun match.

- Ascension resolution:
I'm crying. That's definitely a more realistic wish than the Raw tag title.

- LHP resolution:
Yeah we'll see how much of LHP is intact by year's end.

- Seth/HHH/Shane:
Ooooh. Interesting. I like the automatic rematch idea, to show the new champion isn't a fluke, but I see why ditching it would be fresh.

It's really interesting to see HHH put over a former rival like this, since so many times we've seen him compete with the person looking to be The Man.

HHH's direction is definitely fresh. I like it.

Seth vs. Brock at WM35 would be good even if it's not for the Universal Title.

I like the idea of people getting opportunities who don't often get them.

- Battle royal:
Hawkins can end 2018 and the 0-249 streak at once here.

I'm definitely glad to see Apollo showcased.

Damn. If LHP can't eliminate Hawkins with three of them, something's wrong.

LHP eliminated Titus more easily than Curt? Wow!

That biel of Lince was SICK.

Balor vs. Ambrose could have been really cool.

DAMN YOU BARON CORBIN!!!!! It was supposed to be a fresh start for Hawkins!!!!

That was a pretty cool ending.

- Apollo promo:
This could be a big night for him.

- Natalya/Nia/Tamina:
Natalya has taken a LOT of beatdowns in WWE.

- Corbin/Elias:
Honestly, Corbin being off TV for a month or two would be great for him.

Meh.

- Ryder resolution:
I love how some talents got to be goofy.

- Sasha/Bayley/Ember vs. Riotts:
This should lead to a tornado match.

The Squad are getting better as a unit. It's worth noting they didn't team up in NXT.

Pretty solid work.

- Lio promo:
This has been a breath of fresh air for Lashley.

- Lashley vs. Rollins:
I'm glad Lio can still showcase his athleticism.

Pretty good work here.

That was good! I hope there's more coming.

- Post-match:
I'm fine with Seth not caring about technically losing.

- Jinder/Singhs vs. Rhyno/Slater:
Speaking of fresh names, we haven't seen the Singhs in action in a long time.

That was a cool double belly-to-belly.

Not bad!

- Ambrose promo:
Pretty good.

- Ambrose vs. Apollo:
WHY HAS CREWS BEEN UNDER THE RADAR SO LONG???

Good to see Apollo fired up.

Oh. Well. So much for that. Hopefully this isn't the end for Apollo.

- Alexa promo:
I'm getting a little bored with Alexa. Hopefully she turns face at some point. I know that seems crazy given her character, but I'm sure she could get cheered.

- Brock video:
Brock could literally not care less that other wrestlers cut promos about his schedule.

- Ronda/Natalya vs. Nia/Tamina:
I like Ronda's badassery.

This is solid so far.

Pretty good work.

More wrestling coming up.