Random RAW 'Rasslin Matches

Monday Night RAW - July 25th, 2016

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

General Manager Stephanie McMahon and Commissioner Mick Foley promised a rebirth of the WWE Monday Night RAW brand following last week's Draft and, while I wouldn't call this episode an extreme makeover, it was nice to see the WWE at least try some of the suggestions fans have been making for years now (most notably, a new announce team, a return to "jobber" matches, new faces in the main event scene, and longer matches built around legitimate stakes). 

I'm not going to review every segment on the show because to do so would be Horrorscope (y'know, the epitome of Overkill), but there were a few bouts worth seeking out...

Cesaro vs. Rusev vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens was one of two fourway matches on the show, the winner of each going on to wrestle in the main event. This also served as Balor's debut and, while I've been somewhat lukewarm on his NXT work, this match showed to me what was missing with this guy - the audience. In the smaller settings, Balor's over-the-top offense and fire can almost come off as him trying too hard, but like Apollo Crews, when you take that same performance and put it on a grander stage, everything he does make more sense (look no further than his Slingblade clothesline, a move that typically elicits a yawn from me but was a perfect set-up for his finisher here). While Balor's victory certainly put him in the spotlight, that's not to say that Cesaro, Rusev, and Owens didn't have some terrific moments themselves. Cesaro was able to connect with some sharp uppercuts to all three men in the corners and showed his insane strength by deadlifting Rusev into a vertical suplex at one point. Rusev and Owens teamed up momentarily, providing the match a unique sequence right when it needed a "hook" to keep viewers engaged and leading to them getting some stiff shots in at each other as well. Strong finishing stretch as well. Expect to see this match making more than a few people's Best TV Matches of the Year List come December. (3.5/5)

Elsewhere on the show...

The WWE Womens' Championship was on the line with Charlotte defending her title against Sasha Banks just one night after Banks and Bayley defeated her and Dana Brooke at Battleground. Prominently positioned at the 10:00 PM spot, I'm hoping that, if the rating wasn't as strong as it should be, the WWE considers the fact that the match wasn't promoted remotely as much as a major title match should be. As for the in-ring action, Banks and Charlotte started things off with some fairly straightforward wrestling before Banks went right for the Backstabber-Straightjacket combo, an impressive sequence of offense captured well in one of the handful of new camera angles used on the show. Banks then connected with a swift dropkick and then double knees to Charlotte on the outside, the Nature Girl (why isn't that a thing?) taking two stiff bumps to the arena floor. Back on offense, Charlotte hit Sasha with a boot right into the barrier before taunting her with her championship belt. Some Eddie Guerrero-esque trickery from Banks led to Dana Brooke getting sent backstage (and the match's first commercial break). Later, Banks would land her patented double knee drive in the corner but it was not enough to put away Charlotte who was able to regain control with a textbook neckbreaker. Moments later, Banks nearly broke her neck with a crossbody through the ropes and onto the arena floor but Charlotte just wouldn't stay down. Not to be outdone in the "Why Do This On RAW?" category, Charlotte hit a moonsault from the top rope to the outside of the ring (earning a "Holy Shit" chant from the Pittsburgh crowd). As impressive as these maneuvers were, both were undersold and the pace never slowed to accommodate the selling that should've been taking place. Within a minute, Charlotte would have Sasha locked in a figure four, a sequence that should've been built up a bit more. Fortunately, the women did take their time with the actual finish, teasing the audience at first and then delivering an emotionally-rewarding, heated ending. Had this match occurred at SummerSlam, had this match been plugged in as the night's main event, had this match gone just an extra 3 minutes based on Sasha and Charlotte just selling a touch more after every big spot, I'd be calling it a Top 10 Match of the year...but alas, even the crowd's chants of "You Deserve It" and Bank's understated victory speech were not enough to nudge this one into being more than just a very good match/moment. (3.5/5)

James Ellsworth made his WWE debut, taking on the monstrous Braun Strowman. This was not quite as awesome as the Sid Justice squashes of yesteryear, but hey, there aren't many things on Earth as awesome as a Sid Justice squash match. 

Main event time - Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns with the winner going onto SummerSlam to take on Seth Rollins for the WWE's new Universal Championship. I'm not a big fan of the name for this new championship but at least understand the logic behind it - when (not if) RAW and SmackDown's major titles are merged, the WWE Universal Championship does at least make some sense. Anyway, Reigns dominated early, tossing Balor all around and shaking off some of the Demon's initial strikes. It is interesting to see Reigns work as something noticeably less than a babyface, no longer adding any sly grins to the camera between his spots or trying to pop the crowd with Batista-like roars. During the commercial break, Finn went after Reigns leg but Roman continued to stick to his strategy of grounding Balor and using his strength and size to his advantage. Reigns hit his undeniably impressive roll-up-into-a-sitout-powerbomb but Balor kicked out at two. He then called for his Superman Punch to a very mild reaction, missing it and eventually eating a huge running knee to the noggin on the outside. Balor struck next with a double-stomp to the back of Reigns' head, but it wasn't enough to close things out, Reigns showing remarkable resilience before getting hit with a slingblade. Balor seemed to have things wrapped up but ran square into a Superman Punch. Even this wouldn't be the end, though, as Balor kicked out at two-and-a-half. From here, we saw a pair of powerbombs, more near falls, and what can only be described as the Making of One Star and the Fall of Another. Very strong one-on-one contest that has me fairly excited to see what these two could do on a larger stage with something more personal at stake. (3.5/5)

Yeah, I gave every match an equal rating...but that just shows that evaluating wrestling matches is no science, that matches can be good or bad for a number of reasons, that no two "great" matches are the same. The fourway earned its score by featuring a number of fun spots, never slowing down, and introducing a new character without devoting its entire runtime to putting him over. Conversely, the Womens' Championship Match lost points for never slowing down, but benefitted by being wrestled with serious purpose, the opposite "fun." The athleticism and emotion on display elevated it above average. Finally, in the main event, Reigns put on one of his most nuanced performances yet, which is almost ironic because it was the closest thing to a "return to Shield mode" we've seen in years. Balor got to "fight from underneath" for the first time in his WWE career (even in his matches with Samoa Joe, he always seemed like an equal despite the size difference) and was excellent in the role. The character work, paired with some genuinely great strikes out of the Demon and Reigns' selling (which I've put over as his most overlooked strength) made it one of the better TV matches of the year. If the WWE can keep this level of quality up, we may be in for one of the best years RAW has ever produced.