WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE Raw – January 7, 2019

How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: In Awe, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Bore)

Emma Heeley

I’m not sure if it’s me trying to pile on the optimism but I did feel like this week’s Raw was different. Yes, it had its lagging moments, and my attention did dwindle during a couple of segments / matches. However, the majority of the show was pretty good.

And while I proverbially sucked air in through my teeth and held my breath at the idea of a Hulk Hogan return, I don’t think anybody else could have pulled off that tear-jerking Gene Okerlund tribute with the same level of finesse as the Hulkster.

Things to take away from the show: WWE really doesn’t need another talk show segment, Brock Lesnar is retaining at the Royal Rumble and Seth Rollins is awesome. For me, this week’s Raw was (a high) Cor.

Dylan Kapisky

AvRAWge. The first hour of this show was incredible. The 6-man tag, Seth’s demand for a title match and the Gene Okerlund tribute were all excellent.

Unfortunately, the next two hours were painfully average to poor. The Tag Team Championship scene continues to be a mess, and the “showdown” between Brock and Braun was uncomfortably awkward. At least we got a Falls Count Anywhere match to close the show. Always nice to see gimmick matches on TV.

Kyle Payne

I’ll give the show a solid Cor rating. It started with action, ended with a great angle for next week and the idea of Seth feuding with Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush is fresh and exciting. It also gets us away from the Rollins / Ambrose and Elias / Lashley pairings.

I liked how Rollins asked for a match and instead of having to wait for next week, we got it as the main event. I thought the tag match was fun and I loved the promo being played during the end of Roode and Gable’s entrance, it had a very old-school feeling and I’d like to see more of it. McIntyre is phenomenal and Alicia Fox sold Ember Moon’s finisher like The Rock did for Stone Cold. Also, the upcoming feud between Sasha Banks and Ronda Rousey is fresh and exciting.

The show, however, wasn’t perfect. Braun Strowman stumbling during his promo killed the tiniest bit of excitement I had for the feud and match – and I was already borderline. Dean Ambrose’s character needs clarity because I think he’s as lost as we are in terms of what his purpose is and why he even turned on Seth in the first place. Also, Corbin needs a refresh to go back to who he was on SmackDown.

Not only did she win tonight, but @SashaBanksWWE WILL face @RondaRousey for the #Raw #WomensChampionship at #RoyalRumble! #Raw pic.twitter.com/kS375GH9o5

— WWE (@WWE) January 8, 2019

Eric Stites

I thought Raw was alright last night. The wrestling was pretty good overall but I thought the promos were okay at best. I thought the ‘Mean’ Gene tribute was great, although I don’t see why Hulk Hogan had to be there. I definitely enjoyed the episode last night but only to a certain extent, so I’m giving it a high AvRAWge.

[totalpoll id=”46350″]

Share your thoughts on last night’s Raw in the comments below. Follow WrestleTalk on Twitter, and join the conversation with the entire team on Discord.

• RAW
• roundtable
• mean gene okerlund
• Hulk Hogan
• wrestletalk
• wwe

Share this article with friends