WWE Raw – June 3, 2019 (Review)

The Best of Raw

The A-listers

No, not the Miz. Although he was good too.

Before MizTV got underway, the cameras revealed that Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey were in attendance with the show emanating from Austin, Texas. I don’t have much to say about this, other than it was nice to see a couple of genuine stars on Raw. I kid, I kid!

Miz’s guest this week was Seth Rollins, who wanted to address the pending cash-in by Brock Lesnar. Oh, and he also spoke about his upcoming title defence against Baron Corbin at Super ShowDown. I almost care about one of those things.

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The segment was ended when footage of Brock arriving at the arena played on the titantron. The ‘Beast’ looked like he was heading to the ring, but after a few purposeful strides, he changed his mind and got back into his limo. I imagine this won’t be the last we see of Lesnar tonight. Got to get those sweet third hour ratings, after all!

A New US Champion

An obviously injured Rey Mysterio relinquished his United States Championship to Samoa Joe – who attacked him anyway. Rey looked honourable and genuinely pained when surrendering his belt, and Joe a vindictive bully. This was a simple story that worked for everyone.

Six Matches And A Movie

Cesaro and Ricochet cut short cellphone promos to hype up their encounter set for later in the night. This would be the third match between the two in as many weeks, but they’ve all been of such tremendous quality that it’s hard to complain. With the score tied at one win apiece, I could gladly see this feud produce several more excellent bouts.

But, HOW @KingRicochet?? #Raw pic.twitter.com/wa2XHCb1zX

— WWE (@WWE) June 4, 2019

And, skipping ahead, the pair did exactly that with another great showing. This was far and away the best match on Raw, as Cesaro relied on his power game to try and negate the pure athleticism of Ricochet. Ultimately, however, the ‘Swiss Superman’ couldn’t contain Ricochet’s speed, as a flurry of moves ended with a roll-up for the pin.

The post-match beat-down then revealed that R-Truth had been hiding underneath the ring for most of the night. This prompted an invasion of Raw’s goof troop, causing Truth to scamper to safety. For a title that’s meant to be defended 24/7, most of the action seems to happen in Raw’s third hour.

A Monstrous Theme

I could be wrong, but it sounded like Braun Strowman debuted a slightly modified theme this week. It sounded a bit more energetic, with some rocking guitar melodies. Or maybe it’s what he’s always had and I’m just wrapped in the early signs of sleep deprivation.

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Either way, Strowman and Bobby Lashley then had the beefiest arm wrestling contest this side of 2006. Strowman won and Lashley attacked him, setting up their encounter at Super ShowDown. This is worth $9.99 a month, right?

The Muscle Man Dance

I’m not sure what other superlatives I can use to describe Firefly Fun House. Bray Wyatt really has created something quite extraordinary.

This week saw the introduction of TWO new characters. A chocolate eating pig named Huskus (sounding a lot like Husky) and a horned, suit-wearing chairman. Both clearly represented elements of Braun’s past, with Huskus reminiscent of Bray’s old – portlier – frame and the corporate devil threatening to fire him if he “didn’t get his act together“.

Wyatt then demonstrated a catchy new workout routine, complete with a very subtle subliminal message. See if you can spot it.

The ‘Game’ and the ‘Viper’

Eschewing the customary video packages, Triple H and Randy Orton instead had their first face-to-face encounter in a very long time. Each man calmly promised to beat the other come Friday, as tensions quickly escalated.

Most of the insults centred around the size and location of Triple H’s testicles, which was a bit strange. But effective nonetheless. Their match at Super ShowDown should be good and, knowing the ‘Game’, at least 25 minutes long.

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The Dead Man Cometh

The Undertaker showed up on Raw to sign off on his upcoming match with Goldberg. Man, that’s still a sentence I can’t believe we’re saying in 2019.

With five minutes left until the show went off the air, there was just enough time for the ‘Dead Man’ to make an entrance and inform his opponent “you’re next”. We didn’t even get a “rest in peace”.

While I remain only morbidly interested in seeing this ‘Clash of the Geriatrics’ on Friday, Undertaker undeniably retains a tangible presence that so many of WWE’s other wrestlers lack. His appearance felt important and was an impactful way to sign-off this go-home show.

• review
• RAW
• Brock Lesnar
• wwe

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