WWE Raw – May 13, 2019 (Review)

There was a point when the goals and aims of Raw crystallised in my mind. A flickering moment of clarity that I wasn’t expecting – like a visit from the ghost of narrative past.

And no, I’m not talking about Michael Cole successfully fighting the urge to welcome us to “Monday Night Yard” this week. Although I do think I would’ve hurled myself out of a window had he dropped that line again.

Instead it was the efforts of one Mr Michael ‘The Miz’ Mizanin, who stood out as the lone voice of reason in an ocean of Vince McMahons. This week, Raw opened with The Miz, who was seemingly tasked with explaining to the audience how the Money in the Bank ladder match worked. Which was perhaps long overdue, considering that the pay-per-view is just six days away! (Something I had completely forgotten until it was brought up on commentary.)

#MITB this Sunday got us like 🤑🤑🤑🤑.@mikethemiz #RAW pic.twitter.com/e68GJnVzQt

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 14, 2019

The Miz would perhaps appear to be a strange candidate to explain the rules of the match – considering that he won’t even be participating in it come Sunday – but it quickly became clear why he had been chosen for this role. While admittedly never the best in-ring performer in the world, The Miz remains second to none when it comes to delivering a promo.

And this was a masterclass. The former WWE Champion artfully conveyed not only the rules of the ladder match, but also its importance to launching careers in WWE. He spoke passionately about holding the briefcase and proudly of how it underpinned his title success.

The Miz’s efforts are sometimes easily dismissed as the ramblings of a good upper mid-card act. But this was transcendent work from a WWE lifer and an excellent start to Raw. The only question here was whether the red brand could sustain this momentum. Let’s find out together.

On with the review.

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