WWE Raw – September 2, 2019 (Review)

What a time to be alive!

Unless you’re Tyler Bate. Because after Saturday’s massacre, he may legitimately have passed on. In which case, we thank you for your service.

It’s easy to forgot amidst all of the stunning wrestling we saw this past weekend – memories tend to be fleeting given the ever-hastening grappling calendar – but Bate and WALTER put on one of the most incredible matches of the year. Perhaps of any year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B11gGDcANd6/

Amongst the wreckage left behind by the Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers, the pageantry surrounding Cody vs. Shawn Spears and the sheer Cracker Barrel busting spectacle that was Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela, the NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff main event deserves special mention.

Because, against the backdrop of what was a truly memorable AEW All Out, Bate and WALTER managed to put on a tremendous wrestling match. Without relying on insane barrel-shattering spots or ludicrous Canadian Destroyers. Free from the easy pops created by outside shenanigans or an unexpected debut. This was just a (semi) traditional encounter, between two of the world’s best, where both men battered each other until only one remained. It was unbelievable.

But with that said, All Out’s accomplishments shouldn’t be neglected either. In fact, considered as a whole, the show provided the greatest entertainment of a stacked weekend. So, yet another success for the upstart company.

AEW’s continued success left many people wondering how WWE would attempt follow-up their noisy neighbour’s efforts. Remember that several months ago, they strapped Sami Zayn to an electric chair and had a fan ask him why he wasn’t a champion yet. Here’s hoping for a better response than that.

But even if Raw didn’t feel the need to specifically address the gauntlet laid down by AEW on Saturday, would that really be considered a failure? NXT UK was a spectacular show in its own right. And as of now, WWE remains the largest (and only) game in town producing regular weekly content.

So perhaps they won’t feel pressured to outshine the latest challenger to their throne. Or perhaps they’ll produce a banger just to remind everyone who’s still the Sturgeon in this wrestling pond.

Let’s get on with the review.

The Best of Raw

Dolph and Robert Build Momentum

Heading into their championship clash against Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman, the haphazardly-created team of Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode desperately needed to build some momentum. Because goodness knows they didn’t get any out of last week’s substandard gauntlet match.

They won't give in, no they won't give in, until they're victorious.@RealRobertRoode & @HEELZiggler are ROLLING on their way to #WWEClash of Champions! #RAW pic.twitter.com/sPAjfPWQut

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

So this week they easily squashed Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins. Meh. With a few weeks to go before Clash of Champions, at least they’re racking up a few wins ahead of their title challenge.

King of the Ring Quarterfinal 1

Regular viewers of Raw will recall that Cedric Alexander was nursing a damaged leg as a result of a match with Cesaro. By “regular viewers”, I mean people who watched the show last week. Because he suffered that injury literally last week.

Apparently one week of continuity is too much to ask of Raw, as this week was devoted to Cedric Alexander favouring an injured arm. Which he had sustained earlier in the night by virtue of an unprovoked (and unexplained) assault by The O.C. So WWE already had their storyline headed into Alexander’s clash against Baron Corbin this week, but for some unknown reason decided to rewrite it anyway. In substantially the same way. Except with a different body part.

HELLACIOUS SPINEBUSTER by @BaronCorbinWWE…#RAW #KingOfTheRing @CedricAlexander pic.twitter.com/1jJFBZDSR7

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

To their credit though, Alexander and Baron put on quite a fun match. Baron predictably spent much of it targeting the injured arm (the leg was totally fine!), leaving Alexander to play the role of the plucky, compromised underdog.

Both men kicked out of big moves, much to the delight of the heavily-involved crowd. After a close contest, Corbin caused Alexander to lose his balance while perched on the top rope. This gave him the distance to hit the End of Days for the win and a place in the King of the Ring semifinals.

King of the Ring Quarterfinal 2

I suppose this match shed some light on why Cedric’s first injury angle was so quickly jettisoned in favour of a hurt arm. Turns out it was because the ‘injured leg’ storyline was reserved for the night’s second King of the Ring encounter between Samoa Joe and Ricochet.

I didn’t enjoy this match as much as I had expected to. Perhaps it was because Ricochet is at his best when he’s flying around the ring, not hobbled by a banged-up knee. Or maybe it’s because they played out a very similar injury angle during Ricochet’s feud with AJ Styles just last month.

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But that’s not to say it wasn’t entertaining. Samoa Joe spent much of the contest trying to slow things down, grounding the high-flyer. Ricochet by contrast battled to up the tempo. And when he did (particularly in the match’s final phase), the contest really picked up.

To finish, Samoa Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch while on the top rope. A fading Ricochet launched himself backwards, sending both men crashing to the mat. With their shoulders down and each competitor having an arm draped across the other, the referee counted the pin.

So a draw, right? Restart the match? Make the King of the Ring semifinal a triple threat?

Or, if you’re WWE, you have the referee discuss the result with producers through a ringside headset, agree to “take it under advisement” and then walk away. So the crowd, the viewing audience and the wrestlers themselves were left completely bewildered. It’s not so much a cliffhanger as a damp squib.

YOU HEARD RIGHT.

BOTH @KingRicochet and @SamoaJoe will advance to join @BaronCorbinWWE in a #TripleThreat Match in the #KingOfTheRing SEMIFINALS! #RAW pic.twitter.com/4HL8YPZ0Ke

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

Later in the night, it was announced that next week’s semi-final will indeed be a triple threat. Why this couldn’t have just been cleared up right away is beyond me.

Let Him In

The brand-new episode of the Firefly Funhouse was likely also its weakest. Which is to say, it was still one of the best aspects of Raw.

A riled up Vince McMahon puppet demanded to know why Bray Wyatt would challenge either Seth Rollins or Braun Strowman at Hell in a Cell. Bray responded by distracting Vince with some cash. (Art imitated life on that one.)

Then he bragged about his family, standing before his collection of stuffed friends. As he did that, Rambling Rabbit popped up with a sign that read “HELP!“. Bray quickly pushed him out of sight and spoke about how Rollins and Strowman had, in another life, taken something very important from him.

To close, he mentioned that while his family help heal the pain, ‘The Fiend’ helps him inflict it. A dynamite line to finish, and overall an amusing addition to the Funhouse. But I’m not sold on this new direction for ‘The Fiend’ just yet. Should he be challenging for the Universal Title so soon?

Women’s Championship Showcase

Bayley and Becky Lynch took on Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, in a match pitting each brand’s Women’s Champion against the Women’s Tag Team title holders. Because everything needs a silly name, this was billed as “the first-ever Women’s Championship Showcase“. So I guess we’ll see another one of these at some point.

Prior to the match, both Bayley and Sasha had been asked about their friendship. Bayley not only called Sasha her best friend, but also determinedly claimed that Becky Lynch would not overshadow her. So I smelt a rat from the beginning. (And by “beginning”, I of course mean around the midway point of this match.)

How can someone be so ❄️ and 🔥 at the same time?#RAW #ChampionsShowcase @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/vYhpgdRE6l

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 3, 2019

Banks made an unwelcome appearance halfway through the rather dull contest… and then just stood there glaring at Lynch on the apron.

The match went on for a further few minutes, until Bayley made the tag and Lynch started cleaning house. Just as she got rolling though, Sasha struck, attacking the Raw Women’s Champion from behind. Banks then proceeded to grab a chair and pelted Becky with it a few times, before Bayley intervened.

She grabbed the chair from her best friend’s grasp, locked eyes with Sasha, smiled devilishly, and then began clobbering Becky to enthusiastic “yes!” chants from the crowd as Raw went off the air.

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Will this sudden heel turn work? Despite my initial reservations, I’m prepared to give it a chance. I’ve always struggled to view Bayley as anything other than a pure white-meat babyface. But perhaps she’ll surprise me with unexpected character work, much in the same mould as Daniel Bryan.

What is concerning though is the fan response. We’ve become so conditioned to cheer for any and all swerves, that any sense of narrative gets abandoned when one happens. Aren’t we meant to be backing Becky, the de facto biggest star in the company? Instead we cheered when Sasha beat her up three weeks ago, and almost lost our nuts when Bayley turned on her here. This willing abandonment of the top babyface should concern everyone.

The Worst of Raw

Making it Official!

Raw started this week with the most tired of wrestling tropes: a contract signing.

Apparently every other match in WWE can be held with just a challenge and an acceptance – we see it happen on a weekly basis. But not Championship matches, oh no! Those require lengthy and complex contract negotiations. And those contracts need to be signed in the middle of a wrestling ring, on a wooden table. How will this ever end?

https://www.instagram.com/p/B17bp64BIkp/

Well, it started – as most of these things tend to do – with Seth Rollins cutting a promo. Then Braun Strowman cut a promo. Each man said he would defeat the other at Clash of Champions.

Before Braun could properly initial and sign the necessary paperwork though, AJ Styles marched out flanked by Gallows and Anderson. The United States Champion correctly pointed out the silliness which led to Strowman challenging Seth (repeatedly glaring at the Universal Championship), before questioning why he wasn’t competing for the belt. He’s a very good heel.

Well, here's what @AJStylesOrg thinks of the @BraunStrowman vs. @WWERollins #UniversalTitle Match at #WWEClash of Champions… #RAW pic.twitter.com/0TokiF1rxM

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

The O.C then climbed into the ring and tore up the contract. As Michael Cole protested their involvement, Styles threatened to knock Cole’s teeth down his throat. I take it back, he’s an excellent heel.

This set off a brawl between all five men, leading to an IMPROMPTU tag match between the Raw Tag Team Champions and The O.C. How can it be impromptu? What kind of self-respecting wrestling promotion doesn’t insist on binding contracts before every match!

The Tag Champs in Action

Call me jaded, call me cynical, call me unimpressed. I am all those things. But teaming two men who otherwise don’t get along is an overused cliché.

So when Rollins and Strowman took on The O.C, they put on a match that I had seen countless times before. First, they refused to tag one another. Because they don’t get along. Then they miscommunicated. Because… I’m so exhausted already… they couldn’t get along. Finally, Seth rolled up Karl Anderson for the victory. Because he and Braun didn’t get along – BUT they still need to look strong as champions.

Party of 5️⃣.#TheOC just absolutely DISMANTLED @WWERollins & @BraunStrowman with some help from their #WWEClash opponents, @HEELZiggler & @RealRobertRoode! #RAW pic.twitter.com/Go46cwn17g

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 3, 2019

After the match, Braun accidentally clocked Rollins, before Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode ran down to lend a hand in beating up Strowman. No one looked good in this frankly boring matchup or the ensuing lacklustre beat-down.

Cedric’s Streak Continues

Since being rescued from Raw purgatory, I struggle to remember a time when Cedric Alexander wasn’t being beaten up by someone.

This week he was blindsided by The O.C during a backstage interview with ‘Mean’ Charley Caruso. Why? Who knows. Was this the beginning of a backstage rampage? It’s unclear. Did it achieve anything? Nope.

WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO THE OC TONIGHT?! #RAW pic.twitter.com/nhh5awplVR

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

A Black Hole of Charisma

If there was ever any doubt about Natalya’s toughness, this match surely dispelled it. Last week she was lamenting a dislocated elbow or some such injury. This week she remedied it with a thin layer of bandage. Now I’m no doctor, but even I have to question the efficacy of that treatment.

She was lined up to face Lacey Evans last night, in a match pitting two of Raw’s coldest stars against one another. While Evans was making her entrance, Nattie ran out and delivered a devastating shoulder block on the ramp.

This was the serious side of Natalya. She had set aside her playful antics and clearly meant business here. No more nice Nattie. And then she got in the ring and removed her cat-ear hairband. Christ Almighty.

Absolute SAVAGERY.

@LaceyEvansWWE DROPS @NatbyNature with the #WomansRight to pick up the victory on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/UNusFppDhT

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

Anyway, the pair had a decent match. Ultimately Nattie got distracted when Evans threw her handkerchief in Natalya’s face, never seeing the Woman’s Right which followed it.

Like I said, an okay match. But each of these women seem to arbitrarily alternate wins and losses each week, so it’s impossible to get invested in any of this.

Bitter Becky

Since her transformation into ‘The Man’, Becky Lynch has had some hit-or-miss periods. She’s at her best when she’s hurling insults, portraying her own successes and generally raging against the corporate machine. All in as few words as possible. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a top babyface. Keep your promos snappy!

But last night, Becky was none of those things as she rambled on endlessly about how much more WWE liked Sasha Banks than her. She moaned about how the company presented Banks with flowers after her matches, how they let her be the centrepiece of NXT and how she was given countless opportunities on the main roster. All the while, Becky had floundered on the sidelines.

These weren’t the words of a champion or a top star. They were the whining of a disillusioned teenager who felt cheated by the hardships of the world. Suffice to say, I hated it.

This brought out Sasha, who – in an overly scripted way – claimed she was all about the money now. But she had no problem making it personal. When Becky invited her to step into the ring however, Banks said she’d wait until Clash of Champions. Because apparently that’s the only time she gets paid or something.

So after weeks of Banks attacking Natalya and Lynch enjoying a tropical holiday, the championship match is set. What a laboured, roundabout, draining way of getting there.

Join the Stuttering Raid

The Viking Raiders squashed a pair of jobbers AGAIN(!) this week. What is that? Five weeks in a row?

THIS. JUST. HAPPENED.#RAW #VikingRaiders @Erik_WWE pic.twitter.com/sUxlfgQSoG

— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2019

I’m no expert, but aren’t raids meant to be quicker than this?

The Usual Filler

In his characteristic awkward manner, Rey Mysterio announced that his son had helped him re-evaluate his choices and that he was not retiring. Cool.

"I'm not done…I still have much more to accomplish."

THANK YOU, @reymysterio! #RAW pic.twitter.com/Rut1eNbQPf

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 3, 2019

This was followed by a five-minute match between The Miz and Cesaro, which the former won. So much for that star-making performance at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.

Overall Rating for the Show (From best to worst: RawSome, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and RawFul)

Raw had the unenviable task of following over a dozen hours of pay-per-view quality wrestling this weekend. And for the most part, this just felt like a run-of-the-mill edition of the red brand.

There were no flashes of inspiration, no major swerves or shock moments. That was, at least, until the final match. When Bayley – a lifelong babyface – turned heel.

I’m willing to concede that the turn was earned, barely. During one backstage interview, Bayley asserted that Sasha was still her best friend and pushed back against the idea that Becky would overshadow her. But weren’t Bayley and Becky also best friends? Aren’t all the women in WWE’s locker room some degree of best friends? It’s what half their feuds are built around.

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By far more troubling though was how readily the crowd forsook Becky in favour of a newly-heel Bayley. It’s disappointing to see that we’ll all so easily cheer for any type of swerve. Really, it’s an indictment of the WWE booking process that they’re unable to create a captivating babyface that we all want to get behind. We should want to boo Bayley for turning on fan-favourite Lynch… but we don’t. That’s worrying.

Other than that, we got some more good King of the Ring action (with a wonky finish), another fun instalment of the Firefly Funhouse, and a lacklustre contract signing. The rest of the offering, including a Natalya / Lacey Evans bout and another Viking Raiders squash match, was largely forgettable.

Overall, that sums up this week’s Raw. Largely forgettable with a suprise turn to end the night. So with little to celebrate or truly complain about, Raw was a middling affair. Put differently, Raw was just AvRAWge.

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5 years ago by Nicholas Holicki

WWE Raw – September 2, 2019 (Review)