It took me two days to get through this program but I watched it while having dinner. As I’m far behind where I’d like to be on my editing, I don’t want to put as much effort into these reviews especially if a show is rotten. Smackdown has been downright stinky so I’m sticking to watching clips. Raw has the best story in the WWE by far and a few people I enjoy watching so I will make a few attempts to get through these when I have time.
CM Punk opened the show with a solid in ring promo where Seth’s new group came out. Punk did address a previous incident of Heyman backstabbing him, which sets up Punk’s weariness of his “friends.” (BTW, what happened to front stabbing Cody? That seemed to have just disappeared….) Punk calls Heyman the Penguin so I laughed at that. Rollins came out and claimed that Punk enjoys being a victim. Eventually, he unleashed Bron on Punk and the two brawled, which allowed Seth to assault Punk for the 2-on-1. Sami Zayn later showed up to help out but was overwhelmed. Finally, Jey Uso showed up and both Sami and Punk brought out chairs to get Seth’s group to retreat.
I must admit I’m digging this part of the show. I can get behind this setup. But it’s quite clear that they’re setting it up for Rollins to get at least one more member to his group to even the odds. I’ll address that later since this thread continues in the show.
Penta vs Chad Gable
This is more Chad trying to be the anti-luchadore while McAfee and Cole have dumb arguments on Americano and Chad’s identity. This match wasn’t as good as these two’s initial match though. I keep thinking that the WWE want these two to have a Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Dean Malenko feud but neither are as good because both are goofy. Penta won with his version of a Panama Sunrise which Chad setup rather neatly.
War Raiders vs Brutus & Julius Creed
Incredibly boring match with boring commentary from the new New Day. Honestly, the WWE tag team division stinks. There’s only one good team but the rest are brutally bad. Kofi and Xavier helped the Creed brothers win and I have no idea why. But this match lost me the other night and I turned off the video at that time.
Seth’s Group Thing
Seth convinces Bron to do something for him later. Bron’s eyes light up as Seth leaves. I don’t get it. If you’re not wrestling that night, why do you bother showing up? Anyway, this backstage stuff bores me to death most of the time.
Jey Uso and Gunther Promo
Jey addresses the Logan Paul title match for SNME in two weeks (I think). Gunther comes out and mentions he’ll challenge the winner since he has yet to receive his return match. Jey verbally retaliates in having more confidence. But it’s almost a given that Jey will win his match or at least retain.
Sabu Video Montage
So Sabu passed away the other day. Apparently, he had his literal last match before then and there’s been a bunch of talk at whose fault it was because GCW and Joey Janella seemed more concerned about their reputations than allowing a 60 year old guy do anything stupid. I mean it’s pretty clear that Joey Janella is a flat out moron no matter which way you cut it. GCW is utter trash and I have zero interest in what they do, hoping that they fall apart because of being utter trash. In terms of Sabu, he obviously had issues from a variety of reasons from drug addiction, to injuries to possible mental problems. But I think he’s one of those types that would do whatever he wanted to do regardless of whether people told him or not. The difference is that there were a lot of enablers that let him progress to this stage. In all likelihood, he might’ve been the type that wanted to die in the ring given what he’s done throughout the years. Someone compared his ending to The Wrestler movie, which probably was appropriate. It’s just sad what happened in the end but hopefully his demise serves as a reminder not to push oneself to that level because maybe he just couldn’t get out of his own way at the end.
Ludvig Kaiser Segment
Very brief segment that got interrupted by Jey Uso on the floor in the back with Bron standing over him in the apparent order from Seth. Sami and CM Punk came out to check on Jey.
AJ Styles vs Finn Balor
I like AJ Styles but this match bored the shit out of me. It’s one of those instances where I just wish it was given 5 minutes because this whole show mostly dragged. Anyway, JD and Carlito were at the ringside while Cole tried to figure out where Dominik was. Penta showed up to interfere, allowing AJ to pin Finn. I have no idea what they’ll be doing with AJ but the guy has a lot of talent and probably limited time left at this stage of his career.
Becky Lynch in Ring Promo
Becky is possibly my favorite female wrestler at this time. If her feud with Lyra was what Charlotte vs Tiffany should have been, then this promo is the better version of what Cena’s heel turn ought to have been from the start. She really knows how to work the crowd and got them to boo her. Her new gimmick is that whatever the audience wants she will be…in an ironic fashion. Also, she put the entire locker on notice where I’m hoping she stops her feud with Lyra because Lyra is just so bland and tepid for me. Personally, I’d prefer for her to take either Iyo or Tiffany out and be the top woman star again. I know the WWE values Charlotte but Becky really is the best female on that roster.
Rusev Video Package
He’s doing the Redeemer gimmick as well as getting his gratuitous AEW shot in. Not sure what he’ll be doing but if he’s not going after major titles, what’s the point? I honestly prefer him to be over on Smackdown mixed in with the US title group. They’ve got some solid people on that side working and Rusev would do great feuding against Jacob Fatu and the others rather than wasting his time with jobbers like Otis.
IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley vs Roxanne Perez and Giulia
This was a not great match. I really enjoy watching Roxanne. She’s really good and I hope the WWE management realize it. Iyo still reminds me of a worse Manami Toyota since she can’t sell well. I really dug all the stuff Roxanne and Rhea did. I think that’s a fantastic pairing since Rhea has the size to throw Roxanne around and Roxanne is small, spunky and has great facials and can sell her ass off when she gets beat down. Giulia was admittedly not impressive here. I think they tried to get too complex and Iyo isn’t good in complex booked matches with too many planned spots. Rhea got the pin on Gulia which upset me because it seems that they’re already breaking up the Roxanne and Giulia team for no good reason (there was a post-Raw video of this). I don’t know why they insisted on giving Rhea and Iyo a clean pin over Roxanne and Giulia already. A simple DQ could’ve kept things going because both Roxanne and Giulia need momentum. But I guess it’s back to the drawing board for them while Rhea and Iyo more than likely will have a return title match down the road.
Final Thoughts
There was a locker room type of segment between Sami and Punk I didn’t mention mostly to affirm their trust in one another. Also, for whatever reason they gave Tozawa air time in having Adam not clear him while Sheamus showed up to challenge Grayson Waller next week. Mostly, meh from me.
But let’s address the big thing: Heyman’s group (not really Seth). The big talk after Raw is who will be the probable 3rd person? In all likelihood, we may see someone attack Jey Uso at the upcoming SNME when he faces Logan Paul. So would it be Logan Paul? What about Gunther given that Gunther interrupted and challenged the winner of the SNME match down the line in June? How about Sami himself because Punk is paranoid and people had speculated that Sami might want to face Jey? Sami talked about having his own goals and Punk didn’t seem too trusting of him. After all, why did Seth give Sami a get out of jail card to move to Smackdown? How about the long missing Brock Lesnar? He’s still under WWE contract and was last associated with Paul Heyman a while back. Let me see if I can address the aforementioned people here.
- Logan Paul – Not a bad candidate in all honesty given the nature of this group. The main problem I see is how Logan Paul mostly makes cameo appearances which would defy Seth’s premise for himself and the group. They need full timers for this group.
- Gunther – My pick. The only thing is that Gunther is such a strong personality on his own that he really doesn’t need a group, which is why Imperium is no more. Also, Seth and Gunther would oppose each other at some point because of their need to be champions. If Cena wasn’t on his retirement tour, then one or the other should move to Smackdown to go after the Undisputed Title at some point. Still, having Gunther on Seth’s team would make that team appear very OP and shock the world.
- Sami – Logically, he makes no sense. But sometimes that WWE logic doesn’t exist and Sami’s recent behavior is odd enough where I could see him with Seth just to go after Jey Uso’s title. If that happens, what happens to Seth? Does he go after the Undisputed Title? My issue with Sami joining is that Sami has been beaten up by Bron badly a few times so why would he join this group?
- Ludwig Kaiser – A weird choice but his interview was cut off by the segment where Jey Uso was cut down by Bron. And the interviewer did point out that Ludwig had been doing nothing. Since Ludwig is relatively young for the WWE, it’s possible that he could join Seth’s group just to give him some shine. It’s just that he hasn’t done a single impressive thing so having him join would go off like a popcorn fart.
- Finn Balor – A really far out choice but I think many people expect that he or Dominik are going to turn or turn on the Judgment Day. If Finn gets kicked out, he won’t go babyface as that’s being reserved for Dominik. Having Finn join Seth’s group may help revitalize Finn’s situation and he would make a good group player but it feels like he’s winding down his WWE career.
- Drew McIntyre – The most logical choice besides Gunther for me. If it weren’t for his feud with Damian Priest and going after the US title with Jacob Fatu, Drew would be a perfect person to insert into this group given his history against Jey Uso and CM Punk.
- Brock Lesnar – Really random person that still exist somewhere and is affiliated with Paul Heyman. Would make a huge impact but it’s been a long time and there’s the controversy with McMahon and the lawsuit. So as long as that’s going on, I doubt we’ll see Lesnar ever again or at least anytime soon in the WWE. But I have to throw this possibility out there given all the other circumstances.
- Bronson Reed – I saw this name tossed out there and I don’t disagree. He made a huge impact with the new Bloodline but that injury sidelined him. Also, given that Jeff Cobb just joined Solo Sikoa, I can imagine Bronson Reed sticking with Solo Sikoa especially if he gets to face Jacob Fatu.
- Rusev – An interesting prospect but I think they’re trying to reestablish him. Having him associated to a group would be detrimental even though I have no idea whom he will feud against. That said he could make a huge impact too.
- Cody Rhodes – This might be one of the more interesting possibilities. Cody has been laying low since his WM41 defeat. Logic dictates he will resurface to eventually challenge Cena but having Cody turn heel would be huge. Again, the problem is that a heel Cody under Seth hurts Cody and Seth. But if the group is spread across Raw and Smackdown then it could work. It’s just that we don’t know where the Cena situation will lead.
- Tozawa – J/K
While Gunther is my #1 pick here, I think the best alternative is Bronson Reed just to get him back on track. A guy like that does not undermine Seth’s position nor Bron’s. However, he’ll immediately make a huge impact and be a major threat. There is a logical reason for him to be part of this group in getting some revenge against Jey, Sami and Punk. Also, if he shows up, I can see him challenging Jey Uso just to give Jey another major singles win as champion while establishing Bronson Reed as a future world title contender. if they decide to keep the group to just three, then Bronson would make an excellent addition to help build him up. The only issue is that I think Bronson crushed Seth’s ribs so they’d have to explain how Seth turned Bronson around quickly.