By: Keila Cash
Hello everyone
and welcome to the Labor Day Edition of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of
Monday Night Raw emanated from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
After last week’s swerve of all swerves, what did WWE have in store for us
tonight? Did Triple H offer an explanation for his actions? Were Stephanie
McMahon and Mick Foley culpable in any way, shape, or form? Is Seth Rollins a
babyface? Most importantly, did we all buy imaginary tickets to see The Kevin
Owens Show? The answers to these burning questions can be found throughout this
blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular
order.
·
Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon had a
deep heart-to-heart conversation about what happened last week. They both
delivered nice performances and it seemed as if Stephanie was telling the
truth. Either that or she’s a damn good actress. It’s all about the game and
how you play it.
·
Kevin Owens looks good in a suit. Very
dapper.
·
KO knows how to turn a crowd against
him. He’s a true heel in every sense of the word.
·
The opening segment can be summed up
in one word. Volatile. It was a segment brimming with combustible elements as
Owens proclaimed Raw as The Kevin Owens Show as he shunned the fans for getting
themselves over by latching on to his success. He didn’t need their validation
because he was great since the moment he stepped into the ring. Their praise
was futile and he didn’t need their support in order to get over as a star.
·
Seth Rollins lit into Stephanie
regarding her involvement from last week’s main event. She continued to deny
that she had any knowledge about Triple H turning on Rollins, but he wasn’t
buying her explanation. Foley stood up for Stephanie, but Owens kept twisting
the knife as he questioned Rollins’ passion and said that his blueprint for
success has been a total failure since his return from injury a few months ago.
·
Rollins punched Owens in the face which
left the Universal Champion cowering at ringside. Stephanie was fed up with
Rollins and told him that he was suspended indefinitely. Foley overturned her
decision and stated that he had the power to book matches. Therefore, he booked
Rollins vs. Owens at Clash of Champions with the Universal Title at stake.
·
This was a good way to start the show.
Everyone played their parts perfectly and it’s smart that WWE didn’t overplay
their hand when it comes to who knew what regarding Triple H’s plan from last
week. This is an issue that will continue to fester in the weeks and months to
come. It should be interesting to see how it all plays out.
·
Chris Jericho had a great line by
saying that Kevin Owens is the longest reigning WWE Universal Champion of all
time. Owens has been the champ for a grand total of seven days. That cracked me
up.
·
Rollins vs. Jericho and Owens vs. Zayn
is set for later tonight. I approve.
·
Bayley picked up a signature non-title
win against Charlotte thanks to an inadvertent assist from Dana Brooke. Bayley
and Charlotte had a nice match which featured Bayley selling her knee midway
through the bout. Charlotte pounced on it immediately which allowed fans to
rally behind their favorite Hugger. Bayley made a fiery comeback when she hit
Charlotte with a Diving Corkscrew Elbow from the middle rope followed by a
clothesline into the turnbuckle. Brooke interfered which allowed Charlotte to
roll her up for a near fall. Bayley kicked out and her momentum threw Charlotte
into Brooke by accident. The distraction allowed Bayley to drop Charlotte with
the Bayley-to-Belly for the win.
·
One has to assume that Bayley is in
line for a shot at the Women’s Championship in the very near future. Also, it
appears that Brooke is in the doghouse after Charlotte slapped the taste out of
her mouth during a backstage segment following the match. Their Mentor-Protégé
relationship has hit the skids. Maybe this will allow Brooke to go back to NXT
and get more experience under her belt. I know. Wishful thinking.
·
Bo Dallas just squashed a dude named
Kyle Roberts in convincing fashion. I guess we should Bo-Lieve in Bo… I am not
making that slogan up. Seriously…
·
It appears that Gran Metalik, Akira
Tozawa, and Jack Gallagher are also going to be a part of the Cruiserweight
Division which debuts on Raw in two weeks. The pieces are coming together
nicely.
·
Rollins vs. Jericho was very good. The
action was strong throughout as Rollins sent a definitive message to Triple H
when he defeated Jericho with The Pedigree. I thought he would switch up his
finisher after what transpired last week, but he decided to put a little hot
sauce on the move as he pinned Y2J. Jericho has brought his A Game over the
past couple weeks as he has turned in stellar performances against Neville and
Rollins. Rollins might not be a full-on babyface yet, but he wrestled like one
which was refreshing to see. He will wrestle with more freedom as he gets more comfortable
getting cheered instead of booed. It should be an easy transition because
Rollins is such a gifted performer who can switch tempos with ease. Overall,
this match was a joy to watch. Kudos to both men for a job well done.
· Sheamus is up 3-0 in his Best of
Seven Series against Cesaro. I did not expect that, but the Swiss Superman is
really behind the 8-Ball as he has to win four matches in a row in order to
complete the comeback. Cesaro’s back was still injured after Sheamus tossed him
into the ring post last week. The Celtic Warrior wasted no time targeting Cesaro's back as he dropped him with a series of backbreakers which led to The Brogue
Kick and subsequent victory. Their next match is scheduled for
Wednesday at the 02 Arena in London, England. By this time next week, Cesaro
will either be swept or down 3-1. Here’s hoping it’s the latter.
·
For all the pregnant ladies out there,
Enzo and Big Cass are certified Lamaze Coaches. Who knew? I guess you can’t
teach that. Enzo giving birth to an imaginary baby was awesome. The man can
make the silliest things laugh out loud funny for all the right reasons. I
adore him.
·
The Shining Stars just beat Enzo and
Big Cass. The Shining Stars need all the help they can get in the heel heat
department. Therefore, I am not too upset about Enzo eating the pin. Enzo and
Big Cass will get their win back sooner rather than later.
·
I am glad that Sami Zayn addressed the
fact that he has been directionless since beating Owens at Battleground. He was
honest as it’s something that has puzzled fans for well over a month. Owens
couldn’t resist rubbing salt in the wound by saying that he even though Zayn
got signed by WWE and won the NXT Championship first, he ultimately won the
race by winning the Universal Title. Zayn countered by saying that he will win
the big red belt someday and will do it on his own without Triple H handing it
to him on a silver platter. That was a good parting shot as the backstage
interview segment came to a close. Their match should be stellar later tonight.
·
Ann
Esposito put up a decent fight, but Nia Jax was too much for her. The squashing
of female enhancement talent continues. However, Esposito is friends with
Alicia Fox which may play into a future storyline. The announcers wouldn’t go
out of their way to share that tidbit of information without any follow
up.
·
I will admit that the slowed down Old
Day Theme music with the Old Day members gingerly making their way to the ring
was a stroke of genius.
·
Too bad the sophomoric jokes are
killing this segment dead.
·
I am not digging the build up of
The New Day vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows at Clash of Champions for the
Tag Team Championship. One would think that Anderson and Gallows would
table the jokes and kick some ass for a change. They are much more effective in
that role instead of being low-brow wannabe comedians. The New Day’s material
is more hit than miss, but even they couldn’t save this turd of a segment.
·
Darren Young defeated Jinder Mahal in
a nondescript match.
·
And the feud between Young and Titus
O’Neil must continue…Oh joy! *Insert Sarcasm Here*
·
The backstage segment featuring Nia
Jax and Alicia Fox was…Something. The acting from both ladies was pretty bad
and it appears Foxy is channeling her inner crazy once again. If this leads to
her challenging Jax to a match, at least Jax will be facing an actual WWE
female wrestler for a change instead of a jobber.
·
Sin Cara is fighting for his Lucha
Heritage after Braun Stroman removed Americo’s mask last week. He’s a brave
man.
·
Stroman picks up the count out win
against Sin Cara. This was Stroman’s longest match since he’s been drafted to
Raw. Destruction ensued. The end.
·
After all that damn melodrama, Sasha
Banks’ “bad news” was actually good news as she has been medically cleared to
compete and will challenge Charlotte for the Women’s Championship at Clash of
Champions. Dana Brooke tried to make an impact at Sasha’s expense, but tapped
out to The Bank Statement for her troubles.
·
Since Sasha is back in the
championship fold, where does that leave Bayley? Hmm…
·
Owens and Zayn had a very good match
to cap off the Labor Day edition of Monday Night Raw. As always, they bring out
the best in each other and tonight was no exception. Zayn’s injured ankle
played a role in his downfall as he aggravated it after Owens broke up the
springboard arm drag. Zayn rolled out of the ring and told the referee not to
stop the match. Owens attacked Zayn, but Zayn countered with a Half and Half
Suplex onto the floor. Zayn tried to set Owens up for the Helluva Kick, but his
ankle gave out which allowed Owens to finish Zayn off with a Powerbomb
to pick up the win.
·
Their feud will never die and it’s one
of the few rivalries where the matches are not repetitive in nature. Zayn and
Owens know each other so well that they can switch things up on a whim which
makes their bouts so dynamic. It’s remarkable to watch and it will not be surprising
to see them face each other again for the Universal Title someday. To quote
Bobby Roode’s theme song, it will be “GLORIOUS!”
·
After the match was over, Roman Reigns
made his way to the ring as the crowd showered him with boos. Reigns and Owens
had a stare down, but Jericho came out before things got physical.
·
Mick Foley came out and noted that
Reigns had to an ax to grind with Owens as well. Therefore, he booked Reigns in
a nontitle match against Owens next week on Raw. If Reigns wins, Owens will
defend his title against Rollins and Reigns in a Triple Threat Match at Clash
of Champions.
·
Owens sold disgust as Jericho tried to
sneak attack Reigns, but got nailed with a Spear as the show went off the air
with Reigns and Owens having another stare off.
·
Reigns has every right to challenge
Owens for the Universal Title. The match should be good, but I expect a certain
Bulgarian Brute to get involved and cost Reigns his shot at winning the Big Red
Kryptonite belt. Let’s call it an educated guess.
·
Overall, I thought tonight’s episode
of Raw was subpar at best. The first 90 minutes of the show got off to a hot
start, but things fell off the rails until the main event. It was a show filled with squash matches featuring Bo Dallas of all people being the sqausher
instead of the squashed for the first time in his career. I guess the creative
team is trying to build him up for a change. We shall see how long that will
last.
·
The red brand is finally fleshing out
their card for Clash of Champions. They have a couple a weeks to get it
together, but it’s shaping up to be a good show minus the stupidity of The New Day
vs. Gallows and Anderson. The match should be fine, but the feud sucks.
·
Raw has their work cut out for them
next week as they will be competing against Monday Night Football. Ratings are
down for the year and it could get ugly if the broadcast starts to sink into
the abyss. WWE was smart to advertise Reigns vs. Owens a week in advance to
give people a reason to watch the show next week. Plus, The Cruiserweights are
debuting on September 19th and that should give Raw a major boost in
the excitement department as well. Let’s hope the high flyers can get over with
the masses. Fingers crossed!
On that note, this wraps up another
edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow
night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys
and girls!
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