The Raw Exposé: From Setback to Comeback - The Big Payback Throwback Edition (5-1-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from The Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. After last night’s so-so Payback PPV, WWE had to pull something out of the proverbial hat in order to remove the stench from the horrid House of Horrors match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Did the company deliver a make-good or were fans showered with a healthy dose of mediocrity instead? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·        Alexa Bliss had her Raw Women’s Championship coronation and threw shade at Charlotte, Mickie James, Sasha Banks, and Bayley as she gloated about her win last night. Bliss wisely played nice with Nia Jax because she values her livelihood.

·        After Bliss stated that Bayley’s nephews had an actual champion they could look up to, Bayley knocked Bliss off the podium which led to a full-on brawl that spilled over into the commercial break.

·        This was a fine way to start the show. Bliss is a great heel who can rip people to shreds on the mic. Her delivery and cadence remind me of Trish Stratus which is not surprising since Bliss idolized Stratus growing up. Bliss is still a little green in the ring, but she has improved by leaps and bounds over the past year. Her match against Bayley last night exemplified that in the best possible way.

·        Kurt Angle booked an eight-woman tag team match featuring Bayley, Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Dana Brooke vs. Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Emma, and Alicia Fox which took place after the break.

·        It was a solid match that featured rapid hot tags from the babyfaces early on. Bliss had her team do the heavy lifting until she made the hot tag after Banks was put in a vulnerable position.

·        Banks eventually made the hot tag to Bayley and all hell broke loose down the stretch. Bayley was on fire as she rammed Bliss’ head into the turnbuckle before dropping the champ with a suplex. Jax broke up the pin which led to a parade of high spots down the stretch.

·        Mickie James laid out Jax by taking flight from the top rope onto the floor while Banks and Fox went at it like a couple of hellcats at ringside as well.

·        The chaos allowed Bliss to rake Bayley’s eyes before hitting the DDT for the win.

·        Bliss’ coronation ended on a blissful note (pun intended) while Bayley has to work her way back into championship contention. Here’s hoping this is the creative team’s way of hitting the reset button because Bayley has money written all over her if she is utilized properly.

·        Luke Gallows defeated Enzo Amore when Gallows pinned Amore with the Fireman’s Carry Flapjack thanks to an assist from Karl Anderson. Enzo was not treated like a ragdoll for a change, but he still sold for about 75% of the match. Enzo went to the top rope and it appeared that Anderson was about to interfere until Big Cass chased him away. The distraction allowed Gallows to knock Enzo off the top rope which led to the finish. The match was fine while it lasted, but the constant 50/50 booking is doing more harm than good when it comes to both teams getting over in a meaningful way.

·        Seth Rollins channeled his inner Tony Robbins as he spouted words of positivity after defeating Samoa Joe at Payback last night. Rollins decided to focus his attention on Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship as the crowd popped something fierce.

·        Finn Bálor made his way to the ring and reminded Rollins that he defeated him with one arm to become the first-ever Universal Champion at SummerSlam last year. Bálor had to relinquish the title due to injury and which meant he never lost the belt outright. Therefore, he was owed a title shot and told Rollins that the line started with him.

·        Dean Ambrose intervened and reminded both men that Lesnar was rarely on television and should focus their attention elsewhere. Ambrose declared that the Intercontinental Championship was the top belt on Raw and welcomed anybody to face him for the title.

·        The Miz and Maryse decided to join the party as Miz demanded a championship opportunity as well.

·        Ambrose took an impromptu fan poll as he asked them whether they wanted to see Bálor and Rollins beat up Miz. The crowd cheered uproariously as he gave Kurt Angle a call to book a Triple Threat Match featuring Miz, Bálor, and Rollins with the winner going on to face Ambrose for the IC Title as the segment came to an end.

·        This was a good talking segment that finally teased tension between Rollins and Bálor after Rollins put Balor on the shelf last year. Ambrose did a nice job establishing the IC Title as the top championship while Lesnar is tending to his farm in Canada while Miz continues to shine as the pest heel who gets on everyone’s nerves. The Triple Threat Match should be good with a lot of possible outcomes. We shall see how it all plays out.

·        Rich Swann, Akira Tozawa, & Jack Gallagher defeated Tony Nese, The Brian Kendrick, and Noam Dar when Gallagher pinned Kendrick with the Gentleman’s Dropkick. The match was good as it featured decent crowd heat throughout. It’s a refreshing change of pace because most Cruiserweight bouts are given the cold shoulder most weeks.

·        Sheamus and Cesaro offered their explanation for attacking The Hardy Boyz after failing to win the Raw Tag Team Championship at Payback last night. Sheamus and Cesaro were upset that Matt and Jeff hijacked their WrestleMania moment when they made their surprise return to WWE last month. The fans bathed in the nostalgia and The Celtic Warrior and Swiss Superman resented them for it. They considered The Hardy Boyz a novelty act and vowed to get rid of them once and for all by winning the Raw Tag Team Titles.

·        The Hardy Boyz came out to confront Sheamus and Cesaro, but the heels made a run for it as the segment came to an end.

·        This was a nice way to explain the shift in Sheamus and Cesaro’s personalities. They have a legitimate reason to be angry because The Hardy Boyz stole their spotlight at Mania. Cesaro being a full-fledged heel will take some getting used to because his offense screams loveable babyface, but he should be able to shake things up in order to get over as a dastardly heel.

·        Apollo Crews defeated Heath Slater with the Spin-Out Powerbomb in a decent match. There was some sort of distraction in the crowd that derailed the finish which sucks because the action was solid for the most part despite the randomness of the matchup.

·        Kurt Angle was about to announce how he was going to handle the Roman Reigns-Braun Strowman situation when Bray Wyatt made his way to the ring. Wyatt introduced himself to Angle and wanted to help cure a sickness plaguing Raw. Wyatt didn’t name anyone in particular as he asked Angle if he was going to allow him to do his work. Angle didn’t know what the hell Wyatt was talking about and reminded him that Raw was his show. Wyatt warned Angle that he was living in his world as the segment came to an abrupt end.

·        Wyatt cut a good promo about being reborn and sentencing Randy Orton to a lifetime of being trapped in his House of Horrors, but everything else was a bunch of fancy dialogue without a whole lot of exposition attached to it. That’s pretty much par for the course when it comes to deciphering Wyatt’s promos. Since Reigns and Strowman were off television selling their injuries, Wyatt had to act as some sort of surrogate. To who? I guess we shall find out soon enough.

·        Austin Aries defeated TJ Perkins when he made Perkins tap out The Last Chancery in a good match. TJP targeted Aries’ right knee throughout the bout which told a nice story from selling standpoint. TJP tried to set up Aries for the Detonation Kick, but Aries countered with his submission hold for the win.

·        The victory would ring hollow as TJP attacked Aries’ knee after the match was over. He put Aries in the kneebar to do further damage per Neville’s orders from earlier tonight.

·        This was a nice way to forward TJP as an opportunistic heel while Aries remains in chase mode as he has to get past Perkins in order to challenge Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship for the third time.

·        Wins and losses matter in WWE? Say what?!?

·        Kurt Angle threw The Golden Truth a bone when he booked them in a Tag Team Turmoil Gauntlet match with the winners going on to face The Hardy Boyz for the Raw Tag Team Championship. The bout was set for next week as Goldust and R-Truth thanked Angle for giving them a chance to prove themselves. This was a fine segment which pretty much telegraphs a win for Sheamus and Cesaro. Just saying…

·        Finn Bálor, The Miz, and Seth Rollins had a hell of Triple Threat Match to determine the new number one contender for Dean Ambrose’s Intercontinental Title.

·        Bálor had his best performance since returning from his shoulder injury last month. His offense was crisp and sharp which allowed his confidence to shine through in a big way.

·        Rollins also put on a show as he demonstrated why he is one of the best wrestlers in the world when given the opportunity to let loose and be himself. The crowd was into everything he did which bodes well for his revamped babyface turn.

·        The Miz should also be commended because he was the annoying heel that took advantage of any shortcuts that were presented to him. He was the perfect foil, but Rollins and Bálor kicked his ass accordingly.

·        The near falls and counters were awesome down the stretch as Michael Cole called the match with such fervor and passion which pushed the main event over the top from an emotional standpoint.

·        Rollins had the match in hand until Samoa Joe laid him out with an Uranage Slam onto the floor at ringside.

·        The Miz looked on and it appeared he was about to steal the win until Bálor laid him out with the Slingblade followed by a running dropkick in the corner.

·        He was about to finish Miz off with the Coup De Grace when Bray Wyatt appeared out of nowhere. Wyatt knocked Bálor off the top rope and dropped him with Sister Abigail before disappearing. The Miz crawled to the cover and picked up the tainted win as the crowd showered him with boos.

·        Raw went off the air with Miz and Maryse celebrating on the stage while Bálor and Rollins tried to shake off the cobwebs after getting ambushed by Joe and Wyatt.

·        This was a great way to end the show. Miz picked the bones and will face Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship. After the shitty ending to last week’s show, everything is back to normal storyline-wise as the Ambrose-Miz feud is back on track while Rollins still has unfinished business with Samoa Joe.

·        Meanwhile, Bálor and Wyatt officially started their feud after Wyatt attacked him during the main event which should give both men something meaningful to do over the next few months. Let’s hope Bálor doesn’t get dragged into Wyatt’s supernatural shtick because it’s been the death knell for many superstars in the past {Insert Name Here}…

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. This show was so much better than last week’s subpar effort. The Sacramento crowd were a lively bunch which was refreshing to see. Since this is the first Raw in the new Golden 1 Center, the fans were extra hyped which added to the overall feel of the show.

·        WWE righted the wrongs from Payback by putting a show that was focused, logical, and enjoyable to watch for the most part. There were a few dull moments here and there, but the broadcast had a clear sense of purpose which was missing from the go-home show and subsequent PPV.

·        The creative team is already laying the groundwork for Extreme Rules and the card is coming together nicely. The final sell job is key, but it appears that WWE is more focused after putting Payback in the rearview mirror.

·        Next week’s show emanates from the O2 Arena in London, England. Here’s hoping the European crowd keeps things light and carefree because they tend to go into business for themselves when WWE force feeds them garbage. If the company puts on an entertaining show, everything should be fine. If not, I think this meme says it all…

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!

The SmackDown Files: The How to Almost Destroy The Mystic of Shinsuke Nakamura in Five Easy Steps Edition (4-25-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. After Jinder Mahal shocked the world to become the number one contender for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship last we, did the creative team go for a repeat performance in terms of shocking the audience for kicks and giggles or was it back to business as usual on Tuesday nights? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of SD Live in no particular order.  

·        SD Live got off to a puzzling start with Dolph Ziggler interrupting Renee Young’s interview with Shinsuke Nakamura. Ziggler pretended that Nakamura was Michael Jackson and proceeded to run with it for an embarrassingly long period of time. It was beyond cringe-worthy. Nakamura called Ziggler a jackass which led to The Show Off kicking Nakamura in the midsection.

·        Nakamura laid Ziggler out with a belly-to-belly suplex and was about to nail him with the Kinshasa, but Ziggler ducked out of the way as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was such a bad segment. The Artist Known As Shinsuke Nakamura intro is lame. Ziggler’s promo was downright dreadful and Nakamura’s giving him the side eye which pretty much summed up the opener. It is well-documented that Nakamura emulates Michael Jackson. AJ Styles discussed this in great detail in various interviews after debuting in WWE last year.

·        However, there is no need to hit people over the head with that fact by having Ziggler make fun of Nakamura is such a condescending and icky way. This was ten steps below their first confrontation a few weeks ago. Here’s hoping their in-ring work is superior that the slice of creative bullshit they were handed tonight. This was an awful way to start the show.

·        AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin was a nice palate cleanser as they had a solid match that was aided by Kevin Owen’s biting comments on guest commentary. Corbin dominated the match early on, but Styles gained control down the stretch when he shoved Corbin’s head into the turnbuckle before nailing him with the Pele Kick for good measure.

·        Styles was about to nail Corbin with the Phenomenal Forearm, but Owens decided to confront Styles at ringside. Styles kicked KO in the face, but the distraction allowed Corbin to hoist him up for a powerbomb attempt. Styles countered with a roll-up to pick up the win.

·        Styles didn’t get a chance to celebrate as Owens and Corbin went on the attack. Sami Zayn made the save and nailed Corbin with the Helluva Kick. Owens tossed Zayn out of the ring and dropped Styles with a Popup Powerbomb as the segment came to an end.

·        This was a nice way to forward tension between Styles and Owens heading into their presumed United States Championship match at Backlash next month. I’m glad WWE went with the decisive finish because Styles needed the win more than Corbin. Corbin was relatively protected despite the loss and it appears he’s going to be slotted in a feud with Zayn based on the run-in. They should have a good match, but I hope Zayn’s purpose on SD Live is greater than being a utility player to elevate others. It’s a nice gig, but he deserves better than that.

·        American Alpha set the pace in the Beat the Clock Challenge when they defeated The Colons in 5:17 when Chad Gable and Jason Jordan laid out Epico with Grand Amplitude for the win. The match was better than their quick bout from last week, but it didn’t set the world on fire either. At least the crowd was behind Alpha which has rarely been the case in recent weeks.

·        Rusev doesn’t like his new bosses on SD Live and gave them an ultimatum heading into the Money in the Bank PPV which takes place in June. If he’s not granted a title shot, he will pack his bags and move back to Bulgaria. I think it’s safe to assume that The Bulgarian Brute will be medically cleared to compete by that deadline.

·        Randy Orton defeated Erick Rowan with an RKO in a solid No Disqualification match. Orton and Rowan took their fair share of bumps as Orton put Rowan through a table while Rowan rammed Orton’s head with the steel steps.

·        Rowan placed a chair between the ropes and was about to finish Orton off when The Viper slammed Rowan’s head into the chair instead which led to the aforementioned finish.

·        After the match was over, Orton cut a brief promo on Bray Wyatt by telling the Eater of Worlds that he would experience eternal hell during their House of Horrors match at Payback.

·        Jinder Mahal came out and took offense to Orton overlooking him heading into their WWE Championship match at Backlash next month. Mahal chided the fans for being jealous of his wealth, culture, education, & talent and vowed to bring the WWE Title home to his people.

·        He proceeded to cut a promo in Punjabi before taking a cheap shot at Orton. Orton was about to drop Mahal with the Draping DDT, but the Bollywood Boyz made the save. Mahal laid Orton out with the Cobra Clutch Slam and left the arena with the WWE Championship.

·        This was a nice way to forward two feuds at once as Orton had a short and sweet message for Wyatt while Mahal continues to generate good heel heat as the arrogant foreign heel with a chip on his shoulder. He’s doing a nice job so far, but his in-ring work will tell the true story soon enough.

·        Breezango won the Beat the Clock Challenge and will face The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Backlash when they defeated The Ascension in a decent match.

·        The action was solid for the most part, but the dynamic was little off because it was a heel vs. heel match. However, it appears that Breezango is now a babyface team as the fans cheered them on down the stretch.

·        The Ascension was about to finish off Fandango with the Fall of Man, but Tyler Breeze saved the day when he nailed Viktor with the Beauty Shot which allowed Fandango to hit The Falcon Arrow for the win.

·        Breezango is a talented tag team minus the hokey gimmick. The fans are starting to see that and I hope The Usos vs. Breezango shock the world in Chicago because they have the ability to do so.

·        The trio of Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina Snuka derailed Charlotte’s Drive for Five when they interfered in her SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Naomi. The heels got rid of Naomi and focused their attention on Charlotte as they beat down The Queen as the crowd showered them with boos.

·        Before the DQ, Naomi and Charlotte had a very good Women’s Title match as it was more evenly matched than their tune-up bout last week. The action was fast-paced and crisp which bodes well for their inevitable PPV rematch down the road. Most importantly, the crowd was hot during the main event which is an encouraging sign that the women are capable of holding down the fort at a moment’s notice.

·        The DQ finish was expected because the mean girls are trying to put Charlotte in her place. Becky Lynch was nowhere to be found, but I expect that piece of the puzzle to play out next week because Natalya threatened Lynch to choosing the winning side or else.

·        The Women’s Division feels fresh with a lot of possibilities in terms of matchups heading into the summer. Charlotte being the babyface makes sense because she has other heels breathing down her neck. Plus, the fans want to cheer for her based on the constant “wooing” as of late. Unlike her initial babyface run in 2015, she has gained more experience as a wrestler and talker which has better prepared her for this moment. Knowing how WWE operates, Charlotte will turn 1000 times before she retires. Like Father, Like Daughter. It’s a tradition that will last forever.

·        Outside of the disastrous opening segment, SmackDown Live was a solid show for the most. The in-ring action ranged from decent to good while the Land of Opportunity mantra continues to ring true as Jinder Mahal continued his unbelievable ascent towards the main event scene while Breezango earned a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.

·        SD Live did a better job hyping Payback than their red counterpart last night. It feels like a joint PPV due to the inter-promotional matches featuring Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt in a House of Horrors Match and Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho for the United States Championship. It has made for awkward television at times, but the finish line is near. At least the creative team is doing a good job building up the Backlash PPV as a major standalone show.

·        My only criticism was that awful promo Dolph Ziggler cut on Shinsuke Nakamura that kicked off the show. If my memory serves me correctly, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode never brought up Michael Jackson to hype up their NXT Championship bouts against the King of Strong Style. This was such a WWE thing to do and it was executed poorly. Nakamura’s mystic took a minor hit, but he should recover nicely if he kicks Ziggler’s ass at Backlash and move on to bigger and better things. Is the Money in the Bank Ladder match next on the agenda? We shall see. Considering the shit he had to endure tonight, it’s a fine consolation prize.

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls!

The Raw Exposé: Night of the Dumpster - AKA Kalisto's Last Ride (Not Based on a Power Rangers Story)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from The Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This is the last show before Payback and with the Superstar Shakeup blurring the brand split lines, it’s a tricky PPV to figure out because some wrestlers are trying to hype their matches alone while their opponents are on another show doing the same thing.

It’s awkward, but this should be a one-shot deal to wrap up outstanding storylines dating back to WrestleMania. Did WWE work out the kinks in terms of logic or was this a case of the blind leading the blind heading into the PPV in San Jose? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·        The Highlight Reel/Miz TV/Ambrose Asylum hybrid featuring Chris Jericho, The Miz, Maryse, and Dean Ambrose was a fun way to start the show.

·        The segment dragged at times, but I appreciate WWE remembering the Jericho-Ambrose feud from last year as Ambrose brought up how Jericho smashed Mitch the Plant over his head and how he returned the favor by ripping up Y2J’s Light Up Jacket. Jericho reminded Ambrose that he still owed him $15,000. Ambrose didn’t have any cash on hand, but he gave Jericho a jacket adorned with Christmas Lights as a peace offering.

·        Jericho put the Jacket on and struck a few poses while Miz whined about not getting a gift. Ambrose responded by nailed Miz with Dirty Deeds while Jericho put Maryse on LIST for marrying a stupid idiot as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was a long talking segment, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Jericho’s material was so-so as his jokes about Kevin Owens were a little flat which did little to hype their United States Championship match at Payback. Things got better once Miz and Ambrose came out which ended the opener on a high note.

·        Matt Hardy defeated Sheamus with the Twist of Fate, but it wasn’t without controversy. Sheamus nailed Hardy in the face with a sick high knee. Hardy tried to counter with his finisher on the floor, but Sheamus laid him out with a rolling senton instead. Jeff tried to check on his brother, but Sheamus pushed him out of the way.

·        Jeff climbed on the ring apron to confront the Celtic Warrior, but Cesaro yanked him off the apron which led to the finish.

·        The Mutual Admiration Society between both teams was about to hit the skids, but cooler heads prevailed as everyone shook hands which kept the babyface vs. babyface dynamic intact heading into their Raw Tag Team Championship match on Sunday.

·        Jack Gallagher and Austin Aries defeated Neville and TJ Perkins when Aries nailed Perkins with the Discus Five Arm for the win. The match was short, but Aries maximized his minutes when he made the hot tag midway through the match.

·        Aries put on a one-man show when he took out Neville and TJP with a suicide dive. Aries was about to make TJP tap out to The Last Chancery, but Neville broke the hold in the nick of time. Gentleman Jack evened the odds when he nailed Neville with a head butt. TJP tried to capitalize on Gallagher knocking himself loopy, but Gallagher was alert enough to steer Perkins in Aries’ direction which set up the finishing sequence. Overall, this was a fine way to hype the Cruiserweight Championship match between Aries and Neville at Payback.

·        Did Kalisto use Kane’s old masks to create his new Lucha mask? Hmm…

·        The record will always show that Kalisto defeated Braun Strowman in a Dumpster Match. However, the victory became mute when Strowman destroyed Kalisto when he dropped him with a series of one-handed slams before tossing him against the barricade.

·        Strowman put Kalisto in the dumpster and pushed it up the ramp. WWE officials tried to stop Strowman as he strapped the dumpster shut. He pretended to head backstage only to push the dumpster off the stage as the segment came to an end.

·        The spot was nice, but it wasn’t spectacular because the drop wasn’t that steep. In comparison to Strowman’s recent feats of strength, The Dumpster spot was more meh than wow.

·        Strowman’s promo before the match was good as he tried to generate heel heat by calling the fans trash. At least the creative team is trying to get him over as a badass heel who should be jeered instead of cheered.

·        Bray Wyatt cut another rambling promo about Randy Orton leading up to their House of Horrors match at Payback. Yawn…

·        Dana Brooke defeated Alicia Fox when she dropped Fox with an ugly version of the Michinoku Driver for the win. The match was short, but it was still rough in spots.

·        After the match was over, Emma got in the ring and gave Brooke a half-hearted hug before heading backstage. That was odd…

·        Before the six-man tag team match featuring Enzo Amore, Big Cass, and Seth Rollins vs. Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Samoa Joe got underway, Anderson, Gallows, and Joe ambushed Enzo and Big Cass during their in-ring introductions. Cass went flying over the barricade while Anderson and Gallows took out Enzo with The Magic Killer onto the floor.

·        Seth Rollins ran out to make the save, but he was tripled teamed until Big Cass evened the odds.

·        After the commercial break, Kurt Angle announced that Enzo wasn’t medically cleared to compete. Angle added Finn Bálor to the match as the six man tag officially got underway.

·        Big Cass, Finn Bálor, and Seth Rollins defeated Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Samoa Joe when Rollins nailed Anderson with a knee to the face for the win.

·        The match started off slow as Bálor was in sell mode early on, but things picked up down the stretch. It appears that Rollins is retiring his Pedigree finisher because it’s a reminder of who he used to be before getting his much-needed epiphany a few weeks ago. Bálor’s interaction with Gallows and Anderson was nice and I hope WWE plays into their history in New Japan because the possibilities are endless in terms of storytelling and future feuds. *Cough* The Balor Club vs. The Shield *Cough*

·        Alexa Bliss powered through the “What?” chants and delivered a solid promo as she vowed to put an end to Bayley’s Cinderella Story at Payback. Bliss wanted to embarrass Bayley in her hometown by winning the Raw Women’s Championship while her father was sitting in the front row.

·        Sasha Banks came to her best friend’s defense and challenged Bliss to match. Bliss tried to dodge The Boss, but Banks clocked Bliss in the face to signal that the match was still on.

·        Banks defeated Bliss via count-out when Bliss decided to save her energy until Sunday.

·        Bayley tried to drag Bliss back in the ring, but Bliss ran for the hills. However, Bliss attacked Bayley from behind which added some heat leading up to their Women’s Championship match at Payback.

·        Banks chased Bliss away before checking on Bayley as the segment came to an end.

·        The promo exchange leading up Banks vs. Bliss was good. The creative team had to build up the Women’s Title match between Bayley and Bliss in one night. Considering the tight deadline, they managed to make it work. However, Bliss’ lines were recycled from her feud with Becky Lynch as the Cinderella comparison was a direct lift from a segment on SD Live last fall. Outside of that, the promo work was solid for the most part.

·        Apollo Crews pinned Curt Hawkins with the Spinout Powerbomb in a decent match. I guess Crews will be elevated to the main event next week after passing through Curt Hawkins’ Star Factory.

·        Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho vs. The Miz and his mystery partner ended with no clear winner as Bray Wyatt showed up to save Miz from getting dropped with Dirty Deeds on the announce table. Wyatt attacked Ambrose and nailed him with Sister Abigail which sent The Lunatic Fringe head first into the LED board.

·        Jericho tried to make the save, but he was double teamed by Miz and Wyatt.

·        Miz threw Jericho back in the ring only for Jericho to nail him with the Codebreaker. Wyatt laid out Jericho with Sister Abigail as Miz smiled like a Cheshire Cat.

·        Miz’s cockiness got the best of him as Wyatt took him out with Sister Abigail to complete the trifecta as Raw went off the air with Wyatt telling everyone to “Follow The Buzzards.”

·        The Good News: Bray Wyatt is not a Hollywood Elitist because the mere thought of him teaming up with The Miz would have been a classic case of character assassination.

·        The Bad News: The ending of the match was lame.  This was such a weak way to end the show. The main event was pretty one-sided with Miz getting his ass kicked for 95% of the match. Wyatt being the last man standing was fine, but it was counterproductive for a number of reasons.  

·        Ambrose gets beat up which means he should want a piece of Wyatt next week even though he’s been feuding with Miz since the Superstar Shakeup.

·        Jericho looks weak heading into his United States Title rematch against Owens because he hasn’t picked up any key wins to build momentum. With Y2J going on tour with Fozzy next month, he should’ve been built up as a legit contender instead of a lame duck opponent who has one foot out the door.

·        Miz looks like a chump without a clear sense of direction. Instead of Ambrose and Miz facing off for the IC Title, The Hollywood A-Lister is probably going to be on the receiving end of another ass whopping courtesy of Bálor at the Payback Kickoff Show. Coup de Grace, anyone?

·        As for Wyatt, he looks strong heading into his House of Horrors match against Randy Orton. However, the WWE Championship is not on the line which makes this camp fest extravaganza pointless outside of Wyatt picking up a moral victory to avenge the spirit of Sister Abigail. Regardless of the outcome, I’m glad the Wyatt-Orton saga is coming to an end because it’s way past its expiration date.

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was pedestrian at best. The opening segment was entertaining, but the in-ring action was hit and miss. The go-home show didn’t give me added incentive to watch Payback on Sunday. The card looks solid, but it’s a show that is very skippable based on the so-so build.

·        On the bright side, WWE played it smart by keeping Roman Reigns off the show for another week. Braun Strowman has been built up like an indestructible monster in recent weeks. It is imperative that Strowman beats Reigns on Sunday. If not, it’s another questionable booking decision that puts his push into a state of flux once again. We shall see how it all plays out on Sunday.

·        The Payback PPV should be a good show, but the buildup leaves a lot to be desired terms of excitement and anticipation. Here’s hoping the wrestlers have their working boots on because they have to over deliver in order to make up for the uneven booking decisions over the past couple of weeks. 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 another installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!