Memorial Day Raw kicks off with a very moving and emotional video package featuring the men and women who sacrifice their lives for us so we can live the lives that we do. It was a really lovely tribute. It really hit home just how much these brave people sacrifice and what their families lose when they don’t come home, all in order for us and our families to stay together in peace.
Brock Lesnar Chooses His Opponent
Kofi Kingston comes out and says he wants to Brock to cash in on him right now, because he can’t think of a better way to prove he’s the best champion in WWE. Seth Rollins comes out and says very jumbled words As I’m assuming he’d either forgotten his lines or was allowed to be unscripted and basically managed to string some together that more or less said he’s out there.. and Kofi is out there.. so Lesnar should come and decide now. Well done, Seth.
Lesnar’s music hit.. then.. (okay I just want to say here that this caught me off guard and might have been the most entertaining thing I’ve seen on WWE in a long, long time. I was laughing so hard.) Lesnar came out and basically had his hood up, so he has his briefcase like a boom box and his entrance music just changed to some dance track and Lesnar started dancing like a grandad at a wedding! But he meant every move. It was hysterical! The crowd popped, I popped and my little boy popped too! It was a real “Brock Party” (Lesnar’s new T Shirt) which was surprising given the levels that I dislike Lesnar. But without saying a word he just gets in the ring and starts doing the Running Man at Kofi & Rollins, who look like they’re struggling to keep a straight face and Brock hits the Briefcase and then the music changes to Kofi’s entrance theme and he starts grooving to that, Kofi looks about ready to leap on him, taking his jacket off in preparation and then the music changes again to Rollins’ music and Lesnar smiles and gets down to that track instead. Rollins is smiling now and Lesnar is pointing to the Briefcase as if it’s playing the music.. it does have speakers on it now though.. then Heyman starts the air guitar and headbanging to Rollins’ music and Lesnar tells him to stop it. Which cracked me right up. What can I say? This was comedy gold. An absolute GIF mine too! But then Rollins storms off. Heyman says Rollins ruined the Brock Party so he’s not telling them now and walked away. Leaving Kofi in the ring for Ziggler to get him and Zig Zag him onto the ramp, which looked like it hurt Ziggler more than Kofi, but then Xavier Woods came out to make the save.
Kofi gets taken away and Xavier and Ziggler continue their fight. Xavier is over as hell too, the crowd go nuts when he was getting any shots in. Which was a lot. He took Ziggler to the crowd and used a bin as a weapon. Ziggler used the steps when they got back to the ringside. The Ziggler used chairs, raked the eyes of Woods and then continued with the chair attacks, until Kingston came back with a chair of his own. Ziggler gets a microphone and cuts a really good deranged style promo to promote Super Showdown. It was good. But Super Showdown is a throwaway PPV in Saudi Arabia. A controversial moneymaker. Nothing more. The fact the people promoting it can’t even say “Saudi Arabia” shows that they know it’s bad, lots of top stars will not be appearing based on their personal moral views.. Unless you’re any Woman at all because Saudi Arabia still lives by the bullshit laws that oppress, abuse & disallow women to be themselves and don’t consider women equal to men, so the women aren’t able to perform.. also If you’re Aleister Black, he was banned from going because of his tattoos.
3.5/5🌟- I loved Brock’s stuff but what the hell happened to Rollins? Heyman acting like a child made me feel a bit ill to be honest and the Ziggler thing was good but it dragged out.
Shane McMahon promo
Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre are out to issue a challenge. Shane gave a history lesson on the Samoan Dynasty and listed Roman Reigns’ family. The fans responded with very loud “this is boring” chants. Shane wrapped it up quickly.
1/5🌟
Shane McMahon vs Lance Anoa’i
Lance is Roman’s cousin. This is so random. But Drew attacked the dude before the match, absolutely destroying him. Shane said it was uncalled for. Shane then said ring the bell and beat the kid up. The crowd responded with an “AEW” chant and “This is Awful” chants. Anoa’i fought back a little, but lost with ease. Shane got back on the microphone and attacked him, choking him out and then Reigns came out to make the save but McMahon got away.
0.5/5🌟 – Wow. This was bad. The fans have had enough and with AEW putting on the show of the decade & declaring war just 2 days prior to this show.. A throwaway promo style match, with an unknown is just utter bollocks. I almost feel like WWE need to step up or step aside for the new era. Change or lose. Because this absolutely sucked.
Brock Lesnar promo
Lesnar came out to his normal music, but still grooving like he can hear the dance music from the briefcase. Still made me laugh. But I hate him being Mr. MITB. It’s such a waste.
Seth Rollins came back and called Lesnar out for being a joke and a coward, then Heyman read the terms of the contract and Lesnar stopped Heyman and said “Wait.. I have a whole year!?” So he took the microphone and told Rollins “screw you” and walked away. I hope this does get dragged out and he loses it to someone else.. bit we get a little bit more dancing Brock before that because I actually love Dancing Brock.
2/5🌟
24/7 Champion stuff
Carmella and Truth are running through the crowd, being chased by anyone who hasn’t been on TV for a while and Drake Maverick. They got away. Truth gave Mella a piggy back, the same as last week. It was funny last week but this is just a copy/paste skit.
0/5🌟 Absolutely nothing new about it. It’s all just the same thing as last week. If this is going to work at all, it needs variety! That’s the whole point isn’t it!?
AJ Styles interview
Styles is injured and can’t compete tonight in the most boring Number 1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way Match I’ve ever heard advertised. Miz vs Strowman vs Corbin vs Lashley. AJ would have at least mixed it up a bit. But they’re replacing him with Corbin. I like Corbin, but I think we need to mix it up, especially right now with the crowd turning this early in. Corbin attacked AJ after this.
Nikki Cross & Becky Lynch vs The IIconics
None of the entrances were shown. Nikki didn’t even get a second of her’s on camera and the IIconics got next to nothing, that’s not how you structure a show when your champions are involved, right? WWE RAW Women’s Champion & the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions are in this match and none of them get entrances. Really?
The IIconics are just so much fun to watch. They always make me laugh. This match was okay, with some back and forth and some funny lines from the IIconics. But… The Man and The Maniac beat the Champs.. This is something I’m weirded out by.. The IIconics have lost every match for the last 4 – 5weeks straight. What the hell is going on with that!? Lacey Evans came out and taunted Lynch and then sauntered off. Meh. Don’t know what to the from this to be honest. I thought Cross was meant to be besties with Bliss now? No context. No sense.
2/5🌟
Usos Block Party
In a small gazebo sits a bunch of people, The Usos with Naomi are there having fun when Tamina shows up for a fake stare down with Naomi, but they laugh and hug instead as they’re family. The Revival showed up & thanked The Usos for inviting them to which they argue that they didn’t, the 4 guys argue until Naomi says she invited The Revival because the teams need to squash their beef apparently. So they say okay and go get hot dogs.
2/5🌟 Apprehensive to think this will be any good at the time of writing. But maybe it will..
Ricochet vs Cesaro
I love Cesaro’s new theme and graphics. I am not unhappy with seeing this match again with Ricochet at 100%. The match was great but too short again. Ricochet sold like a diamond and Cesaro did the same. They have fantastic chemistry and with Ricochet winning the match after a floor to apron Handstand Pullup into a Hurricanrana pinfall (Yeah. Sounds mental, it was. Go check it out if you haven’t yet!) they are currently at 1-1.
3/5🌟
Usos Block Party
They’re playing games. The Usos and The Revival are playing games.. not wrestling.. games.
0/5🌟
No. 1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way – Bobby Lashley vs Braun Strowman vs Baron Corbin vs The Miz
This is an Elimination Fatal 4 Way too. My favourite match type of match. So that intrigues me somewhat more… But… BUT… It wasn’t. The commentators were obviously being told it was an Elimination match.. But it was not according to the finish. How inexplicably ridiculous. Is Vince that indecisive that he will make a match and then change his mind half-way through it now!? Things mat be worse than we thought..
But yes.. Miz and Strowman cut promos about the match and Miz also announces he & Mrs Maryse Mizanin-Oulette are having another baby girl. Monroe-Sky will have a little sister. That’s adorable. Congratulations to them both!
Lashley cuts one and claims he will win. Nothing special. Standard promo.
Corbin didn’t do one, but his “Favourite Son” thing is incredible. He lives for a heated audience and that is why he’s WWE’s most entertaining and consistent Heel of the decade this far in my opinion. Whether positive or negative, noise is noise. The sound of the booing just illustrates how good he is at his job.
Corbin and Lashley went after Strowman and took him out momentarily, then Miz took them out and it went like that for a bit until Corbin and Lashley helped eachother out against the other two and it worked for a while, until Strowman and the other 3 did that spot from the corner, you know? The one that’s the Double Superplex Powerbomb from the corner thing that everyone does all the time? Yeah, that one. So, according to commentary, Strowman “almost eliminated Lashley” off of it (once again. This is NOT an Elimination match!), but he kicked out. The commentators were talking about how humiliating being first eliminated would be. (… Not an Elimination match)
Lashley and Corbin teamed up again and the commentators talked about how in an Elimination match, teaming up is okay.. (it is NOT an Elimination match) and ended up suplexing Braun onto the ramp. Which sounded like it hurt! Then went after Miz. They beat him down, but Miz fought back and got 10 plus strikes in on Lashley, springboard reversal into a Deep Six though, it was beautiful. Miz has improved massively on that springboard too, it looked awesome! It went into the crowd after finisher reversals galore by Lashley and Strowman and then Miz went for a running corner Clothesline and got caught with the End of Days and Miz got pinned. Corbin’s music hit and that was it.. They sold it all through as an Elimination match, so after the “first elimination” I figured that Corbin would follow backstage and it’s get a bit more “raw”! That’s what Foley said it would be in the 3rd hour.. But nope. Corbin vs Rollins for the Universal Championship at Super Showdown.
2/5 🌟 The match was a really good showing from everyone and it feels like such a shame because I thought this would be the match of the Night after it got started, but the miscomunications or lies being fed to us by Vince through the commentators to keep us watching until the end (I wouldn’t be surprised) really disappointed me. I thought it was going to be something it wasn’t because we were lead to believe it was. So the greatness of the match didn’t foreshadow my disappointment in the one fall finish.
Usos Block Party
Still playing games. Revival cheated, R Truth showed yo and there were loads of people chasing him and trying to pin him
2/5🌟
Firefly Funhouse
Bray is stood with a paper plate on a colourful stick with his mask drawn on it, he pulls it away and throws us a smile, he asks if we liked his secret and says he calls him “The Fiend” and explains that he’s not confident all the time but when he “does this” and moves the plate back, he says he “can do anything”. Abby the Witch says he’s a sicko, but he says he isn’t to which Abby asks if he’s a doctor now, so he ducks down off screen and emerges in a Drs outfit, glasses included and says that her diagnosis is that she’s a Bully. Abby The Witch asks why Bray won’t let her rest, Bray laughs hysterically and says he will never let her rest, so she says she can’t stand it and doesn’t want to be stuck in Limbo anymore.. But then YOWIE WOWIE! Did she just say “Limbo”? Bray does the limbo whilst walking like the spider thing he does. This episode was great again. It was really creepy & really integral to the story too I think.
5/5 🌟 – I am getting to be a little impatient now though. I want to see him wrestle as this “Fiend”.
Electric Chair with Corey Graves
Sami Zayn gets asked hard hitting questions unfiltered and uncensored and he gets uncut. He goes insane. Called someone a product of incest, buried someone’s parenting skills. He says they are asking dumb questions.. Sami says they could even ask him about AEW if they wanted! I hope they do next time! Because Rollins was swiftly brought out and chased Zayn off.
4/5🌟 – This has potential! Someone who can respond like that to audience on the fly, is someone who would richly benefit from something like this.
Sami Zayn vs Seth Rollins
The match was good. The spots were good and the match fluidity was again, good, but it wasn’t anything to got crazy about. It was a match with lots of back and forth and 2 stomps ended it with Rollins standing tall.
3/5🌟
Conlusion
30/70 🌟
Satisfaction Score: 42.86%
That’s a huge drop in percentage! Last week was much higher. This show had way less segments too. This show was not up to scratch in terms of what I expected. They didn’t bring it. I can’t help but feel like the AEW boys and girls really brought it on Saturday. They raised the game of Pro Wrestling and WWE needed to follow this up with at least a decent attempt to generate buzz and they just didn’t. WWE even mentioned AEW, so they’re aware of the buzz and the shots fired. This Raw had some good moments and maybe one of two good matches but what I was referring to before is that I feel that WWE have to surpass “good” matches and “decent” moments and start delivering “must see” and highly anticipated matches and moments. Advertise on social media more, it’s such a useful tool to promote things and generate buzz! For the amount they boast about their social media following, they don’t utilise it well. Not at all impressed or even slightly as invested in anything going on here than I was watching Double or Nothing. I’ve watched it 3 times now I loved it that much. AEW have reignited my love and passion for Pro Wrestling and WWE kind of pissed on that fire a bit with this episode. I expected better. Way better.
Superstar of the Night
Bray Wyatt again. He’s the most entertaining and interesting thing on this show. Week after week. Simple as that.
