A Moment of Bliss
Alexa Bliss is here to announce the men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match participants that will represent Raw. She spends a few minutes getting to this announcement and then she brings them all to the ring. Braun Strowman, Ricochet (who got a humongous pop!), Drew McIntyre and, finally, although Bliss refused to read his accolades, it’s “Kentucky’s Favourite Son” Baron Corbin.
Corbin got a huge reaction too. He always get the biggest ones and even though they’re negative, they’re still huge reactions. He said he’ll be a 2-time MITB winner, to which Ricochet reminds him he lost the first time, McIntyre then agrees with Ricochet, which was actually sort of weird, but he says Ricochet has a point, he says Corbin stole the win from him last week and then squandered it in the main event. Ricochet says he’s not here to talk, so Drew says “then shut up” (which was pretty funny) he tells Ricochet to stick to the aerial offense and “leave the business talk to the grown ups” because he would drop him where he stood if he didn’t. Corbin then piped up and says whilst they’re doing that, he’ll climb up and get his contract, Drew says that Corbin would just steal another of one of his victories to which Corbin replies that it’s called “strategy” and that’s something that Drew wouldn’t understand and then Drew said “I’m gonna drop you where you bloody stand if you don’t shut it!” – which honestly sounded like something you’d hear in a playground, was quite awkward, but it ended with Braun telling them all to shut up and then a match being set up and it’s Ricochet & Strowman teaming against the feuding duo of Drew and Corbin.
Drew McIntyre & Baron Corbin vs Braun Strowman & Ricochet
This match was cool. The whole place was on fire for Ricochet too! The whole match was mainly Ricochet getting beaten up and trying to get to Strowman, when Strowman chased Corbin around the ring for trying to stop him helping Ricochet, McIntyre absolutely clobbered Strowman with a Claymore and it looked like the landing hurt Drew’s back pretty nastily. He stayed on the ground for a bit and then got up and was definitely favouring his back. Strowman was outside and had been taken out by this and then Ricochet got his ass kicked and had no one to tag – Ricochet’s resilience was put on show here though! The Hot Tag got made and Strowman came in and gave his hands to Corbin and McIntyre. But then McIntyre moved after a running shoulder block to the corner, so Strowman hurt his shoulder, Ricochet tagged back in and then got tagged with a Glasgow Kiss but when the Claymore was being set up, Corbin tagged himself back in to take the win, which really pissed McIntyre off. But Richochet escaped Corbin’s attack, tagged Strowman, Drew punched Corbin in the face and then Corbin took a Powerslam & a Shooting Star Press with Ricochet pinning Corbin for the win. I really liked this match’s dynamic. It was well though thought out.
The Usos vs Anderson & Gallows
Usos came out singing their theme song really badly, but it’s the Usos so we love it anyway!
Cool match. Gallows & Anderson were really over too. They’re vicious Heels now from what I see here, they’re both in incredible shape too! They deserve a good run and have done since they debuted! Usos won after their Splash.
Then cut a promo on The Revival and showed a video they took of Dash shaving Dawson’s back in the showers. The Usos were falling about laughing. Revival explained it and it was all very juvenile, I’m not sure what to make of it. I think they’re setting up a match.. but it seems a little weak.
Miz TV
Lashley was the guest, no Lio Rush though which is sad, Lashley and Miz have a lot friction there already, especially when Bobby Lashley got the “what” chant treatment and Miz got some decent pops. Lashley is speaking in the 3rd person now which is.. strange.. but I don’t hate it. Mr. Miz came up and that got Miz mad and then we had a match.
The Miz vs Bobby Lashley
The match was pretty slow and no Lio was not better for Lashley at all. But Shane McMahon appeared and put a picture of Mr. Miz on the screen, which distracted Miz and so he got speared and lost. Shane then choked out Miz and told him to remember Shane is the best in the world and left him in the ring.
I’ve said all I can about the former’s name change. I will say no more. Lucha House Party got their own back for last week and attacked the Vikings during their entrance but to no avail as The Vikings just destroyed them in about 2 minutes. Then they just beat up Lince Dorado for the Hell of it. Sarah Logan should join them I think, she looks and acts like them already and Rowe (Erik) is her husband.
The Viking Raiders vs Lucha House Party
A Moment of Bliss II
She’s got more MITB stuff to tell us all and this time it’s the women’s turn to be announced. We have Naomi, Natalya, Dana Brooke &…. Alexa Bliss! Wow, that is really not what I expected. I think I’m more disappointed because Ruby Riott isn’t in the match and I think that’s a damn tragedy! But still, on stage they all bicker over who is going to be champion – seriously.. like children would bicker over who gets to be Elsa when they play dress-up! Alexa cut them off and announced herself as a participant. This all lead into a match.. Naomi vs Alexa Bliss.
Firefly Funhouse
My favourite new character has another “episode” of Firefly Funhouse to show us and this time, we are painting! Because painting helps Bray deal with all of those pesky supressed emotions, Ramblin’ Rabbit shows up to ask about his painting and he shows us his work, a burning house with someone trapped inside, background scream sound effects included. Dark.. But then “Yowie Wowie!”, he woke up Abby the Witch! She said to keep it down whilst she gets her beauty sleep. Bray creeps back he informs us all she’s a bit of a “sociopath” which is then made “Word of the Day!”, that’s all we had time for on today’s episode and he told his fireflies he will always light the way and all we have to do is “let him in”.. the music Stopped after he said that and he just stared for a few seconds.. Then smiled and waved goodbye. – words cannot fully express just how much I love this gimmick. It’s so original and smart and dark and my 3 year old was glued to the TV set! He loves Bray Wyatt now and hasn’t stopped asking me to watch more episodes of Firefly Funhouse since he saw it!
Naomi vs Alexa Bliss
The match was decent, it had a good amount of back and forth, plus they had the running theme of the match as Bliss wasn’t ring ready, she had Converse style shoes on and the laces kept undoing and she had to try to tie them, but every time she’d try, Naomi would attack her resulting in the crowd booing Naomi, who’s supposed to be the Babyface right? (Whoever wrote this show is in trouble at this stage I think, in almost every segment so far something childish or cringe inducing or just downright ridiculous and the only thing that was immaculate in that regard, up to this point in the show, was Firefly Funhouse! I cannot wait to see this new Bray have a match!
Backstage
Rey Mysterio & his son Dominic are backstage and Dominic says that Mysterio has his Wrestlemania tonight! Rey says he will show Joe tonight that he is still as good as he ever was and that it’s never been easy being his size in a world of giants, but he has to get back up every time he is knocked down.
Becky Lynch ‘Double Trouble For The Man” segment
Becky Lynch comes to the ring to seemingly explain why she is doing double duty at Money In The Bank. Charlie Carusso talks to Becky about her impulsive choice to have 2 matches at MITB, she had a great promo as usual and then a video was shown of Lacey Evans knocking her head off last week, which was still awesome! Then Becky takes the Mic and lays down the law to Lacey Evans and invites her down to the ring for a little showdown, to which Lacey Evans accepts as she walks to the ring and they do some Lady/Man back and forth and it’s actually really good. Lacey says she has had enough of Becky’s Irish temper and she’s about to lose her manners and the two brawl outside the ring! Both Women are separated by Jamie Noble, Fit Finlay and a bunch of Referees. They have started this build with an absolute firecracker of a standoff. Lacey is not afraid to throw down! I am pumped for this match!
Hawkins & Ryder vs The Revival
“Shave your back” chants broke out pretty early! The match was really short, Ryder won the match via a Crucifix Pin. Not much else to say.. The Revival were decent Heel Champions just a few weeks ago, now they’re in some kind of sort of bodyshaming semi-homoerotic storyline where they consecutively lose.. riiight. They’re totally not being buried then. That’s cool.
Sami Zayn promo
He is one of the best new characters we have had in a long ass time. He is calling us “You people” now. He’s so bloody entertaining. You’d never know he’d never played a Heel before his turn with KO last year. He tells a story about telling a 5 year old kid he wouldn’t sign an action figure for him and he cried, he said the kid felt entitled and like Sami owed him something but that is taught behaviour. He said everyone says he should just quit and quitting WWE would be bliss but coming out each week and telling us all the truth about ourselves is much better. He loves it and he said we have had too much power for too long and he is now the Critic of the Critics taking the power back and I just love that. The whole “Psychological Entitlement” thing, I loved it. He has something absolutely brand new here and we are his purpose. There is so much they could do with this. So. Effing. Much!
Samoa Joe vs Rey Mysterio
It was cool to see it going longer, but still too short! We had some nice counters to routine signature moves and then Rey rolled Joe up and Joe was more or less underneath the ropes, he could reach them with the absolute greatest of ease but he didn’t! He just list, looked confused and to us he looked stupid! Bad end but Dominic met Rey on the ramp and put Rey on his shoulders and it looked funny as hell and weird because Dominic is massive now! Far from the “I’m your Papi” storyline.
Seth Rollins & AJ Styles contract signing
AJ Styles and Seth Rollins spoke some words, I was more dazzled by the meeting of these two over the Universal Title that I didn’t quite catch it, so I watched it again. There was an interesting call back to a promo that Seth Rollins and HBK had when Rollins was with the Authority and was World Champion where Seth says he is the next Shawn Michaels and Michaels tells him that everyone says that but the thing is Michaels says he never wanted to be “the next..” anybody, he just wanted to be the first Shawn Michaels. In this verbal face off with AJ Styles, AJ says Rollins wants to be the next AJ Styles but he will never be that good, however Rollins now claims to have never wanted to be the next anyone, “he only wanted to be the first Seth Freakin’ Rollins!” – just a little interesting bit there. But this all ended inns scrap as all contract signings on WWE TV do, I was half expecting KUSHIDA to Phoenix Bomb William Regal through the desk when he signed for NXT, and the two men tried to best eachother but Styles ended up hitting a Phenomenal Forearm through a table and standing tall as raw went off air.
Conclusion
5/10 🌟
Not the best start to a brand new era, but you know.. It is WWE so why expect anything else? Honestly, who wrote this stuff? “Oh if you don’t shut it I’ll punch you, mate!” or that bitchfest of “I will win!” “No, guys.. I’m gonna win and be champ!” “No, me!” was honestly horrible. It genuinely sounded like squabbling kids!
You know, it just seems crazy to me that I always score these Raw episodes so low when their talent pool is literally the biggest and best it has ever been! The huge names they have under their brand is insane! Yet we are still getting 3 minute makeshift matches and excellent talent being underutilised or not used at all. Last week was great! Buf it’s so annoying when they have great shows one week and then lacklustre the next all the time. It has no direction, lacks fluidity and it really seems that their are too many writers on the job and the creative mojo is all out of whack and has been for a long, long time! Next week will hopefully be better, but I’m not exactly buzzing for it.
Side note – Ricochet is always good so he can have the first ever ‘Superstar of the Night’ award. Which is what I’m doing from now on. No more “Match of the Night” because there are great matches some week and others there are none that feel worthy & no more “Annoyance of the Night” because there are just far too many these days. So just one ‘Superstar of the Night’ from now on.
Superstar of the Night
Ricochet – Like I said, he’s just always good. His Shooting Star Press was picturesque and his moveset evolves every week. He’s going to knock Money In The Bank out of the park. He’s a walking, talking, human highlight reel and I cannot wait to see him rise to the top of WWE!
