5 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Aug 21)
Brock versus Braun? We're so there. Cena versus Reigns? Prepare for the boos.
On the heels of a Jekyll-and-Hyde SummerSlam weekend, Raw came out swinging Monday night with an episode that set the table for what could be a really interesting No Mercy PPV next month.
Raw gave us the main event for the upcoming PPV, and for once, it was the match that fans want, not the one Vince McMahon wants to ram down their throats: Braun Strowman versus Brock Lesnar. We also saw the planting of the seeds of a feud between two polarizing figures, Roman Reigns and John Cena. We also saw the new tag champs continue to gel as a duo.
We also saw fans more interested in playing with beachballs than paying attention to the action in the ring. We saw what could be a very unfortunate and untimely injury to a new singles star. And we saw the Miz deliver another scorching promo, which then promptly was negated in a match.
There was, as usual, some good moments for fans, and the negatives this week were not insurmountable, but there are some things that definitely need addressing, most notably the future storyline involving Jason Jordan. That might be the most glaring, reoccurring problem these days.
With that said, let’s find out what made the list. Let’s get to it…
Downs...
5. Is Emma Being Punished?
Remember way back when in NXT, when Paige and Emma battled for the new NXT Women’s Championship? Remember when Emma was a highly touted wrestler with a bright future?
Yeah, neither do most fans.
Lately, Emma is best known for her “transformation” into Emmalina… and her transformation right back to Emma. The failed gimmick resulted in a bunch of pinup pics and nothing more. Since then, Emma has been a punching bag for the women’s division, losing nearly every match she’s had this year.
That continued Monday, as Emma was squashed by Nia Jax in a matter of seconds, mustering minimal offense. This isn’t to say that Emma should have won her match, but losing so completely makes you wonder if she’s just nothing more than cannon fodder on Raw and has no chance of being a serious competitor again.
Bottom line: There’s a way to book someone to lose a match without making them look worthless. This wasn’t it.