6 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (August 31st)

Tough to match last week's energy levels, even with Sting and a Divas' first.

WWE took the momentum of last week and pumped the brakes Monday evening, slowing things down a bit so everyone could readjust themselves. After last week€™s surprise returns, it was doubtful that WWE was going to top Raw this week, so viewers needed to bring expectation levels down to something a little more manageable. Even with fans expecting a more €œnormal€ episode, it still fell short of expectations: Sting made his presence felt right away and declared that he wanted to be champion to fill the void in this trophy case; Nikki Bella continued her efforts to back into history; WWE plugged a crappy soap opera over a real storyline; and the company aimed high and fell short with a Divas Beat the Clock challenge. Despite these shortcomings, Raw provided a few fun moments, with new and existing wrestlers being put over strongly and the titles being portrayed as something everyone wants. The Night of Champions PPV is three weeks away, and three title matches already are set, while others are in motion. It€™s obvious WWE took its foot off the gas a little, but at least it€™s coasting downhill rather than drifting to a halt. So what scored a pinfall and what was left looking up at the lights Monday night? Let€™s get to it€

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.