7 Ups And 10 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (June 29th)

The Authority's B-team bores while Cena and Cesaro rock the house.

During the Monday Night Wars, ratings were broken down by the quarter-hour to determine which segments were working and which weren€™t. If something was causing fans to flip channels to the competition, it probably wouldn€™t be seen on television again, at least not in the same form. That insane level of scrutiny was neurotic, but it also kept the writers and talent on their collective toes. Without that competition today, WWE Raw has fallen into some trappings that would have spelled doom 15 years ago: lengthy, boring opening promos, DQ finishes galore and main events that end without a conclusive finish and/or a group beatdown. Fans got some of that Monday night, but the show was bolstered by an incredible match in the middle of the program between John Cena and Cesaro. It also didn€™t hurt that the tremendous Kevin Owens was on commentary. But overall, Monday night€™s Raw produced some exciting moments €“ aided by a red-hot crowd €“ and other instances that leave you scratching your head. The build to Battleground, which is three weeks away, slowed down, as no new matches were announced and existing feuds were simply reinforced. That left Raw as a placeholder more than anything. So what flew high and what treaded water? Let€™s find out€
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.