6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (13 May - Results & Review)
King and Queen of the Ring tournament matches carry the day for the red brand.
When Cody Rhodes officially joined the SmackDown roster, it raised questions about how Raw and its three hours of programming would fare without its top star, and with both CM Punk and Seth Rollins on the shelf.
Fortunately for WWE, the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments have filled the show with mostly really solid wrestling that has engaged fans and kept the programs moving, because not a whole lot else is clicking the way things were humming a couple months ago.
Damian Priest is still finding his footing as World Heavyweight Champion, and seemingly being in a transition period between heel and babyface is probably complicating things a bit. The World Tag Team Championship remains with a comedy duo, thus devaluing the entire division that has not been able to unseat them yet.
The Intercontinental Championship feud between Sami Zayn, Chad Gable and Bronson Reed took a sizable step backward Monday night. And Jey Uso continues to baffle as one of Raw’s most popular superstars but also a wild card when the bell rings.
Still, Raw delivered plenty of quality, with Iyo Sky, Shayna Baszler and Lyra Valkyria shining in their spotlight moments. Gunther and Kofi Kingston had a raw, tough fight. And Drew McIntyre continued to be a bright spot.
Raw lately has been more of a “your mileage may vary” rather than the universally praised programs of a couple months ago. That makes for a tough product to rate.
Let’s get to it…