6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Dec 12 - Review)
New #1 contenders crowned, Lumis/Miz continues, Owens remembers Ezekiel.
Wrestling shows in December are a really odd phenomenon. Fans are somewhat distracted. There are no major shows on the horizon, so wrestling just seems to go into some kind of weird stasis mode.
Stuff happens, and sometimes it’s notable. But when you look back months later, it rarely is something that is monumental or significant. It just… happened. So Raw this time of year is a tough grade. You know WWE very well could be phoning stuff in based on precedence, but that doesn’t excuse a lacklustre show.
Monday’s episode provided us with the usual mix. Kevin Owens, Asuka and Becky Lynch were fantastic as usual, playing their characters well and entertaining us.
But an apathetic crowd really deflated a lot of the action. They’d come alive for big spots but looked like they were watching a play at the theatre rather than the emulation of a sporting event. Throw in more Miz/Dexter Lumis, a strange decision regarding Bobby Lashley and an “off” women’s #1 contender’s match and you have yet another uneven Raw.
It’s safe to say that Triple H isn’t some magical booker who was going to correct all the flaws of the late Vince McMahon era. Yes, Raw is substantively better, but it is still fundamentally flawed in several areas.
Let’s get to it…