6 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (July 26)
5. 20 Minutes For THAT?
This writer will again state that he’s happy for Nikki A.S.H. and that she does indeed “deserve it” as the fans chanted.
However, it’s unmistakable that once their guard was down, the fans weren’t exactly rallying behind the new Raw Women’s Champion. Her cheers were muted – especially compared to Rhea Ripley – and the reactions were more against Charlotte Flair, who heeled it up exceptionally well. Notably, the crowd audibly groaned when Nikki talked about her butterfly emblem representing how the women’s division was undergoing a metamorphosis.
But worse, we endured a 20-minute opening segment to set up what we all had to expect was coming: a triple threat at SummerSlam, and then a singles bout for Raw between Flair and Nikki. Getting there was long, and slow, and at times painful. It undercut good heel work from Charlotte.
If they could have trimmed 5-7 minutes, it might have worked, but between the mediocre response for Nikki and the lengthy back and forth, it just died on the vine.