7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (15 May - Review)
Owens and Zayn face attacks on all sides, Cody excels on the mic, Nakamura survives Miz.
Let’s get right down to brass tacks: WWE Raw is an average TV show at best. Spread out over three hours is enough material for a really good 90-minute program, and maybe even a pretty good two-hour show.
But when you watch Raw, you have to accept certain universal WWE truths: The action will mostly hover in the three-star range; the promos will be mostly overwritten, though great superstars can elevate bad material; the comedy most likely won’t be funny; certain parts of the show will test your patience.
We tend to grade Raw on a curve, where you excuse some of the drag and mediocrity, likely due to stretching two hours of programming out to three hours and failed television writers trying to make athletes memorise ridiculous dialogue.
That’s not to say Raw was a slog. Monday’s program included a magnificent promo from Cody Rhodes that should serve as a template for how to build a story and set realistic stakes for a grudge match. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn are just too damn good to be held down, and their interactions with Imperium and Judgment Day were good fun.
But you also had to endure Shinsuke Nakamura in a pitched battle with… the Miz. We were reminded that Natalya is not on Rhea Ripley’s level. WWE’s strange booking of new superstars continued as well.
What we’re left with is a Raw that raised the stakes for its major matches without committing any major sins – enough for passing marks this week.
Let’s get to it…