8 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Sept 23)
The Fiend terrorizes, Viking Raiders deliver, bad promos disappoint.
Raw has most definitely been better in recent months compared to the dismal streak it was on for the first half of 2019.
Monday’s episode produced several good moments, though it still lacks truly great, memorable moments that we’ll be talking about weeks, months and even years later. However, a more solid, consistent product has made Raw more enjoyable to watch overall, even with some of the negatives that continue to plague the show.
Raw delivered a Fiend-heavy episode, with Bray Wyatt’s new incarnation continuing to get the special treatment. It also gave us a competitive, action-packed five-man elimination match and an earnest sit-down interview with Becky Lynch.
But it also gave us stilted, unconvincing promos, a Lacey Evans match that continued to expose her as not ready, and a couple matches that just disappointed overall. Still, with Hell in a Cell two weeks out, there are two big matches lined up that should deliver.
The question is, what about the rest of the card for the PPV, which takes place in less than two weeks? Raw could have been a lot better if at least one more red brand match was announced. SmackDown still hasn’t officially declared any matches, though that likely will change Tuesday night.
So, let’s see what worked and what faltered this week. Let’s get to it…