10 Plot Holes On Every Episode Of WWE RAW

4. Yet More Selectively Strong Characters

Stephanie McMahon Bullets
WWE.com

Drew McIntyre's new character is that of a locker room leader in waiting.

He arrived back on RAW looking like a shredded warlord with a balls-out statement of intent: nobody is on his level. The roster is awash with guys who lack his ability, his drive, and his confidence. He is going to make each and every one of them extinct in his inexorable march to the main event. At last, this was a guy we could believe in; this was the fabled real-life persona turned up to 11 stuff that makes a megastar, one we could believe in because Vince McMahon, with his specific tastes, must believe in also. This week on RAW, he and partner-in-crime Dolph Ziggler were subject to criminal booking. This tag team - virtually the only (booked) tag team on RAW that isn't a comedy act - became a laughing stock as they lost a battle royal boasting such luminaries as The Ascension, Titus O'Neill, and Heath Slater. A murderers' row of the murdered, essentially.

"It's just one result."

In WWE, it's never just one result. Wins and losses matter everywhere except in WWE's fiction, and, consequently, more so than ever. When a performer loses clean, the result triggers a certain cynicism within long-term fans, a certain warning: do not bother investing in a narrative that will eventually defy itself.

You will only disappoint yourself.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!