10 Things We Learned From Post-Payback WWE Raw (May 1)

6. Going Through The Motions

enzo anderson
WWE.com

On a week where the Intercontinental and Women's divisions were given rightful spotlight, it only highlighted how the tag team division was in desperate need of a boost beyond the lingering nostalgia pops for The Hardy Boyz.

A Sheamus and Cesaro heel turn (more on that later) may have invigorated one set of former champions, but Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are in similar need of creative interjection.

Joining them yet again in a malaise phase are Enzo and Cass, who continue to suffer at the hands of a creative team on autopilot thanks to the New Jersey duo's steady hand on crowd control and ability to flog gaudy t-shirts flaunting the latest Amore catchphrase.

A Payback pre-show victory over 'The Club' thankfully didn't damage the former Raw Tag Champions, because the upset win made it look a complete fluke anyway. If anybody was even watching, that is.

Following another tepid exchange between the duos (with Gallows besting Enzo in yet more disparate 50/50 composition), Kurt Angle revealed to Goldust and R-Truth that a Tag Team Turmoil match on next week's show would determine the next challengers for Matt and Jeff's titles.

In a division so devoid of forward momentum, that match has become less of a must-win and more of a can't-lose for just about every tandem.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett