10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (April 17)

4. Worth Their Weight

Sasha Banks Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

Neville and Austin Aries' two-man assault on Cruiserweight malaise is actually working, with their standout WrestleMania pre-show match paying off weeks of excellent storytelling and leaving enough behind to drag several other talents into the battle.

The uneasy alliance between 'The King' and his new contender TJ Perkins has reinvigorated the inaugural Champion, who had been floundering for months in his laboured video game persona before a heel turn that has imbibed his noxious dabbing and dancing with extra snark.

Meanwhile, babyfaces Austin Aries and Gentleman Jack Gallagher continue to guarantee an excellent match whilst waiting for their next turn at Neville's title, and are finally lightweight heroes the crowd can genuinely get behind.

Aries proved as TNA X Division Champion several years ago that he'd mastered the midcard 'cool heel' act so well it was impossible to dislike an individual that addressed himself as 'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived'.

Similarly, Gallagher has remained over whilst waiting for his next high profile shot at the title following a blistering encounter with Neville at the Fastlane pay-per-view.

The sound development of all four characters has at long last built a relationship with the audience, and it's a weekly treat to see their hard-working physicality rewarded with ever-increasing audience participation.

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