10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (May 22)

9. Driftwood

mickie james alexa bliss
WWE.com

Considering they were just at each other's throats earlier this year on the blue brand, the Miz/Dean Ambrose rivalry has largely been one of the more enjoyable aspects of Monday Night Raw since the pair migrated during the 'Superstar Shake-up'.

'The Lunatic Fringe' steering into woeful WWE comedy has been for the best, with the reduction in ambiguity positioning him more as a chuckling babyface above it all rather than a riotous psychopath with a penchant for mirth.

The pair's story this week intertwined with the curious Raw arrival of 'The Drifter' Elias Samson. A living breathing vignette in previous weeks, the guitar-wielding weirdo has made himself known via inconsequential interruptions. Remarkably, his NXT transition has not been a total failure, and he was permitted to shine in his debut proper with Ambrose despite a clunky finish affording him the win.

Reminding viewers that Dean can lose his Intercontinental Title by disqualification at Extreme Rules, The Miz dropped an axehandle on Samson to force that very call from the referee. Bailing from the scene, he then provided enough distraction for 'The Drifter' to level Ambrose after the match in WWE's traditional method of giving somebody the last word.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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