10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (May 29)

9. A Different Angle

Rich Swann Sasha Banks
WWE

Corey Graves mirrored a vast disenfranchised section of the 'WWE Universe' on Monday, as he ignored Michael Cole and everything going on around him to stare dramatically into his phone before completely abandoning the product.

Unlike the worrying numbers that are finding something else better to do with their time than watch yet more WWE though, Graves instead marched backstage to share a rather cruel text he'd received slating Kurt Angle as General Manager of the flagship broadcast.

It was a soul-crushing inevitability that this sort of story would rear it's ugly head, but it's a little disappointing that the programme has been jump-started less than three months into Kurt's reign.

WWE are obsessed with the inferior babyface authority figure trope, with only Stephanie McMahon and Triple H ever positioned as competent even when they are malevolent heels and thus working to the detriment (in theory) of around 50% of their roster.

What did come from this was yet another mystery, which adds at least some interest alongside the Enzo Amore whodunit (more on that later), to sticking with the broadcast in hope of getting an actual payoff.

Angle's unrealistic read-out didn't give much away about the perpetrator, but the bullying is sure to continue. Graves could be texting himself, of course, WWE have plotted that exact chart once before.

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