12 Things You May Have Missed From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jun 4)
All these pop culture references and not a Mauro Ranallo in sight.
Last night's Raw was a perfect microcosm of everything the red brand has become since the latest Superstar Shake-Up.
Though not quite a grand disaster, it offered little of substance throughout, with only a cluster of memorable spots and moments cutting through the murk. Braun Strowman putting the fear of God into Bobby Roode? Fun. Elias scoring a huge, momentum-building pinfall on Seth Rollins? Great. Finn Bálor vs. Kevin Owens? Solid, but not quite the barn-burner it could've been.
Elsewhere, the turgid Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax and Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley feuds continued with angles that only diminished the protagonists, all of whom now look like fools heading into Money In The Bank. The tag division's shallowness was exposed in a crowded contender's battle royal, Curt Hawkins ate his 200th consecutive loss, and Kurt Angle once again proved himself a useless authority figure (though his new sidekick, 'Constable Corbin,' is off to an oddly entertaining start).
It'd be a stretch to call this show anything other than lacklustre, but as always, Monday Night Raw was laced with Easter eggs, snafus, and other small details. Let's dive into them.
12. Extreme Protection
The night's opening segment ended with Jinder Mahal and Elias double-teaming Seth Rollins, leading to his Shield brother, Roman Reigns, making the save. General Manager Kurt Angle then pulled his best Teddy Long impersonation, and the tag match was on.
The babyfaces lost. 'The Architect' took the pinfall, leaving him and Roman disappointed, but while many will bemoan him eating a 1-2-3 in the middle of his hot streak, the defeat was wrapped in cotton wool.
Rollins was working with a kayfabe injury (as the announcers pointed out at least a dozen times), and the finish saw him distracted by Sunil Singh, before Elias hit him with a DDT and Drift Away. That's a lot of protection, and speaks volumes to how high WWE are on Rollins at the moment.
This is unusual for an Intercontinental Champion, too, as we're so accustomed to WWE burying whoever hold their midcard belts. Yes, Seth lost, but it was extremely well booked, and suggests that even if he falls at Money In The Bank, WWE will find a way to do it that doesn't make him look like a fool.