3 Ups & 10 Downs From WWE Raw (Aug 3)

5. Cry Me A Riott

Liv Morgan Ruby Riott
WWE.com

Putting Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan back together is a fine idea in that neither of them is doing anything else at the moment and they have a shared history. Their undercard story is relatively easy to tell, though there was no need for the over-the-top melodrama of last night, which left the former Riott Squad's saga as one of the biggest blights on a show full of them.

Riott was literally reduced to tears as she spoke of how much Morgan's friendship once meant to her. This was absurd. Overacting is prevalent on every level of the WWE hierarchy and for a simple, straightforward reunion like this, it was Razzies-level bad. The hammy acting peppering the KO Show segment was at least broken up when The IIconics arrived to set the tag match up, though things barely improved once the bell rang. A quick two-on-two concluded with Liv rolling Peyton Royce up for the victory.

You don't get credit for a decent idea if the execution is off. Here, WWE blew Riott and Morgan's onscreen relationship up to ridiculous proportions. The Riott Squad was a lower-card act. Yes, the duo are great friends in real life, but this didn't need the soap opera treatment.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.