3 Ups & 7 Downs For WWE Raw (18 Aug - Results & Review)

1. Turkerino City

If you tuned in Monday night expecting to be at least mildly entertained by the in-ring action on Raw, chances are you finished the program disappointed.

It’s really worth pointing out that WWE has some of the most talented wrestlers in the world on their rosters. They have a legion of agents and producers with decades of experience. Their television production skills are second to none.

Realistically, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be turning out a quality wrestling and entertainment program every week, but Monday’s show between the ropes was a mixed bag at best.

The opening contest between Iyo Sky and Raquel Rodriguez was the high-water mark for the evening, as the remaining four matches trended competent (Judgment Day versus Dragon Lee and Mr. Iguana), “just there” (Xavier Woods versus Penta), flat bad (Becky Lynch versus Natalya) and a predictable garbage match (Jey Uso versus Bron Breakker).

The crowd reactions – or lack thereof – throughout the night are proof positive of the poor quality. Fans were largely quiet throughout the evening, save for WWE’s usual flurry of shortcuts and cheat codes (signature spots, false finishes, weapons shots). The spaces between those moments were met with a dull hum from 13,000 fans in Philadelphia. That shouldn’t be possible in a city like Philly.

It’s hard to entirely blame the crowd, though. You give them a less-than-engaging program, and it’s going to be difficult to elicit a reaction. Honestly, someone should do a comparison of crowd noise during a summer 2023 Raw and those airing right now. The difference is probably stark.