4 Ups & 9 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Aug 30)

3. Just A Good Match

Xavier Woods AJ Styles
WWE.com

Sometimes, you just need to see a good match to cleanse the palate. That’s exactly what AJ Styles/Xavier Woods provided.

The two veterans and former tag champs locked up in a pretty decent little TV match that broke up a pretty dismal stretch on Raw, battling back and forth with the story being Styles targeting Woods’ knee repeatedly throughout. And then just to pay it off, AJ locked in the Calf Crusher, and although he was just inches from the ropes, Xavier tapped out because he was in too much pain. It was a simple, yet effective way to tell a story.

Credit also goes to the announcers for planting seeds about Woods on a singles run and calling up his victory over Bobby Lashley earlier this summer. All of that served to remind viewers that Xavier is a capable wrestler who can hang with former WWE Champions like Styles, and it makes you think about him outside of the New Day confines.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.