4 Ups & 9 Downs From WWE Raw (2 Aug)

8. Hometown Flop

Mustafa Ali T-Bar Mace
WWE.com

Wrestling in your hometown on a WWE show guarantees that something bad is going to happen to you. Last night, it was Mustafa Ali, who walked out to a super pop in Chicago, played his part well, then got flattened by T-Bar and Mace after the bell.

The action here was solid enough, with T-Bar dusting off some of the athleticism shelved during his RETRIBUTION run. Unfortunately, it was still too insubstantial to overcome the dire booking here. WWE have already 50/50'd the Mansoor and Ali vs. T-Bar and Mace storyline by turning last week's babyface win into a defeat for the good guys, with Mansoor eating the pin after Mace's distraction. Seven days and already this growing tandem is falling to one of WWE's worst tropes.

Mace and T-Bar's double sitout Chokeslam on Ali was a needless post-match addition, too. It won't put heat on the heels outwith Chicago, where Ali hails from, and stands as another example of WWE's complete unwillingness to take advantage of the easiest pop in the business. Hometown stuff should be a piece of cake.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.