4 Ups & 9 Downs From WWE Raw (July 19)

5. Way To Raise The Stakes There Sparky

This writer is no fan of the whole “beat the champion to earn a title shot” deal, but when done correctly, it isn’t half bad. The problem is WWE does it all the time out of the blue, with an opponent pinning the champ and the announcers going, “That could put him in line for a future title opportunity!”

Humberto Carrillo faced off against Sheamus in what Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville clearly said was a match that would determine if he got another shot at the Celtic Warrior’s United States Championship. Ring announcer Mike Rome even called it a championship contender’s match, noting that a win by Humberto would grant him a title match.

And then Corey Graves dropped this line, which had to have been fed to him in his headset: Humberto was aiming for a “victory tonight, which could potentially propel him into title contention for Sheamus’ coveted United States title.”

Got that? A win “could potentially” put him in “title contention.” Wow, way to really make that match mean something guys.

Oh, and then Carrillo lost anyway. What a noob.