4 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Raw (June 29)

2. Opening With A Bang

Asuka Sasha Banks Bayley
WWE.com

Changing things up can be a good thing, as evidenced Monday night, when Raw opened with not an introduction for a lengthy in-ring promo, but an already underway brawl between Asuka and Bayley & Sasha Banks.

The three were taking part in a double contract signing, but before Samoa Joe could bring out the WWE Championship match participants, the women had to be physically restrained. Then once Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler came out, things got going. They got through the prattling and signings before things broke down again, leaving the heels on the outside.

Even though Raw was taped, opening with an in-ring brawl made you sit up and take notice right away. You barely had a chance to settle in, which was a good thing. It made the show feel more important from the get-go, even though it really was just a simple contract signing(s).

So kudos for mixing it up in a clever way.

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Contributor
Contributor

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.