5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (15 Oct - Results & Review)

1. What A Waste

Cards on the table: Cody Rhodes versus Gunther should be an excellent match at Crown Jewel, and their initial face-off Monday night was perfectly fine.

Gunther has an incredible ability to convey a smarmy confidence while negging an opponent – even one he respects – that makes you simultaneously hate and envy the man. Rhodes, on the other hand, is so wholesome and yet manages to elicit nothing but good vibes and empathy from the fans. Both brought all of that to the table on Raw.

However, this first-time singles match is not a WrestleMania main event, a generational world title bout, or a deep-rooted grudge match. It’s a contrived champion-versus-champion match at a Saudi show to compete for a gaudy, just-concocted title that will never be seen outside of the kingdom. WWE is pitting its top two men’s champions against each other for a poor gimmick match. It’s 2010s Survivor Series with opulence on overdrive.

Regardless of how great the match might be on the night, it cannot be overstated that WWE is burning this first-time singles match in this manner. We all saw the potential at Royal Rumble 2023 – it was obvious then that this should be saved for a truly meaningful moment, not this throwaway “title” match.