5 Ups & 5 Downs For WWE Raw (15 Sept - Results & Review)

by Scott Carlson

1. Mixed Tag Face-Off Delivers

The build to WWE Wrestlepalooza's mixed tag match pitting Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch against CM Punk and AJ Lee has been pretty simplistic by some wrestling booking standards, but it’s been magnificently effective: Rollins enlisted his wife to help retain his world title, so Punk brought in his wife to balance the scales, creating a massive moment with AJ’s WWE return after a decade-long absence.

Monday, the four wrestlers squared off in the ring with a hot crowd constantly letting Seth and Becky know what they thought of them, and the heel champions were only too gleeful to play off that raucous atmosphere, with Lynch telling fans to “Show my hot husband some respect” when they chanted, “Shut the f**k up!” When they yelled, “No one likes you!” to Seth, Becky responded that she did. And Rollins declared the crowd had “gone too far” when they chanted that Becky was “constipated” (AJ said Lynch made that kind of face on SmackDown).

Beyond the interplay with the crowd, all four clearly knew their roles and delivered perfectly, including AJ, who ratcheted up the “unpredictability” - well, she did say she makes rash decisions because she’s a Puerto Rican from New Jersey, and sometimes you just have to “shank a chick” - before ultimately slapping Rollins.

Rollins and Lynch played the first couple of Chicago nicely when Seth mirrored Punk’s SmackDown line about having someone to put their hands on a woman (meaning AJ). Becky balked, and she and Seth argued before Lynch walked out. This led to Rollins pie-facing Punk and setting off a chase, leaving AJ alone for Becky to hit a sneak-attack Manhandle Slam – the first bump AJ’s taken in WWE in a decade.

There was more goodness in here, including Becky questioning AJ’s health, Rollins taunting Punk about restraining himself when his wife was in trouble, and Punk calling himself “AJ’s husband” and then mostly taking a backseat to his wife to carry the promo for their side.

Solid go-home angle that ensured this match is a must-watch for anyone still on the fence.

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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 fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.