5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (7 April - Results & Review)

If WWE was bearing down on a B-show PLE with this current build, most people wouldn’t even blink. But when the company is less than two weeks out from WrestleMania 41 and is offering up shows like Monday Night Raw this week, it’s difficult to wave a rally towel for the ‘E.

To be fair, Raw delivered one absolutely killer segment in which Jey Uso and Gunther successfully followed up on their triumph from last week, with Jey finally feeling like a worthy challenger who could earn the World Heavyweight Championship on the night. Raw also produced an excellent Women’s Intercontinental Championship match that elevated both Lyra Valkyria and her challenger Bayley at a time when both women needed this for different reasons. It was a serendipitous moment in the ring. But beyond that, most of Raw ranged from middling at best to disappointing. Nothing really bottomed out – unless you count Pat McAfee yelling like a goof at the wrong time during a serious moment for Jey.

However, the penultimate Raw before 'Mania shouldn’t merely be one great promo, one great match, and a bunch of stuff scuffling around the median. That’s not exactly an inspiring formula for success. The result is another week where some feuds – such as the Women’s World Championship triple threat – feel like they’re relying on the match on the night to save the day rather than the story building anticipation and the bout elevating the material even more.

Let’s get to it…