5 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Oct 2)
4. Raising The Bar
Roman Reigns was on the warpath last night. Set to challenge for The Miz's Intercontinental Championship, 'The Guy' battered Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel during 'The A-Lister's' introductions, taking them out of the game completely. This was smart, as it should have ensured his match stayed one-on-one, though that's not how things transpired.
The duo worked a solid bout, and were probably en route to one of the year's strongest TV bouts prior to the interference, but Sheamus & Cesaro's involvement was necessary. They pulled Reigns out of the ring to prompt the DQ, then beat him down after the bell, mocking him with a huge Shield-esque triple Powerbomb to close the segment.
Having already destroyed Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose earlier in the evening, The Bar became The Miztourage's substitutes in the upcoming Shield match by taking Reigns out too. This makes all the sense in the world, and will ensure a far stronger match, though it does feel a little haphazard. Regardless, this is a solid way to maximise the hot-shotted reunion.