5 Ups & 7 Downs For WWE Raw (8 Sept - Results & Review)

4. Raquel Clips Lyra’s Wings

WWE Raw Raquel Rodriguez Lyra Valkyria
WWE

Few wrestlers have undergone such an incredible transformation in such a short time as Raquel Rodriguez. Since taking some gentle criticism from Kevin Nash a few months ago to heart, she has changed her in-ring style and become the “big woman” that her frame suggested, and she’s benefited from that evolution.

Raquel squared off with Lyra Valkyria on Monday night in a battle between power and speed. Valkyria relied on her agility and strikes to keep Rodriguez off-balance, but Big Mami Cool consistently snuffed out rallies with brute force. A few points looked a bit rough, but it also felt more like a struggle than a botch in those circumstances.

Lyra had an impressive power moment herself when she tried for a sunset bomb out of the corner and hoisted herself back up to give added momentum and pull Raquel off the turnbuckle. However, it was Raquel plucking Lyra off the top rope for a Tejana Bomb and picking up the win.

Even in defeat, Valkyria looked great as the smaller face-in-peril, fighting from underneath, while Rodriguez picked up a singles win that added to her status as an imposing figure in the women’s division.

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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.