5 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE Raw (July 5)
Is it too much to ask for competent writing and less stupidity? Flair, Ripley, & Drew say "yes."
Last week, we gave Raw some serious credit for putting out a pretty decent show. Top to bottom, there was some enjoyable stuff to balance out the usual and ever-present drek.
This week, we got a bit of more of the same, but let’s be blunt: Competent programming should not be applauded; it should be expected. We shouldn’t be listing as “ups” how WWE used logical booking and remembered something from last week. That should be the bare minimum expectation.
But unfortunately, we still need to grade Raw on a curve, because we’re not far removed from some epically bad episodes, so when WWE does something modestly correct, we should reinforce it with a thumbs-up (for now, at least).
However, we should note that the Kofi Kingston/Bobby Lashley feud is legit good stuff, as this rivalry has grown and continued to progress well. Tonight was no exception. Riddle continues to be a bright spot, and the Mustafa Ali/Mansoor storyline is the kind of minor angles that WWE should be developing for nearly everyone.
Meanwhile, the women’s division continues to be the anchor on Raw, dragging everything down. The talent is there, but the booking is so atrocious that nothing can grow and thrive. Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre’s first match against each other was blown. And the 24/7 division exposed another failing of the writing team.
Two weeks until live crowds return to Raw! Let’s get to it…