5 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE Raw (May 17)

Ups...

5. Riddle The Peacemaker

Riddle New Day
WWE.com

As tiresome as the match was, the window dressing surrounding Riddle and Randy Orton vs. The New Day is on point.

Riddle is slowly starting to learn that the snake he has aligned himself is, indeed, a snake. A curmudgeonly presence in the quartet's backstage segment, Orton killed Riddle, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods' buzz when it looked like they were bonding, refusing to apologise when his partner asked him to make good with The New Day.

Kingston and Woods were smart enough to see this coming. When Kofi warned Riddle that Randy was going to turn on him someday, Orton got heated, and their match was made.

Shoving Woods after the match shows Orton's growing influence on Riddle, who may be about to abandon his peacekeeping role. Good, gradual storytelling from an act with real legs, given how well it has connected thus far.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.