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

5. The Eva-Lution Should Not Be Televised

Eva Marie
WWE

The problem with this Eva Marie comeback storyline is that Eva Marie is not a babyface.

Bringing her back in this modern, workrate-focused era can hit the right notes if Eva is used to generate the kind of meta heat she was pulling while expertly positioned opposite Bayley and Asuka in NXT. She was loathed because she was seen as a vastly inferior worker to her opponents, so WWE used her to generate anxiety that she might end up pinning one of them. That's how you book her: by capitalising on real, tangible disdain for her skillset.

Here, WWE is attempting the polar opposite. The Eva-Lution presents the former All Red Everything as some kind of inspirational life coach figure, with Eva herself claiming she wanted to become a heroine like Angelina Jolie here - and it's never going to work.

Bringing Eva back as a pure-hearted babyface will tank the moment she is unleashed in front of a live crowd. It's time to recalibrate and get her back to doing what she does best.

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Channel Manager

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.