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

2. The Muddied Raw Women's Title Scene

Charlotte Flair Rhea Ripley
WWE

We don't speak enough about the decline of women's wrestling on WWE's main roster.

While the match quality is often high (Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks was the best match the company has produced all year), the booking is rote, repetitive, and all over the place, with poorly defined characters working the same formulae without clear direction. On Raw, the division's three protagonists did just that.

Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley would have been the logical route after WrestleMania Backlash. Ripley defeated Asuka in the Triple Threat, not Charlotte, which kept the singles match open, giving Rhea a shot at redeeming WrestleMania 36. Good, simple, effective booking.

Raw's writers are allergic to such things. Instead of going with the money option, they had Charlotte demand a title shot, get herself booked one-on-one with Asuka, and lose. Just like that.

This scene is in the dumps right now, with Flair the only strong character. Ripley appears short on confidence and unsure of herself, her badass aura gradually peeling away, and Asuka hasn't been given anything meaningful in months. The creative team's hatchet job cannot be understated.

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Channel Manager
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.