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

1. Kofi Steals One!

What a deeply unsatisfying way to end the show.

Raw's eighth match closed with its fifth dirty finish, as Kofi Kingston partook in his second distraction of the night, pinning Bobby Lashley with a roll-up after Drew McIntyre had struck the WWE Champion with a cane while the official was otherwise occupied. Such finishes used to exist to "protect" the losing wrestler, but nights like this are a reminder of why faith in WWE's booking methods is at an all-time low.

How can you possibly invest in a match like this when you know it's going to end this way?

The match came from Lashley and MVP's open challenge, which they later revealed to be a non-title deal, screwing Kofi. The bait and switch works for their heel characters. Still, that the match was only passable can't save this show-closing segment from being a net negative, particularly as Kingston gains nothing from scoring a tainted victory over a man who was really defeated by McIntyre here.

Some weeks, WWE's booking is beyond parody. This was one of them.