6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (Aug 1)
New women's faction wreaks havoc, new US title #1 contender, Lynch written off?
What can you say about the first real episode of Raw in the post-Vince McMahon era? We shouldn’t be ready to hang a “Mission Accomplished” banner and declare victory – far from it – nor should we assume that Vince or his influence has been vanquished forever.
But Raw Monday night provided fans with a glimpse into what could be, as we saw a steady and fairly balanced show that focused on in-ring action, character development, and angles being set up for the future.
A central figure of the show went down with an injury, but the show never missed a beat, turning the page by adding new characters and immediate rivalries to refocus your attention. Superstars battled for a chance to get a United States Championship title shot, and for once, it was someone different who earned the match.
Sure, we still had to endure the Judgement Day and Edge saga, but that feels more like a remnant of the past that needs to be wrapped up than an ongoing epic that is going to play out over months.
Overall, this was a very solid episode of Raw, perhaps its best effort in several months. Now, let’s see them keep it up.
Let’s get to it…