6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (14 August - Review)

by Scott Carlson

1. A Hot Closing Segment

Judgment Day Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Cody Rhodes and the Judgment Day in the same segment is probably the best case scenario for WWE these days. Despite all the goofiness, the heel stable is still one of the hottest acts on the show, and they’re still menacing enough to give Rhodes and any allies fits.

The American Nightmare defeated Finn Balor in exactly the kind of match fans would expect from two skilled professionals, but it was the aftermath that stuck out. The Judgment Day pounced, and Sami Zayn ran down to make the save, only for JD McDonagh to tip the scales, leading to a 5-on-2 beatdown that saw the heels stand tall.

Beating up the red brand’s top babyface and one-half of the tag champs is a pretty good sign that despite any group turmoil, Judgment Day is still a force. It would be better if WWE nixed some of the melodrama of the opening segment, and the miscue with the briefcase during the Rhodes/Balor match made Damian Priest and Finn look like amateurs.

Overall though, this was a strong closing segment. If WWE can resist the urge to create “drama” and “tension” every week, they’d have something here.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.