6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (29 Aug)

Downs…

4. New Tag Champs Crowned Via Banana Peel

After three months, Vacant’s title reign as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions came to an end when Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah won the tag title tournament to become the new champs.

The unlikely duo defeated newcomers and presumed top-tier stars Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai in the main event, as WWE tried to make the match – and the titles – feel significant. And while we have to give them credit for the effort – and the pyro – this fell flat to this writer.

Raquel and Aliyah were pushed as a Cinderella team, with Rodriguez pulling the load and Aliyah along for the ride. This match and the last exemplified that, with Raquel absorbing punishment and overcoming it by herself while Aliyah was sidelined. This time, it was Aliyah who got a blind tag and rolled up Kai – who was not the legal competitor – to win the titles.

All the eggs had been put in Bayley’s group’s basket, and having them lose to a woman who has been little more than a jobber who pinned the wrong woman just felt like it was being done to swerve the fans.

It’s tough to take swipes at what should be a crowning achievement for these women, and maybe some of the gripes here are played out in the coming weeks, but we’re going to give it a mild “down” here.