6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (8 Jun - Results & Review)

It really is incredible what a hot crowd and good wrestling matches will do for your enjoyment of a program.

Monday Night Raw finally delivered a solid program this week, buoyed by a highly entertaining Intercontinental Championship match, an action-packed Queen of the Ring quarter-final, and two really good angles, including a show-long arc that has the potential to genuinely make a star.

Raw belonged to two men: Chad Gable and Oba Femi (and to a lesser extent, Dominik Mysterio).

Femi and Mysterio had their first clash, with Dirty Dom trying to psych out – and then take out – The Ruler ahead of their semifinal match next week, to no avail.

Gable is in the midst of a redemption story, making amends for his sins as El Grande Americano, and as a result, becoming a more respected figure. Monday night, he made several overtures and then came to those wrestlers’ rescue when they most needed help.

Both the King and Queen of the Ring matches had their moments, relying on the all-action formula of a four-way match to avoid lulls and keep the drama high. It’s a simple cheat code, but you can’t fault WWE for falling back on it.

The biggest drawbacks to Raw came from the realization that a feud that never really set the world on fire is going to continue whether we like it or not, and Sol Ruca’s continued struggles in the ring. The Women’s Intercontinental Champion has a lot of upside, but she has yet to deliver a truly solid TV match on the main roster.

But here’s what this week’s Raw told us by what it didn’t have: Roman Reigns wasn’t around doing his usual melodrama routine, leaving fans unable to discern whether he’s a heel or a babyface. All of the matches were announced in advance. The Vision was limited to a short run-in. Rollins was in a main event that had actual stakes.

Next week, at least two of these factors will re-emerge, potentially torpedoing the program. For now, let’s enjoy what we had Monday night.

Let’s get to it…