6 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Nov 27)
Ups...
6. An Effective Formula
Though Roman Reigns and Elias' Intercontinental Title match was a net negative, their show-opening promo was perfectly functional, if a tad derivative.
'The Guy' kicked things off by running through last week's happenings. He talked about winning the IC strap, trashed The Miz, dropped an obligatory "this is my yard," and challenged the Raw roster to take the title from him. This brought The Miztourage out, and while it was good to see Miz's usually silent partners get some mic time, they were only there to set 'The Drifter' up.
Elias stuck up for the absent former champion, and took Dallas and Axel under his wing while their boss is away. This was all done to set up the dastardly henchmen accompanying 'The Drifter' to the ring later in the evening, and while the interactions didn't build much heat between the involved parties, the promos themselves were fine, and the segment got the job done.
A little variety would be nice, but in-ringers like this are a simple, effective way to start the show.