6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (29 May - Results & Review)

DOWNS…

5. JD Distracted While Kicking A**

JD MCDonagh
WWE.com

The double countout is such a cop-out of a finish that it should only be used in certain circumstances when it furthers a story and is an important element of that tale.

Somehow, the burgeoning rivalry between JD McDonagh and Dolph Ziggler doesn’t rise to that level. This is a feud that started when Dolph eliminated JD from an Intercontinental Championship #1 contender’s battle royal, and McDonagh attacked him afterwards. Hardly a blood feud where the hatred runs so deep that they’d brawl on the floor and lose track of the count.

But that’s what we got Monday night, with the action very quickly spilling onto the floor, where they fought for a few moments until the referee counted to 10, signalling a double countout. The fans rightly booed that outcome, which led to McDonagh battering Ziggler, whipping him in the steps and then stomping his head into the diamond plate.

If they wanted to go the route of JD looking unhinged and willing to do anything to a rival, have him jump Dolph before the match, during his entrance, or just have them beat each other until they’re too exhausted to continue. A 30-second flurry isn’t believable leading to both men being unable to beat a 10 count.

It’s not the worst start for an NXT call-up, but it’s not one that screams “megastar” either.

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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.