6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Aug 9)
RK-Bro reunites... sort of; McIntyre looks for validation; Priest/Sheamus set up.
Full disclosure: If you aren’t a fan of Randy Orton, Riddle or RK-Bro, Raw wasn’t for you.
The return of the Viper and the potential reunification of RK-Bro took center stage on Raw, with Orton opening and closing the show, and several backstage segments were dedicated to the situation. It was like Poochie on the Itchy & Scratchy Show (on The Simpsons), with everyone talking about him whenever he wasn’t onscreen.
That said, if you were invested in the angle, it worked pretty well and carried the show decently considering Goldberg was nowhere to be found and the wrestling was average overall. But if you’re a Drew McIntyre fan, this wasn’t the best night, with the Scottish Warrior doing his best Jeb Bush impersonation, all but asking fans to “please clap” for him. It’s tough as someone who genuinely likes the character and everything he’s done during the past 20 months.
And Nikki A.S.H. continued her motivational escapades of a champion who fights from underneath and hopes she can win but is just so darn positive that she’s not afraid to fail. However, we did get a United States Championship match set up for SummerSlam, with Damian Priest finally stepping up to challenge Sheamus in what should be a bright spot for Raw on the card.
All in all, it was an uneven night, but better than what we’ve gotten recently.
Let’s get to it…