6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Results & Review - 15 Jan)

4. A Gritty, Awkward Match

When Ludwig Kaiser put Kofi Kingston on the shelf last week, it was a violent post-match attack that felt raw and aggressive in a way that the uber-polished WWE doesn’t often allow.

They followed up on it Monday night with Kaiser facing a vengeful Xavier Woods, and the two just teed off on each other in a gritty match that felt intentionally clunky and stilted. Most wrestling matches – especially between experienced pros like Kaiser and Woods – have a smooth flow to them, with heat segments, comebacks, transitions and other identifiable spots.

Their Raw match was not like that, with both men trading strikes and going for some big swings throughout, rather than just grabbing a hold and waiting. It wasn’t as violent as Ludwig’s assault on Kofi, but that attack played into the conclusion of Monday’s bout, with Kaiser throwing a chair at Xavier and missing, only for Woods to smash it on Ludwig’s back for the DQ.

The post-match brawl saw Woods get the upper hand, but it would continue backstage, with Kaiser walking away from a downed Xavier.

If nothing else, the past two weeks have turned the corner for Imperium from a bickering bunch to more serious henchmen, and New Day has the catalyst for a more aggressive turn – even if it’s just for this feud. They can’t always be the pancake-tossing, happy-go-lucky guys.