6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Sept. 12)
Judgment Day has banner night, Owens rules on the mic, Deville stumbles in the ring.
Well, of all the episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw that have been reviewed in this column, Monday’s show certainly was one of them.
It’s difficult to put into words how to feel about this episode. It wasn’t bad, but unlike recent weeks, it wasn’t that great either. It featured a couple of really good little matches, and it also had a couple of clunkers that should have been trimmed in length. It had a passionate promo that was all fire, and it had announcer banter that made you reach for an icepick for your brain.
Kevin Owens could have talked for another five minutes. He was magnificent as he dressed down Austin Theory. Johnny Gargano showed fans why he’s earned his nickname. And Matt Riddle and Finn Balor did serviceable work.
But the Women’s Tag Team Championship match was messy, while the Raw Women’s Championship bout felt like neither woman was on the same page. Throw in Dexter Lumis stalking, an Omos squash and announcers arguing and you have a very uneven show.
Some of the criticisms here are items that have previously been overlooked, but as Raw’s overall quality has improved, we’ve been forced to look more critically at the show and begin to expect more from the program. It’s not fair to keep grading on a curve when WWE actually studies for the exam and begins passing.
Let’s get to it…