6 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (July 26)

1. Almost A Champion

Watching the main event between Charlotte Flair and Nikki A.S.H., it was clear that the champion was being booked as an underdog fluke, outclassed by her opponent from bell to bell.

Flair dominated the match, save for a couple of Cross comebacks, but even then, her shots didn’t have a lasting effect. Charlotte reversed a crossbody for the pin and then would lay out Nikki afterwards, making the champ look like a joke.

Worse, Nikki gave a promo afterwards saying that she’s “almost a superhero” and though she lost, she showed she almost won (because wrestling is like horseshoes, where you get close to the target) and is confident she can win a rematch next week.

Nothing says “championship material” than having the champ win the title in a fluky manner, then get dominated and laid out, while giving a mealy-mouthed promo that diffuses fans support.

Honestly, the problem here is that WWE is booking this in reverse. Nikki won the title at the outset rather than building confidence as a challenger and growing and learning and improving until she finally overcame and won the big match. Instead, she’s already the champ and now has to grow and learn to beat her first challenger. That’s backwards, and it’s only damaging to Nikki and to the title itself.