6 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE Raw (April 19)

6. Second Verse, Same As The First

So if you missed last week’s triumphant return of the Viking Raiders, fear not, because you got to see the same match again.

Erik & Ivar once again tangled with the Hurt Business-less Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin, who once again were denied a ring entrance. And once again, the Raiders toppled the former tag champs in a strange bout: it wasn’t a squash, but the Vikings won easily, but they had to fight from underneath in just their second match back.

It’s strange booking for a tag team that will need to be portrayed as world-beaters if they’re going to take on the new Raw tag champs, AJ Styles & Omos.

If you really wanted to have warm bodies out there for the Raiders to smash, you had a few guys just sitting in catering (before WWE released them) who could have been sacrificial lambs, like Mojo Rawley and Tucker. Cripes, throw the two of them out there to get murked rather than a team who should be the Raiders’ fourth match back, not their first and second.

But WWE is gonna WWE. Creative’s got nothing for you, pal.