6 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE Raw (Sep 20)

Raw delivered another of its hodgepodge shows, producing enough entertaining moments to make it watchable, but also falling short in enough areas to make you bang your head on the keyboard a few times.

The good news is that the show seems to have gotten better in recent weeks than the barely tolerable episodes we have been getting for months. But that’s not exactly saying a lot, and if we were to grade it against other professional wrestling programs, it would probably be curved downward. Still, on the WWE curve, this was a watchable program.

Big E as world champion is fun, new and fresh, and that provides a big boost. Bobby Lashley as the hungry, angry and dangerous challenger who feels he was robbed of his title is an interesting twist and a great role for him after dominating as champion. Damian Priest continues to look calm and cool as United States Champion, not flinching at a triple threat because if he doesn’t have confidence, he doesn’t deserve the title. (What a novel concept!)

But the women’s division remains absolute trash – not because of talent, but because of dismal writing. There’s just too much to unpack here, but it needs some serious help to right the ship.

Oh, and Extreme Rules is Sunday, and Raw is only offering up two matches as of Monday night. That’s just ridiculous, considering this was the go-home show.

Let’s get to it…