6 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jan 2)

2. Remember When This Was PPV-Worthy?

bayley nia jax
WWE.com

Not every NXT feud can be referenced weekly on WWE television, but sometimes the ignorance is frustrating.

For example, we saw Bayley face Nia Jax Monday night for the #1 contender’s spot for the Raw Women’s Championship. Stephanie McMahon put Bayley in that match as punishment, but as any NXT viewer would note, Bayley has beaten Nia before. Three times, in fact. Now, it’s understandable that WWE writers might not want to point that out (if they even knew that fact) because it would remove any aura or mystique in the match.

But another fact that was frustrating is that all three matches lasted at least 13 minutes each, while Monday’s bout got less than five. Not everything can a PPV-caliber match, but come on. Bayley’s underdog struggle included a four-minute match against Nia Jax.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.