7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (17 Feb - Results & Review)

1. Gunther Owns The Mic

“The Ring General” refers to Gunther’s superior wrestling ability, but it might as well start to include his work on the microphone between the ropes.

Gunther cut another strong promo Monday night, entering the arena in the same manner as Jey Uso, mocking his Yeeting as “a very simple gesture for very simple people.” He likened wrestling in front of these fans to “reading Shakespeare to a dog.” And he bemoaned having to step in the ring with men not worthy of lacing his boots.

The World Heavyweight Champion turned his attention to the fact that the match will take place in the ring and not in the crowd, dismissing the impact that fan support will have on the match – and potentially foreshadowing Jey rising up with the crowd’s backing at WrestleMania – and turning to the announcers for a “professional opinion.” Pat McAfee said he hoped that Uso beats Gunther at 'Mania, but before the champ could do much about that insolence, Jey ran down for the save.

As long as WWE can find creative ways for Gunther to put Jey down as little more than the people’s champion, it should never not work. Gunther is that good as a heel champ on the mic, and Jey is that popular with the fans. Despite some concerns this week, there still were positives to draw from this segment.