7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (2 Sept - Results & Review)

1. Braun Overcomes Attempted Maiming

Last week, Braun Strowman was on the receiving end of an incredibly memorable attack when Bronson Reed splashed him through the roof of a car. It was a tremendous visual, and it theoretically should have put Braun on the shelf for a few weeks to sell the impact.

But then Reed wasn’t cleared to compete Monday night in the Intercontinental Championship tournament, and Strowman limped in with taped ribs and took Bronson’s spot – and then went on to win the match against Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser in a subpar contest.

It’s perfectly understandable that Reed might have been booked to win the triple threat originally, but having the guy he laid out a week earlier overcome those injuries to pick up the win was just poor planning. It doesn’t matter how many times Strowman grabbed his ribs and yelled in pain. He gutted it out and picked up the win, thus diminishing the impact that Reed’s assault last week had.

There is one scenario that would redeem this: if Reed comes back next week and obliterates Strowman during the four-way match (no disqualifications in a multi-man match), then that would actually work decently… provided that time, Braun actually takes a couple of weeks off to recover.