7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (Mar 15)

4. Scooter Goober Beats Ali

The less said about Riddle's dopy character and dopier backstage segments, the better, but he and Mustafa Ali worked a fun bout for the United States Title last night.

Two good wrestlers had a good television bout in a condensed time window. It ran about eight minutes sans commercials, with Ali in control for much of it, downing Riddle with a neckbreaker from the apron and working with visible disdain throughout. He did a great job of working genuine feeling into the match, his disgust towards Riddle shining through in every movement and facial expression.

Yes, RETRIBUTION were worse than useless at ringside, but that's clearly the story WWE is trying to tell at the moment. Their ineffectiveness contributed to the finish as Riddle hit Bro Derek after a failed distraction from T-BAR.

The RETRIBUTION storyline needs to start moving in a more decisive direction soon, as Ali can't hold the fracturing gang together for long. His performances are on point, though, and he has long since proved himself capable of outworking creative.