7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (20 Nov - Results & Review)

UPS…

7. Xia Li Maximizes Her Minutes

To date, Xia Li’s run on the main roster has been a decent amount of potential and promise, with very little follow-through.

Monday night, Li got her chance to actually compete, and she delivered her best match to date against Becky Lynch. The buildup was uneven, with Xia’s killshots being established in bad matches with unconvincing sell jobs from Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. But her attack on Lynch a few weeks ago was nicely done.

The match saw Becky having to counter Li’s strikes and evade while exploiting opportunities, rather than overpowering her opponent. Xia hit her spinkick, but Lynch ended up on the floor, where Becky was able to post Li as a last-ditch move. Back inside, it was Xia’s over-exuberance, as she went for another spinkick and instead whiffed and got laid out with a Manhandle Slam.

This wasn’t the WrestleMania classic Wade Barrett was proclaiming on commentary, but it gave fans a glimpse of Li’s capabilities, and it’s something that could be channeled into an actual push for someone new.

For Becky, this was another in a growing line of young wrestlers she’s faced on Raw this year, but Li certainly acquitted herself better than Tegan Nox and Hartwell.

One quibble: Xia losing to Lynch a day before facing Lyra Valkyria, who beat Becky for the NXT Women’s Championship, was not exactly the best timing to set Li up for success.