7 Ups & 6 Downs For WWE Raw (21 July - Results & Review)

1. Roman Says Something Meaningful

There’s always a temptation to give a “down” whenever Roman Reigns is on television solely for the obscenely long entrance and period of silence at the outset of his appearances. But when fans are losing their minds the entire time, it’s hard to deduct points.

It also helps when Roman delivers a solid promo that actually covers a lot of ground. Within his promo, Reigns: warned Bron Breakker about Paul Heyman’s eventual treachery; acknowledged that he held onto his world title in part due to the Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn; took responsibility for losing the world title; explained that he returned home “to raise the future of the Bloodline;” and clarified that the Bloodline is much more than a wrestling faction – it’s a family.

Those points helped explain a lot about the Reigns character and admitted some vulnerabilities that have long been ignored since he returned.

Roman added a badass babyface move when he told Breakker he didn’t hear a word he said and offered his mic, tossing it as a distraction to land a Superman punch, giving him a fighting chance against Bron and Bronson Reed.

For all the meaningless promos Reigns has cut since returning, this one felt worthwhile.