7 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jan 30)

5. Seth Vs. Steph

Stephanie McMahon Seth Rollins
WWE.com

A live confrontation between Stephanie McMahon and Seth Rollins was the only segment that WWE had advertised in advance of last night's show, and it could have been atrocious. Seth has been largely unconvincing as a babyface, and Steph's irritating habit of emasculating and embarrassing full-time roster members is a well-worn complaint. The segment sounded like nothing more than a platform to allow Stephanie to indulge in the absolute worst of her character traits, but it was quite the opposite.

Both characters came-off incredibly well. Rollins was fiery and hacked-off, and while Stephanie tried to run him down as a "delusional loser," The Architect bit right back. Rollins apologised only for exposing Triple H as a coward, and while Steph tried to warn him of the consequences of his words, Seth didn't care. He promised to chase Hunter all the way to his family home if he didn't get his way, because he has nothing left to lose.

A nice change of pace from WWE, and one they absolutely had to make. Seth's interruption at TakeOver: San Antonio was a good start, and this was a logical continuation that set the stage for Raw's dramatic conclusion. Finally, after five months of inactivity, the Rollins vs. Triple H program is starting to heat-up. It'll take serious work to put this match on the same level as Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg, but it's hard to ask more from them at this point.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.