7 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (August 13)

1. Rousey Routs Security

For as long as most fans can remember, beating up no-name security guards has been a staple of WWE television. Throw a bunch of local talent in black shirts and watch them get treated like Star Trek redshirts.

This wrestling trope has almost always been successful at making a male superstar look strong, so why couldn’t it work for a woman too?

That’s exactly what happened Monday when Alexa Bliss announced she had hired personal security – four black-shirted men. The security personnel provided a wall between Bliss and Ronda Rousey while Bliss taunted her SummerSlam opponent. But when she and Ember Moon turned their backs, Alexa pounced – and then immediately hid behind her security blanket.

But Rousey wasn’t having it and took out three of the men in short order. The fourth wisely fled.

It was a simple storytelling device that hasn’t been used for women (at least, not in memory). It made Bliss out to be a desperate champ who will do anything to retain her title, and Rousey and unstoppable force who will plow through anything. Nicely done.