8 Ups & 10 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Apr 22)

9. Ricochet Gets Grounded

Robert Roode Ricochet
WWE.com

So here's the thing about this Robert Roode reinvention: the guy is far from 'Glorious' between the ropes, as proven by last night's match with Ricochet.

This bout was painfully dull. All grinding restholds and heatless babyface comebacks, it was Roode 101, with the former Impact Wrestling main-eventer accomplishing the remarkable feat of making the hyper-athletic 'One And Only' look like a normal wrestler. That's borderline criminal, though the road agents must take a share of the blame for failing to allow Ricochet to spread his wings.

The outcome compounds this Down, with Roode posting Ricochet then hitting the Glorious DDT for the victory. Here, WWE pitted two wrestlers who really shouldn't be losing against each other. This created a no-win situation. They had the chance to do something special with Ricochet, who isn't the best talker, but has a once-in-a-generation skillset between the ropes. Unfortunately, their Normalisation Machine has already had its way with him.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.