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

3. This Crowd

The IIconics Billie Kay Peyton Royce
WWE.com

While not as deathly silent as February's borderline mute Lafayette crowd, last night's Raw audience may as well have gone home as the show neared the end of its first hour, such was the lack of noise coming out of their mouths.

There were dips throughout the opening segment and first Triple Threat, with the symptoms becoming a disease during Billie Kay vs. Naomi. Des Moines gave The IIconics nothing during their pre-match promo. They barely came alive for the rest of the show, either, opting to sit on their hands for much of it, creating an atmosphere closer to an English boarding school library than a live wrestling show.

It's best to cut the fans slack in situations like this, as the onus is on WWE to deliver content worth reacting to. Still, Des Moines' lack of energy had a detrimental impact on almost everything on the show. The only positive is that they weren't fannying around with beach balls and AEW chants.

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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.