8 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (18 Sept - Results & Review)

1. Tag Wrestlers Shine In Singles Match

Whether Erik’s injury was real or not, the decision to kibosh a two-out-of-three-falls match an instead do a Kofi Kingston/Ivar singles match might have been the best thing that could have happened to this flagging rivalry.

New Day and Viking Raiders have been embroiled in a mostly forgettable feud that sometimes has involved Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle, with the three-team squabble seemingly serving more as a vehicle for a McIntyre heel turn. A 2/3 falls match between the two long-established teams seemed a bit lacking.

Instead, Kofi and Ivar tangled in a one-on-one bout that started slowly and ramped up into a frenzied slugfest, with the former world champion standing toe-to-toe with the much bigger Viking. The two executed a fantastic series with Ivar ducking a Trouble in Paradise, Kofi ducking a spinkick, and Ivar blocking an SOS and hitting a butterfly powerbomb for a near-fall.

Ivar pulled out a moonsault for another close 2 count before Kofi nailed a sunset powerbomb and Trouble in Paradise for the win. If anything, this battle made the eventual tag match more intriguing rather than just tossing it on TV and letting fans sit on their hands until the final three minutes.

Of course, that still could happen, but at least fans got a fantastic singles match out of it, one that easily was the highlight of the night.