8 Ups & 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Nov 5)

3. Lashley Fails To Impress... Again

Finn Balor Bobby Lashley
WWE.com

Yes, this rematch stunk too.

Preceded by a textbook Lio Rush promo (featuring a really weird glute flex), it offered no real improvement on the Moon vs. Jax clash, with the competitors struggling to break out of their own plodding pace early on. The audience briefly came to life when Balor bludgeon Rush, but they were soon lulled back into stasis, with a gutwrench/Destroyer combination leading to the grim, inevitable conclusion.

The outcome does give Bobby a measure of revenge after technically losing to Finn in each of their previous two encounters, but getting him over to the level WWE want might be a lost cause. Turning him heel has brought now notable upturn in his in-ring performances, and pairing Lashley with the most irritating heel manager in the company isn't working either, leaving the big man stumped.

It's hard to figure out what to do with him at the moment. Lashley looks nothing like the beast he was for long periods late in his Impact Wrestling run, and matches like this only succeed in undermining popular guys like Balor.

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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.