8 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (July 17)

4. Samson Continues To Hang

Each week that goes by that Elias Samson isn’t treated like a joke is more impressive.

As the Drifter in NXT, Samson was basically a step above a jobber-to-the-stars, a lower midcard guy who could beat no-names and hang with others, but ultimately would fall to them. But in WWE, Samson has managed to stick around decently, including in his most recent feud with Finn Balor.

Balor defeated Samson last week after Elias had battled him before, but Samson demanded a rematch Monday. They two traded control of the match, but just when Balor was taking control again, Samson grabbed his guitar and blasted Finn, ending the match with a DQ and bloodying Balor in the process.

It was a better ending than the 50/50 booking we typically get, and it set up next week’s no-DQ match between the two. Samson might not come out on top, but at least he’s looking like a serios competitor, not a joke.