8 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Oct 31)

So after a lackluster Hell in a Cell PPV, how did WWE respond Monday night with Raw emanating from the company’s backyard in Hartford Connecticut?

Raw managed to do a decent job of undoing some of the previous problems with wrestlers, such as TJ Perkins and his gullibility. We also learned that despite reports of the Hell in a Cell structure being imposing and shortening careers, that wasn’t necessarily the case. Five of the six wrestlers who fought inside the cell showed up on Raw nursing at worst nagging injuries.

And so much for Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson turning over a new leaf as serious wrestlers, as they took part in a food fight match to open Raw. It might have only been on screen for a few minutes, but it was long enough that when that took place you could feel Gallows & Anderson’s souls leaving their bodies.

The Cruiserweight division remains in a state of unrest, with the title changing hands Sunday and seemingly random six-man bouts taking place with no rhyme or reason.

Overall, WWE turned in a decent effort Monday night, enough so that it was overall good and enjoyable. Let’s take a look at what helped make Raw worthwhile and what made you want to change the channel…

Downs...

6. Is It Four Or Five?

Let’s play a counting game. We have Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. That’s five, right?

Strowman might be big, but he doesn’t count as two men. Still, the three Survivor Series matches have been advertised as 5-on-5 bouts repeatedly, but after confirming the first three, Strowman was named the “final member” of Team Raw after winning the battle royal. This might have been a simple mistake, but we’ve seen WWE pull a stunt like this before, changing the rules midstream.

For now, count this as a minor “down,” worth keeping tabs on. There’s certainly room for Seth Rollins on this team, but until we hear otherwise, you have to just wonder.