9 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (21 April - Results & Review)
Raw shines with debuts, returns and new directions to power brand ahead.
Where in the blue hell was this effort from WWE for Raw?
WWE delivered the first truly excellent Raw of the year on Monday night, saving up huge angle, debuts, and returns that for the first time in months gave the product a vibe of hope and optimism after being in the doldrums and feeling like it was stuck on a treadmill while proclaiming that they were moving forward.
It almost is as if WWE knew their WrestleMania build was subpar and held back until once they were clear, and then they threw everything at the wall – only in this case, most of it stuck.
Raw charted new courses for several of its superstars, launching a new heel stable to run roughshod over Raw, immediately changing the atmosphere on Monday nights and raising intrigue about who joins the group and who bands together to stand against them.
The show also kept the former World Heavyweight Champion in the mix, with a bit of an edge. It hinted at an overhaul – or at the very least, a bolstering – of the women’s division, which was badly in need of some freshening up.
All told, the Raw after WrestleMania delivered what fans desperately needed after a lackluster build to an underperforming 'Mania. It made the past few months feel more like an aberration than a falling off. Granted, it will take a couple of months of success to ward off that feeling, but Monday was a great start.
Let’s get to it…