By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn for the World Heavyweight Championship: It was a treat to see an unadvertised championship match in the main event conclude with a clean finish. The choice to not advertise the match in advance is questionable, though there is something to be said for occasionally creating the vibe that anything can happen regardless of what’s advertised. Rollins and Zayn produced a strong match and it was a pleasant surprise that Drew McIntyre and Judgment Day didn’t get involved. The post match brawl to set up WarGames was a great way to close the show.
The Miz vs. Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ivar for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship: An enjoyable match with the big men working together at times and also having moments where they went against one another. The finish seemed off. Was Ricochet supposed to kick out? Was he loopy from landing on his head during the huracanrana spot earlier? If so, it obviously raises some questions about why he was allowed to continue. Putting that aside, the live crowd got behind Miz as a babyface. I’m curious to see what the King of Soft Style vs. heavy (chop) handed Gunther is going to look like.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor vs. “New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in a non-title match: A quality match that strayed from the tired formula of the champions losing a non-title match to set up a title match. There are certainly times when that approach makes sense, but it’s been run into the ground in recent years.
Battle Royal for a shot at the Women’s World Championship: It was a typical battle royal with the usual amount of punching and kicking, but they kept me guessing about who would go over until the very end. Once Becky Lynch was eliminated, I figured Nia Jax would win. Once Jax was eliminated, I assumed it would be Raquel Rodriguez, especially when she was the final babyface and was left alone with the heel duo of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. And even when it came down to Baszler and Stark, I was wondering if there was an entrant who was hiding under the ring. Assuming they stick with Stark as the challenger, there’s no reason to think she will beat Rhea Ripley, but they could have a hell of a match together.
Adam Pearce: It was refreshing to see the logical enforcement of basic rules. It started with Sami Zayn was forced to return the Money in the Bank briefcase that he stole at Crown Jewel as opposed to letting him run around with stolen property. Later in the show, Pearce removed Xia Li from the battle royal as punishment for her attack on Becky Lynch. Those examples have more to do with the way the creative forces used Pearce, but his performances are routinely strong and he did a fine job of announcing the WarGames match at the end of the show.
WWE Raw Misses
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Akira Tozawa: A soft Miss. This felt like it was intended to be a showcase match for Nakamura. But the silliness of Tozawa, having Chad Gable and Otis in his corner, and Tozawa getting so much offense during the match overshadowed the wrestler who was meant to be spotlighted.
Julius Creed and Brutus Creed vs. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa: The body of the match was entertaining, but the finish with Ludwig Kaiser interfering was weak. I get that creative is trying to get both teams over on the main roster. But while the finish protected Gargano and Ciampa, winning in this fashion did nothing for the Creeds in their second appearance on Raw.
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