By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Roxanne Perez vs. Iyo Sky: The best match of the night. As good as it was, the spot where Perez put her feet up while Sky went for her finisher was scary, as it looked like Sky still landed on Perez. It was interesting that Asuka and Kairi Sane came out to help after Sky declined their offer to be in her corner. Things heated up backstage when Asuka shoved Sky and then stormed away. Is the storyline cause of Asuka’s actions jealousy, or perhaps that Sky never offered her a title shot while she was champion? Either way, a Sky vs. Asuka feud looks great on paper and feels long overdue.
Bayley video: As much as I could have done without the added production work, this was an intriguing promo. Bayley is down on her luck, and it came off like she could be taking a dark turn. Then again, the follow-up promo from Lyra Valkyria left me wondering if she’s going heel, as she even broke out Snitsky’s old “It’s not my fault” catchphrase. Valkyria came off as defensive and unlikable, so perhaps she will end up playing the heel role. Either way, this is the first time in quite a while that I’ve felt invested in a Bayley storyline.
Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano vs. AJ Styles and Dragon Lee: This was given more time than most WWE television bouts, and the wrestlers came through with a good tag team match. Styles taking the loss would normally be surprising, but it was logical in this case, as the other three wrestlers in the match will be in the four-way for the AAA Mega Championship at Saturday’s Triplemania event.
CM Punk and LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed: A soft Hit. This easily would have been a full Hit had it not been for the latest cheap finish to a WWE television main event. WWE creative has gone overboard with these unsatisfying finishes on both main roster shows. Last week, they padded the bad main event finish by having Roman Reigns appear afterward, and this week Jey Uso tried to save the babyfaces from a post-match attack. Having wrestlers run out after the main event may help pacify the live crowds, but these finishes are tiresome for those of us regular viewers watching from home.
Sami Zayn vs. Rusev: A soft Hit for an enjoyable match that was cut off by Solo Sikoa’s MFTs attacking Zayn. Sami beat Solo in a non-title match on Smackdown, so it looks like they are setting up a U.S. Title match between the two, perhaps for Clash in Paris.
WWE Raw Misses
Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri for the Women’s Intercontinental Title: The inexperience of Dupri was on display, and the live crowd didn’t buy into her as a threat to beat Lynch. Creatively, this was a solid bridge to Lynch having a match with Natalya, but Dupri clearly needs more reps, which are tougher than ever to come by with limited house show dates.
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