By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Chad Gable vs. Ethan Page for the Intercontinental Title: Gable closed out his Intercontinental Title reign with another strong match. While I enjoyed Gable’s run with the title, it’s great to see Page win the secondary championship. Page bet on himself when he left AEW, and made the most of the opportunities he was given to show off his versatility in NXT. It felt like he was starting to fade into the background on the main roster, so this title win was a nice surprise, although my guard was up when Gable sold his neck and shoulder injuries going into the match.
Cruz Montana joins the 946: I didn’t see it coming. Sure, Montana fits the vibe of the group, but he’s such a great babyface that the thought of him turning heel never even crossed my mind. I clearly wasn’t alone. The masked Montana entered the ring in his home state wearing a leather jacket that I believe he’s worn on television before, and hit his Spin the Block finisher on Roman Reigns. Even then, the fans didn’t seem to react until he removed his mask, and then loud gasps followed. It’s disappointing that we’ve seen the last of Montana’s great babyface persona for a while, but this is a hell of an opportunity for him. The main roster pay raise is always great for call-ups, and he landed in the hottest heel faction that WWE has introduced since the Bloodline.
World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Champion Sami Zayn: Roman big-timed Zayn, who wasn’t having it. I thought Roman saying Zayn was “Johnny Knoxville’s little bitch” before he brought him into the Bloodline would be the most memorable line of the segment. But Zayn was spot on when he recalled how memorable his match with Knoxville was, and he hit back hard while recalling that Roman faced Brock Lesnar in a forgettable match on the same show. Zayn came out of this segment looking good, and it was a really nice touch to have him hit Reigns with an opportunistic Helluva Kick at the end of the show.
Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Roxanne Perez vs. Chelsea Green, Iyo Sky, and Tiffany Stratton: For whatever it’s worth, I enjoyed this match more than the six-man tag match. They had to follow the hot Intercontinental Title match, and pulled it off nicely. Morgan pinning Green before they meet in a champion vs. champion match could mean that Green will win at Crown Jewel. But I can’t rule out the possibility of Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank contract.
Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Austin Theory vs. Penta, Je’Von Evans, and Dragon Lee: A minor Hit for a solid match. It was surprising to see Breakker beat Evans, if only because it didn’t give fans a reason to be excited about Evans and Penta challenging Breakker and Theory for the World Tag Team Titles at Crown Jewel. Like the situation with Chelsea Green, Breakker pinning Evans on Raw could mean the challengers will win on Saturday.
WWE Raw Misses
Royce Keys vs. Solo Sikoa: A plodding match with a weak DQ finish that didn’t live up to the main event hype. Yes, they followed up with a big angle. That doesn’t change the fact that Keys will need to be better if he’s going to be the face of the faction, especially now that Cruz Montana is in the group and might be better suited to be the featured player in the 946.
John Cena Classic announcement: A minor Miss. We got the when, the where, and he started on the who, but what the hell is it? The last time Cena spoke about the concept, he mentioned that it would feature younger talent and said wrestlers could lose matches, yet still win because of a fan vote limited to Club WWE subscribers. Cena also played up that WWE will hold two Raw shows on the same day for the first time. It’s a marketable gimmick, but I don’t know how many fans are actually clamoring for two Raw episodes in one day. The John Cena Classic name is nice, but it’s hard to be excited about the concept without knowing more details.
Oba Femi: Where is he, and why isn’t anyone acknowledging his absence on Raw?
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time since 1997. He hosts the weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
