By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
“The 946” Royce Keys, Lucien Price, and Bronco Nima vs. Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso: The presentation was strong, starting with referee Chad Patton asking if he was being punished when Adam Pearce assigned him to the match. This felt like the biggest non-title match on Raw in some time, and the wrestlers came through with a great brawl. The reveal of Carmelo Hayes as the newest 946 member was well done. He’s a strong addition to the faction because he can carry a lot of the in-ring work, similar to how Sean Waltman did for the early NWO. If the plan is for a five-on-five WarGames match, the Bloodline is set with Roman Reigns, Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, and the Usos, but the 946 is still a man down. NXT’s Saquon Shugars jumps out as a good fit. He’s good in the ring, he can talk, and his work in DarkState shows that he could mesh with the others. By the way, the 946 has to win the WarGames match, right? Booking the 946 to lose that match would be a bigger mistake than when John Cena plowed through The Nexus at SummerSlam 2010.
Chad Gable vs. AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix for the Intercontinental Title: A hell of a match. They were given more time than most premium live event matches get these days, and they made the most of it. Ethan Page attacking Fenix in the backstage area and being run off by Gable should move them closer to Gable agreeing to grant Page a rematch.
Oba Femi and Paul Heyman: Heyman didn’t even get to finish his pitch before Oba made it clear that he’s his own man. This should put to rest any speculation of Oba turning heel and aligning with Heyman. While that alliance may be appealing on some level and could still occur way down the road, it would be crazy to turn the biggest babyface sensation this company has had in many years. It will be very interesting to see how Heyman responds to being rejected. Oba cutting off Heyman before he could make his pitch helps the character, as he has plausible deniability when it comes to potentially realigning with Bron Breakker.
WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green vs. Roxanne Perez in a non-title match: Perez beating Green with a little help from her friends was a good way to have her bounce back after she failed to win the Money in the Bank match, as many predicted. Green is a champion, but she’s still an underdog, so losing the occasional non-title match can actually help her maintain that status. An exchange between Green and Liv Morgan set up the match. I really hoped Morgan was going to shake things up after regaining the championship, but she still came off like a pest heel with the obnoxious greatest champion “of allllll time” line. Fortunately, she redeemed herself to some extent by blowing off Green’s handshake offer by saying that handshakes are for equals.
Rey Mysterio vs. Big Cass: A soft Hit. It was a nice win for Rey, but it would have meant more had Cass not put over Je’Von Evans in a Money in the Bank qualifier and Dragon Lee two weeks ago. I thought Cass was brought back to be built into a monster that Oba Femi would eventually put down. Rather, he’s racking up losses to some of the lightest guys on the roster. When was the last time Rey had an actual program rather than a bunch of random television matches?
WWE Raw Misses
WWE Crown Jewel still advertised for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: WWE touted Crown Jewel being held in Riyadh on the same day that the U.S. government encouraged citizens to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia. The travel advisory cited the “risk of drone and missile targeting of American interests by Iran and the Iranian-supported Houthis, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity.” At the very least, anyone asked to work this show should be given the option of declining with a sincere promise that it won’t be held against them in any way. If Ari Emanuel decides the show must go on, then he should be on the plane, at the hotel, and at the host venue along with everyone who put themselves at risk for the good of his company.
(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.)
