RAW Review 08/01/2016

Hello Misfits, it’s The Wrestling Classic here with this weeks Raw Review. It’s been a week since the official first Raw of the New Era and it’s finally time to see if this second Raw of the New Era can live up to last weeks historic episode.

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WWE Raw comes to you live on the USA Network from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

There was a recap of last weeks Raw events and then the show’s intro played. It was followed by pyro and it’s followed immediately by going to Michael Cole, Byron Saxton and Corey Graves from their broadcast position to introduce the WWE Universe to the show.

1. Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Chris Jericho & Enzo Amore Opening Segment
Raw kicks off with the NEW WOMENS CHAMPION Sasha Banks making her way out to the ring. Sasha got a “you deserved it” chant as she got into the ring. Sasha Banks talks about her victory and how much it meant to her, since it was her dream since she was 10 years old.  Sasha talked about how last Summer everyone was talking about her match last year with Bayley and NXT Brooklyn and this year won’t be any different when she defeats Charlotte this year at Summerslam. This brings out Charlotte and the fans chanted “you tapped out” at her. Charlotte makes excuses about why she lost last week. Sasha mocks Charlotte for not having the title anymore. Charlotte told Sasha to get over herself and that she doesn’t need Dana Brooke or even her father to beat Sasha. Charlotte said she will beat Sasha at SummerSlam and said she was the best for over 300 days, but Sasha capitalized on one mistake. Charlotte said it’s one thing to take home the prom king, but it’s another thing to get him to put a ring on your finger, calling Sasha a one night stand. Sasha responded by reminding Charlotte that as the daughter of Ric Flair, Charlotte probably wouldn’t even be standing there if it was not for a One Night Stand.
Then you hear the words quiet throughout the arena in Jericho’s voice and Jericho was made his way out to the ring.nce in the ring, he barked at Sasha to be quiet. Jericho called her an ungrateful, disrespectful, little punk. Jericho called Charlotte royalty and said she has outdone everything that her father accomplished. Jericho asked what makes Sasha the boss and continues to mock her gimmick. He said she’s the boss of purple haired, teenybopper, stupid idiot fans. Jericho said he doesn’t know whether Sasha is a distant relative of Snoop Dogg or Puff Daddy but she’s not a boss, she’s a brat. Soon enough, Enzo Amore made his way out to join the segment. He initially asked the crowd “how you doing?!” before asking Sasha Banks how she was doing and kissing her hand. Normally Enzo would come out with his seven foot friend, but there’s times where he likes to handle his own business by himself. Enzo begins to flirt around with Sasha. They go back and fourth asking each other how you doing. Jericho and Charlotte begin to poke fun at Enzo, telling Sasha to go for it because there is one word to describe Enzo’s love life. Sasha says that they have a cuppa haters here. Jericho calls Enzo a hip hop hobbit. Enzo better watch it. Enzo calls Jericho Bon Jovi.
Mick Foley comes out to the stage. Mick says that he’s a certified GM. Mick plugs his upcoming reality series on the WWE Network “Holy Foley”. Mick can’t wait to see Sasha and Charlotte in the ring again. It’s a new era and we’re going to have the first mixed tag team match in the new era. Chris Jericho & Charlotte will take on Enzo Amore & Sasha Banks. Not only will this match happen tonight right here in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s next.
My Thoughts:
The segment did drag on but it was hardly noticeable because it was fresh and different. The talent involved was different and we havent ever really seen them all in the same ring together. The focus on the women’s division on Raw is very evident. Sasha and Charlotte opened the show. I can’t remember the last time the women opened the show. The men’s involvement in the top women’s program erased the invisible line between the men’s and women’s division that seemed to exist, and made the women’s title feud feel even bigger. Talk about trying their best to create an equal playing field.

2. Mixed Tag Match
Charlotte & Chris Jericho def. Sasha Banks & Enzo Amore
Kevin Owens came out to join the commentary team for this match. This was a great way to open the show to get the crowd riled. Sasha connects with the Back Stabber. Dana Brooke hops on the ring apron. Sasha with a forearm that knocks Brooke off the ring apron. Sasha slaps Jericho in the face. Charlotte takes advantage of the distraction by planting Sasha with the Natural Selection to pickup the victory. After the match Jericho drops Enzo with a Codebreaker. Big Cass comes down to the ring to make the save and Jericho rolls out of the ring.
My Thoughts:
Initially, I was unaware of the interest or reason why Owens came out to commentate during this match, but I honestly didnt care because having Owens on commentary is always super amusing. He’s awesome overtime he does going the announcers team. The match as a solid opener to get the crowd excited for the rest of the show. The babyfaces were super over and the heels get a lot go heat, so it really was the perfect combination. I pray that both Sasha and Enzo would ever just stop doing suicide dives or just use them on special occasions because every time I see one of them do one, I worry for their health and well being. It’s an exciting spot without a doubt, but I’d hate for either one of them to get hurt doing it on a Raw in a opening tag match. I’m glad the heels went over because the babyface’s will hopefully prevail the next time around. I assumed this would start a feud between Enzo and Jericho and we learn more about that later on in the show. Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Chris Jericho and Enzo Amore were involved in one match with Kevin Owens on commentary. This match was catered for The Wrestling Classic, featuring so many of my current favourites.

– Video package of the Bella Twins winning the Choice Female Athlete award at the Teen Choice Awards.

3. Braun Strowman def. Evan Anderhold
Saxton asks Evan Anderhold why is he facing Braun Strowman. Anderhold says that he is getting thousands of dollars for facing Strowman. Anderhold will get five thousand dollars if he wins. Strowman with a biel and a running shoulder tackle. Strowman with an Irish whip and a splash to the back.  Strowman with a reverse choke slam for the three count.
My Thoughts:
Strowman mowed through another jobber. Luckily this jobber wasnt as charismatic or appealing as James Ellsworth from last week, so the focus was more on Strowman than the jobber. I think Ellsworth’s reasoning for fighting Strowman had more passion whereas Anderhold just sounded greedy. Once again, I like the use of enhancement talent for these squash matches rather than a lower or mid card talent. 

4. Stephanie McMahon & Mick Foley with Mark Henry
Henry comes into the COO’s and GM’s office while Stephanie and Foley are talking about the previous two matches. Mark Henry shares the news about being an Ambassador for the Rio Olympics.Mark’s creative juices are flowing and he has made some renovations to the Hall of Pain and it is time for a grand reopening. Stephanie says they drafted Henry to Raw to be more of a mentor as he’s been there for so long and is respected as a locker room leader. Henry tells Stephanie that he is not ready to sit back and just be a mentor. Mark states his achievements and wants a chance to prove himself tonight. Foley gives Henry a shot for gold against the US Champion Rusev for later tonight. Mark Henry claims he’s going to bring the belt back to America.
My Thoughts:
This is a three hour show and they need to have some filler. Therefore this little segment was good for filler, allowing fans know about Henry’s involvement with the Olympics, remind us that he’s still around and set up a match for later tonight.

5. The Shining Stars def. The Golden Truth
The match finishes when Truth catches a Pokemon and he celebrates so much that Truth moves when Goldust dives for the tag. Truth drops his phone and he goes after it. Primo rolls Goldust up to pickup the victory. 
My Thoughts:
I guess adding some humour to the show when you have the time isn’t a bad thing, but I really wonder how many weeks this GoldenTruth/PokomonGO angle is going to last. Congratulations to the Shining Stars picking up the win thought. I’m not sure what it does for them under the circumstances of how this match finished though.

6.  Finn Balor/Seth Rollins Confrontation
Michael Cole is in the ring to interview Finn Balor.Balor made his entrance and headed to the ring. Cole said it’s been a wild couple of weeks. Balor said he knew when he heard his name called in the draft that he had to come to Raw and make an impact. Seth Rollins entrance music interrupts Balor during his interview. Rollins comes out and tells Cole to eave the ring, because he’s going to conduct the rest of this interview. Rollins said Balor is a former NXT Champion. He added that Balor wasn’t the first NXT Champion because he was. Rollins said Balor was the fifth overall pick in the draft, then added that he was the first overall pick. Rollins pointed out that Balor pinned Roman Reigns, but he also pinned him on his first night back from knee surgery. Rollins said he’s done everything Balor has done only he did it first. He compared himself to Bill Murray and Balor to Melissa McCarthy in the Ghostbusters movies. Balor said he is going to beat Rollins to become the first WWE Universal Champion. Rollins said he referred to Balor as Melissa McCarthy, but he didn’t know he as a comedian. He said the odds of Balor beating him are the same as the Braves winning the World Series. This led to the Braves chant and the chop. Rollins told them their team sucks and they need to face it, which stopped the chop. Rollins credited Balor with being a great NXT Champion. Rollins said he’s the man in WWE. Balor said everywhere he’s been there’s always someone who claimed to be the man and he always takes their spot. Rollins said Balor doesn’t know who he’s messing with. Rollins told Balor to check out his video on the network or to watch his match with Sami Zayn later on Raw. Balor said the big difference between them is that he earned his title shot, whereas Rollins has his shot handed to him. Rollins said he’s never had anything handed to him and followed that by saying that the only thing that will be handed to him is the Universal Title when he wipes the floor with Balor and shows him who the man really is. Balor said the only thing Rollins will have handed to him at SummerSlam is his ass. The fans chanted “YES”. Rollins acted like he was going to leave, but he took a cheap shot that Balor blocked. Balor punched Rollins, who escaped to ringside…
My Thoughts:
One of my biggest issues last week was that Balor barley spoke a word. It bothered me because it didnt really allow the casual fans who don’t watch NXT, New Japan or the Independents get more familiar with him. They had that happen this week after making a big impact in the ring last week. To be honest, that was a smart move. Raw is Rollins and he was gold tonight as usual. Rollin’s promos get better and better every time he gets out there and they weren’t even bad to start off with. It’s great that we got to see them have a face to face confrontation already.The first Balor and Rollins confrontation is a bigger selling point than a Michael Cole interview with Balor. Finn isn’t on his way to winning any best promo awards, but he was good in the back and forth exchange. Balor was confident without being cocky. It really got me hyped for the match at Summerslam. I still think the Universal Title is a stupid name.

7. United States Champion
Rusev w/ Lana (C) def. Mark Henry
Lana was out there first to introduce Rusev who she called a real American hero, now her husband and the only man that is ever going to have her. To start off, Henry performed a couple of early body slams and a headbutt. Henry was in control of the offense heading into the break. Rusev went for the Accolade, but Henry powered out before he could apply the hold. Rusev caught Henry with a kick to the back of the neck. Rusev kicked Henry and then applied the Accolade. Henry tapped out. Rusev makes fun of Henry being America’s hero at the Olympics. Rusev says the only reason why America wins at the Olympics is because it’s rigged. They don’t even allow people from Russia or Bulgaria to compete. Rusev is a natural athlete and nobody can defeat him. Roman Reigns appears on the stage. Reigns gets in Rusev face. Rusev goes after Reigns with a series of right hands. Reigns with a leaping lariat to Rusev. Reigns goes for the SuperMan Punch, but Rusev rolls out of the ring. Reigns exit’s out of the ring and connects with the SuperMan Punch off the steel ring steps.
My Thoughts:
Lana wore her wedding dress if anyone cared. They commentators took this match seriously and did their best to make it seem important and as if the title was on the verge to change hands. However, I knew that wasnt going to happen. Rusev remains dominant, and thats exactly the way they had to build him if his next competitor is Roman Reigns. This is the same Reigns that was pushed to the moon the last year and left Wrestlemania 32 as WWE Champion. Reigns came out in new red gear, but still the same

8. Titus O’ Niel def. Darren Young w/ Bob Backlund
Titus didn’t get a televised entrance, but they did show him asking Young on the pre-show when he was ever great to begin with. After back and forth action, O’Neil goes for the Clash of the Titus, but Young gets back on his feet. Young goes for the Gut Check, but O’Neil escapes the hold. O’Neil whips Young face first to the top turnbuckle pad and Titus rolled up Young and held the tights while pinning him.
My Thoughts:
Is Titus turning heel? Are we getting a PTP feud? I don’t know but we’ll see how important this all was as weeks go by.

9. Cesaro & Sheamus with the Authority
Stephanie gives Mick a brand new tablet and it has its own Raw sticker. Sheamus comes in and wants to know why Mark Henry is getting a United States Title match when they are looking past a four time WWE Champion. Cesaro walks into the office and says that the people in the Cesaro Section don’t want to see Sheamus.  Stephanie brings up the comments Sheamus & Cesaro made after the WWE Draft, including the fact Cesaro wanted to go SmackDown. Foley says that Cesaro was a top five pick but he says the medical records hurt his draft position.  Foley says he knows how tough Sheamus is. Instead of channeling your frustration against him and Stephanie do it in the ring and whoever impresses them the most earns a future title match.
My Thoughts:
I like how this was getting both Sheamus and Cesaro involved on this weeks show. I also liked how Stephanie brought up their promos from the draft panel where they both voiced their opinions about not being to happy about being drafted to Raw. I hope Cesaro goes over as he deserves it more than Sheamus to me.

10. Nia Jax def. Ariel Manroe
In quick match Nia Jax defeats Ariel Manroe after dropping her leg drop .After the match, Byron Saxton asks Jax how does it feel to be in a WWE ring? Jax responds with a stinger splash to Monroe. Jax tells Saxton to ask Monroe how she’s feeling?
My Thoughts:
They’re continuing to build Jax and using jobbers to do so. I’m enjoying it and it isn’t hurting any women wrestlers actively on the roster. I’m actually looking forward to a Jax/Banks feud.

11. Sami Zayn Interview
Tom Phillips asks Zayn about his match with Seth Rollins? Zayn has battled with Rollins for years and his one weakness is that he has a big mouth. Everyone saw what he did with Kevin Owens at Battleground. Zayn says that he has closed that part of his career. Zayn recalls Rollins mentioning he was going to use Zayn as an example to Balor and he tells Phillips that he’s going to prove Rollins wrong tonight.
My Thoughts:
It was nice to hear from Zayn before the match and great that he built unpredictabilty towards the match. Zayn is considered the ultimate underdog, therefore when he says he could beat Rollins like he did Owens, its not unbelievable that he can. 

12. Kofi Kingston & Big E def. Anderon & Gallows
Xavier Woods is banned from ringside for this tag team match. The finish came when Anderson and Gallows went for the too sweet hand signal. Big E rolls Anderson up to pickup the victory. After the match, Gallows and Anderson attack Kofi and Big E. Xavier comes to the ring and he is stopped. Gallows gets Big E on his shoulders and Anderson with a flying boot to the head. They give Big E a second one. Xavier pulls Anderson to the floor but Gallows grabs Woods by the hair and Anderson with a knee to the head. Anderson and Gallows drags Big E crotch first into the steel ring post.
My Thoughts:
Great storyline progression and having this tag match without giving too much away. However, I would have rather had the finish end because the two teams got in an all out brawl that the referee couldn’t contain rather than Anderon and Gallows losing is such a lame roll up finish. Mainly when they got the stipulation they wanted. I still want Anderson and Gallows to be the team that dethrones the New Day of the tag titles. I guess the “Magic Killer” name is no more, as the commentators referred to the move as the “Boot of Doom”. The killer part might have been too much for the WWE suits and shareholders. I could be wrong though, suicide dives are still referred to as suicide dives.

13. Cesaro def. Sheamus
Cole said Sheamus told him he hasn’t been able to get back on track as a singles wrestler since the League of Nations broke up. Cesaro and Sheamus traded uppercuts. Cesaro was getting the better of that until Sheamus kicked him. “Are you not entertained?” Sheamus asked. The slug fest continued at ringside and then Sheamus slammed Cesaro onto the edge of the apron. Back in the ring, Sheamus performed a shoulder block off the second rope and got a two count. In the end, Cesaro performed a Neutralizer and got the clean pin.
My Thoughts:
The announce team really played this match up as if either guy could win and needed it. I don’t think they know what they want to do with either guy. I really don’t want to see Sheamus and Cesaro to continue to feud but I think that may be their fate.

14. Jinder Mahal def. Heath Slater
Following the commercial break, Sheamus and Cesaro are still trying to get at each other on with the security holding them apart. Heath Slater is in the ring with Jinder Mahal and encouraging the security to let them fight. Slater than introduced Mahal as one of his best friends.Mick Foley came out and said this was a surprise since neither one of them were on the Raw roster. Foley called for a battle of the bands with the two of them battling against one another in a match. Foley said the Raw roster was stacked, but he had one position open and the winner of the match would get a contract to join Raw. Slater refused to fight his friend and while he was stating his argument to Foley, Jinder Mahal motioned the referee. Slater ran into a big boot from Mahal and pinned him to earn a spot on Raw.
My Thoughts:
It was quite the shocker to see Jinder Mahal returning. I wouldn’t say it was the most groundbreaking return but I think he has a lot of potential. A lot of potential they let go to waste in his previous run when they had him join 3MB. I remember being conflicted between Jinder and Rollins in the NXT World Champion tournament finals to crown the first ever champion. As for Heath, I’m happy they carried over Slater’s free agent gimmick to Raw and didn’t just keep it on Smackdown. I’d really like to see him get a little something more out of this than being the usual loser. He plays the part well, but I feel like he’s capable of being a fun babyface underdog.

15. Chris Jericho Interview
Backstage, Phillips asked Chris Jericho if he’s worried he is a marked man after taking out Enzo Amore. Jericho ranted about how he’s not a marked man, he doesn’t look like Bon Jovi, and his scarf costs $750. Jericho said Enzo has someone to watch his back, and he has someone to watch his back. Phillips asked him who will watch his back. Jericho did the bit where he started making up a bunch of names “Jim…Jimmy…Jimmy Marvin…” who was a shot-put champion from Manitoba. Kevin Owens showed up and said it’s not a real person, but that’s okay because he has his back. Jericho called Phillips “Tim” and then called him a stupid idiot when he corrected him. Graves confirms that Phillips is a stupid idiot.
My Thoughts:
I absolutely loved this backstage interview. Jericho was honestly one of the highlights of this entire episode of Raw. Everything he touched was gold, including this segment. I love Jericho when he tries to make up things and gets names wrong. Owen’s is also gold at everything he does. Therefore Owens and Jericho working together to wage war against Enzo and Cass is going to be super entertaining in my mind. This backstage interview was great.

16. Seth Rollins def. Sami Zayn
In a super competitive match between two of the top stars Rollins picked up the victory. The finish came whenLater, Zayn went for a Helluva Kick that Rollins avoided and Rollins bounced back when he hit the Pedigree for the win.
My Thoughts:
This was a good match and as per usual Rollins delivers the best match of the night. Zayn always gives 100% when he’s in that ring and it showed here. If the circumstances were different and Rollins wasn’t booked for a big match for Summerslam already, I would have believed Sami actually had a chance of winning this match.

17. Brock Lesnar Returns to Raw
JoJo introduced Paul Heyman, who stood in the ring and introduced himself. He said that for the past three hours, the fans have been sitting on the edge of their seats waiting and salivating for the moment that the single biggest box office attraction in combat sports history makes his way to the ring for the WWE Universe to worship. Heyman introduced Brock Lesnar as the beast of the Broctagon, the ruler and conquerer of WWE, and the Viper Slayer. Lesnar made his entrance and received a favorable yet subdued reaction. A “Suplex City” chant broke out and Lesnar smirked. Heyman hyped that on August 21 at SummerSlam, his client will…entertain you. Heyman asked if he just said Lesnar will entertain you. “Yes, because Brock Lesnar’s form of entertainment is not the same style of entertainment they like to market, sell and promote here in WWE.” Heyman said as he states that Lesnar’s form of entertainment is violence. Heyman added that Lesnar’s form of entertainment is politically incorrect. He said he know he’s not supposed to use that word, but he’s standing next to Lesnar, so he can say anything he wants to say.
Heyman said Lesnar doesn’t need to step up to the new era, the new era needs to step up to him. He said Lesnar isn’t there to court favor with Mick Foley or Stephanie McMahon. Heyman mentioned Orton, who received some soft cheers and boos. Heyman said Lesnar has heard of Orton, a third generation superstar and a 12-time champion. Heyman mentioned the RKO. “They say Randy Orton is one RKO away from victory at any moment,” he said. Heyman said they say Orton is an RKO away from shocking the world just as Lesnar shocked the world by ending Undertaker’s streak. Heyman told some fans who were booing to get over it already.
Heyman brought up Randy Orton’s theme song. He asked how many of those voices tell him that Lesnar is going to beat his ass at SummerSlam and drag him down to Suplex City. Heyman said that if the voices are not telling him that, then those voices are full of…mularkey. Heyman said he was using the word the vice president used because he wants to keep his job for at least one week.
Heyman continued to boast about Lesnar being dominant over Lesnar. He said the only chance that Orton has is the RKO, but he’s not going to hit it at SummerSlam. “You’re not man enough to hit an RKO on Brock Lesnar.” Suddenly, Orton hit the ring and put Lesnar down with an RKO. Several referees ran out and then Orton fled through the crowd.
Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley walked onto the stage with security. Orton exited through the crowd (in the old Shield entrance spot) and then stopped and looked down at Lesnar, who was back on his feet. Orton struck his pose and smiled. Lesnar looked up at Orton. Cole questioned whether Orton fired the first shot or signed his death warrant.
My Thoughts:
This segment was perfect and did exactly what it needed to do to help build up this match at Summerslam. Heyman has perfected the craft of cutting a promo to hype not only Brock Lesnar, but Brock’s opponent and the event. The crowd did seem drained but you can’t blame them after going through that three hour marathon of Raw action. Orton coming out and landing that RKO on Lesnar out of nowhere, really got the crowd hyped though. The camera angle when Orton came to hit the RKO was perfect because it made it seem like it was out of nowhere. I guess the rules of Brand Extension were broken almost immediately and I believe they were left no choice but to have it be broken in the case of booking this match. It was portrayed as Orton going into business for himself, not as a move authorized by Smackdown Live management. The following night we find out Lesnar does the same. Its great seeing Orton and Lesnar interact because this has been a dream match of mine for years. I’m excited for this match.

Final Thoughts
As I predicted last week, it was going to be hard for Raw to be as good as it was last week. They pulled out a lot of their tricks last week and this week was mainly just the reaction to last weeks change in direction. Did this Raw deliver? Fuck yeah. Do I still feel the effects of all the changes and new vibe to Raw overall? Fuck yeah. It is honestly a fun time to be a wrestling fan, as both shows feel fresh and trying to produce quality shows for the sake of competition. Therefore, even if this Raw wasnt as good as last weeks or not as historic, it was still pretty damn good. The filler was meh, some of the squash segments felt repetitive from last week but everything else was entertaining. There was storyline progression, shocking moments, new rivalries born and much more. We’ll see if Raw can keep up this momentum next week, or start getting stale. In my mind, with the roster the brand has, the sky is the limit.
Final TWC Rating – 8/10
Last Weeks RAW TWC Rating – 9.5/10

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Raw Review. Im sorry it was kind of late but share your opinions and feedback about this weeks episode of Raw tonight.