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It’s a different kind of RAW In A Nutshell this week-finally, the red brand is on the road again.
We are hoping the momentum continues. Friday’s SmackDown kicked things off with the return of the WWE Universe…and the blue brand in Texas.
Sunday really dialed it up a notch, with Money In The Bank..and oh yeah…John Cena returned!
So, RAW has a tough couple of acts to follow. Which hopefully means we’ve got an enjoyable RAW In A Nutshell to discuss here in a moment.
We’ve heard rumblings of a surprise or two, so there is reason for optimism as the red brand gets on the road again.
So, without any further delay…let us dive into…
RAW In A Nutshell:Finally Red Brand On The Road Again
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Let’s get right down to business!
Best Match of the night:
Most enjoyable for me? The opening six man tag.
Worst match of the night:
Lashley and Keith Lee.
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Crowd Chants of the Night:
Becky
Rhea
Goldberg
The usual ones…but not piped in.
Star of the Night
Nikki A.S.H.
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Wasn’t sure where to go until the very end…
Spot of the Night:
The chair shots on Shanky stand out.
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Or, put another way…we didn’t really have a truly signature spot.
Jobber of the Night:
Oh, so many choices.
OK, maybe not A LOT…but…too many.
And, the wrong ones too.
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Karrion Kross and Keith Lee. Both on RAW, didn’t expect either one tonight.
And yet…both appear and both are jobbed out. There is no other way to describe either.
I will give myself an out: it is entirely plausible that either or both turn things around and have big stuff planned.
Things could look entirely different, and much better, down the road. But right now, in the heat of the moment?
I am kind of seething with how each of them was used tonight.
Oh, and for fun, Shanky. You have to get a nod here if you take that many chair shots.
Upset of the Night:
Jeff Hardy, cheating or not, pinned the NXT Champion.
Not only that, but he did so in what felt like a sub-5 minute match.
The match itself was an upset. Karrion Kross was upset at losing.
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I’d bet many fans were upset at how he was used, too.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Well, I’d go with Keith Lee and Karrion Kross. One return, one debut…and in the grand scheme…both sucked.
Yes, it pains me to say that…but not what I would have expected or hoped for.
Also, how badly did Drew hit Shanky? I mean, after a couple chair shots, the dude was bleeding from his head (he wiped it on the mat).
And then…more chair shots.
Botch of the night:
So, here’s something…
I loved Keith Lee in NXT. I firmly believe someone for some reason mucked too much with his look and music and botched his move to RAW.
However…he seemed sloppy in the ring tonight. Maybe I just don’t remember that from before, but I know others have levied that criticism about him.
What other botches…well…having Lee job out. Having Kross lose.
Booking was the botch here.
It’s almost like Vince McMahon saw that they were getting good press and had momentum, and was like, watch this, I’ll fix that real quick.
LOL Moment of the night:
Feels borderline unfair here, but Reginald is your new 24/7 Champion.
It’s here because the 24/7 title is a joke, it’s meant to be a joke, so it will go here.
However…damn, Reggie can move. I assume there’s a legit background there to work with, so I’d be intrigued what comes from this.
It’s been said that WWE officials are high on him…I can see why.
Noteworthy Moment:
John Cena returned and cut a commercial for folks to tune in to FOX on Friday. A bit odd, and I can’t help but wonder if this was partially payback for FOX getting a Cell match over RAW.
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Reginald…yes, Reginald…is new 24/7 Champion, and he can move.
Karrion Kross should have had a debut similar to say, Kevin Owens. Open challenge and Owens went toe to toe with John Cena.
Nope…lost to a barely used Jeff Hardy, in an unspectacular five minutes. Also…no Scarlett.
Bad move there WWE.
And, oh yea…the rumors were true, Goldberg has returned and he’s gunning for Lashley.
Overall lowlights:
Keith Lee came back…for that?!
Karrion Kross debuted…like that?!
No Becky Lynch…after hearing her return was near, and seeing her own posts indicating she was.
Overall highlights:
Raiders are back…earned themselves another shot at the tag titles, and I like them with Riddle.
I am not a fan of the move, but Goldberg got the crowd on their feet. At least, as best I could tell.
Nikki A.S.H, cashes in and wins the title to close the show. I know I said it in my own Hits and Misses, I wasn’t sure what to make of her winning the briefcase.
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I was worried she was going to be that first woman with a failed cash-in. As much as I have enjoyed her work dating back to NXT…I was skeptical they saw her as a champion.
WE HAVE A NEW #WWERaw #WomensChampion, and she’s ALMOST A SUPERHERO … #NikkiASH @NikkiCrossWWE! pic.twitter.com/DzWGWrpVuD
— WWE (@WWE) July 20, 2021
And yet…here we are. Totally digging it…though I fear she may be a short reign.
After the final bell:
Not the RAW In A Nutshell I expected. Far from it.
Wasn’t even close, to be honest.
Sure, it had the energy and excitement and it was great to have the fans back. However…
This felt more like a typical RAW…and that is not a compliment. Getting back on the road again…I guess 2 out of 3 isn’t bad?
I mean…the red brand kind of had the downer of the three (feel good ending aside).
SmackDown didn’t get cute-the biggest surprise was Finn Balor.
Money In The Bank gave us a good PPV, a couple nice briefcase winners, and a bit of a nice surprise with Cena’s return.
RAW…well we knew about Goldberg. Did not know about Kross or Keith Lee…but how those men got used…well they weren’t needed.
Once it was confirmed that the women’s match was the main event, I figured it meant a Lynch return or a Nikki cash-in.
I like how it worked out, especially since they allowed Nikki to actually win.
And, considering how she had been treated by both former champions not that long ago…this one actually kind of makes sense.
Hopefully the booking improves next week, because WWE can’t keep wasting guys like Kross and Lee…unless this is Vince’s way of reminding us how little he thinks of them.
In which case, get them back on NXT and let them do their thing there.
But hey, the red brand is on the road again…so that’s something for this RAW In A Nutshell, right?