It’s another RAW In A Nutshell, with a very simple theme…we have a pair of big title defenses to enjoy.
The North American Championship is on the line, as are the unified tag titles.
We don’t often get two big title matches on RAW, but here we are.
And, for what it’s worth…we have Fastlane in a couple weeks…with not many matches locked in. Maybe we see that change tonight?
The title matches have to be the focus, of course, especially with the WWE Universe getting introduced to Dragon Lee (in case you haven’t watched NXT).
Can Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn win their titles back?
Plus…what’s going on with Main Event Jey Uso this week?
Huge Hopes For Main Event Jey Uso
See…lots going on, so lets get into…
A Pair Of Big Title Defenses : RAW In A Nutshell
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and have some fun!
Best Match of the night:
This one set the bar high early.
Yes, Dom does what Dom does, but Dom plus Dragon Lee…this one was good.
The main event was a train wreck, but an enjoyable one. It deserves a mention too, but comparing the two isn’t fair.
One was a wrestling match, one was just all over the map.
Worst match of the night:
I suppose Stark versus Jax?
Natalya and Tegan Nox was a mild bummer, in that it went too short. Love Tegan being back and getting the win, but not long enough.
Could say the same for Otis and Bronson Reed. Nice match, just short.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Crowd loves Cody.
They also love to hate Dom.
Star of the Night
Sure, he lost, but Dragon Lee arrived.
Spot of the Night:
I hadn’t commented before, but I do like the new finisher for Nia. An homage to Yokozuna at that.
Jobber of the Night:
Can I go with Zoey Stark?
I mean, she gave it an admirable try, but she had no chance against Nia Jax.
Upset of the Night:
There could have been a couple, but there were not.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Will this finally be it? Can Nakamura use this stipulation to his advantage?
Botch of the night:
There may have been one, but I don’t really recall one.
Commentary of the night:
Wade said it best…get us more Dragon Lee on RAW ASAP.
LOL Moment of the night:
Tozawa for me. As Nia Jax walked to the ring, he saw her, made one funny face and quickly went the other way.
Noteworthy Moment:
Perhaps some foreshadowing of the November PLE?
And, it would certainly seem like we are watching the gradual heel turn of Drew McIntyre.
Last week he refused to help Jey Uso, which made a ton of sense given that whole story.
Tonight, he kept Kofi from helping Xavier while he was being attacked by Eivar. Then he walked away as Eivar turned his attention to Kofi.
Overall lowlights:
I get it, in the grand scheme not every match gets to be 15 minutes, but I would like to see fewer matches under five minutes.
Every so often, a fast squash makes sense given a story line or something…but, that’s different.
I loved Dragon Lee’s RAW debut, outside of him losing.
Overall highlights:
The show opened hot, it closed hot and it stayed hot when it mattered.
I get the feeling that Cody teased him going to SmackDown, with his 3rd inning comment tying into what Heyman said not all that long ago.
Will we see Team Cody against Judgement Day at Fastlane or Survivor Series? Or…Jey and Cody going for gold?
Ciampa earning himself a title shot is sweet. I’d bet we see that finally lead to the long hoped for DIY reunion.
After the final bell:
Lots going on, and overall a show I enjoyed.
Next week has a few attractions, namely Tegan Nox getting a title shot (NXT, but still) against Becky or Tiffany Stratton.
Plus, Ciampa and GUNTHER sign their title match contract.
I don’t know about you, but I am excited.
