It’s a simple theme for this RAW In A Nutshell : it’s a new Endeavor era.
As in, the merger has finally officially closed, and Endeavor’s purchase has wrapped up, with TKO now running the show.
One big question on many a mind…can WWE even come close to how epic last Friday’s SmackDown was?
Probably not, but we can dream.
Nia Jax was last week’s big RAW surprise, and surely there is going to be follow up there.
But, even under new management…will Vince McMahon have a chance to make some crazy changes? Or are the days of too many questionable adjustments ancient history?
Lots to get into while under new leadership, so let’s get into it.
It’s A New Endeavor Era : RAW In A Nutshell
Lets crack this one open and get enjoy that new Endeavor smell!
Best Match of the night:
Main Event Jey Uso going against Drew McIntyre was a nice one.
I feel like Drew is treading water, so it would be nice to see him get more big time shots. Not that this was one, but a main event slot for RAW is nice.
Worst match of the night:
I’d go with the women’s tag match, because it wound up being a Nia Jax showcase.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Decent crowd, no chant comments.
Star of the Night
I will offer up three.
Cody
Jey
Nia Jax.
Why Nia? Because right now, I just don’t know who WWE is building her up for.
Safe bet would be Raquel, or a possible Ripley match…but so far, it feels bigger than either.
Spot of the Night:
One, you almost could see a Drew heel turn there. Like, he runs in to save Jey, but joins Judgement Day in the beating.
Two, you expect Cody seeing the best in someone like Jey to come back to bite him.
Jobber of the Night:
This goes to…
Piper Niven
Zoey Stark
Chelsea Green
Shayna Baszler.
Why all four? Because all four were destroyed by Nia Jax.
I have to wonder where they are going with Jax, because RAW is run by Ripley, who is also a heel…
And this is on a night when this happened…
Upset of the Night:
Gable over Reed would have been.
Except…WWE inexplicably had him lose after a match of the year candidate against GUNTHER.
Outside of that, I have nothing.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
The Bloodline is alive and well even when not together on one show.
The drama around Main Event Jey Uso on RAW is palpable and fun…and we still have not yet found out who is getting traded to SmackDown.
Botch of the night:
Becky did a botch.
“I can’t think of a better place than now, and a better time than…”. Natalya with the big save.
Commentary of the night:
Nothing noteworthy.
LOL Moment of the night:
Chelsea with Piper, not knowing where her partner was from, thinking Florida was a country.
Noteworthy Moment:
Per Fightful, Becky Lynch was first supposed to face Tegan Nox with her open challenge.
Instead, Natalya was the first out of the chute, and Neidhart did not like Becky telling her she meant her open challenge for someone “new”.
Considering what Natalya has done, I like how this went.
Also, I have to think someone in WWE was mildly trolling fans by doing an open challenge when we know Jade Cargill is inbound…maybe.
Overall lowlights:
If there was a complaint, perhaps it’s that some programs seem to be treading water.
I would have said that with Jey and the Judgement Day, but we got clarity tonight.
Knowing who the women’s division has available, building Nia Jax up is…well it will be interesting.
Overall highlights:
Cody is over. Jey is over.
But, KO is also right. Lots of layers to this particular onion, and the nuance is fun.
After the final bell:
Pretty strong show. I feel like some fans were hoping for a massive surprise since SmackDown was in the right place and the Rock time last week, but it is what it is.
