Time for another RAW In A Nutshell, and with Crown Jewel getting closer, this one ought to be a fairly busy show.
After all, we have but one RAW after this until the Superstars head to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and it seems like a safe bet that they will all be getting on flights as soon as possible.
I mean…it’s kind of a long trip, and the past travel issues are well known.
But that’s next week.
For now, we know we have some good stuff this week.
Becky Lynch defends her NXT Championship against Indi Hartwell. Hopefully that’s a good one.
Alpha Academy might just have a new recruit…can Tozawa hang?
What’s next for guys like Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn and Main Event Jey Uso?
Let’s find out…
Crown Jewel Getting Closer : RAW In A Nutshell
Let’s crack this one open and get into it!
Best Match of the night:
Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre set a really high bar. Nice match, and interesting wrinkle…could Drew be lured into the Judgement Day?
The main event was good too, for other reasons.
Worst match of the night:
Natalya and (barely) Nikki Cross going against Piper Niven and Chelsea Green.
It was nice to see Nikki, but what was the point?
This became a handicap match, with Cross walking out without getting a tag in.
And, while I am all for getting new tag teams put together…we’ve got a few tag teams who’ve got a history, who are on the main roster, who can’t buy a match.
That needs to get fixed, because Kayden and Katana? They are really good.
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are pretty good too. Both teams have held the NXT tag titles…so…they are worthy.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Unremarkable crowd, but I’d bet some were watching the scoreboard…
Star of the Night
Cody
Jey
Judgement Day
The general managers
Drew and Seth and Logan and on and on.
Lots of good stuff.
Spot of the Night:
There were a few…
Any time Ricochet gets going…and he did get some offense in tonight.
Sami, especially jumping onto the barrier for a moonsault on the floor.
Jobber of the Night:
Could go with Natalaya.
Tozawa is also an option.
Upset of the Night:
Nothing tonight.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Did The Miz say that Nick Aldis appreciates him?
Shots fired?
Predictable chaos of a contract signing when you involve one champion and four challengers…
Botch of the night:
I debated one here, but I am not sure it really was.
Part of me felt it was a mistake to give Nia Jax that much time on the mic-something that she’s never been really known for.
But…I think the segment grew on me? So maybe not a total mistake there.
Still think for a litany of reasons, she’d be best if she became a member of the Bloodline, where she can have Heyman do her talking.
Commentary of the night:
Cole, to Tozawa as he walked to the ring to meet Bronson Reed…”All I can say is…good luck”.
LOL Moment of the night:
Tozawa…Alpha Academy…need I say more?
Noteworthy Moment:
Logan Paul playing up his “free agent” status, showing up on RAW and poking the Ricochet-sized bear while being all buddy buddy with Dom.
Could we see a Dom + Logan versus Rey + Ricochet tag match? I mean, there are worse ideas…
Sure feels like there’s some groundwork laid for the Team Cody versus Team Judgement Day option at Survivor Series.
Could we see some combo of Cody, Jey, Sami, Kevin Owens and LA Knight (maybe?) against Priest, Balor, Dom, Solo and Jimmy?
I mean, I could see Roman sitting that one out…but it could work. It would probably also set up something bigger between the two heel factions…eventually.
Overall lowlights:
This show was in a tough spot, considering it was up against 2 big baseball games…and being in Dallas, the locals were surely not all focused on the ring.
That said, some segments worked really well. Some, I think, need a bit more time to go…but overall, I won’t complain.
Overall highlights:
The main event was good.
Drew and Sami was too.
Teases of maybe Drew joining the Bloodline is fun, for what it is.
You can almost see some WarGames teases…pretty much.
And speaking of WarGames…even though in theory it makes no sense for the GM of the other show to be on this one…you can see where that is going, and I am here for it.
After the final bell:
Not a bad show, and next week is the big one…as in the go-home show before Crown Jewel.
I am beginning to think that Cody is LARP’ing the knight from Monty Python, convinced he needs to be down a limb to take on some other Superstar…but it works for him, and I think Rhodes-Priest can be really strong from Saudi Arabia.
