Rare Big Title Defense : RAW In A Nutshell

It's an exciting RAW In A Nutshell, as we get a rare big title defense this Monday.

Rare Big Title Defense
source: YouTubeTV, app, screenshot

It’s an exciting RAW In A Nutshell, as we get a rare big title defense this Monday.

Yes, you read that right…a rare big title defense. Big as in…World Heavyweight Championship.

Seth Rollins defends on Monday against Damien Priest. Man, it is so nice to have that title on RAW.

That’s slated to be the main event-duh-but that is not all this week.

Money In The Bank qualifiers are naturally front and center, and we should have a few more names set for London by night’s end.

Kevin Owens should test GUNTHER this evening, but Matt Riddle is still hunting down the IC Champ too.

Plenty more will happen, I am sure…but it is one thing getting me most excited.

Rare Big Title Defense : RAW In A Nutshell

Rare Big Title Defense
source: YouTubeTV, app, screenshot

Let’s crack open this Nutshell and see how things go!

Best Match of the night:

Consider any of these, with me stating up front…these ALL happened on free TV. Not a PLE!

Kevin Owens and GUNTHER. Nice, long, hard hitting match.

Rare Big Title Match
source: YouTubeTV, app, screenshot

Sure, a little outside interference in the end to make it a little tainted, but totally fine and really good.

Kayden and Katana versus Shayna and Ronda. Yes, for real, a women’s tag team match getting love from me in this spot.

Ricochet versus Shinsuke Nakamura? Yes please!

Sure, Bronson Reed made sure we didn’t get the whole thing for free…but Reed is fun too.

All those happened BEFORE that big rare title match. Seth Rollins and Damien Priest delivered as the main event, too.

All that, and I didn’t even mention some of those qualifiers…

Rare Big Title Match
source: YouTubeTV, app, screenshot

Worst match of the night:

Indus Sher destroyed Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin and the match never happened…so can I count this?

Can’t help but think though…could this be a harbinger of things to come? Could we see the Hurt Business versus Indus Sher?!

Crowd Chants of the Night:

Not chants, per se…but…

Crowd was hot for Cody.

Hot for Bronson Reed.

Amazing heat on Dom, as per usual.

Star of the Night

I have to at least give them an honorable mention for their impressive debut, defeat notwithstanding. Carter and Chance, of course.

Rare Big Title Defense
source: YouTubeTV, app, screenshot

Spot of the Night:

It should be a lot of fun getting to see Kayden and Katana deliver the Afterparty on future RAWs.

Also, I just want to say…get Bronson Reed into MITB. Last chance qualifier or something.

Because..TSUNAMI…off the ladder? Can you imagine!?

Jobber of the Night:

Has to go to The Miz.

Sets up a secondary feud for Cody, with Dom (presumably) and while Cody takes a slap from Dom…Mike eats the cast from Cody.

Shelton and Cedric too. This feels like a gateway to MVP, Omos and Bobby Lashley…

Upset of the Night:

OK, it wasn’t an upset…but I was hoping for one.

That said, how Kayden and Katana showed on RAW? That’s how you let a new team debut and look really strong in defeat.

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

I have to say, I LOVE this version of Matt Riddle.

Still sounds like a stoner a la Jeff Spicoli, but just as quick, he dispatched of Kaiser and Vinci.

Considering he has legit MMA chops, I like giving him more of an edge. Comedy was fun…but let’s see where this goes!

Botch of the night:

If there was one…there was so much good, I can’t think of one.

LOL Moment of the night:

Why not…

Plus, Rollins took a shot at Balor’s criminally short 1-day title reign.

Loved Cody taking a dig at Dom’s “prison tat”, calling it even worse than his own. Guess he has regrets about the placement…

Noteworthy Moment:

As expected, Ronda’s comments in press last week about the women’s tag team division was at least partly part of the program. She and Shonda stated their intent to bring respectability to the belts.

Kayden and Katana decided it was then they’d make their RAW debuts…heck of a big shot.

And…newsflash, not that ANYONE at WWE HQ cares about my opinion…but Kayden and Katana are a much more enjoyable tag team to watch. Crisp, fast, electric…lots of platitudes.

Knowing Brock doesn’t work as often, WWE is smart having Dom work with Cody.

Fills in the otherwise dead space, gives Dom even more of a boost, and considering he’s like the hottest heel on RAW? Not a bad spot for young Dom.

Overall lowlights:

Seriously…can I not have any? I really don’t.

Overall highlights:

Lots of superb TV matches. Really good ones that could easily have been focal points of a premium live event, except that the talent were, when needed, protected because this was not a PLE.

But, it was a really good RAW. I know I enjoyed it from bell to bell.

If I must though…why kick off the main event and THEN throw it to commercial…

After the final bell:

What a show. Have I said that yet?

Maybe it’s a spiritual boost of having a World Heavyweight Championship match on RAW for the first time in a couple years?

Or the fact that it won’t be a couple more years before we could have another one.

But match after match brought it, and even the squashes…they could go somewhere (hopefully).

Lots to love about this show.

Introduced to professional wrestling in the 1980’s thanks to Superstars and Saturday Night’s Main Event, John’s passion for the ... More about John Deegan
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