It is going to be hard to follow last week’s RAW In A Nutshell, but this week we will try. After all, this week, the Tribal Chief visits the red brand.
So, it’s another week and another called shot, sort of.
As in, last week, Big E declared that he was cashing in, well ahead of time. He did, and it worked.
This week, we knew before SmackDown was a memory that we’d be getting a six man tag match, as we see the Tribal Chief visit the red brand along with Jimmy and Jey.
All of this as we take in the RAW go-home show, with Extreme Rules hitting us this Sunday.
Not that things needed to be much bigger, right? I mean, the Tribal Chief visits the red brand, so we should be good just like that, no?
But no, that won’t be all of it. As mentioned before, we’ve got less than a week until Extreme Rules, so there’s lots to handle.
Plus, if you hate hearing about WWE Draft teasers…you may want to stop watching for a couple weeks.
In any case, it is time for…
RAW In A Nutshell: The Tribal Chief Visits Red Brand
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and see how that visit goes!
Best Match of the night:
Could call it a combo of the opening and closing matches, if I wanted to.
But I will give it primarily to the main event triple threat match.
Worst match of the night:
Doudrop and Eva Marie. I may have said it before, but let me be clear…this is nothing against Doudrop.
Just can’t imagine any amount of greatness elevating the ineptitude that is Eva Marie.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Charlie
You deserve it
this is awesome
Star of the Night
I could play this one sort of neutral…but here’s my take.
This was Big E’s night to be elevated…and he was.
But it was also WWE reminding us that, right now, Roman Reigns is the top dog (why else would he win on RAW).
Plus, do not forget about Bobby Lashley.
Spot of the Night:
The carnage that capped off the opening match.
Shayna’s attack on Nia Jax.
A few notable spots, but I don’t know if one was that much better than the others.
Jobber of the Night:
Eva Marie.
I may need to rename this one…
OK, here is one much less obvious. But…Roman Reigns.
Why Reigns? Because at several times this evening, Reigns did the job to build up Big E.
I’d argue that WWE’s biggest full time Superstar at the moment, did the job by ensuring both Big E and Lashley got the rub.
Sure, Reigns stood tall at the close…but he didn’t squash anyone.
Upset of the Night:
They might have painted it as one, though not sure I 100% agree…but let’s go with Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. becoming the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
There were a few choices.
Lashley’s attack to wrap up the opening six man tag match is worth a mention.
So too is Shayna Baszler’s attack on Nia Jax. To be honest, both women came in acting like heels, and even at the start of the match, same thing.
By the end of the match, you could at least see a way to get sympathy for Nia Jax.
However, I think my favorite might have to be the back and forth between Charlotte and Alexa Bliss.
Specifically, Alexa poked fun at Charlotte being unoriginal with the wooo…and Charlotte came right back with “let’s not talk about originality”.
Both have valid points, of course…
LOL Moment of the night:
Not as funny as it has been…but the 24/7 segment was the funny spot of the night.
Noteworthy Moment:
Lost in the shuffle, perhaps, but Jeff Hardy has earned himself a spot in the United States title match on Sunday.
My gut tells me that Hardy was added to protect Sheamus, or at least to take the pin.
Overall lowlights:
Eva Marie.
This one might seem a bit odd…but in a way it is a bummer that WWE has seen things slip so bad that they decided to bring Roman Reigns in as a special attraction.
Like, you got rid of some great talents. You failed to retain or attract others.
So, the main lowlight is WWE kinda botched the roster to where we may see less and less “stay on you brand”.
Also, the spear is a boring finisher, and now we have several top stars using it.
Overall highlights:
The opening, and the closing.
And a few points in between.
Orton and Styles was sneaky good, I think.
Congrats to the new women’s tag champs. Liked the speech before they headed to the ring…even if the timing and placement seemed odd.
After the final bell:
Overall, a strong RAW In A Nutshell, especially for a go-home one.
It was a weird go-home show though, as the focus seemed less on Extreme Rules, and more on what comes after (the Draft).
And, annoying as it might seem to be…we saw The Tribal Chief visit the red brand.
In a way, it’s surprising to see WWE plant seeds for a Survivor Series match that is 2 months away…but that is what we saw this week in the Nutshell.
That just about wraps up this latest RAW In A Nutshell. Yes, we saw the Tribal Chief visit the red brand. It was not as bad as it could have been…which means keep an eye on ratings.