Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn
The first of four matches to determine who will go on to Houston next week and compete for the WWE Universal Championship. Raw starts hot with two great competitors in the ring. Albeit, we knew who would win they still gave us some great spots. Zayn and Rollins worked fast, worked effective and Sami is a great competitor for Seth. The DDT through the ropes and onto the floor gave Sami some much needed fire. He would work his ankle injury the entire match. Sami should have an Oscar for his selling of that injury. I wondered the entire match if he was actually hurt. The funny thing is Zayn can put on a match better than most one basically one foot.
These are the small things I love about these two guys. They sold the injury, sold the attack but still kept the crowd thinking if it was real. It was great to spotlight this considering Finn Balor getting injured a night ago. Seth would finish off Sami with a flying knee and Pedigree. It is transitions, moves and intelligence like this that puts Rollins in his own category.
Kevin Owens vs. Neville
Two straight matches of great athleticism and agility. Kevin Owens and Neville know each other so well, which is why there should be no surprise how good of a match this was. I love the inclusion of Jericho, helping out Kevin Owens. I did not like the idea at first, but if both men can pursue singles careers and still be friends and team when need be, it could ultimately benefit Owens in the long run. Tonight was a really good match for Kevin Owens, even though it made no sense to add Neville to this “tournament.” <p
Anderson and Gallows’ Night On Raw
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows come out to interrupt a celebration from The New Day. They talk about winning and getting another opportunity for the WWE Tag Team Championships. This leads to a match between Big E and Karl Anderson. It was more about who would get involved outside instead of what was going on inside. Anderson is a very smooth operator who knows how to and when to sell more than needed. With Gallows kicking Kofi and Woods on the outside, Anderson looked to set up his finisher. Gallows would get taken down and Anderson was distracted just enough for Big E to hit the Big Ending for the win.
Later in the night, Anderson and Gallows interrupted The Dudley Boyz’ retirement speech. They would end up hitting their finisher on Devon through a table. The brother from The Club stand tall.
I was not the biggest fan of the scripting of Anderson and Big E’s match. With the outside interference, it makes more sense to have the heels capitalize. They gave the distraction to the faces, the guys who have been champions for over a year. The part with The Dudley Boyz was great heat on Anderson and Gallows, especially with a Brooklyn crowd. It was smart and simple. This heat can only help these guys moving forward to a potential championship reigns. It needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Note To WWE
Do not give a live microphone to Titus O’Neil. He messed up multiple lines within the first three sentences. Sometimes, you need to just let a guy do his talking with his actions. Titus is a physically impressive athlete, so keep it that way. Also, this feud bores the hell out of me. There is no level of importance and no interest. Does anyone care about any of these three involved? No.
Rusev vs. Big Cass
The third match on Raw to determine who will fight in the Fatal Four Way for the WWE Universal Championship was the most unpredictable one. Rusev and Big Cass did battle in the ring, with Cass getting an upper hand. Rusev hit some nice kicks to Cass, but the big man hit a few clotheslines. He would get taken down with a chop and then Rusev focused on his upper body. The finish came when Rusev hit a kick only to get brutalized with a massive boot to his face. Rusev fell to the outside and then walked out on the match. I did not understand Why Rusev would just simply walk out with so much on the line, but it does make sense when he said he was the only true champion on Raw. Rusev and Cass did not really get too much into their offense to gauge how good the match could have been. Cass is still being protected in a smart and realistic way. I do think that Rusev and Roman Reigns needs to be a big feud that helps both guys. We will see them do battle again, but will it be sooner or later? As for Cass, he is a fresh face in a Fatal Four Way match that will have usual suspects in guys like Seth, Roman and KO.
Alas, The Debut of Bayley
Dana and Charlotte chants “You Deserve It” to the live crowd and she talks about Sasha Banks not being able to live up to the expectations. She says Sasha will never come after her title again. Mick Foley comes out and says that he has to introduce the newest addition to the WWE Raw roster. To an enormous reaction, Bayley makes her official debut. She talks about finally arriving and this leads to a match with Dana Brooke, in which she would win with the Belly to Bayley.
Man, about time that WWE pulls the trigger on Bayley. She is so over and this was a happy accident. I believe she would have debuted tonight no matter the injury to Sasha. WWE needs to make her match with Charlotte a slow build. You cannot have this match in a month or even in two months. This could be a big MONEY match and Charlotte is the best heel going against Bayley, who is the most natural babyface since Daniel Bryan. I do not want to see them one-on-one until at least Survivor Series.
Roman Reigns vs. Chris Jericho
After a short break, Jericho floors Reigns with a dropkick. Jericho applies a rear chinlock. Reigns fights out of it, but Jericho manages to boot him in the face. Jericho goes for a bulldog, but Reigns tosses him crotch first into the turnbuckle. Reigns fires up, and hits multiple clotheslines in the corner. Reigns misses the Superman punch. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho, but Reigns kicks him away. Jericho manages to hit an enzguri. Jericho goes up top, but ends up diving right into an uppercut. Drive-by by Reigns. Jericho attempts the lionsault, but Reigns gets his knees up. Superman punch by Reigns for a near fall.
Reigns calls for the Spear, but Jericho kicks Reigns in the head. Jericho tries the Codebreaker, but Reigns reverses it into a powerbomb. Owens runs down to try to help Jericho, but Reigns Superman punches Owens. Reigns calls for the Spear again. Jericho reveres it into the Walls of Jericho. Reigns gets to the ropes. Owens superkicks Reigns. Jericho hits the code breaker. Reigns kicks out! Jericho slaps Reigns in the face a few times. Reigns slaps Jericho over and over again. Owens gets on the apron, Reigns Superman punches him and Spears Jericho for the win.
Just like that, Roman Reigns is chasing the WWE Universal Championship. Even though it would have been nice to see Chris Jericho surprise us, Roman picks up the win. It was a great match, to be honest. The reversals and the counters made us think that maybe Jericho would pull it off.
The WWE Universe just needs to get over the fact that Roman Reigns can work. If he could not actually work in the ring, he would be out. He would be gone like Vladimir Kozlov or Sylvester Turkay. He has a great look and Chris Jericho was a fun pairing tonight. Jericho and KO are just as interesting to me than anyone else. Hopefully, they roll with this and then continue the US Title feud and find someone for Seth Rollins to battle. Seth wins next week, right?
@JoshIsenberg4 on Twitter. WWE Raw Rating:
