Welcome to another edition of Monday Night Raw with it taking place in Pittsburgh, PA. This is the night after a very good Battleground PPV and the first Raw since the Brand Extension that took place last week. Besides the PPV, rumors of stars returning to the WWE and the uncertainties about Brock Lesnar, there hasn’t been too much news during the past week in the world of wrestling. With that said, let’s jump right into this review of Monday Night Raw!!
Good
Opening Segment: Monday Night Raw started off with Mick Foley & Stephanie McMahon in the ring then they introduced the Raw roster and had them stand on stage. Stephanie talked about the WWE title not being on Raw and that it was Roman Reigns fault. She then said they’re creating a title called the WWE Universal Championship and Foley said they’ll be 2 Fatal Fourway matches with the winners facing each other in the main event to see who would face Seth Rollins at Summerslam for the new championship. They announced the names & said the first match would take place now.
Finn Balor vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev: This match was freakin awesome with so many nearfalls, crazy spots and just a good wrestling match. All the guys put forth great and all had the chance to win it. In the end, Balor hit the Coup De Grace on Rusev for the win.
Nia Jax vs. Britt Bander: This was a squash match and I’m cool with it because they’re going to build her up to be a monster in the Women’s division.
Roman Reigns vs. Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus: This was another really good Fatal Four-way match, but not as good as the previous one. The match really picked up towards the end with all of them getting nearfalls, but Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Jericho for the win.
New Day Segment: They came out to celebrate being the longest reigning tag team champions in WWE history. They cut a great promo and even brought a fan in the ring, but soon afterwards they were attacked by The Club. Gallows & Anderson beat all three members of New Day and even went after the fan they had in the ring.
Neville vs. Curtis Axel: This wasn’t a great match, but it was great seeing Neville return.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte: This was a great match between these as they beat the hell out of each other. It was a great moment during the match when Banks paid tribute to her idol the late, great Eddie Guerrero when she threw the title to Dana Brooke and acted like she hit her with the belt. The match had everything as the crowd was cheering, “This Is Awesome” and in the end, Sasha Banks won the title by locking in the Bank Statement for the victory. After the match, Sasha Banks was interviewed in the ring and the crowd was into her as she said this is what women’s wrestling is all about. Great match!!
Enzo & Big Cass vs. Shining Stars: Of course, Enzo & Big Cass cut a great promo before they were interrupted by the Shining Stars. The match was short because R-Truth distracted the Shining Stars by playing Pokemon Go, which lead to the win by Big Cass.
Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor: This match is to determine who would face Seth Rollins in one of the main events at Summerslam for the new WWE Universal Championship. This was a really good match between these two. The match had several nearfalls and it was hard hitting throughout the match, but in the end, Balor hit the Coup De Grace of Reigns to pick up the win.
Bad
Braun Strowman vs. Local Jobber: Don’t remember his name, but you know how this match turned out.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10- I was extremely shocked seeing how good Raw was with the Brand Extension and it still being a 3-hour show. My only gripe and its minor was the Braun Strowman match, but I understand it.
Top 5 Happenings on Monday Night Raw:
- Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte- Banks Winning the Title
- Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho
- Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus vs. Rusev
- Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns
- Opening Segment
What are your thoughts about this edition of Monday Night Raw? What did you think about the Sasha Banks/Charlotte match? What are your thoughts about getting a Finn Balor-Seth Rollins match-up at SummerSlam for the new WWE Universal Championship? Head to the comments section below and give me some feedback.
