WWE RAW Review (1/16): Standout Moments, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, This Week's MVP
Standout Moments
1) Frenzied Start ? In what began as just another Reigns promo – where the Big Dog didn't seem all too broken up about losing his U.S. Title – things quickly broke down. Out came Heyman to give a warning, then Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens got in their comedic digs, with Braun Strowman entering for a face-off with Reigns. Then things got really fun when Brock made an appearance, followed by chaos in the ring when Sami Zayn sneak-attacked Braun (ever notice how Sami always strikes first, and it always goes south in a hurry?). It reminded me of when a bunch of cats are sitting peacefully in a room, then one freaks out, and the rest go mad!
How about Sami's face when he realized it was just him and Brock standing in the ring? "Aww, man?" Getting back to Reigns, he didn't look exactly strong in this fight as Brock laid him out with an F-5 to finish up the segment. Also, Brock vs. Strowman would be something we have to see in the Royal Rumble.
2) Medical Session Gone Wrong ? Clearly, Sasha Banks has had troubles with her knee and Nia Jax doesn't seem to want it to ever heal. Props to WWE for doing something a little different with having the camera rolling during Sasha's knee check before the show. Sometimes, it's the little things that can keep a feud fresh. Saw some fans saying it would have been better if Nia was dressed in street clothes, but let's just assume Nia is always ready for a fight! Also, not to be all boring and serious, but it's just before the show, wrestlers usually get in their ring gear early.
3) Is It Dusty In Here? ? In terms of booking, it was a creative ending between Sheamus/Cesaro and Gallows/Anderson, but the circumstance were completely backwards for it to work properly. Sheamus accidentally punched the ref, Anderson/Gallows got the win initially, and then the ref who got popped said it was a DQ, so Cesaro/Sheamus retained the titles. The crowd didn't really react because they wanted to boo, but Cesaro/Sheamus are the good guys (at least, Cesaro is) who keep the titles.
4) Creative Attack: Part II ? During a video package, Neville attacked Rich Swann from behind to further their feud. Nobody really cared about Swann vs. Tony Nese anyways. Again, have to give props to WWE for just simply picking random times for the bad guys to jump their opponents.
5) A Slow Death ? On one side, you have the champion, with the genetics and confidence that surpasses whoever she comes across. On the other side, you have the challenger, with heart and a true passion for wrestling. This story should write itself, but that promo battle between Charlotte and Bayley was anything but that. If I gave out a "Worst Segment" award, they would have won hands down.
Charlotte can (and has) thrown better jabs than she did last night, and Bayley, oh boy, I know she's trying, but when she first kicked off her promo, I couldn't help but laugh. Still looking forward to the match, but the interactions need to improve quite a bit.
When @AliciaFoxy tells you she "doesn't want to talk about it," she DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT! #RAW @CedricAlexander @NoamDar pic.twitter.com/E6p6Fm03Ge
? WWE (@WWE) January 17, 2017
6) She Doesn't Want To Talk About It! ? Come on, Mike!
7) A Silent Disaster ? Nice touch at the end of the show when the commentary team was chased away as the madness came right to their doorstep. With all six men battling it out, the table finally came into play and the live crowd itself helped build the tension in the air. Owens' powerbomb was a thing of beauty to end the show.
Trending Up
Brock Lesnar ? Not only did he appear, but he actually did some wrestling! I realize this shouldn't be a huge achievement, but I'll take it over him bouncing over an invisible jump rope while Heyman pontificates for 10 minutes.
Alicia Fox ? She plays a small part week to week, but this storyline with Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander has been fun thus far. Yes, the "crazy woman" bit has been played to death in WWE, but I think we agree she plays it pretty well. She ran down Mike Rome in that interview in hilarious fashion. Also, her reaction to not getting hugged in the ring was almost as good as the dip itself.
Cedric Alexander ? Speaking of the dip, why not put Cedric here too? He got a solid win over Brian Kendrick with his awesome finisher, the Lumbar Check. He's one of the few Cruiserweights who actually get a reaction and has been able to do so ever since the Cruiserweight Classic. Whenever Neville wins the title, I'm totally down for a Cedric to be one of his first challengers, those matches will be fire.
Trending Down
Enzo ? The Rusev feud really hasn't done anything for Enzo, starting with the awkward naked scene with Lana. He then had a knee injury that slowed him down and he has continued to look very average in the ring. Maybe it's just his shtick wearing a bit thin, but his promos haven't been nearly as fire as when he first jumped to the main roster. I'll look forward to when he and Big Cass move on from Rusev (and Mahal).
Cruiserweights ? Okay, maybe not every single one, but crowds continue to barely react to anyone not named Neville, Rich, or Cedric (and maybe Jack?). That match between Daivari and Dorado was so tough to get through, especially when the crowd looked beyond bored in the background. I get WWE needs to fill time on Raw, but the Cruiserweights seem better fit just sticking to 205 Live, which has become much more watchable over the past couple weeks. Also, three segments on Raw, really?
Titus O'Neil ? If last week's mini-keg run wasn't bad enough, now Titus was trying to take a New Day member out of the Royal Rumble. Going up against Big E was no easy task, and of course, O'Neil ended up losing not only the match, but he will now have to leave The New Day alone going forward. So, is this the end of the feud? Where exactly does Titus go from here? Does anyone really care?
This Week's MVP
Kevin Owens - WWE really tried to spread the wealth among their stars in this show, giving each of them a moment to shine, so this week's pick was a little tougher. With so much action in the main event, it ended up coming down to Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns on the stage, Owens finally reverted back to that evil aggressive guy that fans doted over when he first came to the roster. With an emphatic powerbomb through the table, Owens let fans know he was the ruler of this empire, not Reigns.
Overall Thoughts
I was a little bummed Brock didn't come out at the end of the show, I mean, if he's there, why not use him once more? Compared to last week's Undertaker promo and Jericho winning the U.S. title, there wasn't really any major moments (Kurt Angle's Hall of Fame announcement aside) last night. I did find the show much more enjoyable to sit through as a whole, minus Charlotte/Bayley, Titus, and a few other segments.
Didn't get a chance to mention it above, but even though Zayn took the loss in the main event, he had a pretty solid night, especially his promo with Reigns/Rollins. It also needs to be pointed out how badly Reigns got beat up this week between the first segment, the 6-man (really wasn't a factor, team lost), and Owens getting the best of him at the end. Trying to gain sympathy from the fans as we head towards Royal Rumble? By no means was this a great show, but between the beginning and the end, this was an upgrade from last week.
Grade (out of 10): 7 (Last Week: 6)