More Like 3-on-1
Roman Reigns technically defeated Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel in a 1-on-2 Handicap Match, but there was so much interference from The Miz that you might as well have seen it as a 1-on-3. And that was by no means a bad thing – Roman Reigns proved that he could overcome the number games and outside interferences, and The Miz continued to display his cunning – all too willing to sneak in a punch at his adversary, but just as willing to let his henchmen take the hit. Solid build-up towards their bout next week at RAW’s 25th Anniversary.
Bankrupt
Sonya Deville took on Sasha Banks in a singles match, and to everyone’s surprise, Sonya won! And quickly! We do not even understand what WWE was trying to achieve with this quick, almost squash-like victory. Was it to establish Sonya as a real threat? Even with her victory over The Boss, we were still not convinced of Sonya’s in-ring dominance. Was it to delegate Sasha Banks’ legitimacy? Not so much; she lost after not paying attention to a counter-attack. So…what exactly was the point of this match, other than to establish that feared 50/50 booking between the two groups?
Let us guess, Absolution vs Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Mickie James at WrestleMania 34? *Collectively yawn*. Oh wait. Paige is likely to retire from in-ring competition. DAMNNNN, we just said we wanted Paige last week. Bad mouths.
WOKEN? Not Today
Here is your weekly nitpicking: We do not like Matt Hardy’s titantron. WWE showcased their talent once again – they managed to turn something so cool into something boring and mundane. The unfortunate victim this time was WOKEN Matt Hardy’s titantron. It was outright boring. Lame font, okay “broken” effect, then a bunch of “DELETE”’s on the big screens. Yawn-inducing. The squash match against Heath Slater did not help either. We would rather see Matt and Bray laugh-off like last week. Next.
Right Back At ‘Ya
Our main event for the night was a Summerslam 2016 rematch between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Well, gotta give it to Jason Jordan – he really knew how to book a main event. Certainly better than his (smirk) dad’s Matt Hardy vs Heath Slater. Seriously, have you thought about that? Without his (smirk) son’s proposal, RAW would have ended with Matt Hardy vs Heath Slater! We entertain ourselves with those moments when it was so obvious WWE acted as if everything just HAPPENED to fall into place.
But anyways, THE CURB STOMP IS BACK!!! Finally, after long last, Seth Rollins had gotten rid of his ugly Ripcord Knee Strike and reused his old finisher. Come to think of it, the decision made perfect sense. Remember, the Curb Stomp was used by Seth Rollins, the chicken-sh*t champion who would resort to practically anything to gain the victory. And tonight was not Seth Rollins’ fairest victory, as among the turmoil outside the ring caused by The Bar, Gallows and Anderson, and Jason Jordan, Jason pulled Finn Balor’s legs (literally) while the referee was trying to control The Bar on the other side of the ring. This gave Seth a chance to stomp Balor’s face onto the canvas, securing the victory.
The win was, in a way, a “catch-up” to the “head-to-head record”, since Balor Club defeated Pseudo-Shield last week, with Balor the one pinning Rollins. Jason Jordan also redeemed himself as well, since he was the one costing Pseudo-Shield the tag match last week. On a side note, Rollins’ smile of satisfaction at Jordan opened up so many storyline possibilities…
All in all, a nice way to wrap up a great show.
Overall Review:
The January 15th edition of RAW was hands down, the best of the red brand within the past three months. The focuses of the show was Braun Strowman and Jason Jordan, both receiving ample room to further their characters and interact with other members of the roster and authority. Another story that went along well was the Tag Team Championship picture, as it now involved three teams, and the initial two teams had extra layers of complexity added to their build-up. The Nia Jax – Alexa Bliss “friendship” had interesting developments, the Intercontinental Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship feuds went okay, but the women’s 3-on-3 feud still has not progressed a bit since last week. Seriously, something drastic better happen next week. But still, looking at the bigger picture, one week removed from RAW’s much-advertised 25th Anniversary show and less than two weeks removed from Royal Rumble, the red brand gave us a very quality offering.
Let us start summoning our inner Attitude Era marks for the nostalgia fest next week…
