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Breaking down yet another episode of the WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw. This week, the show was live from Baltimore, Maryland and we saw a fantastic triple threat, some new “Clash of the Champions“ drama, and a fantastic main event. Here’s Ryan Smith‘s Monday Night Raw review.
Monday Night Raw Review (9/13/2016)
Mick Foley and the Women’s Championship
The show opened with Mick Foley standing in the ring with WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and her sidekick, Dana Brooke. The trio were discussing who Charlotte would defend her title against at the upcoming Clash of the Champions pay per view when Sasha Banks came out and claimed it was her right. It wasn’t long before Bayley came out and did the same.
For a moment, it really looked like Dana Brooke was going to turn on Charlotte. It got to the point where she even slapped Charlotte, and in Mick Foley’s eyes, earned a spot in the upcoming triple threat match.
Segment/Match Quality- 5/10 Woo’s
Dana Brooke vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks
This match was a lot of fun. Bayley and Sasha Banks still have that exceptional chemistry, and despite her inexperience, Dana Brooke didn’t look terrible. Bayley had the match won, but Sasha stole the win with a very creative schoolboygirl. From a certain angle, it actually looked like Sasha’s shoulders were down too, but nothing came of it.
Segment/Match Quality- 7/10 Woo’s
Read More: Monday Night Raw Review (9/5/2016)
Bo Dallas vs. Brandon Scott
There isn’t much to say about this segment. Despite some legal issues, Bo Dallas still squashed jobber Brandon Scott with relative ease. It looks like Dallas’ push with the new gimmick will continue.
Segment/Match Quality- 3/10 Woo’s
The Highlight Reel with Sami Zayn
This segment was fantastic. Chris Jericho brought his A game, and sold everyone on a pay per view match with minimal buildup. It was the little things that made the segment so fantastic. Jericho lying on the ground when he introduced Sami Zayn, Zayn calling Jericho Kevin Owens‘ (expletive). The little things. This was a great highlight reel, and the matchs should be fantastic.
Segment/Match Quality- 8/10 Woo’s
Cesaro (1-3 )vs. Sheamus (3-1)
As always, Cesaro and Sheamus put on a good match. Unfortunately, it just fell flat. We’ve seen this match-up so much lately, and with Sheamus being up 3-1, it was obvious that Cesaro was going to win. The predictability really took away from a good match.
Segment/Match Quality- 4/10 Woo’s
Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox
Last week, Nia Jax‘s segment was one of the very worst. This week, it was perfect. She absolutely ruined Alicia Fox, literally throwing her around by her hair at one point before spearing her through the barricade. It was fantastic, and did exactly what it was supposed to do.
Segment/Match Quality- 8/10 Woo’s
New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. The Club
The segment started with the New Day absolutely burying the dreadful “Old Day” segment from last week. The New Day were killing it on the microphone as usual when they were interrupted by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The Club joined the New Day in the ring, and despite wrestling in a special event in two weeks, the two teams wrestled on free TV. The match itself was pretty good, with Luke Gallows in particular displaying exceptional athleticism. It’s just a shame that they gave this match away on free TV.
Segment/Match Quality- 6/10 Woo’s
Jinder Mahal vs. Jack Swagger
Jinder Mahal debuted a new gimmick where he claims that he comes in peace. He claims that when he was gone, he went and climbed mountains and explored the world and that he was a changed person. He was interrupted by Jack Swagger. The two had a quick, uneventful match that Mahal surprisingly actually won.
Segment/Match Quality- 3/10 Woo’s
Epico vs. Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore and Epico had a pretty good match. It was mostly unforgettable with the exception of a few spots. Enzo jumped off the top turnbuckle onto Epico at one point, and interference from Primo ultimately cost him the match. It’s good that the Shining Stars are getting some kind of momentum heading into a pay per view match they’ll definitely lose.
Segment/Match Quality- 4/10 Woo’s
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
This match was fantastic. It was really incredible. Kevin Owens masterfully manipulated the crowd and Roman Reigns looked like an absolute monster. Seth Rollins came out and interfered, despite being warned by Mick Foley that there would be consequences if he did so. Rollins thought he got the match thrown out, but Foley restarted it, only to have a returning Rusev interfere, distracting Reigns, and costing him the match. After the bell, Rusev put Reigns in the Accolade, microwaving their feud. It was a fantastic match, and Owens delivered another main-event worthy performance.
Segment/Match Quality- 9/10 Woo’s
Best Segment/Match of the Night- Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
For all the reasons just discussed, Owens vs. Reigns was the best segment of the night. Owens, Reigns, Rollins, and Rusev all played their roles well, and after a rough Raw last week, the show has regained momentum.
Worst Segment/Match of the Night- Jinder Mahal vs. Jack Swagger
This match was confusing. It was hard to tell who was supposed to be the good guy or who was supposed to be looking strong. It was just a questionable segment that really struggled to get a point across.
Show Quality- 8/10 Woo’s
It was good to see how quickly Monday Night Raw adjusted. Losing Finn Balor to injury had the Raw team struggling to get all of the feuds back on track, but after this episode, they did just that. All the big players have feuds, and the Clash of Champions card looks great. Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens could be match of the year candidates.
