Each segment that aired during Monday Night Raw this September was graded on a scale of one to ten Woo’s. That was not an accident. Every segment received a grade, and that grade was assigned to the wrestlers involved. Every month, these grades will be compiled, and we’ll list the best performers.
Monday Night Raw Review (September)
Top Ten Superstars
10. Charlotte (20)
The Raw Women’s Champion was featured often this month, so it’s obvious that she would be up here, but she does deserve credit. Charlotte has really come into her own as a heel. It wasn’t so long ago that she depended on her father to get heat. Now she infuriates crowds all over the world to the point where she’s actually getting Dana Brooke over as a babyface.
7. Cesaro (21)
That’s not a typo, the list went from ten to seven. That’s because he and the next two wrestlers have the same grade. In fact, the next wrestler has the same grade for a reason. Regardless, Cesaro was great as always this month. The reason he’s not higher on this list is that his matches, while fantastic, got a little repetitive. That’s not his fault though, as he was stuck with the next wrestler on this list.
7. Sheamus (21)
The feud with Cesaro did wonders for Sheamus. Before the best of seven feud, Sheamus was “that guy who looks stupid” and starred in a terrible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie. Sheamus is known as a stiff worker, and Cesaro is the same way, so the two had many great matches. But just like with Cesaro, wrestling the same opponent every week got stale. It’ll be interesting to see where the tag team angle takes both of these men.
7. Roman Reigns (21)
Roman Reigns had a very good September. A decent feud with the next wrestler on this list helped, but it was his brief title pursuit that bumped him up. He had a few really decent matches, and it’s gotten to the point where even his harshest critics are admitting he can work. As the United States Champion, Reigns has a good spot in the midcard. Removed from the main event, this can only mean good things for the Samoan Superman.
6. Rusev (25)
Rusev‘s case is a curious one. He wasn’t on every show, and he only briefly returned for another. However, all of his segments were golden. His match with a certain architect was great, he made a cameo in a fantastic main event, and his rematch with Reigns was good as well. Rusev made the best out of the segments he was given.
5. Chris Jericho (26)
This is the best Chris Jericho has ever been. Seriously, this is the best Jericho I’ve ever seen. The best thing about Y2J is his ability to transform his character. Comparing the vanilla babyface that he was in ECW to who he is now, you almost believe they’re different men. There’s been annoying heel Jericho, rock n’ roll Jericho, “No Country For Old Men” Jericho, and lightbright jacket Jericho, but stupid idiot Jericho might be the best. Even after all these years, he still knows how to work a crowd, and we don’t deserve how incredible he is.
4. Bayley (27)
Bayley had three fantastic matches in September, and a decent bout with a jobber last week. She’s already incredibly over, and her infectious energy has made her a fan favorite. It’s unclear how far the WWE are willing to push her, but with a pencil thin women’s division, she’ll be featured in the title picture, and in the top ten, very often.
3. Seth Rollins (29)
Watching Seth Rollins turn into a babyface has been a wonderful experience. It was a slow build, but now he’s the company’s biggest good guy. He’s probably going to leave the main event picture for a while soon, but it’ll be interesting to see where he goes from here. A feud with Triple H is imminent, but he could also work with Jericho. Regardless, Rollins is outstanding, and he’ll spend a lot of time in the top five.
2. Sasha Banks (30)
Sasha Banks had a fantastic September. She had a fantastic promo where she announced she wasn’t retiring, and she had a pair of really great matches. The triple threat with Dana Brooke and Bayley was great, and the tag match from two weeks ago was also awesome. Her feud with Charlotte may be getting stale, but her work in the ring is still fantastic.
1. Kevin Owens (36)
Obviously the WWE Universal Champion was the best performer in September. He was in several segments, and he made the most out of every single one. Kevin Owens is a brilliant, brilliant wrestler, and will likely be a regular here in the top ten.
Best Segment: Kevin Owen vs. Roman Reigns (9/13)
This main event was awesome. Kevin Owens was such an insufferable jerk that fans actually began to root for Roman Reigns. Of course, the hardcore crowd only appreciated Owens and his heel antics, but that just made the match better. The match advanced story-lines for Owens, Reigns, Seth Rollins and Rusev, and was the best televised match on Monday Night Raw for the month of September.
Worst Segment: The Old Day Promo (9/5)
This segment was atrocious. For two men as talented as Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, this skit never should have seen the light of day. It was never funny, it made everyone uncomfortable, and even the WWE knew better than to show it again the next week. Fortunately Gallows and Anderson returned to their ass-kicking ways the next week, and the WWE version of the Bullet Club can stop trying to be funny on a PG show.
Monthly Grade- 6/10 Woo’s
It was a decent month on Monday Night Raw. Seth Rollins became a babyface, Chris Jericho brought his A game, and Roman Reigns began to ever-so-slowly begin winning over the fans. With everyone finally finding a groove, Monday Night Raw has fully recovered from Finn Balor’s injury. It’ll be exciting to see where they go from here.
