WWEis gearing up to go to Saudi Arabia for its annual Crown Jewel event, happening this Saturday. On this week’s episode ofMonday Night Raw, Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins continued to maul one another ahead of their long-awaited grudge match this weekend, American Made and LWO elevated their feud as the War Raiders won the right to challenge for the tag team championship in the coming weeks. Sheamus defeated Ludwig Kaiser andDominik Mysterio grabbed headlines by beating Damien Priest, pinning his surprise opponent to earn a World Heavyweight Championship match with Gunther in the coming weeks.
This episode was chiefly centered aroundthe Bloodline story, asSami Zayn became involved with The Usos and Solo Sikoa on the same night. The Usos fended off a surprise Bloodline attack, after Jey agreed to meet Roman on SmackDown this Friday. Sami spoke up in shock about Jey potentially squashing his beef with Roman, but was later seen talking to Solo in the parking lot after Jey told him he wasn’t family.
Jimmy Uso
The Forgotten Man Is Driving The Bloodline Story
“They don’t get us confused no more”, said a triumphant Jey Uso, a man who is more over after leaving a tag team than anyone since Shawn Michaels. What may be lost in that isthe role Jimmy Uso is currently playing. So often the forgotten man of the Bloodline story, it is Jimmy Uso out here mending the fences between Jey and Roman Reigns. It may seem small, but since returningJimmy Uso is a far more significant character than he has been for some time.
Fending off a sneak attack from a surprise appearance from Solo and The Bloodline, The Usos were in vintage, superkick-heavy form.The Usos and Roman Reigns will now take on Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline at Crown Jewel, where loyalties are sure to be tested. Is there enough water under the bridge for the original Bloodline to keep it together and defeat Solo’s crew? What is Sami Zayn’s role in all of this, as we saw him interacting with The Bloodline for the first time in months? Saturday is sure to provide answers ahead of Survivor Series season.
Dirty Dominik Mysterio
The Biggest Opportunity Of His Career Awaits
Well, well, well. Who’s laughing now? Dominik Mysterio’s Judgment Day brethren, the fans, and even his boss Adam Pearce were chuckling at Dirty Dom’s wish to face Gunther and become World Heavyweight Champion on last week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. Acquiescing to his wishes, Pearce booked everyone’s least favorite WWE superstar in a match against a former world champion to earn a title shot. This week,Damien Priest was revealed to be Mysterio’s challengerand that seemed to put pay to Dom’s dreams. Only it didn’t.
After much outside involvement and pulling a trick true to his name,Dirty Dom rolled up Priest for a three-count in one of the upsets of the yearand will now face Gunther for his World Heavyweight Championship in the near future. Damien Priest may have had the last word by destroying Mysterio after the bell, but it is Mysterio who will receive the opportunity of a lifetime in the weeks ahead, against one of the most dominant forces in modern pro wrestling history. Just think about those chops. Oof.
War Raiders
A Big Look For The Returning Superstars
What an amazing few weeks for the newly-rebranded War Raiders. Echoing the success of SmackDown’s Motor City Machine Guns, international tag team royalty,the War Raiders, became number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championshipsby defeating The New Day and Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio in a bruising triple threat match. They will now face The Judgment Day in a match in which they may even be considered the favorites.
This is a welcome look for the War Raiders. Internationally recognized and with a flavor that makes them relatively unique on this roster,WWE seems to have recognized that its tag division needs a shake-upand is doing something about it. The Bloodline and Judgment Day having tag team championships have made the whole scene feel a little flat. Friday night’s thrilling end to SmackDown and this development on Raw sees things definitely heading in the right direction.
American Made’s Leader Gets The Group Firing
After a spluttering start, this was a good week for American Made, thanks to victory for Ivy Nile over Zelina Vega and Chad Gable costing Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio their tag team title shot. Better yet for viewers,Gable vs Dragon Lee has been booked for next week’s pre-taped Monday Night Rawin what is sure to be a feast for the eyes of fans of the sport of pro wrestling everywhere. Gable has had a high-profile year in terms of TV time. Now it’s time for him to start stacking wins and putting himself into more serious conversations.
Sami Zayn
Sami Is “Not Family” To the Usos
It has long been expected that Sami Zayn would find himself involved in the babyface Bloodline reunion. What has thrown everyone a curveball is thatZayn was seen talking to Solo Sikoa in the parking lot by Jimmy and Jey Uso. Sami had earlier chewed Jey out for getting involved with Roman and Jimmy, but was then told that he didn’t understand because he wasn’t family. All of these incidents are stacking up and beginning to reach critical mass.
No matter what angle you look at it from, talking to Solo doesn’t look pretty for the former Honorary Uce. That said, at a time when Sami is loved by every kind of pro wrestling fan,it is unimaginable for Zayn to team with Solo and his villainous Bloodline. What is far easier to imagine is WWE’s ticking time bomb Kevin Owens looking on in apoplectic fashion as everyone forgives Roman Reigns for his past. If Randy Orton’s betrayal has sent KO this crazy, what is Kevin Owens going to do if his best friend reunites with his chief tormentor and the family that made his life hell? The KO and Sami WrestleMania match that the world has always wanted might finally happen.
A Weak Episode Of Monday Night Raw
The Show Lacks The Bite Of WWE’s Recent Output
It may be a world away from the creative redundancy of the Vine McMahon era, but this was a weak episode of Raw. Perhaps it’s the semi-derailment of storylines that are in motion to accommodate the entirely synthetic Crown Jewel Championship, perhaps it’s just a natural lull in the creative flow, butthis was a Monday Night Raw that didn’t hit its usual peaks. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan may have needed time apart to reinvigorate their feud, but it’s been put on the shelf for Morgan and Jax’s match that feels like it has no stakes, and not even the “dream match” appeal of Cody and Gunther to fall back on. It all just feels a little counter-productive for this made-up title to interrupt the natural flow of long-term storytelling.
Not only that,this episode leaned too heavily into repetition for its own goodwith only a two-hour run-time to play with. Ludwig Kaiser and Sheamus shared a ring on Raw for the fourth time since June. Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins did pretty much the same segments that they did last week. Bron Breakker’s Intercontinental title win felt monolithic last week and this week, he felt like a footnote. Being more generous, any show would miss CM Punk and Drew McIntyre as part of its cast. With next week’s episode of Raw being pre-taped in Saudi Arabia this weekend, it feels like a relatively rough few weeks for WWE’s red brand.
