WWE made one of its top babyfaces look foolish in the main event of Clash in Paris. Monday on Raw, it seemed the promotion might address that by pitting two of its biggest stars against each other. Instead, it doubled down — this time making its heels look just as ridiculous.
Jey Uso opened the show by calling out Seth Rollins’ group, The Vision. But instead of Rollins, Bronson Reed, and Bron Breakker answering the call, LA Knight appeared.
Knight had a bone to pick with Uso, who made a critical mistake
during the Fatal 4-Way for the World Title at Clash. As Rollins lay vulnerable, Uso, Knight, and CM Punk agreed to team up and take the champion out of the match by putting him through a table. Instead, Uso turned on Punk — then Knight — choosing to go it alone.
That decision backfired on everyone, as Rollins recovered and retained his title.
Knight also accused Uso of costing him the match in other ways, but those complaints were baseless since Uso was clearly trying to win the title. Still, Knight had a point: they had a golden opportunity to eliminate the biggest threat, and Uso’s shortsightedness blew it.
The conversation between Knight and Uso grew tense, and it seemed like they were about to come to blows. For Rollins, who was still nowhere to be seen, this was an ideal scenario, as two of his biggest threats were on the verge of eliminating each other.
That’s when Reed and Breakker showed up.
Rather than let the good guys beat each other into the ground, essentially doing the work for them, Breakker challenged Uso and Knight to a tag team match. Knight, who was furious with Uso one moment, readily agreed to team with him without hesitation.
In the main event, Reed and Breakker defeated the heroes, who worked well together for much of the match. Afterward, they continued to beat down both men before targeting Uso. Unexpectedly, Uso’s twin brother, Jimmy Uso of SmackDown, showed up with a chair and ran off the evildoers.
Based on Raw’s ending, it looks like all this was meant to set up a Usos reunion. With only two episodes of Raw left before WWE’s premium live event debut on ESPN, this may have been an effort to build toward a tag match between the Usos and Reed & Breakker at Wrestlepalooza without the story feeling entirely rushed.
In recent months, WWE has produced several signature events just weeks apart. While the build to each show felt rushed, there was at least a clear logic behind each match. This angle, however, undermined everyone involved.
It could be explained that the absence of Paul Heyman, who was off the show selling the effects of injuries he sustained at Clash, led to bad decision-making by Reed and Breakker. But that doesn’t hold water, as Rollins, the group’s leader, could have ordered his men to stand down.
Alternatively, WWE could have had Knight and Uso square off. Once they were vulnerable, only then would Reed and Breakker arrive to pick at their bones. That would have laid the groundwork for a tag team match next week between the four stars, where WWE could have run the same play it did on Monday.
It also would have given the company time to explain Jimmy’s appearance. If the tag match came next week instead of this one, commentary could have framed Jimmy’s presence as him watching his brother’s back. Instead, his sudden arrival this week opens up yet another plot hole — one WWE will need to patch next Monday, assuming it chooses to address it at all.
