In the City
I usually reserve this space for big angles or bigger matches. And yes, Raw’s main event was huge. But I want to really talk about the crowd because. as the commentary team noted, Mexico City was the third member of the crew this week.
A good wrestling crowd gives energy. A great one helps tell the story. Raw’s audience was firmly the latter. Especially for the main event.
Penta came into the arena on a horse. Not quite Zorro but
not far off from The Fox either. He looked like a conquering hero amongst his people. That carried into the match with Roman Reigns as he donned Mexican headgear and looked fantastic. The presentation, along with the announcers telling his rags-to-riches story, gave me a little bit of hope that he might win. Just a little bit.
The crowd was with this match every step of the way. Those cheers for Penta turned to acidic boos for Roman. The champion worked this match as a heel, as he should, but never resorted to anything underhanded. That made Roman a man of his word in a way. He told Penta he respected him and his journey to get here. Why not reward that respect with a fair match? No ref bumps, no Bloodline interference. Just these two going blow for blow.
Penta wrestled his style but at a slower pace. He adapted to Roman while Roman sold every big move beautifully. None of that works without the emotion around the match. They made Mexico City believe Penta had a shot at winning, which made his eventual loss heartbreaking.
This is a crowd that hung on every move and every near fall. Penta kicked out of a Spear and a Superman Punch. The crowd came alive when he showed no fear but plenty of fight. Their love wasn’t enough in the end but it showed just how important a crowd is to an entire event.
Roman vs. Penta wasn’t the only match this week that tore down the house, nor was it the best. But it best encapsulated how a hot audience can make a good match better.
B-Sides
- I kept wondering when Je’Von Evans might get his payback on Big Cass. I mean, Cass got a very big win over the Young OG only to disappear to Main Event land while Je’Von seemed uninterested in any semblance of vengeance. Cue the Money in the Bank qualifier matches! Cass, Je’Von, and the man Creative will seemingly never give up on, Austin Theory, squared off for a spot in one of the E’s most important matches. And their wrestling proved worthy of such an occasion. It helped that the Mexico City crowd remained incredibly hot, but they rewarded said hotness. A sentence I’m not entirely proud of but just go with it. Austin always seems like the odd man out in these situations. There’s boiling bad blood between Cass and Je’Von while Austin seemed like a bystander. He executes moves, is in good shape, and has a gorgeous woman by his side, but all of that feels like such a facade. There’s nothing genuine about “The Pressure” including that very create-a-wrestler moniker. I’m not sure what they’re doing with Cass but he at least feels real. And he wrestles in Timbos! I give him props for that alone. I’m rambling here but the long and short of it is Je’Von and Cass’ emotions carried the match, so it’s appropriate that Je’Von pinned Cass for his spot in the Money in the Bank match.
- Chad Gable was one half of two match of the year candidates. The first was back in May. The second was this week against Dragon Lee. Chad picked his opponent for an Intercontinental Championship defense. Unlike the guy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he did not choose poorly. These two clearly have chemistry but in front of this crowd on this night, their bond seemingly increased. It’s one of those matches that’s hard to describe and better seen than talked about. Do yourself a favor and watch it immediately. Well, finish reading this, then watch it. Then talk about it in this thread on our app. Very cheap plug but I apologize for nothing.
- I’m with Corey Graves. I’m never calling anything “booty bumps.”
- Why the non sequitur? Lola finally debuted on Raw after several weeks of hype videos. Those of us in the Cageside offices wondered why the announcers sounded so muted when she walked down the aisle. This was her first match on Raw, and not a small one at that, but they sounded like this was her 100th. No pomp and even less circumstance clearly didn’t matter as Lola pinned Raquel Rodriguez for a spot in the women’s Money in the Bank match. Also pointed out in our offices: Weird that Lola, former NXT champ, made her Raw debut in a match featuring the current NXT champ, who is not getting called up. Kelani Jordan did as she usually does, which is to say she impressed. This was a competitive match but it was clear either Raquel or Lola would get the W if only because Kelani is the newly minted NXT champion with a ton on her plate in Orlando. Does this give Lola her first beef with Raquel and the Judgment Day? Big Mami Cool wasn’t happy about the loss. Knowing how Judgment Day works, it wouldn’t shock me if this becomes a storyline for Lola heading into New Orleans, but also the thing that becomes the reason she doesn’t win the briefcase.
- Speaking of Judgment Day, the featured prominently in Raw’s extremely hot opening. I almost said “fuego” but I thought better of it. It started with Rey Mysterio, complete with comical neck brace, greeting the Mexico City crowd. He congratulated Stephanie Vaquer, who came to the ring like her name was Joe Hendry. If you’re reading this then you know wrestling. And if you know wrestling, then you’re already aware that Liv Morgan and Dirty Dom came to the ring shortly after. Why? Because they’re evil. But also because there’s no way the Dirty One lets his dad walk around triumphant in any wrestling ring without sharing his unwanted two cents. Liv wanted Stephanie, Dom wanted his dad. Liv got what she wanted but Dom got El Grande Americano. El Grande came out to an eruption. It’s still crazy that this German man ingratiated himself so deeply to Mexicans and Lucha Libre fans. Props again to Ludwig Kaiser for committing and truly doing the work. These four got a fun opening tag that ended when JD McDonagh and the rest of his crew interfered. Because of course they did.
- No 946 this week after they showed their penchant for arson last week. Well, not in person anyway. The Bloodline looked a tad silly wondering how to handle Royce’s gang this week only to find out they never made the trip to Mexico. We did get a cool homemade video from 946, which only further established their characters and dynamic.
Raw was excellent. Top to bottom, this show rocked. We got two incredible matches and an intense crowd. Penta didn’t walk away with the title but he showed he’s worthy of a big title. Will they give hi the chance?
What say you, Cagesiders?
