In the Hood
Before I get to the meat of Raw’s main story thread that opened and closed the show, I have to address WWE through Michael Cole referencing “the hood.” Why did that happen? Well, Royce Keys got himself a pair of soldiers in the form of OTM. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price are now Raw wrestlers. More importantly, they’re taking orders from the man who saw himself on the wrong end of this ongoing Bloodline war.
Royce and OTM interrupted
the tag match featuring Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, and The Usos. And during said match, we heard from the announce table that there are stories about the three men from “the hood in Oakland.” Listen, I understand growing up in Oakland is part of their story. OTM’s NXT segments made that clear, as did Royce whenever he spoke about his past. But they never referred to it as “the hood.” Besides being stereotypical, those words feel wrong when coming out of Michael’s mouth. Referencing the hood in this way automatically paints a portrait of these men. The same men who ran to the ring with bandanas covering their mouths and Timbs covering their feet.
I’m sensitive to these things if only because I don’t trust the people writing the checks to handle it with nuance and care. Historically, melaninated people don’t fare well whenever a white person is in charge of telling their story. Especially when their upbringing in less than stellar conditions is the foundation.
All that said, I hope this works well for all three men. I just don’t want them coming off as thugs or anything else that typically scares people because they’re big with dark skin.
But I digress.
Now that I got that off my chest, let’s talk about the story overall. I don’t mind Royce getting his revenge on The Usos because, well, duh. And with Jimmy & Jey telling Jacob Fatu to stay in the back, that left them wide open for a beat down. Apparently Royce yelled that Solo got the smoke because he didn’t have his back when Jacob took him out. I buy that but I wish we got some build towards that reveal. And also that it came in a moment where he wasn’t yelling it in the midst of chaos.
As for OTM, it definitely feels rushed on their part. NXT just teased some tension between them. They worked it out a bit. Now they’re on Raw working with their guy. Okay then.
Before we got this match, I loved everything between Solo and LA. Loved the way they played off one another, the way they complemented each other’s comedy stylings, and the heartfelt moment between them backstage. It’s great character work on Solo’s part; he’s leaning into the things fans love while adding layers so not to purely be comedic relief. Plus the man imitated Neo when Jey sent his warning shot. He wins the week for that alone.
I like the idea of another faction going against The Bloodline since their motivation is revenge. I’m anxious to hear the rest of the reasoning, how OTM hooked up with Royce, and how this plays into the larger narrative.
B-Sides
- Incredible. That’s the first word that comes to mind after watching Rey Fenix vs. Dragon Lee. Rey walked out victorious but, and I know this is cliche, we all walked out the winners. This match had incredibly high stakes, higher drama, and a slow build into something amazing. I don’t mind kicking out of finishers or big time moves like the Styles Clash because that only accentuates the stakes. It also reinforced for me that a match with Roman will look vastly different than either tournament matches featured this week. Not just like the difference between a base hit and home run, but more like the difference between basketball and soccer. That’s not inherently a bad thing but this match established a very high bar for Roman when he crosses the border.
- Bron Breakker needs to win this match against Oba Femi. I don’t think that he will or should, but he needs it. That’s not just me saying it; that’s Bron saying it. The contract signing segment with him and Oba made it crystal clear that Bron feels adrift without the “next big thing” designation. He’s desperate for forward movement and the adulation that comes with being WWE’s Liu Kang aka The Chosen One. The problem for Bron as a wrestler, not the character, is that Oba is effortlessly smooth on the mic. Bron’s getting better, no doubt, but everything with Oba feels natural while Bron feels thought out. I can see the wheels turning as he finds his character, searches for a catchphrase, or looks for the thing he thinks is very clever but doesn’t come off as such because he’s rushing to say it.
Oba’s big gift on the mic is how he turns phrases. Or, in this case, how he gave Bron his props while also dumping on him at the same time. The Ruler told Bron that if he went up against John Cena in the early 2000s, then Bron would be the future of WWE. If he went up against whatever “big dog” ran WWE in 2015, he’d be the future of WWE. But it’s wrong time wrong place for the Big Bad Booty Nephew. Even the way Oba acknowledged Roman with a nice subliminal shows his skill on the mic while keeping that fire burning for down the line. I did like Bron alluding to Rocky’s strategy against Clubber Lang: Put him in a long match that tests his theory
The eventual fight that broke out is secondary to Bron pushing the idea that Paul E. Heyman, the man who introduced Bron to the ring, is actually in Oba’s corner. They’ve telegraphed that too much for it to be true, right? I’ve said before I don’t think Paul enhances Oba at all but, as I just said in the Cageside Slack, I don’t sign the checks in WWE. - Shockingly competitive match between Big Cass and Je’Von Evans. I really didn’t expect Cass to survive, much less win. I see Je’Von’s loss as part of the larger story with him sick of losing and needing a sharper edge. The way Judgment Day attacked him post match backs up that theory. Je’Von’s had terrible luck lately. Like Alexander’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day bad luck. Maybe it’s less about WWE seeing something major in Cass and more about using him in the right spot that not only gets him a win but furthers someone else’s story.
- Raw becomes Vice City next month. I don’t apologize for that sentence. Not even a little bit. Lola Vice’s debut segment aired this week with one major message: 9/14. Lola brings something different to the women’s roster with her MMA background. Will we see Underground matches on Raw? I don’t see Shane O’Mac anywhere around so probably not. Remember when Raw Underground was a thing? Of all the wrestling shows I watched during that period, Raw was certainly one of them.
- Penta vs. Rey is finally a thing. Brother vs. Brother for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. Penta’s match against La Parka—not my La Parka!—didn’t hit me Rey vs. Dragon Lee, but like I said before, it was a very tough act to follow. And it gets us to what should tear down whatever house in which it resides: The Lucha Bros. facing off against each other.
- Stephanie Vaquer finally got some backup. Even if she didn’t request it or even want it. During her match with Roxanne Perez, Stephanie once again found herself victim to the numbers game. The worst game for anyone to lose but the best for anyone to win. Becky Lynch made the save, while admonishing Stephanie for continuing to go alone. But they didn’t come to blows this time. Stephanie later thanked Becky for the help but acknowledged, again, she doesn’t need it. Stephanie gets her rematch against Liv Morgan. And, once again, she says she needs no help. Woman, those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it.
This was a solid Raw. While I think the Keys & OTM team is rushed, especially with Ottawa responding with nothing when it happened, I always enjoy a good beat down. Especially when it introduces a new element into a long running story.
What say you, Cagesiders? Are you looking forward to OTM and Keys running roughshod over The Bloodline?
