Emergency recapper and reactor reporting for duty, but the only emergency is my inability to remember when people told me they wouldn’t be around. That’s my way of telling you this came together late, so apologies if it looks like a rush job… because it is.
Hey, let’s check out the Raw after the Raw after SummerSlam!
The Family Uso
I’m still not sure how much more Bloodline Saga I want (not that that matters), but Solo Sikoa and Jey Uso sold me on tonight’s chapter with their opening segment. Neither tread any new
ground, but Sikoa is still doing well with the easier role of pointing out oft-noted quirks in the family’s story over the years, and Jey’s fire has never been a problem.
Even knowing the last “pew” was coming, Solo Dolo still got me with it.
Before his main event match with Main Event Jey, Sikoa tried to warn LA Knight that he was gonna end up like Royce Keys (who we were told earlier is out for a while with Bloodline-induced injuries I’m pretty sure are kayfabe). Knight said he was out, even though the YEAH man had a run in with Jacob Fatu later that ended with him being reminded that the Samoan Werewolf is still ALL GAS, NO BRAKES WIT IT, just for the OTC now, YADDADAMEAN (FAH-TWO). Jacob and Jey were also not on the same page earlier.
That led to the final match of Aug. 10’s show, a 12 minute affair to decide if Jey would deliver his little brother to Roman Reigns next Monday, or if their “messed up family” would be leaving Solo alone from now on (he likes where he’s at, and I’m one of those people who do too). It won’t change anyone’s opinion about either man’s ring work, but it got the job done.
The job was having Jimmy Uso show up to distract his younger brother and take a Samoan Spike that would allow his twin brother to get the win, and a head to bring to his meeting with the Tribal Chief next week.
Sikoa’s surprisingly great new character — I thought he also nailed the more serious scene with Knight embedded above in addition to flashing his already established comedy chops on this episode — is keeping the Bloodline story afloat for me for now. I expect to have fun with what will hopefully involve him driving Roman a little nuts before… I guess Keys comes back and LA realizes Sikoa was trying to help him out? Or is Solo going to defy the World Heavyweight champ and end up on injured list with Royce? And are we really just gonna do different configurations of The Bloodline vs. different babyface alliances for the next several years?
Bad Judgment
This wasn’t a great night for The Judgment Day. The group has three of the company’s belts, including the top Raw Women’s title and the top AAA Men’s one. They took losses in 40% of Monday night’s matches, but at least they were kinda afterthoughts in the big segments that followed?
First up, Women’s World champ Liv Morgan ended up playing second fiddle to a budding feud between the two recently returned former champs who are chasing her: Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer. Their promo segment before Morgan tried and failed to attack Lynch was solid. Personally I’ll never not get at least a little carried away by almost any mic work from Lynch, especially as The Man. La Primera is coming along with her English public speaking skills, and did pretty well here herself. It just feels kinda rote right now. Hopefully they’ll put more of their own twist on the “aging star tries to prove she’s got another run in her by going up against the rising star” storyline as we go.
Their tensions continued after Morgan traded attacks with Lynch but escaped Vaquer’s finisher.
After understandably getting on AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio about not being included in the luchador tournament for a shot at Reigns’ World Heavyweight title when Raw’s in Mexico City, AAA Megachamp Dominik Mysterio got a match with Dragon Lee. And just like his deadbeat dad probably drew it up, he took a clean loss…
That match existed to make Lee look like a threat before Big Cass killed him, I guess? The recently returned seven-footer continued his decidedly not-comedic new WWE role by taking out Lee post-match, and then Je’Von Evans when the Young OG tried to bounce in for the save.
Finally, Women’s Intercontinental champion Raquel Rodriguez teamed with faction-mate Roxanne Perez against former Women’s IC champ Sol Ruca and her not-Danhausen mystery partner IYO SKY. They lost too, but at least Ruca pinned Perez and not Rodriguez, so maybe Raquel can deny Sol a rematch? Is IYO going to join Lynch and Vaquer in the chase for Liv? At least I’m interested in what’s ahead for the women of Judgment Day, I guess.
Next Big Things
Raw’s other big storyline this week involved another “why are they still a thing?” faction, The Vision. Austin Theory beat Akira Tozawa in a match that was longer than it probably should have been for what it was, even though what it was was the blow-off for Alpha Academy.
It was preceded by an interesting scene with group where Bron Breakker can’t be bothered with Theory, Maxxine Dupri, and Logan Paul’s nonsense because he’s too distracted by how Oba Femi’s star has eclipsed his among future face of WWE-types.
And it led to tense scenes between The Ruler and Breakker when Femi came out to (kinda?) stop The Vision’s assault of Tozawa.
The intrigue continued afterwards with a scene of Bron nearly menacing Paul Heyman. In a move that may be designed to save Paul E’s skin more than anything else, Heyman challenged Breakker to prove he’s better than Femi.
Going meta with this feud might be a bad idea. Hell, booking it now might be, period. But they’ve got me so far.
Also of note…
- Penta’s 10-ish minute victory over Laredo Kid to advance in the luchador tournament was good, and the expected result. Bring on the Lucha Bro vs. Lucha Bro final.
- There was mercifully little Danhausen. Norfolk, Virginia didn’t sound terribly loud all night, but the not-included-on-the-domestic-U.S.-stream bit they released on social didn’t even get the response Joe Henry did.
- “Unhinged” Lyra Valkyria is still wanting her precious back.
I’m enjoying the big angles, but there are some curious choices being made to get to them. And I’m not terribly interested in much that’s happening in the midcard. The matches were good but nothing remarkable. I guess this is where we are with two months before the next announced PLE?
Grade: C
That’s my take. Give us yours, below or with a longer post in The Feed.
