The Revival of Monday Night Raw
by Zac VanderLey
This episode of Monday Night Raw carried a story line throughout the entire show. There were many wrestling matches including a tag team championship match. The rivalry between the Shield and the Dogs of War continued and Stephanie McMahon also made an appearance on the show.
The show began with the arrival of Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. She proceeded to chastise Constable Corbin and explain that mistakes were tolerated but not excuses. She made it clear that if Corbin did not step up and control the Shield, that Kurt Angle would return and replace Corbin. Constable Corbin has been a great story line that has provided comedy and a return to the Authority. Angle is definitely going to return, but it is hard to say when. Corbin has made the show more interesting and has changed the pace by allowing a heel to be in charge rather than a face.
The Shield then proceeded to march out to the ring and sing their own praises. They claimed that they are the best and will always be the best. This prompted the Dogs of War and Constable Corbin to emerge from backstage. Rollins called Corbin the biggest substitute teacher which drew some laughs, but the most interesting dialogue occurred when Dolph Ziggler and Drew Mcintyre started their pitch to Dean Ambrose. They said that Roman and Seth did not care about him and he could have a title if he was not in their shadow. Ziggler continued by saying that Roman and Seth were using Ambrose and that if Ambose joined the Dogs of War he would get a title shot. Ambrose appeared to be thinking about his decision, but then attempted to attack the Dogs of War with his Shield brethren. Constable Corbin, invigorated by McMahon's threats, blocked the two teams from fighting and forced the Dogs of War back into the locker room. It is hard to imagine the Shield breaking up again at this time. It will happen eventually, but this is not the time. The pitch is interesting and makes sense because Ambrose will not get a single's championship match while Roman and Seth hold the IC and Universal belts. This story line continued throughout the show, but it may not have any long term effects. This rivalry has been set up well and intensifies every week. These are probably the six best wrestlers on Monday Night Raw and their tag team match at Super Showdown will be epic, but will not be a conclusion to this rivalry.
Finn Balor faced off against Jinder Mahal. This match was supposed to be a set up match to promote the mixed match challenge as Bayley and Alicia Fox accompanied their partners to the ring. This was a forgettable match. There was nothing special and Balor won on a rollup. Jinder Mahal has seen an incredible drop off after losing the heavy weight title to AJ Styles. His meditation heel combination character is one of the least creative, boring and utterly dumb character choices. He is not a terrible wrestler and he should return to his Maharajah character. Balor did the same old stuff and his pairing with Bayley shows two of the most ineffective wrestlers as a tag team.
The next match that occurred was Natalya and the Bellas versus the Riott Squad. The Riott Squad beat up Natalya last week and Natalya was looking for some revenge. Brie Bella was the only one who got literal revenge. She appeared to land a yes kick to the head of Liv Morgan that caused Morgan to not reenter the match. It appeared that it was another in ring mistake by Brie Bella and Morgan could have suffered a concussion. This is further proof that Brie Bella probably should not be wrestling anymore. She has hurt others and herself by way of her blunders and her wrestling ability has fallen to the depths of Naomi level. The Riott Squad won the match on a Riott Kick by Ruby Riott. It was a fairly forgettable match with nothing special and only aimed at providing buildup to Super Showdown.
Chad Gable then faced Konnor of the Ascension in a one on one match. Most people believed that Gable would come out with the win and the Ascension would prove as jobbers once again, but Konnor came out on top. He landed a gutwrench lift and cutter slam and pinned Gable. It is hard to know what the WWE has in mind with this repetitive match sequence. The WWE Universe can only hope that Konnor and the Ascension are finally receiving the push they deserve, but it is more likely that some tension is being created between Roode and Gable. The Ascension are intimidating and could serve as a great opposition to any face tag team, but Raw is filled with Heel tag teams. The Ascension have no where to go just like the The Revival. The WWE should give the Ascension a chance at the titles and see how they fair as a physical tag team that is taken seriously.
The next and most entertaining match of the night was the Revival facing off with the Dogs of War in a Tag Team Championship match. Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson put on their best match since entering the WWE. They performed moves such as the Rings of Saturn, a butterfly bomb, tornado DDT and an electric chair drop into a closeline. The match was back and forth until Drew Mcintyre landed a Claymore Kick into a Ziggler Zig Zag. The Revival proved that they can put on a show. Everyone was impressed with the quality of the match, even though it was fairly obvious that the Dogs of War would retain. The Revival are caught in no man's land. With the tag titles locked up in the rivalry between the Shield and the Dogs of War, the Revival have no shot at attaining the tag titles. They already had a rivalry with the B-Team recently and they probably will not create a rivalry with the AOP. This was the Revival's strongest performance, but it comes at a time when the Revival cannot capitalize on it. The Dogs of War are a great pairing and always put on an amazing wrestling match.
The next bit that occurred was the Kevin Owens Show with Elias. These two were meant to work together. They are two of the best at improvising on the mic and are also strong wrestlers. The WWE should continue to use Elias and Owens together. Lio Rush, who is Bobby Lashley's new hype man, came out to the Kevin Owens show but refused to go into the ring, even when Owens and Elias brought out a tiny chair. Lashley then entered the mix and had a match with Elias. Elias spent the match working on Lashley's knee until Owens accidentally interfered. Owens and Elias attempted to attack Lio Rush, but he avoided them showcasing his athleticism.
Nia Jax and Alicia Fox then had a match. It was a crush match. It is hard to know where Nia Jax fits into the women's title picture at this point. It would be cool to see her go to Smackdown and shake up the women's divisions. Alicia Fox should not be wrestling.
The main event of the night was the Shield returning to tag team action for the first time in nearly four years against Baron Corbin and his choice of AOP. The Dogs of War came out to watch and see if Ambrose would turn on his brothers. The match was physical and the AOP proved they can wrestle with the best. The Shield won off a Roman Reigns Spear and Ambrose stayed loyal to his brothers. It concluded a narrative that is likely to continue. Ambrose will grow frustrated that he has no title opportunities, but will stick by the Shield for the time being. Mcintyre was given the same talk as Ambrose by Seth Rollins. He will probably stick with Ziggler and Strowman for the time being, but the seeds of betrayal have been planted on both sides.
Now for some ratings:
Matches: B+, There were some really bad matches scattered across the show, but the Revival and Dogs of War put on a PPV worthy championship match. It is interesting to see how many matches were in this show compared to other Raw episodes. It was good to see a lot of in ring action.
Storylines: C+, The only new addition was the Dogs of War's pitch to Dean Ambrose. The show was primarily filled with matches and there was little room for banter. This is not necessarily bad as the in ring performance is what the WWE is centered around.
Promos: C+, There were not many promos. The Shield said what they always say and Elias had his bit.
Unpredictability: B-, There were some predictable matches, but seeing the AOP face off against the Shield was a surprise. Konnor upsetting Gable also was not expected.
Comedy: B. Kevin Owens and Elias are comedy gold. If they continue to work together this rating will increase and hopefully Raw will return to the good old days when Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens were best friends.
The Ultimate Warrior: The Revival
They put on their best match and proved they can wrestle with any tag team. They shocked the entire WWE Universe with their variety of moves and their entertaining match.
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