This wasn’t a good show, in my opinion. We saw plenty that you’ll see in “The Rest” down below where the story never clicked to make me feel emotionally invested. But with that said, there’s one feud on Raw that’s doing it right, one feud that’s bringing the heat and making the whole confrontation feel like a big deal.
Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans.
Earlier in the show, we had to sit through Baron Corbin’s whining and Drew McIntyre making excuses. We had to endure Dana Brooke talking about who’s getting too many opportunities while Natalya’s sitting with her hands on her hips, saying, “C’mon guys. I’m gonna be the champ!”
Yeah. None of that’s working for me either, funnily enough.
Instead of all...that, Lynch and Evans hate each other. Can’t stand each other. Their mere presence offends one another and neither is willing to back down an inch.
Lynch tried to keep her cool and answer some questions with an in-ring promo, but was left visibly agitated after being reminded of Evans’ actions last week. The double champ snatched the microphone from Charly Caruso, and demanded that Evans come down to fight.
And there were no dumb games here. No heels scurrying away or anything like that. No, Evans hit the stage with her usual grace and did her usual routine, except the sugary words were tinged with a mocking sweetness this time before the anger took over. She then charged the double champ like a boss and the two fought like hell.
And it was good! It even got a “Let them fight!” chant! It was perhaps the only thing on this show that really perked me up...well, except for Bray Wyatt, of course.
Breaking down the Funhouse
Ah! The true point of this review: breaking down what the hell the Firefly Fun House episode meant!
So Bray told us early in the episode that by expressing ourselves, no one can ever really hurt us. And I thought that was really interesting, because I can’t tell if he was lying to us from his perspective or telling the truth.
Take the first character we were introduced to, for example: Rambling Rabbit, a puppet who is intrigued by what Bray is drawing. The name of the rabbit is intriguing, of course, because what was one of the most common criticisms of Bray in his former guise? “Talks in riddles, says things but doesn’t back it up...”
Hmm. Interesting.
The fact that Rambling Rabbit is a manifestation in whatever Bray-adjacent horror scene we’re witnessing is notable, especially on the heels of the discussion about expressing ourselves and whether it can hurt our feelings. The natural assumption I have is that Bray’s saying his old guise WAS him expressing himself, and yet we criticized. Whether our criticisms hurt him or not, who’s to say? The fact that he’s in this weird Fun House might give us a hint, though.
What’s also notable to be is that he painted the burning shack which housed Abigail’s corpse. And as soon as Bray hung the painting crookedly on the wall, Abby woke up. What does that mean? No idea. I just thought it was neat.
I love this show. Can I just do reviews of the Fun House, Geno? (Editor’s note from Geno: Nope!)
That’s all?
Was anyone else expecting...more from AJ Styles and Seth Rollins? And by “more,” I mean “literally anything interesting at all.”
The entire segment, they just said the obvious stuff:
“Hey, I like you, but I want that belt.”
“Nah, can’t have it.”
“But I want it.”
“I burn it down though.”
“I build it up though.”
...I feel like I’m stealing a gimmick, so let me dodge outta this lane. The point I’m getting at, though, is that nothing either Rollins or Styles said fostered any intrigue or excitement for this story. The match will rock because of who’s in it. But this was a chance to really do something to invest people in what’s happening on this new version of Raw. Instead we got minor conflicts and a clinical brawl.
I want more, but not in the way they’d want me to want more. I want...anything to latch on to. Anything at all, please.
The Rest
Becky’s not the only one pulling double duty – Shane’s messing with Roman Reigns on SmackDown Live...but that doesn’t mean he’s done with the Miz. Miz had a MizTV segment with a Lio Rush-less Bobby Lashley where he basically asked Lashley if he was living up to his potential. In response, Lashley talked in third-person for some reason.
Shane came out to distract and cost Miz the succeeding match. He then put Miz to sleep and insulted his father again. Miz challenged him to a steel cage match in retaliation. That sure as hell will be a spectacle, won’t it?
Ricochet and Braun Strowman def. Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre – I guess it’s notable that McIntyre walked out on Corbin, but the main takeaway I think is that Ricochet has taken over Finn Balor’s role of being talked down to by big guys quite nicely. Also, finishing the match with a moonsault was different.
The Usos def. The Club – The crowd participation entrance has to go, Uce. Also noooooo my Balor Club fantasy booking =(
Everything related to the Revival – None of it is fun, chief. They lost to the tag champs too, for good measure.
Sami Zayn’s still a god – Yes, he’s still living the best life. No, you still aren’t. And that’s your problem, not his. And he’d rather rub that in your face even more than quitting his job.
I really dug the “3 shoulder surgeries and 17 years of 5-star classics is more than enough, don’t you think?” line. I wish the reaction had been a bit stronger, but...y’know. Lexington, Kentucky.
Naomi def. Alexa Bliss – The Moment of Bliss segment before this was not good, but the match that came from it was pretty neat. This was a big win for Naomi, and one that Raw probably needed after the shakeup. Naomi needs to be a big player in the division moving forward.
...Okay I said I didn’t want to talk about Moment of Bliss but man, I lost all desire to cheer for Dana Brooke in like 3 minutes flat.
Rey Mysterio def. Samoa Joe – Good promo beforehand by Joe, but I swear Joe’s entire WWE career is him getting rolled up and then looking absolutely in shock afterwards.
I am a bit intrigued to see where this Dominic thing goes, but he and Rey high-fiving as much as they do is kind of silly.
The Viking Raiders def. The Lucha House Party – My only question: what happened to Lucha House Rules?
Really disliked this episode. I’ve refrained from really grilling it in the review, but the grade should tell you what I COULD say.
Grade: D
Your turn.