Monday Night Raw is currently occupying this strange space where each week I find myself watching and thinking that while it isn’t bad, necessarily, it isn’t exactly good either. There just isn’t anything memorable about any of the stories WWE is currently telling.
And they have a very real problem with the lack of stars they’ve been able to create.
It’s worth pointing out that they absolutely are telling stories in such a way that you can actually get something out of them, it’s just a question of how much you can actually get. There’s a great story brewing with Mustafa Ali and Mansoor, with the former feigning injury to steal a pinfall victory over the latter this week to impart a philosophical lesson on how the newcomer must approach his career if he’s to have any success around these parts. It’s interesting, and a good story to tell, but we ultimately know it won’t be going anywhere because Vince McMahon simply doesn’t know what to do with characters like these on a show like this on a long enough timeline.
It would also work a hell of a lot better if Ali was an established star. He is not, because McMahon never figured out how to make him one. So even if the story is sound, it’s still missing some key ingredients. By the way, I’m using this as an example because it’s one of the few things that stood out to me at all on this show.
That and Drew McIntyre’s rambling story about the Loch Ness monster. You’ll find that, and the rest of the show, in this video playlist for Raw this week:
- Omos sends Riddle tumbling off a ladder during chaotic “Miz TV”
- Ricochet vs. John Morrison
- Bliss & Asuka & Naomi & Nikki ASH vs. Jax & Baszler & Eva Marie & Doudrop
- Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali
- Drew McIntyre explains his sword’s ties to the Loch Ness monster
- Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal
- Lucha House Party vs. MACE & T-BAR
- Riddle vs. AJ Styles
- Rhea Ripley emerges with an “injury” during Charlotte Flair’s medical update
- R-Truth & Jaxson Ryker vs. Elias & Cedric Alexander
- The New Day vs. Bobby Lashley & MVP
- Mustafa Ali offers some post-match advice to Mansoor
- John Morrison will always “H2-own” Ricochet
- Shayna Baszler storms off after Alexa Bliss is mentioned
- Riddle celebrates his win with The Viking Raiders