Dropping the ball on Goldberg’s return, former champion’s babyface push canceled - 5 Mistakes WWE made on RAW this week
The first episode of WWE RAW after Bad Blood needed to address a lot coming off the heels of the premium live event in Atlanta. CM Punk and Drew McIntyre competed in one of the more brutal WWE matches in recent memory.
The Best in the World sold his injuries to open the show. RAW had to address his next move, and he's taking some time off after his Hell in a Cell match.
Seth Rollins quickly confronted Punk before getting cut off himself by Jey Uso. Uso successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Xavier Woods. It ultimately felt more like a standard show rather than one after a PLE with a lot of buzz.
After several random contests, Gunther defeated Sami Zayn in the show's main event. The match was fine, but WWE still made the next five mistakes on RAW.
#5. A misdirect for the opening
WWE mentioned that CM Punk would open the show after a savage Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood. Instead, Samantha Irvin introduced rapper Sexyy Red.
She said one line, and then the feed immediately cut to a recap of Punk's fight with McIntyre. The crowd response to Red was mediocre, and this appearance wasn't heavily promoted.
Her performance on tomorrow's NXT, however, has been promoted. With the two-hour format, why did she appear right before Punk? It was a strange move on a night full of them.
#4. Bron Breakker's short face turn ends on RAW
After falling to Jey Uso two weeks ago, Bron Breakker congratulated the new Intercontinental Champion on last week's RAW. The two shook hands as Breakker allowed Jey to have his moment.
Breakker even stepped up to RAW's top heel and World Heavyweight Champ, Gunther, backstage. It teased a future showdown and excited fans who've waited for the two to cross paths.
That face turn lasted an entire week after the former NXT Champion blasted both Jey and the New Day following The Yeet Master's successful title defense.
Turning Bron would have made him a perfect choice to win the Royal Rumble. Now he's back to playing second fiddle on RAW to Gunther as a top heel.
#3. Pete Dunne loses to a guy with his arms tied behind his back
Sheamus has perfected the Donnybrook Matches in WWE. It suits his character's fighting nature and always provides great action for fans.
The match itself was fine as The Celtic Warrior and Pete Dunne pulled out all the stops to damage each other. Sheamus blasted Dunne with White Noise off the ring apron and through tables set up ringside.
The finishing sequence, however, didn't help Dunne's credibility. After a few false finishes, Dunne tie-wrapped Sheamus' hands behind his back. He hit a few moves but couldn't put away his foe.
Sheamus recovered to hit Dunne with a Brogue Kick with his arms behind his back. If Dunne was supposed to be a favorite of Triple H, it didn't come across that way since he lost to an opponent whose hands were literally tied behind his back.
#2. Where's The Judgment Day?
As The Bloodline has dominated episodes of SmackDown, The Judgment Day has done the same on RAW. The faction routinely appeared in several segments, including interviews, backstage segments, promos, and matches.
Tonight's RAW only provided a brief segment from the parking lot. Raquel Rodriguez drove Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio to the arena in an SUV.
The trio exited the vehicle, answered one question asked by Jackie Redmond, and then left. Liv's statement "of winning even when she loses" was fine, but The Judgment Day has been the focal point of RAW.
Members were featured in two of Bad Blood's five matches. Damian Priest and Finn Balor's match was barely referenced, and Ripley didn't appear.
#1. Goldberg doesn't travel to St. Louis
WWE made a big deal of showcasing legends in attendance at the Bad Blood Premium Live Event. Diamond Dallas Page, Mickie James, Booker T, Scott Steiner, and Goldberg were all shown on camera during the show.
Goldberg even had a brief segment from the crowd with Gunther. The Ring General insulted the legend, angering him to the point where he rushed the barricade and tried to get in the ring.
The confrontation teased a match and should have been followed up in some fashion on RAW. Sami Zayn even attacked the Champ in Atlanta before losing to Gunther in the show's main event.
The Ring General's focus then shifted to Cody Rhodes and Crown Jewel. WWE could have capitalized on the showdown since it could be Goldberg's sendoff. Cutting the show to two hours hurt the storytelling after a noteworthy PLE.