WWE RAW Flops and Hits: Sword is mightier than finishers, current champion on the road to redemption before SummerSlam 2021?
This week’s episode of WWE RAW had more than its fair share of flaws. We saw a couple of repetitive encounters, but there were a few surprising segments as well. Goldberg returned and confirmed his intentions of challenging Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2021.
We also saw Nia Jax fight impressively despite being busted open in a brutal match against Rhea Ripley. Overall, the show was quite monotonous. Here, we will look at the hits and flops from WWE RAW this week. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Drew McIntyre swings a sword
Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre arrived on the Red brand with a sword. Angela, the sword, is named after McIntyre’s late mother, and he used it to whack a steel chair out of Jinder Mahal’s hands. But we will get to that part in a bit. First, it is vital to discuss McIntyre’s battle against Shanky and Veer in a two-on-one handicap match.
Both Shanky and Veer were impressive, making McIntyre look more credible as a fierce “warrior.” The latter was dominant throughout the bout and took special care to make his opponents look good on WWE RAW. He was close to picking up a victory, but his plans derailed after Mahal interfered and used a steel chair to lay out a vicious attack.
The match ended in a disqualification, which was arguably a weak booking for an otherwise engaging in-ring encounter on WWE RAW. Mahal equipped both his friends with a chair and tried to attack McIntyre once again. However, The Scottish Warrior used his sword to scare The Modern Day Maharaja and his men into escaping from the arena.
While we are discussing this segment, it is essential to point out a hilarious (and equally embarrassing) spot. It appears that the company piped in the crowd noise during McIntyre’s entrance because we could hear a faint announcement about a “16-time champion” in the background. The production team might need to take another look at that one.
#4 Flop on WWE RAW: Eva Marie spoils Doudrop’s match, again
This week on WWE RAW, Doudrop returned to action in a match against Tamina. Both superstars faced each other in a balanced match that ended ridiculously. Eva Marie tried to help Doudrop, but the conversation kept the latter distracted long enough for Tamina to capitalize. The one-half of women’s tag team champions then picked up an easy victory and left the ring.
Soon after that, Alexa Bliss appeared on screen and made fun of Marie. Later in the night, Doudrop attacked Bliss in her playground while Eva Marie took all the credit. While it is evident that the company is heading towards a feud between both superstars, Marie’s recent booking doesn’t make her look like a credible threat in front of Bliss.
In fact, her lackluster presence on WWE RAW often compromises the interest surrounding Doudrop’s matches. Their alliance is not benefitting anyone, and it will primarily allow Bliss to play mind games quite conveniently in the coming weeks. There is no element of surprise, and it wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration to say that Eva Marie had one of the weakest performances on WWE RAW.