JM: Is WWE RAW Better Than Sleep? (September 30th 2024)

It’s Monday.

It’s 1am.

I’m shattered.

You know what that means!

So far the score is 1-1 and we’re on the go-home show before Bad Blood. Frankly I still need to be sold on a couple of the matches, so let’s see how we go!

Jey Uso

“Previously on Monday Night Raw…” is something I could do without, although it is super heartwarming to see so many a bunch of little kids lose their minds at Jey Uso winning. I will never understand people who feel the need to record from their phone when they’re  on live TV. What are you capturing that the cameras won’t? Are you afraid people won’t believe you’re there? We can see you! Uso receives a “you deserve it” chant, and while I can’t disagree with the audience we’re now ten minutes in and nothing of note has happened. Look, I’m pleased for him that he got his moment, but that was boring. Thank Shawn for Bron Breakker coming out and interrupting.

Or so I thought.

Maybe I’m cranky because the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, but that was rubbish wasn’t it? Didn’t feel like any story was furthered, no discussion of a rematch, and the sunglasses made it hard to tell if Uso was getting emotional or just forgetting his lines. If I was a casual fan I think I would’ve switched off and we’re only in the first segment.

Rey Mysterio vs Xavier Woods

Rey Mysterio is almost 50 years old and still has more agility in his little finger than most people do in their entire bodies. The story being told is that Woods can’t step up to Mysterio’s level and I like it. That being said, the match itself was seriously clunky. Maybe that was part of the story? Woods picks up the win after “accidentally” ripping off Rey’s mask and rolling him up… While the match wasn’t great, I love that as a way to develop the story. Woods can talk about beating one of the best to ever do it, but with a big ol’ asterisk next to the victory for him to feel insecure about. The inevitable split of New Day continues to loom on the horizon. No problem whatsoever with dragging it out as long as the eventual moment is huge.

Lyra Valkyria vs Zoey Stark

Oh good, it’s time for Pure Fusion Collective. It seems like the crowd shares my opinion, which is a shame as it’s been a much smoother match than Mysterio vs Woods so far. Credit to both women though, they’re warming up the longer this goes on. Slightly off at the finish but again, the story is told well. The numbers game wins as Stark picks up a victory thanks to her teammates. They tease a beatdown at the end only to be interrupted by Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. As much as I currently dislike PFC, this feels like an opportunity for everyone involved to elevate themselves. Can they make me care? Can they make the crowd care? It seems like they might be on the way.

CM Punk / Drew McIntyre

The Cell is being lowered onto a legion of security guards, which means it must be time for possibly the final McIntyre/Punk promo of the feud. Both men have their serious faces on and they’re selling the hell out of that cell. Punk all in white, Drew all in black, the visuals couldn’t be any clearer. McIntyre is fantastic, playing the crowd like a fiddle and every inch the dastardly, self-justified heel. These two have given us one of the best rivalries in recent memory and this was no different. A couple of minutes each, some phenomenal lines, and a genuinely palpable sense of hatred between them. Saturday is going to be violent, probably bloody, and almost definitely excellent.

Judgement Day vs LWO

It feels like Judgement Day have gone off the boil a tad, which I suppose is natural given arguably their two biggest stars have left the group. Maybe it’s a credit to Balor that his absence makes them feel further diminished? LWO have been absolutely dominant for the first part of the match, making the trio look borderline foolish until Liv and Balor get involved. LWO looked strong with their high-flying offence, Judgement Day pick up a dastardly victory, and the group looks stronger when they’re whole.

After the break we descend into chaos between Judgement Day and the Terror Twins. Balor and the Judgement Day stand tall with an extended beatdown of Damian Priest and everything I said about Judgement Day going off the boil was completely incorrect. Listen to that crowd. Another two matches that live up to the Bad Blood title. Liv and Rhea have been excellent but it’s clear they’re not the #1 match the people want to see. There is serious money being left on the table not letting Ripley take on Dom. Give the people what they want!

Kofi Kingston vs Chad Gable

What odds do I get on Xavier Woods invertedly costing Kofi this match? It never ceases to amaze me when pro-America stables get over as heels. American wrestling fans seem like one of the most patriotic groups anywhere in the world, and yet they’re booing a team covered in the stars and stripes. Testament to the always-excellent Gable I suppose. As you’d expect from these two it’s smooth and athletically impressive… But as soon as I’ve typed that we get a few less-than-smooth spots in a row. Is it me, or has the in-ring action just felt a little off tonight?

Predictably, Xavier Woods manages to cost Kofi the victory by attempting to cheat. The predictability doesn’t make it any less effective as a story though. This wasn’t bad by any stretch but it didn’t end as smoothly as it began.

A moment of silence for the final third hour of Raw, at least until the Netflix deal starts. You won’t be missed at all.

Gunther / Sami Zayn

Terrible news for Ilja Dragunov as he’s out for six-to-eight months, but credit to WWE for turning it into a tale of Gunther’s ability. It’s horrible when long-term injuries happen but as McIntyre has proved, there’s also opportunity there. Whether Gunther is still world champion that far down the line remains to be seen, but it doesn’t hurt to have a ready-made programme with one of the top stars in the company.

There’s nothing wrong technically with the story being told here, but it doesn’t work for me. I don’t buy Sami Zayn as a realistic threat to Gunther’s title reign this early on. It also feels like they’re low-key burying Sami with this story. Why is Gunther embarrassed to have lost to Sami? Being an underdog is part of his charm, but he doesn’t need to be diminished for weeks on end. I’m sure the match itself will be great, but they’re going to have to work really hard for me to suspend my disbelief.

Authors of Pain vs Miz & Truth

A strangely thrown-together match that ends almost as quickly as it begins, with Miz turning on Truth? The crowd are livid as AOP pick up a quick pin on Truth. Well… If you want to bring heel Miz back, turning on his beloved long-time tag partner is one way to do it! Certainly garnered a big reaction and I’ll be interested to see where they take it next.

Bron Breakker being teased as Gunther’s next challenger…  If I was Jey Uso, I’d be trying to lose that title as soon as possible. Everyone who loses the Intercontinental championship seems to move straight into the world title scene! Makes absolutely zero sense but hey, what do I know?

Last Monster Standing: Braun Strowman vs Bronson Reed

I’m excited for this one. Don’t expect any Lucha Libre or Meltzer stars but they’ve put on a couple of very entertaining weeks thus far. Is there a significant difference between unprotected chair shots and unprotected stair shots? We’re approximately 40 seconds in and Reed has already been put through a table for a six count.

Back from the break and someone’s nicely set up 5 chairs at ringside. Are we having a throwback to Eugene’s musical chairs segment? Nope, we’re sending Bronson Reed through them. Pretty one-sided to begin with, Strowman in absolute control of the match. Three tables down, six chairs down, and this is exactly what you’d expect it to be. A chaotic, heavy-hitting brawl between two big meaty men.

Is it going to win any awards? No. Is it thoroughly enjoyable? Yes. Taking out some ‘fans’ is a nice touch, although quite why the referee is needed among sixteen million security guards and doctors is beyond me. Clearly Bronson agrees as he starts tossing guards into the ring. It’s chaotic in the best possible way as Strowman flies like a Condor with a dodgy wing and takes out the aforementioned sixteen million people. “This is awesome” rings out, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Visually stunning, utterly chaotic, and a huge pop for Seth Rollins, who returns to gift Strowman the win. That was excellent.

Final Thoughts

Well they’ve certainly sent the crowd home happy! I could’ve done without a lot of the earlier matches but as go-home shows go, that was better than most. A huge main event in every sense of the word that really did feel like a big deal.

Braun Strowman has some momentum now and he’s only 41. With Reed moving on to Seth Rollins I worry Strowman might get lost in the shuffle, particularly with one less hour of TV to work with. That would be a crying shame as he’s worked hard to come back from his neck injury and turn a throwaway brawl with Reed into something worthy of a Raw main event.

I’m sure I’m not alone in my excitement for Bad Blood. With the exception of Sami vs Gunther every match has a degree of unpredictability and no shortage of proper bad blood between the competitors. But that excitement doesn’t necessarily mean this episode of Raw was worth three sleepless hours. Punk/McIntyre was perfect and the main event was outstanding, but otherwise it felt fairly forgettable. I even had to scroll back through my writing to remind myself what I’d seen.

I’m going to say YES this week, but only by the skin of its teeth. That main event really saved the day.