Raw was in Houston, Texas.
(Segment 1) Elias and Jinder Mahal vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns: This was our opening match and it was set up on the fly, meaning it was not announced before Raw. This match was pretty boring and didn’t have much to it. Seth Rollins really kept the pace of the match up with Reigns adding some good action too. Overall this match was ok. Elias and Mahal win after Elias hits Rollins with Driftaway for 1-2-3.
(Segment 2) James Harden vs Curt Hawkins: No Hawkins didn’t face James Harden of the Rockets, he is just a jobber from Houston. Not much to write on this match. Harden beats Curt via DQ after Corbin ran in and hit James. This match makes Hawkins 0-200 in his last 200 matches. Looks like we’re getting a Corbin and Hawkins feud.
(Segment 3) Nia Jax vs Natalya: This was a non-title match. Ronda came out onto commentary and did a pretty good job throughout the match. This match was very slow paced and didn’t have anything great. The match up is very bad and had no flare. Nia ended up pinning Natalya after a Samoan Drop. It was latter announced in the show that Nia and Ronda will go face to face next week.
(Segment 4) Braun Strowman vs Bobby Roode: This match was basically a showcase of Braun and I feel bad for Bobby once again. Bobby has been a disappointment on the main roster so far, and I don’t think he’s winning MITB at all. Braun destroyed a ladder in one shot during this match which was a cool spot. This match was quick and Braun was in control the majority of the time. Braun pinned Bobby after a running powerslam, getting more momentum going into MITB.
(Segment 5) Tag Team Battle Royal: The winner of this match would go on to face Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt at MITB for the Raw Tag Team Titles. Last time WWE did a tag team battle royal Braun Strowman won. This time the B-Team kept their win streak going by winning and going on to compete for the tag titles. This feud should be filled with good comedy and some good action.
(Segment 6) Sami Zayn and Bobby Lashley Segment: There isn’t much to say about this segment besides that it was very boring It didn’t help this feud at all and I cannot wait for it to end. These two will face each other at MITB to end this feud.
(Segment 7) Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, and Sasha Banks vs The Riott Squad: This match actually had some good action in it, but overall wasn’t that hot. Bliss faked a hamstring injury causing her to walk out of the match. This made Bayley run down the ring a little later and help Moon and Banks out. She won the match for them in the moment but Kurt Angle said backstage after the match that they lost via DQ because Bayley wasn’t in the match, which is the right call.
(Segment 8) Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor: This was the main event of the night and got a lot of time. Even with the time they got it wasn’t an amazing match. The ending of this match really killed and ended Raw on a bad note. Balor won via DQ after Owens kept hitting him in the corner and would not stop. A lot matches ended in DQ tonight, which made the night even worse. Neither person here really gains momentum going into MITB in just 2 weeks.
Overall Raw Grade: C-
All Raw, Smackdown, and PPV reviews are done by @WWETalkingPoint
