Welcome to the Raw Review for July 10, 2017. For both this and Smackdown, I will go over what the big talking points were, pick the match of the night, and look ahead to the next show.
Talking Points
The #1 Contender
Count me as one of those fans who want to see Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar II. On Great Balls of Fire (Still HATE that name) they had a little over ten minutes to put on their match and it was brutal. I want to see what they could do with a full twenty minute or more match. However, Roman Reigns made sure that the conversation would include him as well. I still don’t know what to classify Reigns as, heel or babyface, but this new attitude is a welcome change. Not apologizing for what he did to Strowman, by pointing out how extreme the wrestlers USED to be, Reigns made his case. It was believable that Reigns could lose twenty-four hours ago, almost commit murder, and still be considered in a title shot. Joe and Reigns will meet next week to determine who faces Lesnar at Summerslam, but maybe a third name will make his presence felt. The big question is: Where is Braun Strowman?
Close to Being Broken
I am starting to wonder if Jeff and Matt Hardy are trolling us. Looking beaten, they addressed the Raw audience about their future. We have seen Tag teams do this forever, but every other sentence seemed to be teasing us with a return to one of the most original gimmicks in years. Phrases such as “Other teams think we are OBSOLETE”, “We are here to make a PROCLAMATION”, and of course “…And maybe even BROKEN” The beat down by The Revival and Gallows and Anderson could not take away the excitement that a change is immanent. WWE has to be careful. Anticipation is one thing, but drawing it out could lessen it’s impact. The Broken gimmick needs to be in WWE, and it should be DELIGHTFUL.
A Strange Phone Call
Kurt Angle is a general manager with little to do other then book matches and and play peacemaker between wrestlers. All that changed when a text message was sent to him, and Corey Brewer, which seemed to upset the General Manager. Later on, Angle was seen talking to someone over the phone about showing up next week. The call ended with Angle saying “I love you too.” A story line for the general manager is a fantastic step. Angle is too great a talent to simply book matches. Give the Olympian a story line and watch him shine. The big question is who is sending texts to Corey Brewer? Is this a call back to the footage that Brewer got about Enzo and Cass? Who is this mysterious texter?
Match of the Night
Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt (Wyatt wins by pin fall)
Can a rematch from a Pay-Per-View twenty-four hours before be better then the original? The answer was yes when Rollins and Wyatt locked up again. This had more of a story with Wyatt going after Rollins’s eye and Rollins trying to break Wyatt’s hand. Wyatt looked less strong, but he still managed to hit big moves. Rollins also swung for the fences, getting back some face from his defeat. This seemed to be the end of this feud and they ended strong. Rollins will move on to The Miz while Wyatt will look to parlay his wins into a more larger role.
Conclusion
If the number one contender match and finding out who was on the phone with Angle wasn’t enough, there was actually little build for Summerslam. Raw will need to hit the ground running in order to prepare who we will see at the second largest Pay-Per-View of the year. Hopefully we will see who will get the shot at the Women’s and Tag Team Championships. There was a feeling of tiredness, which should have been expected after a great Pay-Per-View, and next week should have given everyone the time to refuel and refocus. Summerslam is coming and hopefully Raw will be able to follow up one great event with another.
