Welcome to the WWE Raw Review for May 21 2018. 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.
The Princess Returns
With as much as her name has been mentioned in the past week, it was not surprising that Stephanie McMahon returned to Raw. She was more subdued then usual, but there was still a hint in her eye of her usual persona. She praised Kurt Angle while downplaying his role. When Roman Reigns came out, she was very reasonable. Insisting that she does not play favorites, she booked him in a match with Kevin Owens. Time will tell if this is a one off appearance, but the phrase “best for business” was uttered a few times, meaning the Billion Dollar Princess has a plan.
Eclipse
With Alexia Bliss and Ember Moon qualified for the Money in the Bank, a decision to have the two square off happened. Moon is one of those wrestlers who quite possibly can not have a bad match. Her opponent Bliss has been at the top of the card for a long time. These two had a hard hitting match with some great moments. My favorite was when Bliss tried to pin Moon and grabbed the tights. Moon kicked out and turned on her, her face a mask of fury. The best move in the woman’s division, the Eclipse, got the victory. moon might bring the high flying risk to the MITB match
Contract
Rhonda Rousey and Nia Jax signed their contract for the Raw Women’s title at MITB, presided over by McMahon. Some people have questioned if a rivalry built on just a championship can be successful. The truth is you don’t need hatred or some backstabbing excuse. The gold around the champions waist should be all that matters. Rousey was the most comfortable in a talking segment she has ever been. McMahon was the right person for this spot. Not stirring the pot, but saying just the right things to make both the challenger and the champion think.
Match of the Night
Finn Balor vs.Braun Strowman (Strowman wins by pin fall)
McMahon’s last piece of business was booking this match. That segment had the incredible moment when Braun Strowman crushed an apple with his bare hand. The match itself was strength vs speed. Both men looked strong and got a few good moments. Finn Balor had a coup de grace form the ring barricade and Strowman had everyone’s new favorite move, running through a person on the outside. These two mix well together and if one of them gets the title, a fantastic series of matches could follow.
Conclusion
Jinder Mahl and Kevin Owens lost to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, but Mahl took his revenge with a chair afterwards. The B-Team is still undefeated. Chad Gable lost to Dolph Ziggler. Sami Zayn brought out Bobby Lashley’s “sisters”, but Lashley had the last laugh. Natalya qualified for MITB. Baron Corbin finally beat No Way Jose
