5 Biggest Takeaways from Raw (September 20th, 2021)
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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Last night’s episode of Raw is the kind of television fans expect to see on a weekly basis. Is that fair? Probably not but I get it. From top to bottom, last night’s episode of Raw was damn near perfection. We got continuation of stories, adding dimensions to other stories and a new story unfolding during the show that led to our big time main event that was an even bigger deal than the match they had announced.
Goosebumps.#UniversalChampion @WWERomanReigns#WWEChampion @WWEBigE#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/gFt8TOubQ8
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2021
When you can kick a show off with a match like The New Day versus The Bloodline, get the crowd completely jacked and on their feet and then top THAT in your main event… you’ve done a masterful job. What about all the filler in between? Fantastic. AJ Styles and Randy Orton put on an absolute clinic of a wrestling match that proves that age is just a number with these guys when performing inside that ring. Humberto Carillo and Angel Garza finally made their return to television as a newly formed tag team and they looked great together, showing instant chemistry. Just a few weeks ago, the world was about to be set on fire for how Jeff Hardy was being treated. Now? He picked up a clean victory over Sheamus and now gets to be a part of the United States title match at Extreme Rules. A total of four women’s matches/segments on the show just further proves that for all the bad rap Raw gets, it does a good job of at least including the women on the show and that’s always a good thing.
So with all that, what was left on the show you ask? Well let’s dive right in to the top 5 Takeaways from the best Raw of the year:
#5: Instant Chemistry
Humberto Carillo has been used sporadically on television for awhile now. Never really getting a chance to stay on tv long enough to gain any momentum. Angel Garza is a guy that oozes charisma, has the look and all the potential in the world to be a future star in this business. It’s a travesty that they have not found a way to implement him into the show since the pairing with Andrade and Zelina fell through. Putting these two young, good looking guys together in a tag team is a match made in heaven. It just makes sense. They look good together and after watching them against Mansoor and Ali last night, they work well together as well. They were able to show off some aggression and Humberto should be able to at the very least mimic the charisma of Garza and give them an identity. The tag team division has been a very big focal point on Raw and adding new faces to it is also a good thing as it can help keep matches fresh and we can stay away from those dreaded rematches. Letting them win their first match together is also a good sign and I can’t wait to see what kind of success these two can find together.
#4: New Odd Couple Champs
Kane & Hurricane. Kane & Daniel Bryan. RKBRO. All instances of clashing personalities that come together to form a successful tag team. Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. joined those ranks last night as they were able to win the Women’s Tag Titles from Natalya and Tamina. I don’t think Rhea and Nikki are on the same level as those others, they still have a lot of work to do, but that is what the pairing is. People have been waiting for Nattie and Tamina to drop those titles for a while, so hopefully Rhea and Nikki are able to do something that only Sasha and Bayley have been able to do so far… make those titles mean something. They already have challengers waiting for them on Smackdown in Shotzi and Tegan. Hopefully we can get that match sooner rather than later and it will be a program that gets the time and attention it deserves. Random matches and having the champions lose so often is not doing those belts any favor. Rhea and Nikki should be the reset button. Build them up, get some prestige with those belts and develop a real tag team division underneath them. There is no time better than now to put forth the effort from WWE. Let’s hope it happens.
#3: Queen of Spades
FINALLY! Shayna has broken free from Nia Jax. No more teasing. Shayna and Nia finally went head to head last night after butting heads for several weeks. What happened? We saw Shayna chop Nia down with kicks and muay thai knee strikes before putting Nia Jax to sleep in the middle of the ring. This is the Shayna we all remember from NXT and it’s the version the fans have been clamoring for. But Baszler wasn’t done. After the match, she proceeded to attack Nia and go after her arm on the outside, using the steps. Nia Jax deserves all the credit in the world for her sell job while Shayna did the damage. As Nia screamed, Baszler almost looked as if she was sorry for her actions and was going to walk away. Luckily for all of us, that didn’t happen and she stomped Nia’s arm. The women’s division needs a badass like Shayna and it appears like that is what we are finally getting. All hail the Queen of Spades!
#2: Don’t Make Bobby Lashley Angry…
…you will not like Bobby Lashley when he’s angry. Or if you are like me, you will love him. I was very curious as to the direction they were going to take Bobby Lashley after losing the title last week, especially with MVP being out of the picture for the time being. Does he fall back down into the mid card? Does he go away for a while until MVP is ready to return? Nope. He comes back with a vengeance.
The promoted match of the night was New Day vs The Bloodline. They kicked the show off with that colossal matchup and it would end with Bobby Lashley taking out each and every single person that was involved in it, including Roman Reigns. This would lead to a triple threat main event that would be even bigger than the aforementioned match between Roman Reigns, Big E and Bobby Lashley.
I won’t say much about this match other than it was amazing. I strongly urge you to look it up on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. One of the things WWE has mastered over the years is how to tell a great story and put on a great match with three opponents. This was no different as we saw each of the men get to look strong, even in defeat. We all know Roman is the Tribal Chief and the head of WWE. We all expect Big E to become a big time player as the WWE Champion and lead Raw into the near future. What we didn’t know was that Bobby Lashley was still going to be booked as a monster that comes across as even more dangerous than before now that he has nothing to lose. The rest of the roster should definitely be ready to Fear the Almighty.
#1: Acknowledge Him
My shows.
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) September 21, 2021
My main events.
My Universe. #AcknowledgeMe #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/WCiBP0FClP
Since returning during the pandemic, it is no secret that Roman Reigns has been on a tear. After being pushed for years as “the guy” and people continuously fighting it, they finally got it right when they turned him heel. It is without question, the best thing in wrestling right now. Every time he shows up on the television, it feels important. Every match he has is can’t miss, and that is a feat in itself when we all know the outcome will be him winning.
On Smackdown, Roman has been built up so huge that it is damn near impossible to pinpoint who is going to dethrone him. The level he is on is that much higher and nobody comes close. He is such a big time player right now that whoever does eventually beat him is going to be a made man. I thought it would end up being Big E, but they went in another direction. Which is fine because Big E got his and rightfully so.
But to really demonstrate the significance of Roman’s presence, they booked him on Raw. I don’t know about anyone else, but it felt like this was a privilege to have The Tribal Chief make an appearance on the “other” show and grace us with not one, but two matches. I watch him on Friday night’s, he hasn’t been missing but I still felt like it was a massive deal to have him on Raw. The fact that Roman can show up, show out and out shine the new champion and everyone else on the show with one appearance just further validates Roman’s status. Acknowledge Him!
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