5 Takeaways from Monday Night Raw (August 30th, 2021)

A week removed from Summerslam, and now Extreme Rules in the early stages of shaping up, we look at a Monday Night Raw that turned out to be a very good show.  With complaints of rematches being the theme for almost 6 months now, we were treated to a show that stayed away from them for the most part. 

With Xavier Woods vs AJ Styles being the only recent rematch, it appears as if WWE has hit the reset button on Monday Nights and is looking to give us a lot of new programming moving forward to their next PPV.  We had Duodrop take on Eva, the Viking Raiders return to action and a match turned shoot with Nia and Charlotte on the show. Outside of that, we had a great overall show and here is a look at the 5 biggest takeaways from last nights epsiode of Raw.

#5:  Goldberg the Soul Snatcher

A lot of people hated the ending to the Lashley/Goldberg match at Summerslam.  Myself included at the time.  But after taking some time to rewatch it and really think about the ending, I actually think it was done very well.  We want a monster Lashley as champion, and we have seen glimpses of it.  If Goldberg is coming back to put him over, what’s the best way to do it?  How about having Lashley do something that has never been done before and leave Bill unable to continue the match?  Then having him leave Bill’s son out cold in the ring afterwards, that’s monster heel work.  I know there is a group of people that hate to see Bill in the ring, again myself included, but when used correctly it can be beneficial for his opponent.  I don’t think people truly grasped the idea that that was the first time Goldberg had a match stopped because he couldn’t finish a match.  

Well Goldberg has made it clear, he was not very thrilled about the injury Bobby gave him and also about having Bobby put his hands on his son.  It is no longer about that WWE title, he wants to snatch the soul right out of Lashley.  With another Saudi show coming up, it is almost a guaranteed match that will happen.  So with that rematch coming up, we have some questions.  

• Will Bobby Lashley still be champion?
• If not, who will be champion?
• If so, will Goldberg become champion again?

The Saudi show will happen some time in October, so we have about a month and a half to let things play out to see if those questions can be answered.  And on the bright side, Goldberg would only have one more match on his contract after that rematch.  So there’s always a brightside to things.

#4:  Gladiator Kross

First, they took away Scarlett.  Then, they had him lose to Jeff in a very quick match.  Since then, he has had some matches that have helped shed the the image of Jeff Hardy pinning him over a month ago.  He has wrapped up his time in NXT and now become a full time member of Raw, so what do they do to him then?  Throw a gladiator mask on him and make him look like the Executioner.  Oof!

Hear me out though.  The first week, it was laugh out loud bad but he was able to win very convincingly.  This week, the mask didn’t seem as silly.  It was what Kross did in the ring that had me second guessing him.  I honestly believe that the gladiator gimmick can work but what Kross does to his opponents and how he carries himself in the ring is what will be the deciding factor on that.  If he comes out, destroys his opponents and focus’ more on hurting them and making them tap out, that will work.  Having him parade around in a Halloween costume and having the same kind of match as someone like The Miz?  That’s a terrible idea.  

Against Carillo, he maintained control for most of the match and only sold high impact moves… thats good.  He looked for multiple pin attempts though after basic moves, that seems out of place.  When I think of a gladiator, I think of a trained badass that is out for the kill and takes no prisoners.  Suplex, pin.  Clothesline, pin.  That doesn’t scream gladiator to me.  How Kross ended the match though, that was a man out for blood.  If he can capture that mindset from bell to bell, I think he can make that crazy get-up work.  Here’s to hoping it happens.

#3:  Shayna Breaking Out

When Shayna got called up, she was a beast.  She would run through everyone and anyone in such a brutal manor that made you think she was going to hurt anyone she stepped in the ring with.  After her Wrestlemania match with Becky Lynch, things went south for her.  No direction for the longest time.  Then they paired her with Nia Jax.  You have the biggest and baddest ladies on the roster in a Tag Team, that should be a great pairing.  But it hasn’t been.  It was nice to see Shayna get a lengthy Tag Title reign, but being the “weak link” for the team doesn’t work.  We all know how much of a badass she is.  

Fast forward to last night, you can see frustration in her face.  It started with the Reggie and Nia pairing, but that ended and it seemed like they might go back to being a dominant force.  But nothing has changed, and the visible frustration continues to mount for Baszler.  As her match with Rhea was about to star, Nia Jax felt the need to grab a microphone and steal the spotlight.  Shayna slumps in the corner, throwing her hands up as if to say “what the hell?”  After the match, Nia felt the need to make her presence known and attack Rhea as Shayna sit on the ring apron, even more frustrated than before the match.  She throws her hand up and walks away.  To further drive home the tension between the two, Baszler would not accompany Nia to the ring for her match later in the night. 

Things seem to have reached the boiling point, atleast from Shayna’s point of view and I can’t imagine getting drawn out much longer.  The way she has been booked since that Becky match has made everyone forget about the sheer dominance that she had from her debut.  Maybe that was the idea.  Nerf her down so that she can go back to having matches with anyone in the division and not just squash matches.  But I don’t think we will have to wait much longer to see what Baszler does on her own again, and hopefully once she breaks away from Nia Jax we can get some of kind of version of what we all miss from her days in NXT.  

#2:  RKBRO – Faces of WWE

It is hard to imagine Randy Orton as anything other than an evil, sadistic villain.  He’s often been labeled as one of the greatest heels the business has ever had, and plays the part so well that believing in him as a good guy is no easy task.  

When Riddle moved up to the main roster, he had some baggage in the form of legal issues, and there were some that were hesitant to give him a chance.  A lot of people also were not fans of the dopey gimmick that he plays/lives so well.  

The idea to put these two together has been nothing short of magical.  It has gotten most everyone behind Riddle and since Randy accepted Matt, I don’t like him at him as that evil heel.  I don’t think you could have had a more perfect pairing on Raw and in doing so, it has helped elevate another new face in the company.  The tag team division is better than it has been in a very long time with these guys at the top and now they are finding themselves mixed up with the WWE Champion Bobby Lashley.  It has been awhile since we have had a tag team be the top draw for a show but thats what RKBRO is doing.

I don’t think Riddle gets enough credit for managing to keep this storyline going when Randy was away.  They built multiple shows around him and the story, and he carried it with ease.  Having Randy hold off on finally joining Riddle was brilliant, building up the anticipation.  We all waited for that bastard Randy to RKO Matt and leave him be.  So when it didn’t happen, we got a feel good moment and that moment has pushed RKBRO to the top of the ladder in WWE.  They are the second best thing going in all of WWE and they are without question the biggest babyfaces in the company.  The crowd has taken to the duo very quickly and with so much left to experiment with, that crowd is only going to get hotter for the Bros.  We have two very big moments that we are all dying to see.  

• Randy riding out on his scooter with Riddle.
• Orton and Riddle hitting that double RKO on Omos.

I thought this pairing would be good for a few months and then the inevitable split would happen and shoot Riddle to the top as the biggest babyface in the company.  Now, I think there is a lot left in the tank that could take this gimmick all the way to the Rumble.  This is one thing I won’t mind creative milking dry.  Give us all the comedy gold we can handle and allow us to bask in this crazy idea that Randy Orton is a nice guy with a lovable goofball for a friend.  For all the wrong Raw has done this year, this is/was a homerun.  

#1:  Damien Priest 

NXT call ups have had bad luck over the last few years, or atleast that is the perception .  I won’t spend time debating that, but we can look at one person that has managed to escape becoming a casuality and broken out.  In NXT, it took Priest awhile to find his groove and make an impact.  He never truly fit in down there, and I always thought he would be better suited for main roster success.  So when he did get called up, I was happy for him.  Because even though he had a short North American title reign, his run in NXT was very forgetable.  

Pairing him with Bad Bunny was great because it put eyes on him and allowed him to get over by association as opposed to organically through what could have ended up being shotty booking.  He came out of that program better with his Wrestlemania match being one of the most talked about of the event.  He managed to not fall out of relevancy when he was off tv for a few weeks, and even kept fans interested in him with his never ending feud with Morrison and Miz.  

At Summerslam, he finally got the opportunity for not only his first taste of gold on the main roster, but to have a match with a man his size that could really showcase his potential… and he delivered.  It was no mystery to me that he was going to win the United States title but would he being able to hang with Sheamus?  He checked that box and the two of them gave us a PPV worthy match. 

Not even a full 2 weeks later, we have Priest in the mix with Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre.  They both made claims that they were interested in his title, which brings it prestige.  And that prestige came from Damien Priest commanding the attention and the spotlight.  How do we keep his momentum going?  Oh, you have him have a fantastic 3 way with Sheamus and Drew and instead of having him pin the obvious guy to pick up a victory, you have him get a clean 1,2,3 over Drew freakin’ McIntyre.  

Opening the show, calling out the WWE champion and beating one of the biggest names in the company all in one night is a sure sign that WWE has big plans for Priest, and they are going to happen sooner and not later.  A fresh face in the main event is exactly what is needed right now and I don’t think anyone is going to complain about Priest being that guy.

So there you have it.  Agree?  Disagree?  Feel free to hit me up as usual.  I mostly talk NXT but will be glad to dabble in Raw talk as well.

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