WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

Monday Night Raw Review - April 24, 2017

4/24/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Highlight Reel Became Miz TV Before Becoming Ambrose Asylum

Taking up the first 20 minutes of Raw, this segment was a total train wreck in the best way possible and I loved every second of it. I might be alone in saying that because I personally enjoy the chemistry Chris Jericho, The Miz and Dean Ambrose have together, but it was the little things such as Ambrose apologizing to Jericho for destroying his light-up jacket last year before presenting him with a new one that made this so fun. That said, I wish Jericho was a bit more serious heading into his upcoming United States Championship match with Kevin Owens, but that's merely nitpicking.

Raw Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy def. Sheamus

I find it hilarious Matt keeps switching between his "broken" and his Version 1 personas, though I'm sure he will go all in with the "broken" stuff eventually, probably after he and Jeff drop the straps. This was a good, well-wrestled match from Matt and Sheamus with an interesting finishing sequence. I don't know if Cesaro and Sheamus are headed for a heel turn, but even if not, I'm glad tension has been established between the two teams. The tag team title match at Payback is much more intriguing now that there is a possibility Sheamus (and/or Cesaro) might cheat to win on Sunday.
Picture

Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher def. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville and TJ Perkins

I figured we would see this tag team match eventually and it was an effective way to lead into the Cruiserweight title match on Sunday. The in-ring action was entertaining and I liked how Aries adopted a more aggressive attitude after he was attacked by Neville and Perkins last week on 205 Live. Aries successfully sought vengeance on Perkins by pinning him for the victory and Neville escaped his wrath, so this was wise booking all around.

Kalisto def. Braun Strowman in a Dumpster Match

Traditionally, in order to win a Dumpster match, you'd have to toss your opponent into the dumpster and close the lid on them. After beating beat up by Braun for five minutes, Kalisto won this by simply kicking him into the dumpster, so as a viewer, I felt slightly cheated by that fluke finish. I understand wanting to shock viewers, and Strowman didn't lose anything in defeat considering he killed Kalisto afterward anyway, but why not have him win the match if that was going to be the case since Kalisto gains nothing from this? On a side note, the dumpster being tossed off the side of the stage wasn't as violent as it sounds because the drop was so small.

Dana Brooke def. Alicia Fox

I hate to sound like a broken record, but Brooke is just an absolutely awful professional wrestler. Thankfully, this match was kept short and sweet and didn't last longer than it needed to. Also on the bright side, Brooke's rivalry with Emma so far has made sense given their past as partners. I was going to suggest that the two face off on the Payback Kickoff show (a spot that has since been given to Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Club...again), but I don't think we're at that point in the story yet given Emma "hugged" Brooke after this bout.

Seth Rollins, Big Cass and Finn Balor def. Samoa Joe and The Club

Balor was a random choice to team with Rollins and Cass, but I guess it should haven't surprised me seeing as how he has been treading water since returning from injury the night after WrestleMania. Then again, was it meant to plant the seeds for something between Balor and The Club for down the line? Either way, this was a solid six-man tag team match that furthered the Rollins vs. Joe feud. Rollins' hate will get plenty of hate from fans, but I actually don't mind it too much. In fact, I think it looks sort of sweet, but that's just me.

Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss by Count-out

Bayley still struggles as a talker from time to time, but she can be passable when given dialogue that isn't terrible. However, Bliss blows her away on the mic and this promo was a prime example of why that's the case (she owned those annoying "What?" chants like a champ). Banks' promo was fine, and the subsequent match was decent, but I'm glad they didn't give too much away because it can be a big feud down the line. Bliss getting the better of Bayley at the end of the segment was smart as I assume she isn't winning the title at Payback.

Apollo Crews def. Curt Hawkins

Creative hasn't done Crews any favors since the dawn of the Brand Split, so here's hoping the new change of scenery on Raw leads to a renewed push for him. This was a standard squash match, but it was necessary in getting Crews back on track. Unfortunately, it looks like his first feud as a member of the Raw roster will be with Titus O'Neil. It's fine if it gets him a few wins, but it won't be anything above an undercard program.

Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho vs. The Miz and Bray Wyatt Ended in a No Contest

Call me a fool, but I had high hopes for whoever Miz's mystery partner was going to be, and WWE let me down. It was hard to get into the match because two babyfaces teaming up against a heel seemed like ass-backwards booking to me, and Wyatt attacking everyone was just weird. I know they wanted to hype the House of Horrors match with Randy Orton for Sunday, but they did that earlier in the evening, and the other three are in completely different matches/segments on the pay-per-view. Again, this was a strange ending for a go-home show.

Overall Show

As I've said before, Raw has taken a turn for the better since after WrestleMania, but this was the weakest show of all the April episodes. I was already looking forward to the Payback pay-per-view for how stacked the card appeared on paper, but this edition of Raw didn't do anything to add to my excitement for the event. The three hours dragged more than usual, and although the good outweighed the bad, it wasn't all that compelling of a show on the whole.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact