Monday Night Raw Review - May 20, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Universal Champion Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston Confronted Brock Lesnar

There's a lot of fan frustration over Lesnar becoming Mr. Money in the Bank (and rightfully so), but WWE's decision to give him the contract is worth it alone for the visual of Lesnar listening to the briefcase like it's a damn stereo. In all seriousness, this was an excellent segment that, for once, gave viewers a reason to tune into the rest of the show to see if Lesnar would cash it in. Plus, Paul Heyman gloating over a Lesnar victory never seems to get old.

Braun Strowman def. Sami Zayn

You had to know it was only a matter of time before Strowman got his hands on Zayn following Zayn's fluke victory over Strowman last week, but I didn't think it would be this quickly. I guess WWE wanted to get it out of the way so Strowman could focus on Bobby Lashley at Super Show-Down next month. Zayn did his best to avoid Strowman by running around the arena, which was entertaining, but he was squashed all the same.

Lars Sullivan Attacked The Lucha House Party

Sullivan was supposed to give us his first interview since debuting on the main roster, but Lucha House Party came out before that could happen. I keep forgetting that he hasn't spoke since his NXT days, and honestly, that might be for the best. The silent but deadly gimmick is good for him even if his mic skills aren't terrible. This was basically a rehash of the segment we saw at Money in the Bank on Sunday, except this time Lucha House Party nearly escaped unscathed. I'm curious if this is leading to a 3-on-1 Handicap match.

Cesaro def. Ricochet

First and foremost, I'm a fan of Cesaro's new theme. It's not exactly his old one, but it'll do (hey, it makes more sense than him using Sheamus' song). As expected, this was a very well-wrestled match while it lasted. Ricochet had an out for losing because he was still beat up from the night before, but this better not become a recurring thing with Ricochet where he puts forth a commendable effort only to lose in the end. It didn't work wonders for Neville when it happened to him in 2015 and I don't want Ricochet to be written off so quickly because of bad booking.

Shane McMahon Interrupted Roman Reigns

It's been obvious for over a month that Reigns' real rival has been Shane and not Elias this entire time. Thus, Money in the Bank felt like a waste of time for both men because neither of their matches were all that good. Shane vs. Reigns was made official for Super Show-Down in this segment and I honestly can't bring myself to care. By the way, what purpose does the Wild Card Rule serve when the same Superstars are switching shows week after week?

The Revival def. The Usos

I really could have done without the replays of The Usos embarrassing Revival in recent weeks. It didn't fit the theme of this match at all, which ended up being terrific. If given the time, their talent will take center stage and they can steal the show. I loved how Revival scored the victory, albeit via underhanded tactics, to keep the feud alive. They also now have something to brag about for the next few weeks, assuming The Usos don't get their win back as early as next Monday.

Raw Women's Champion Becky LYnch, Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss def. Lacey Evans and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The IIconics

This was preceded by an edition of Moment of Bliss where The IIconics and Evans interrupted Lynch, Bliss and Cross. As far as I know, Bliss still hasn't been medically cleared, so while her team won here, she never tagged in once. It was a perfectly fine six-woman tag team match that successfully furthered Lynch's feud with Evans (though Evans did nothing to earn another title opportunity). The IIconics, on the other hand, continue to lose, and their tag titles have zero value at this point.

Mick Foley Introduced the 24/7 Championship

The 24/7 concept has a lot of potential if the Hardcore Championship from the early 2000s was any indication. No, it won't be taken seriously and will likely be relegated to the undercard competitors, but I hope they have some fun with it, especially with social media being as big as it is nowadays. The ratings won't skyrocket because of it, but it's just something to look forward to if nothing else. The only drawback is that the design of the belt is atrocious. It literally looks like it was created overnight.

Drew McIntyre def. The Miz

Miz made it clear during a backstage segment earlier in the evening that despite what Shane said, he isn't done with him yet. I hate that their feud isn't over, but Miz really needs to beat Shane before he can move on. McIntyre is apparently Shane's new heavy, which is a weird role for him to be in, because he doesn't really need Shane to get heat. He's essentially Elias' replacement after Elias got buried at Money in the Bank. At any rate, this was an entertaining encounter. McIntyre winning with help from Shane made storyline sense, but these losses aren't doing Miz any favors.

WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and Universal Champion Seth Rollins def. Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley

This was the third Raw main event Corbin has been a part of in the last month. I feel like he's a reason for fans to not tune in, so putting him in the main event (regardless of who he's up against) is a poor idea. Thankfully, Rollins and Kingston made this bearable. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it (except how Rollins was somehow able to use a chair at one point without getting disqualified), but it could have been way worse. Lesnar didn't cash in as had been heavily teased, which didn't surprise me in the slightest, but Heyman did say that Lesnar will make his official decision on next week's show. My guess is that it'll be Rollins at Super Show-Down.

Overall Show

Personally, I found this edition of Raw to be a bit more enjoyable than usual. I'm well aware that isn't saying much, but between the strong opening segment, the debut of the 24/7 title, and the above-average outing between The Usos and The Revival, there was enough to keep me invested for the most part. Unfortunately, Super Show-Down in Saudi Arabia is the next event on the WWE calendar, and with the card looking as weak as it does on paper, I'm not excited for the buildup in the next two weeks.