WWE started its ESPN era with this past weekend’s Wrestlepalooza, and though it received mixed reviews, there were still several key moments that would be built upon during tonight’s Monday Night Raw on Netflix. New Champions made their statement while simmering feuds boiled over, and as you can see in the video below, that also included Rhea Ripley getting hit with what has to be one of the craziest mist attacks ever. We’re breaking down the 3 biggest hits and misses of tonight’s WWE Raw, and let’s start with one of the biggest spotlights of the night that didn’t actually take place in the ring.
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3. HIT – A Vaquer Showcase
While there were plenty of criticisms regarding Wrestlepalooza, there were also a number of high moments, including one that won unanimous praise. That moment was the match between Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky for the WWE World Women’s Championship, and WWE thankfully followed up with a major spotlight for the new Champion.
Vaquer would end up winning that battle against Sky for the World Women’s Title, and WWE immediately got to work in making that win and Vaquer a huge deal at the beginning of the show. Not only did we get a spotlight for Vaquer in the ring with the crowd, but then WWE set up a gauntlet of contenders for Vaquer and got her interacting with them backstage. Nikki Bella, Asuka, Kairi, and Rhea Ripley were all in the mix, and it made the Champion feel justifiably important.
It looks like WWE is fully invested in a top-notch Vaquer Title reign, and now it will be up to them to make sure they follow through. While we’ve seen other newer talents get big moments or Title spotlights in the past, sometimes the ball gets dropped along the way, and one can point to recent main roster runs for Carmelo Hayes and Giulia as evidence of this in action. Hopefully, this won’t be the case for Vaquer.
2. HIT – Everyone Wins in Rusev vs Judgement Day
It took a bit of time, but Rusev’s WWE return run is finally starting to roll, and as we see it play out on screen, the collision of Rusev and the Judgement Day looks to be a win for everyone. You just knew that the contrast between Dominik and Rusev would make this feud entertaining, but now that it’s become about the broader group too, it’s gotten even better.
Fans get to see how Rusev’s presence unnerves Mysterio and how that, in turn, affects his already fraying relationship with Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, especially after Mysterio left McDonagh out to dry tonight. The exchange between Rusev and Balor means we’ll get that big-time match sooner than later, and overall, this could be the way Mysterio eventually gets pushed out of the group. So not only do we get movement on the Judgement Day story and Dominik’s individual story, but we get great match-ups with Rusev along the way to a possible Title win. Yeah, can’t complain about any of that.
1. HIT – Asuka Betrays Iyo (And A Top Feud Begins)
The build to Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes might have led off the show, but that wasn’t the biggest feud of the night. That goes to the simmering feud between Asuka and Iyo Sky, which stepped into overdrive by the end of the night.
Not only did we get a match fit for a premium live event in Asuka vs Ripley (and it absolutely delivered), but we also got the long-teased betrayal of Sky from Asuka, though the most surprising element might just be that it also included Kairi. Kairi put all hesitation to rest by the end of this segment, attacking Sky and Ripley and fully aligning with Asuka, and now we have a compelling new feud that ties into a wealth of history and can produce instant classics on any given night.
For Sky, this goes back to when she aligned with Asuka and Kairi and turned on Bayley, and that history has now burned her in the here and now. As for Ripley, her friendship with Sky has brought her into the line of fire with Asuka, and that resulted in a mist attack that left Ripley half-green as Raw’s credits rolled. This is easily going to be one of the biggest feuds on Raw moving forward, and will probably lead to some great battles in events to come.
Next Week’s Monday Night Raw Lineup
- Intercontinental Championship Match: Dominik Mysterio (C) vs. Rusev
- Bayley vs Raquel Rodriguez
- Tornado Tag Team Match: The Usos vs The Bronsons
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