This week’s episode of WWE RAW wasn’t bad.
Sure, it wasn’t great. But after weeks upon weeks where the show has been defined by repetitive, uninspired booking, it was so refreshing to see something different. That’s exactly what fans received in the controversial main event angle with Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler and Lilly. This show-closing segment has garnered plenty of negativity, but for the first time in weeks, there’s a sense of intrigue surrounding what happens next.
Was the Baszler and Lilly segment weird, if not downright questionable? Most certainly, but it was a breath of fresh air. As a main event, it wasn’t the same old match that WWE usuall runs back the following week. This approach often leads to 50/50 booking and the sense that none of the in-ring results really matter. By doing something unexpected with Baszler and Lilly in this spot on the card, WWE left the fans guessing. After all, it’s fair to say that nobody saw that coming.
In a (seemingly) post-Fiend world, WWE brought some elements of the horror genre back to the red brand; this scene with Baszler and Lilly was right out of a scary movie, from the flickering lights to the doll’s unsettling appearance in the mirror. The show’s cliffhanger could have been executed better, as the ending itself was fairly abrupt. But anyone who is remotely interested in this storyline practically has to tune in next week, and that feeling has been absent from WWE RAW for far too long.
Aside from this divisive chapter of the Baszler and Lilly saga, this week’s episode should be considered a step in the right direction because it showcased the depth of the brand. WWE RAW has felt painfully stale lately, as it often uses the same cast of characters in the same matches in the same ways over and over again. But on Monday, WWE tried some new things.
In a way, it felt like the show utilized the majority of its roster; from Drew Gulak and Mansoor to Jeff Hardy and Nikki Cross, Monday night’s show felt deeper than the program has in weeks. But it wasn’t just the fact that these individuals were on the show; several of them were used in fresh, compelling ways.
Mansoor’s budding alliance (or rivalry, potentially) with Mustafa Ali is turning into a recurring portion of the program, and it’s allowing both men to showcase their personalities, as Ali might corrupt the naive newcomer with his lessons. It wasn’t long ago that both men were sitting in catering, so this prominence is a welcome change.
Likewise, one of the highlights of Monday’s show came in a heated exchange between Kofi Kingston and MVP. The mastermind behind the Hurt Business grilled Kingston about the downfall of KofiMania in an interaction that was filled with actual history and emotion. This segment left many fans wondering whether Kingston could align with MVP and enjoy a successful run as a heel. Again, even this hint of something different was so encouraging that it was hard not to leave this episode of WWE RAW with at least a little hope for the future.
While this week’s episode of WWE RAW wasn’t perfect by any means, it was different. And for a show that, far too often, has been plagued by monotony, that’s a welcome change.
