Raves, Rants and Results – Monday Night Raw 4/12

Monday Night Raw went with the slow build on this week's show, which saw some top quality matches and a beloved wrestling character make it's WWE debut... 

Raves

Better than average Joe

You can’t really go wrong with a Raw that has a collection of Samoa Joe moments to look back on. Right now he’s the best heel in all of WWE - possibly even the best performer overall - even if the crowd response in LA wouldn’t have you believe it. In the opening segment he showed up Reigns, Angle and Jason Jordan on the mic, before choosing his attacks mercifully on first Roman in the post match shenanigans and then the subsequent backstage beat-down of Jordan. His role in the main event was the perfect way to prolong his feud with not just Reigns, but all three members of The Shield and means we’re in for a entertaining angle between the popular trio and Joe, who is now rightfully the lead heel on Monday nights.

Time to breathe

With so much time on their hands before Royal Rumble season takes over in January, WWE are using the time wisely by putting on longer and more enthralling matches on the show. The main event felt like a pay-per-view match thanks to the time it was given and the story that it told, while Jason Jordan got time to shine in the night’s opening bout as well as Sasha Banks and Paige having plenty of minutes to make their mark on the night. Hell, even the Cruiserweight Fatal Four-Way went over at least one ad break and was actually allowed to tell a story. I don’t expect this to be a permanent change in match length and you wouldn’t want it every week, but in this instance it work perfectly as they slowly transition into 2018 and the lead to the Rumble.

Stepping it up

WWE are really giving Jason Jordan every opportunity to make that step up on Raw and to be fair to him I believe he’s getting there. Character wise, it’s clear we’re on a slow burn to him turning on his on-screen father and going full on smarmy heel, however I like how he’s portraying the journey in getting there. Jordan is intentionally making himself unlikable so when that heel turn does come it will make it a whole lot easier to get heat with the WWE crowds. While between the ropes he probably had his best match to date in the long opener with Roman Reigns. I don’t yet see him as a main event player, but he’s certainly progressing at the right pace.

Rants

Woken and Wyatt

This one is sure to spilt the audience, because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Matt Hardy’s infamous ‘Broken’ gimmick that are we now seeing come to fruition in WWE. I admire the idea and the amount of character work that’s gone in to it; it’s just not for me. Nevertheless I was interested in seeing what WWE would with such an outlandish gimmick, and the obvious answer came slapping back at me on Monday night. It’s a nice idea to have Bray Wyatt be the one to finally ‘break’ Matt, but it now means we have to put up with opposing promos from the pair that make little sense and that will quickly lose their luster. For me the ‘Woken’ character works much better opposite a foe who, like us as the audience, is completely baffled by what Matt Hardy is and may do next. Having him up against someone who shares the same type of persona is only going to stop Woken Matt from having the impact it should - especially when both are sprouting mumbo-jumbo promos at each other. Wyatt lost his own creditability a long time ago and he could be dragging this story down before it’s ever had a chance to delete anything.

More from the monsters

Another week and we’re still awaiting any sign that the feud between Braun Strowman and Kane is any where near ending. This week we got Kane on the Titantron - cos’ we all need more of that - challenging Strowman to another in-ring confrontation that will all hope will be the final chapter in this tedious rivalry.

Results

Roman Reigns defeated Jason Jordan to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Paige w/Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose defeated Sasha Banks

Drew Gulak defeated Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali and Tony Nese

Asuka defeated Alicia Fox

Finn Bálor defeated Bo Dallas w/Curtis Axel

Cesaro and Sheamus defeated Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to retain the Raw Tag Team Championship