WWE RAW Review (18th Of February 2019)
Coming off the Elimination Chamber PPV, we’re now on the road to another PPV, WWE Fastlane. Another PPV before Wrestlemania. I know….but hey things could pick up in the meantime. Tonight’s RAW featured some good action but what wasn’t so good about this show was not the in-ring action, it was not the booking for once, it was the damn crowd. For some reason, the crowd in LaFayette, Indiana SUCKED! They barley reacted to anything on this show and it was surely disappointing. I’ll get on this more as we cover last night’s show.
Show begins with HHH coming out to make a couple announcements. First was the news that the first inductees in the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame is the iconic faction, Degeneration-X! This includes HHH himself, Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and Chyna! About damn time Chyna rightfully gets her recognition on the Hall of Fame. Secondly, HHH announces some epic RAW debuts for some NXT stars. The debuts of Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, and Aleister Black! There was only one problem with this announcement and that was the crowd didn’t react at all. Disappointing.
Braun Strowman Vs. Baron Corbin (Tables Match)
These two fought yet again and the match was fine. I guess Strowman needed a win back after losing to Corbin at the PPV the night before. Match ends with Braun putting Corbin through a table that was set up in a corner. Braun picks up the win here.
Paul Heyman cuts a promo, hyping up his client Brock Lesnar for the upcoming championship match at Wrestlemania. Finn Balor interrupts him and then he was interrupted by Lio Rush. Rush distracts Balor as Bobby Lashley appears and they both attack Balor when Ricochet appears and helps fight off
Paul Heyman cuts a promo, hyping up his client Brock Lesnar for the upcoming championship match at Wrestlemania. Finn Balor interrupts him and then he was interrupted by Lio Rush. Rush distracts Balor as Bobby Lashley appears and they both attack Balor when Ricochet appears and helps fight off
Ricochet & Finn Balor Vs. Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush
This tag match was good and Ricochet showed off his skills, making him the MVP of this match. Now the crowd was bad but I will say out of all the NXT stars on this show, Ricochet got the most love from the crowd and it’s not hard to see why. He’s a amazing performer and has a very bright future on the main roster, if the cards play well. Match ends with Ricochet hitting the 630 splash on Lio Rush, picking up the win for him and Finn Balor.
The Revival Vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano
This was a good tag match and it was really cool to see a DIY reunion on this show even though they weren’t out there as friends. Seeing these two teams collide again did brought back flashbacks of their epic rivalry in NXT. Now of course this wasn’t as good as their NXT matches but the match was still good itself. The Revival won the tag titles last week then exactly one week later, they lose. Gargano and Ciampa picks up the win. Once again, the crowd didn’t react at all.
Another Kevin Owens vignette airs and I just can’t wait to see him back.
Sasha Banks and Bayley come out to celebrate their Women’s tag title win at the Elimination Chamber PPV. They announce that they will be defending their championships on RAW, Smackdown, and NXT. I actually found that interesting and can’t wait to see how this goes. They get interrupted by Nia Jax and Tamina and they banter back and forth, leading to a brawl.
Another Kevin Owens vignette airs and I just can’t wait to see him back.
Sasha Banks and Bayley come out to celebrate their Women’s tag title win at the Elimination Chamber PPV. They announce that they will be defending their championships on RAW, Smackdown, and NXT. I actually found that interesting and can’t wait to see how this goes. They get interrupted by Nia Jax and Tamina and they banter back and forth, leading to a brawl.
Drew McIntyre Vs. Dean Ambrose
This match I thought wasn’t anything special. Sucks to see Ambrose pretty much jobbing out to people before he leaves the WWE in a couple months. Drew McIntyre picks up the win.
Aleister Black Vs. Elias
Great to see Aleister Black’s awesome entrance on RAW! This match was fine as it was a showcase for Black. Black picks up the win after delivering the Black Mass. Again, the crowd didn’t react to anything. Just wow.
Ronda Rousey (C) Vs. Ruby Riott (RAW Women’s Championship)
Now when this match was announced, I was praying that this wouldn’t be the same BS that happened the night before at Elimination Chamber. Thankfully this wasn’t the case as these two put on a good match. I was just glad Ruby got more offense in this match instead of it being another squash match. Match ends with Ronda applying the armbar and tapping Ruby out. Ronda Rousey retained the RAW Women’s Championship.
The matches on this show were good but I can’t really say that it was a good show mainly because of the crowd. Crowd was terrible and I felt bad for the NXT talents because they showed what they’re made of, yet the fans didn’t give them any ovations at all. Utter disappointment and an embarrassment.
Show rating: 7.2/10
The matches on this show were good but I can’t really say that it was a good show mainly because of the crowd. Crowd was terrible and I felt bad for the NXT talents because they showed what they’re made of, yet the fans didn’t give them any ovations at all. Utter disappointment and an embarrassment.
Show rating: 7.2/10
