Raw recap & reactions: Labor of love for Mami

Jey Uso shoots his shot in more ways than one, Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair get new challengers, GUNTHER says no, and the Terror Twins aren’t finished on this week’s Monday Night Raw.

Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)

I often talk about wrestlers acting like real people. That’s not always easy considering how they watch television, but it’s doable. Everything happening with Judgment Day and the Terror Twins makes every participant feel like a real person. Let’s take this week, for example. Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest defeated Dirty Dom & Liv Morgan at Bash in Berlin. And it wasn’t some fluke win either; these two put their opposition in their place. But when Raw kicked off, Rhea told the world that she and Damian were just getting started.

Of course.

Of course after everything Judgment Day put them through they want more blood. This isn’t just about Mami reclaiming her championship or Damian working himself back up the ladder for a rematch with GUNTHER; it’s beyond personal. What normal, three-dimensional person wouldn’t feel that way? Even Dom slunking to the ring and tried running interference for a Liv sneak attack felt honest. He was embarrassed for himself and his woman, but he’s also a sneaky son of a brachiosaurus (shoutout to The Flintstones for that reference). Liv attacked, Mami got her ankle tied up in the rope, and Liv, always the front-running coward, went to work on that ankle. That put Rhea in a cast and on a crutch for the rest of the night while Damian worked on the next phase of their revenge.

When wrestling doesn’t feel like a living, breathing organism with real people inside of it, it’s stale. When it allows for more complex emotions to creep in while keeping continuity, it’s the best version of itself. Jey Uso teaming up with Damian because he has a thing for Rhea isn’t high science, but it works because it does all of the above. Every part of the story should matter, even the parts that a creator may not like. Incorporating every nook and cranny makes the entire story feel richer and proves that everything matters.

We haven’t seen Jey’s crush for Rhea in a minute but now that their paths crossed, it came it came into play. As Jey told Bron Breakker, he wants the Intercontinental championship, wants to beat Bron’s ass, and he wants Rhea. But there’s nuance in this brief union between Jey & Damian because Jey understands how Damian feels right now. No friends, ex-communicated from his family, and trying to survive at all costs is something which Jey can relate.

That connection didn’t negate their tumultuous history nor should it. Coming together for one common cause or shared affection for one person doesn’t mean the worst is over. Jey & Damian were far from a well-oiled machine during their tag match against Finn Balor & JD McDonagh. That was a great touch made better by the fact they won the match once Rhea showed up. She truly is the glue holding both men together and they put a bit more pep in their steps once she hobbled to the ring on one leg and evened up the odds when Liv interfered.

Again, these aren’t huge revelations. They represent deepening characterization and most of WWE right now where everyone feels connected and real rather than in their own worlds. It makes all the wrestling matter a bit more and gives the matches a touch more weight.

Plus who wouldn’t do anything for Rhea?

B-Sides

Late Nights Early Mornings

I was a tad hard on the Wyatt Sicks last week. Emphasis on “tad” because I didn’t come down too hard on the act. But my chief complaint, that they’re a Wyatt Family cover band, feels just as real this week as it did seven days ago. And it’s only an issue because I don’t know where the group goes after this thing with American Made or how you sustain an entire group built around mourning. We saw those emotions displayed this week, only underlining my concerns.

After American Made, sans Chad Gable, defeated Alpha Academy in a six-person tag (Ivy Nile made Maxxine tap, so I guess that’s that), Chad bemoaned the shenanigans during his match with Uncle Howdy. Typical heel move to discredit Howdy’s win, which I appreciate. That’s when Howdy showed up with a mic in hand and offered a brief glimpse into the pain he’s felt for a year. That’s the realest thing about this group right now; Bo’s agony and feelings about his trajectory after losing his brother. It’s relatable and keeps the audience squarely in his pocket. But what happens when they’re through the grieving process? And how does this translate once they’re finished with American Made? Like 50 Cent said to Megan Good so many years ago, I hope WWE has the answers.

Singles

• Just when CM Punk thought he was done, Drew McIntyre pulled him back in with fists of fury. Punk came to Colorado and cut a promo about putting Drew in the rear. More importantly, he set his sights on GUNTHER and the World Heavyweight championship. While celebrating with the Denver crowd, Hoodie Drew struck with those aforementioned fists. And feet. And, most notably for me, stuffing Punk’s bracelet down his throat. It was a fantastic segment setting up a Bad Blood match between two people becoming the very definition of the term. Punk even did the stretcher job with blood around his mouth! We’ll see how long they write Punk off television and what punishment Adam Pearce hands out to Drew because, well, he kinda has to at this point considering how far Drew went. If they don’t put these two in some kind of steel cage, I will riot. It won’t be noticeable since it’s just me but I’ll make my point.
• I touched on this a little earlier with my Judgment Day/Terror Twins soliloquy, but I agree with getting Dirty Dom out of the Intercontinental championship contender triple threat. For one, Dom doesn’t need a belt at all.Maybe to make him more hated? But he’s got his hands full with Liv in more ways than one, along with everything popping with the Terror Twins. And logically, there’s no way Damian Priest would sit back and just let Dom get a shot at any championship. It also paved the way for a more preferred singles match between Ilja Dragunov & Dragon Lee. Ilja got the W, putting him as the third man in the upcoming Fatal 4 Way.
• The new Women’s World Tag champs got their new contenders when the Unholy Union defeated Damage CTRL. I can’t say I’m ready to see these four go at it again when I’d much prefer Damage CTRL in that spot. It also says that WWE needs more women tag teams pronto.
• Sami Zayn cut a hell of a promo when he challenged GUNTHER for a shot at his World Heavyweight championship. And GUNTHER returned the favor in kind only to say “nah.” But to my earlier point about people being human, they smartly acknowledged GUNTHER’s lone defeat coming at Sami’s hands. If there’s one thing that will goad the Ring General into a fight, it’s avenging that L once and for all. Now we wait till it’s official.
• I mentioned it earlier but Bron was fantastic tonight playing off a jovial Jey Uso. He cut through Jey’s BS, told him to keep going after Dom’s sloppy seconds and putting his hands to the sky all day long, but don’t come for the championship because, well, pain. Jey didn’t quite meet the moment for me in terms of reflecting Bron’s intensity, but I’m not sure if that’s a gear he can hit in his current form. Or maybe he doesn’t want to? It wasn’t a terrible response but it felt like he wasn’t on Bron’s wavelength, which was the correct one in that moment.
• Speaking of moments, Braun Strowman crawled back from the dead this week due to Bronson Reed’s bout with COVID. He defeated Sheamus & Ludwig Kaiser for the final spot in the Fatal 4 Way, but it certainly wasn’t easy what with his busted ribs and all. Pete Dunne continued coming for Sheamus despite his pretty resounding loss the last time those two linked up in the ring. Keeping Sheamus from the one championship he craves will surely elicit more...bad blood...between the two former friends.

This was a very enjoyable Raw. Every single thing felt like watching real people with real emotions and even realer consequences. Bad Blood is about a month away, and they’ve got some big programming coming up, so here’s hoping these builds continue their momentum throughout the month. I’m excited for what’s to come for the most part.

What say you? Who is your pick for next week’s Fatal 4 Way?