Raw Recap - 1st August 2016

Both shows were a mixed bag this week, so much promise but very little execution and more is to be expected in the coming weeks. Raw particularly has so much talent right now that it's becoming a worry, how to use them all.

It  was nice to have Raw start with superstars instead of management. Which Smackdown chose to do again... Sasha Banks and Charlotte's feud continues to heat up and the addition of Chris Jericho and Enzo Amore in the segment and following match helped draw more attention which is still very much focused on Women's wrestling.

The continuation of squash matches are making Braun Strowman and Nia Jax look terrifying and I actually like the fact that Byron interviews their opponents before the match. Evan Anderholm doing it for the money made sense.

Balor is hot property right now but Rollins is a special talent

Finn Balor and Seth Rollins screams money, we all know it. Both are unbelievable in the ring and although Balor needs work on the mic to be at the same level as Rollins, There's so much potential in this feud and Rollins is the hottest property in the company right now and he knows it.

The return of Brock Lesnar is always a cause for celebration with manager Paul Heyman in fine form as usual. We kind of expected Randy Orton to appear at some point, but it was impeccably timed. Let's hope that it doesn't lend itself to superstars appearing on rival shows in the future though.

Rusev is slowly getting his momentum back which was cruelly taken away from him by John Cena and co. He continues to dispatch everything that comes his way and looks more and more like the monster he was built up to be before. Not the Kalisto losing Bulgarian of a few months ago.

Gallows and Anderson haven't been booked right at all but it's nice to see them getting the push they deserve without AJ Styles in their corner. Even if it come at the expense of poor Xavier Woods in front of his family.

Give this man a contract, and yes the guy on the left

Heath Slater is pure entertainment, always has been and always will be. He's practically Zack Ryder but without the build and push behind him. Another brief appearance which the fans enjoyed again.


Those were the positives from Monday's Raw however overall the show didn't match the previous week and had some very poor booking and here are just a few things which might seem small but it clearly had an impact on the ratings and need to be addressed.

• Turning Titus O Neill heel just doesn't work, the man does plenty of work with charities and children and just doesn't feel right at all. His feud with Darren Young has promise but no clear reality of who to support.

• I have no idea, and still don't get why Jinder Mahal was given a contract, whether it's for the commercial value or not. Heath Slater deserves better.

• The Cesaro and Sheamus matchup was so vague that it didn't really help either. It gave the Swiss Superman the win and momentum but he continues to be wasted.

• The Shining Stars and the ever green Mark Henry were huge disappointments despite the prior's win over the Golden Truth. The Pokemon Go segments are already becoming stale.

No matter how these two are repackaged it just doesn't work.

Raw continues to press on with this new era but still the same problems arise. Especially the 50/50 booking situation. It didn't live up to last weeks and some decisions were baffling but there is plenty of room for improvement in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading, See you in the next one.