getting back to normal

It’s time for the Memorial Day edition of RAW in a Nutshell. This one gives us a big question: are we getting back to normal before Backlash?

What is normal though, really? We may not be getting back to normal before Backlash, but we will be getting some semblance of a live audience back.

That counts for something, right? WWE finally decided to take a page out of the AEW playbook and is using it’s talent in the audience role.

Beyond that, we can expect more of the usual build toward Backlash. We know we have a triple threat match to determine Asuka’s first challenger.

Will we really continue to hear about the impending “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever”? Of course we will!

So, let’s start getting back to normal before Backlash! Let’s crack open this Nutshell!

Best Match of the night:

I thought about this one a bit…and nothing jumps out at me.

I liked Black and Carillo versus Theory and Garza, for what it’s worth. Not sure I’d go that far as to say it was the best, but it made me happy.

Was also nice to get Kevin Owens back.

Worst match of the night:

I wasn’t a huge fan of the triple threat or main event matches. I know some will have loved them.

I felt both lacked a crispness. Just too many easily spotted botches.

Crowd Chants of the Night:

Forget chants….WE HAD A CROWD!

OK, so, if your definition of “crowd” is kind of loose, accounting for social distancing…then sure, we did.

Still, not going to lie…having ANY sort of crowd noise, even if “only” the developmental and NXT roster, was huge. A far cry from a true live audience, but sooooo much better than what we’ve been given thus far.

getting back to normal

Makes you ask a couple questions. First, what took them so long (since AEW has been doing this already), and second..

Star of the Night

Call me corny, but the Superstars standing in as the crowd did it for me.

OK, fine, Apollo Crews gets some love too. Congrats on winning that title, champ!

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

Still gotta say…wow we had an audience!

Also, nice way to get the IIconics some heat. I know they were heels before, but they seemed more like goofy heels.

Now, that’s a beating to change the feeling a wee bit.

Botch of the night:

Not singling out a spot in the triple threat, but it seemed sloppy at points.

Also in the main event there were a few issues. A whiff on the double drop kick by the Profits, for one.

Montez Ford and Bobby Lashley seemed to have lines crossed early on too.

LOL Moment of the night:

Liked Asuka telling Charlotte that red wasn’t her color.

Also liked the trash talk between R-Truth and Gronk.

Noteworthy Moment:

So, WWE sometimes telegraphs things…and many of us think this is one such time.

They showed us a graphic hyping Aleister Black versus Seth Rollins for RAW next week. In the same segment, they announced this little thing:

Read some of the replies. Almost no one believes a legit retirement is happening next week.

Also, get ready for Lashley and Drew McIntyre. Nice work setting it up.

For a feud I didn’t have interest in…I am getting interested in it.

Overall lowlights:

Some sloppiness going on tonight. I know some will say they loved the main event tag match, or the women’s triple threat match.

For me, both felt lacking. Several spots during the women’s match had me cringe (not the least of which was the corner power bomb/superplex combo).

In the main event, we had a couple botches, or way too goofy looking spots that I can’t imagine weren’t botches. Like the double drop kick, where clearly Dawkins whiffed.

Or early on, when Montez and Lashley seemed to be on different pages. They recovered, so I guess that’s a plus.

Overall highlights:

Big one for me was having an audience. The matches were OK for the most part, but everything seemed improved by the “audience”.

After the final bell:

Looking forward to next week. Black and Rollins should be pretty strong (if they let them be), and the Mysterio ceremony will be worth watching.

No thoughts yet on what they are setting up, but wouldn’t it be interesting if WWE had Rey’s son become the latest follower of the Monday Night Messiah? Could make for a rather interesting SummerSlam feud.

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