It’s time for another RAW In A Nutshell, and after this one, next stop…Cardiff for the Clash at the Castle!
With SmackDown already taped and in the can due to travel, this is your last live go-home show.
Really, considering even last week’s blue brand was on tape delay…this week’s RAW serves as the ONLY live go-home show.
But I digress.
So, there is a lot still to do before we head to Cardiff for the Clash on Saturday.
We know most of the card is set, but not all of it.
On top of the unsettled card for Cardiff, we do have one major attraction this week.
The finals for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament happens tonight.
We know Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai are facing Aliyah and Raquel Gonzalez. What we don’t know is…will Sasha and Naomi pop up tonight?
My guess? Kai and Sky win here, and the former champs rain on their parade on Saturday.
Or, put it another way, I expect a few surprises as WWE takes over Cardiff for the Clash at the Castle.
But enough about that…it is time for…
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and see how things unfold!
Not the best, but starting with an honorable mention or two.
First, Street Profits and Alpha Academy. Far better and closer than expected.
Second, KO and Jey. That was good for the match itself, as well as the longer term story telling.
And…the best of the night?
Womens Tag Tourney finals. My one knock on it, maybe two knocks…
First, I feel like the hype for Saturday’s six woman tag overshadowed the end a bit.
Second, I feel like Raquel and Aliyah are going to be transitional champions. Like, if Iyo and Dakota pulled it off, I could see them holding on for a bit.
Now, I feel a Naomi-Sasha return is 1000% assured, soon, and they will take those belts back quickly.
If not those two…there are plenty in the wings…
The six woman tag match. It was in a bad spot, because you want to have the babyface women on the card, but the heel women are already busy in the finals.
Unexpected to put these two here…but your new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
That is…Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah.
Also, have to give a nice nod to Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and The Usos.
Honestly…I don’t know.
Not a spot, per se, but the Rhea-Dom stare down, that ultimately saw Dom give Rhea the kendo stick?
That was interesting.
Those three local women who got into the ring with Bianca, Alexa and Asuka.
Miz was upset that Lumis showed up, but Ciampa and security didn’t spot him.
Seriously, Miz is spooked, and he played that role quite well.
Very curious to see where this one goes…but…I am all in.
I am not saying it was stunning or inflammatory…but I think I am not the only one…
Saxton, declaring Miz could be near an upset and winning the US title…in a non-title match.
Some might say this was a nice trip down Memory Lane.
Others might feel like it’s going back to the well….but…
I am in the first camp. Edge giving Angle pictures, with funny comments on them, as a throwback to his past antics.
It’s not quite September, but WWE kicked off their pediatric cancer awareness month.
As in, Connor’s Cure. A worthy cause, and worth calling out.
Also, as part of the segment, we saw Titus O’Neill and Dana Warrior back on WWE television.
And…maybe you missed it…but Riddle got his first name back. Welcome back, Matt!
Edge and Angle in the locker room was good.
Angle in the ring? I don’t know…it felt forced and awkward at times.
The tag match we got was good…but Angle barely got to say anything before Alpha Academy cut him off.
My low point of the night.
We’ve already seen tension between Zayn and the Bloodline, laying the premise for Sami to turn.
Now, we have more wrinkles with the interactions between Kevin Owens and Sami.
And, I really love KO finally bringing back up that, if not for Jey interfering, KO would have stopped Reigns’ run 18 months ago.
Well, that’s basically it.
The red brand folks will now dash off to Cardiff for the Clash at the Castle, and the card is pretty set now.
Edge + Rey versus Damien Priest and Finn Balor was our last addition from RAW, which should be good-and lead to more.
The Lumis storyline is super engaging and I cannot wait to see where that one goes.
But perhaps the most exciting thing? The current creative team had a decent amount of time to tweak SummerSlam.
This show on Saturday, however? They’ve had a lot more time, meaning this one is basically all them…and there is a lot to be excited for.
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