Takeaways from RAW
(Photo Credit: WWE)
This week, Raw had a great set of action, with the Raw bracket taking shape in the Queen and King Of The Ring Tournaments.
The Trilogy match between Gunther and Sheamus delivered as expected. Ilja Dragunov made a huge first impression in his match with Ricochet, not to mention Iyo Sky and newcomer Lyra Valkyria delivering in their tournament matches.
The first set of tournament matches for King and Queen Of The Ring adds more value to the current product.
(Photo Credit: WWE)
The post-mania season, a distinct period in WWE programming, typically ushers in a quieter phase as it resets everything post-draft and gradually builds momentum towards its main summer PLE (premium live event), SummerSlam.
Some matches and rivalries are hard to invest in due to their lack of meaning; however, over the next few weeks, the WWE has set up a tournament to culminate in three weeks in Saudi Arabia.
The tournament has given the product more of a must-see feeling. First-time matchups and rivalries settled due to the stakes within each matchup, adding more value and excitement to the post-mania season product.
It is a formula that works with this, usually during the downtime of the WWE calendar year.
Bron Breakker’s introduction is too slow.
(Photo Credit: WWE)
If Bron Breakker is to be one of the big top stars in WWE, there must be a better way to introduce him to the RAW audience.
He was ready for a brief call-up, but they kept him in NXT for most of 2023 to see how he works as a heel. He has made it work, especially the pairing with Baron Corbin, which saw a rejuvenation of character work for Corbin.
That might have been the best way to introduce Breakker because you can only do a handful of two or three-minute matches; a rivalry with a seasoned veteran would go a long way in helping establish the second-generation superstar.
Iyo Sky must be in the final of Queen Of The Ring.
(Photo Credit: WWE)
Iyo Sky is still one of the top superstars in the women’s division. After holding the WWE Women’s title for a decent amount of time and putting in the work to make her title reign relevant, she is the person who has to be in the finals.
Whenever Sky is in the ring, she makes her opponents look just as good as she is inside the ring, but to get to that extra level, to be on par with Becky Lynch (the current WWE Women’s World Champion), she needs to establish herself as a threat by making it to the finals.
It is a different argument as to who should be in the finals with her or if she should even win it, but it can’t be denied that Sky’s in-ring ability and star power make her a must for the finals, which takes place on May 25th.
The third match between Ilja Dragunov and Gunther should take time
(Photo Credit: WWE)
Ilja Dragunov has just gotten called to the main roster, but he needs to build a reputation. To many fans, he is on the level of Gunther and would want to see the match happen in the RAW Final for King of the Ring.
However, Dragunov has just arrived at RAW, whereas Gunther is slowly becoming a major final boss, the villain that nobody can beat. Let both superstars get to a certain level of popularity and momentum.
Casual fans who may not have watched their great rivalry in NXT UK or seen what Dragunov did in NXT need to be familiar with him on RAW. In the meantime, you let Jey Uso go over in a very competitive match against Dragunov and let him have his rematch with Gunther, this time with no added interference.
Dragunov and Gunther have had their careers interlinked with each other, but there must be a gap before what will be a massive encounter between both men.