W2Mnet WWE RAW 10.24.16 Takeaways

Thomas Grim is running things on this edition of the WWE RAW Takeaways. I’m starting with a simple, yet emphatic statement. This was the worst episode of Raw I have seen in years. I love the wrestling business, but last night’s show was bad from bottom to top.

The List is RAW

Yes, it’s a chuckle worthy joke to the internet fans, but good lord. Whoever came up with making Chris Jericho‘s “List” a major story arc for the night needs to be fired. It appeared that Seth Rollins had taken the list, which at the behest of Stephanie McMahon, forced Jericho to find it for whatever reason.

Somehow, Braun Stroman ended up with the list in his possession. Strowman also had a confrontation with Sami Zayn earlier in the evening. This particular interaction ended with Strowman walking out. I am expecting Strowman vs. Zayn to be added to Hell in a Cell on Sunday. Even though this is actually a good story for both guys, no one cares.

The Silly Things

Of course, with this being RAW, there’s some throwaway matches. Golden Truth defeated The Shining Stars. Bo Dallas defeated Curtis Axel and Enzo defeated Karl Anderson. All solid outings, but the stories are something that just don’t interest me.

Also, Rich Swann beat Brian Kendrick. I wouldn’t be surprised if Swann actually is the next Cruiserweight Champion pretty soon. I hope Brian Kendrick wins, mainly because T.J. Perkins has Finn Balor syndrome. A flashy catchy entrance, solid movements, but just nothing to get behind. Balor syndrome is simply the step up from Malenko syndrome. Also, I hope someone figures out that the constant gamer talk in promos is just lame.

A Little History

I know WWE doesn’t want to acknowledge CM Punk in any way these days. However, I feel the WWE can make a lot of money by saying New Day have broken Punk’s record of being the longest reigning World Champion of the modern era. Yes, they are different belts, but that’s still a huge accomplishment. So, if they beat Sheamus and Cesaro on Sunday that makes them an even bigger part of wrestling history. Although, I’m sure WWE will say nothing about it. Oh yeah, why the hell did they give away a PPV match here? Makes no sense. At least they had the best match on the entire show.

Mick Foley Screws Up the Contract Signing

One of the biggest things on RAW was the Women’s Hell in a Cell match contract signing. Sasha Banks and Charlotte went on their usual spiels about making history. Not to mention, being better than the other. I found this more interesting than normal. Until, RAW General Manager Mick Foley decided to interrupt. His interruption turned the promo into a story about him, rather than telling the story of the upcoming match. I feel this really took away from the feud. Sure, put the cell over, but the Foley promo has lost its luster because we’ve seen this kind of promo from Mick one too many times.

The Dumbest Segment Ever

Paul Heyman was out with Brock Lesnar in what turned out to be the most pointless segment of the night. Heyman managed to get the crowd to chant, but they chanted for Lesnar, and Vince lost it backstage. Somehow Vince thought Brock would get booed in his hometown. How stupid.

The Close

Finally, we get to our main event between Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, and Seth Rollins. The match was almost cancelled because Chris Jericho couldn’t find his list. The match was decent at best, and ended with Rollins pinning Owens and Jericho. Of course, this feels like a dead give away that he sure as heck isn’t winning on Sunday. That’s two matches where they did this.

Overall, this show came off bland and just went through the motions. As I said, worst Raw in years. Somehow, this was a go-home show to the Hell in a Cell PPV.