Every week, former WWE creative writer Kevin Eck will run down his thoughts from "RAW," "SmackDown" and the rest of the pro wrestling world.
‘RAW’ thoughts
Am I the only one who …
… thinks Alexa Bliss was right about Nia Jax all along?
Judging by Jax’s actions on “RAW” this week, I think she really is the bully Bliss accused her of being. Jax was in full heel mode as she tossed around a much smaller woman in an “exhibition.” If in fact she has turned heel it’s probably for the best. It’s unlikely that the "RAW" Women’s Champion would’ve been cheered when she faces Ronda Rousey at the “Money in the Bank” pay-per-view June 17 anyway.
Moreover, Jax never fully connected with the audience as a babyface, which was especially evident at “Backlash” when the crowd turned on her during her post-match promo about being true to oneself and standing up to bullies. It came off incredibly scripted and awkward and was made even worse when Michael Cole, right on cue, basically gave a PSA about WWE’s “Be A Star” anti-bullying campaign. Subtle.
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… missed Roman Reigns?
Where, oh where has “The Big Dog” gone? A “RAW” without Reigns is like a foot without a big toe ( “Stripes,” 1981 ). Hopefully, Reigns will be back on the show next week. Don’t @ me.
… thought Sami Zayn was the wrong person to apologize for last week’s horrific segment with Bobby Lashley’s “sisters?”
I originally was going to say that whichever member of the creative wrote it should apologize, but the truth is that the blame lies elsewhere. Not only did Vince McMahon approve that trainwreck, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a hand in writing it.
… thought the order of the women’s gauntlet match for the final spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match was too much of a coincidence to be believable?
The “random” order of the participants just so happened to have the members of the Riott Squad at Nos. 2, 3 and 4. And, as it turned out, none of them had to face each other.
As for the result of the match, Sasha Banks winning it was predictable. Am I the only one who has lost interest in Banks? She desperately needs to turn heel.
... LOL’d when Jonathan Coachman said that “the ‘RAW’ tag-team division is as deep as it’s ever been?”
After champions Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt and the newly formed combination of Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler, there’s a pretty big drop-off:
The B-Team. The Ascension. Breezango. Titus Worldwide. Heath Slater and Rhyno. I rest my case.
MORE: The Ascension lands on this very unfortunate list
… is tired of all the pointing?
First it was everyone pointing at the WrestleMania sign and now it’s the Money in the Bank briefcases. We get it: Everyone who’s in the MITB Ladder Match wants to win it.
‘SmackDown Live’ thoughts
Am I the only one who …
… was disappointed that the advertised Daniel Bryan versus Samoa Joe match didn’t happen?
Instead of the much-anticipated first one-on-one match between the two former ROH World Champions in WWE, we got a Triple Threat Match with Big Cass being added. When I worked on the WWE creative team, Vince McMahon’s philosophy on not delivering advertised matches was that it’s OK as long as what is delivered is better than what was originally booked. I’m just not sure Big Cass’ presence in the match made it better. That’s not really a knock on Big Cass; it’s just that Bryan versus Joe for the first time in WWE is special.
Perhaps the fact that it is special is why it should be saved for a pay-per-view. I get that, but then why promise it for TV in the first place?
… thinks Samoa Joe has become one of the best talkers in the business?
I always thought Samoa Joe’s promos were OK, but his work in WWE, especially as of late, has been superb. He’s very believable, and even when his scripted material isn’t the greatest he makes it work.
Case in point: Joe’s promo this week that referenced the Bible and Gabriel seeking salvation could’ve come off as corny and out of character for him, but his delivery was so good that it didn’t matter.
… thinks the portrayal of Mandy Rose is setting back the women’s evolution in WWE?
Corey Graves drooling over her on commentary all the time is bad enough, but this week Tom Phillips referred to her as “the stunning Mandy Rose.” So much for treating the women as athletes. The only thing missing is Jerry Lawler yelling, “Puppies!”
… enjoyed the dance-off between Lana and Naomi?
You’re probably thinking this is a contradiction to my statement about Mandy Rose, but there’s nothing wrong with a little sports entertainment fun on occasion, and since dancing is a part of the Lana and Naomi’s acts, the dance-off wasn’t totally out of left field. It’s really no different than New Day and The Usos having a rap battle.
On a side note, it was disappointing that Lana, Rusev and Aiden English were booked as heels in the segment. I thought the powers that be in WWE finally realized last week that these three should be babyfaces.
… caught that Corey Graves made a reference to “Ginger Kelly” during the dance-off?
Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly were famous dancers, so he obviously combined the two by mistake. Personally, I’m a John Travolta Guy .
Miscellaneous thought
Am I the only one who …
… realizes that if the men’s Money in the Bank contract winner is from “RAW” and not “SmackDown Live” he will be at a distinct disadvantage?
It’s been stated that the winner of the contract can only cash in on the world champion from the brand that he is on. So if the winner is from “RAW” and Brock Lesnar remains Universal Champion, he will only get a handful of chances to cash in on “The Beast.”
That hardly seems fair, but we all know how Vince McMahon feels about what’s fair.