Monday’s Raw was built around AJ Styles taking on Randy Orton in a rematch from WrestleMania 35, a Gauntlet Match for a shot at the United States title that went nowhere, Seth Rollins and the AOP set out on a war to settle the score, NXT’s Deonna Purrazzo took on Asuka, Lana’s proposal for Bobby Lashley’s proposal, a sit-down interview and challenge issued by Becky Lynch, and more!
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I didn’t get to watch Raw after 915 and was wondering why this show was only 68 minutes, got to the 46 minute mark and the result they read and I understood it
I think the problem with the gauntlet match is that there was no one of note in it. If you look at the Rollins and Kofi gauntlets (where both eventually lost) Rollins beat Reigns and Cena in back to back match-ups before losing, for Kofi he beat WWE champ Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, and Samoa Joe before losing to AJ in a scrappy manner. Last night we had a Gauntlet composed of R-Truth, Tozawa, Ricochet, Matt Hardy Carrillo, and Andrade. Even if this went to a clean finish, which of these guys is a big deal? Ricochet? Matt Hardy? I mean you have a joke character and a jobber starting off, a has been, then 3 up and comers. For gauntlets to work for the purpose of getting someone over you need big names for people to go over. The problem is I’m having trouble thinking of anyone on the roster to fill that role unless you put Orton and AJ in the gauntlet, and we’ve seen AJ up against both Carrillo and Ricochet fairly recently. I mean I think if you wanted to say really get Carrillo over have him start up against Ricochet, get that win, then face AJ and win, then Orton and win, before facing Seth Rollins, score a roll up win off an Owens distraction, then get beat down post match by AOP, then Andrade comes down and picks the bones to win the gauntlet. Or something similar. No matter who won tonight it wasn’t going to be a big deal. Gauntlets only work when you are thinking OMG I cannot believe he beat those guys back to back. In this match it was clear in the first several matches who would likely win the match-ups and so it was predictable.
You can get someone over by having him start the gauntlet and last til the end. Also, no matches should be as long as that Ricochet vs Carillo match.
On top of that, all of this was for nothing in the end. What were they thinking ? What was the intent ?
IT only matters if the gauntlet has names worth beating. This one really didn’t, it was poorly set up. I mean lets say they had Carrillo run the gambit. IF he started, beat Truth, Tozawa, Hardy, Ricochet, and Andrade. Is he over in some major way? TO me that puts him exactly where he already was in the mid card.
They do, but he needs to struggle against people that are perceived as being good. So Andrade and Ricochet yes, but not the other guys in this gauntlet it needed other better competitors. You could have thrown in maybe one of the others but not all of them.
That was one of the most comatose crowds I’ve ever seen.
The gauntlet match actually wasn’t bad, but why the hell was Tozawa in it? He hasn’t won a match in forever. And I have no problem with a long match - if we actually get a finish!!! So pointless.
I’d have to go back and rewatch it (which I won’t), but I don’t think Randy and AJ’s timing were off like John said. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but it seemed the ending was Orton sees Styles going for the Phenomenal Forearm, jumps up for the RKO but AJ stops himself because he sees Orton has caught him, but then Orton buckles his knee (an area AJ was working on throughout the match) feigning injury and baiting AJ into going for it anyway.