It’s the RAW after a controversial Stomping Grounds pay-per-view and next up is Extreme Rules next. Stomping Grounds was controversial partly due to the repetitive nature of the booking. Regardless of that fact it can be argued that the event pulled off some good matches overall depending on who you converse with.
As a majority, however, most would agree that the Becky Lynch/Lacey Evans feud has overrun its course. It isn’t finished just quite yet. As reported earlier we will get it one last time.
Evans and her new found friend Baron Corbin challenged both Lynch and Universal Champion Seth Rollins for a mixed tag team match at Extreme Rules. This match will be a Winners Take All for the challengers if they win. If the champs win then this will be the last time that Evans and Corbin can face the couple.
Unfortunately, the trend continues for the lack of women’s matches on RAW. Technically there were “two” women’s matches of the night, but only one was longer than a couple of minutes.
The scheduled match was originally between Alexa Bliss facing off against Naomi. Yes! Naomi! Prior to the match, Naomi and Natalya were trying to convince Nikki Cross that Bliss could not be trusted.
Bliss picked up a quick win on Naomi which led to Cross and the Goddess creating the number games on her after the match. This led to Natalya rushing to the ring to help her friend.
In a recent report by the Wrestling Observer, WWE is attempting to not have matches take place commercial breaks. Throughout the night we witness their attempts to make this happen. For the women after the break, a new match was developed and that was Naomi and Natalya vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
Bliss and Cross were able to pick up the win. Cross cemented the victory but after a blind tag by Bliss, she entered the ring and grabbed the pin.
Carmella continued to help R-Truth out throughout the night to regain his 24/7 Championship. At one point it looked like Carmella may just try to win it for herself, but not just yet. It has been rumored that she may be involved in winning the title in the future.
Let’s go over the winners and losers of the night:
WINNERS: Naomi & Natalya
They may have lost their match, but they were finally used in one! It is undetermined at this time if they will continue tagging together but it was nice to see them used for a change. They are both nowhere near the title picture. At this time they may want to be ushered into the fleeting tag team division.
WINNER: Becky Lynch
Lynch continues to dominate during her reign and tonight was no different. She clearly had the upper hand on Evans as she was able to counter the sneak attack by the Sassy Southern Belle. Issuing the “you can’t wrestle us again” stipulation to the mixed tag match for Evans/Corbin allows her to move past this once and for all.
LOSER: Lacey Evans
It is an unpopular opinion that Evans should be at the place on the roster that she currently sees herself. Many fans have voiced that she needs more work, predominantly her in-ring work. With that being said even her mic skills didn’t do much for her this week. Lynch clearly was the dominant factor in their exchange.
Final Thoughts:
It’s perfectly predictable that we were heading towards Lynch and Evans one more time. SummerSlam is just around the corner in August and at that point, Lynch will have a new competitor. Who? Not sure. At this moment it will probably be Charlotte Flair again.
Figuring out what the endgame is for Alexa and Nikki is still up in the air at this point. If Nikki was on SmackDown then this could have led to her facing Bayley for the title, however, that fact may not matter anymore.
Is the wild card rule still a thing or is the brand split over? The latter seems to be the case.
Who would you pick as your winners and losers this week? What did you like/dislke on tonight’s RAW? Check back in tomorrow for SmackDown’s winners and losers!!
