Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly breaks down the Monday, Sept. 16 edition of Raw with 10 quick-hitting thoughts.
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A bunch of ‘daaamn’ moments: If you leave a Monday Night Raw with one moment where your jaw drops and all you can utter is an emphatic “daaamn” – you feel like you just got done watching a great show. So, what does it say when there are a near-half dozen of those moments over three hours? That’s what you had Monday night. From the powerful CM Punk promo to kick the night off, to the final 20 seconds of back-and-forth from Natalya and Zoey Stark; the Jey Uso spear on Bron Breakker; Xavier Woods losing his mind on Kofi Kingston; the top rope snapping when Braun Strowman hurled Bronson Reed into it; Reed tossing a fan out of the front row at Strowman like a spear; Strowman spearing Reed through the barrier and then the backstage calamity that followed all delivered a special night in Portland.
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Getting personal: CM Punk set the tone with his opening promo (by the way, why did he leave his car door open and I didn’t take the Second City Savior as a family truckster kind of guy, but I digress), but the back-and-forth between Uso and Breakker on the microphone got a little uncomfortable. And if that happened, you know something went right. Breakker saying that Uso was riding the coattails of his family’s wrestling success and that he accomplished more in six months than Uso has in 14 years is the last thing a guy wants to hear who is eyeing his first WWE singles title. The retort of “I am going to dog-walk your ass … (the match) might end up short and sweet like your NFL career” was dirty and had consequences later on.
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Evening things up: Bronson Reed has been on a run that has made him near invincible. Now, it might not seem quite that way throughout the night, as a banged-up Braun Strowman gave Reed a beatdown, but not to a point where it harmed Reed’s larger than life persona. It not only sets up a surely-to-be-brutal rematch but potentially a sustained rivalry. It might be only me, but I get great enjoyment in seeing two big men wrestling knowing that it’s not going to be pretty but it’s going to be hardcore.
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Something is brewing: The way Rhea Ripley looked at Jey Uso during the first promo had me believing that Ripley ismore than a little Yeeted by Uce. With Uso inserting himself into the Terror Twins/Judgment Day business and that rivalry looking like it might be coming to its apex, can we see these two getting together in some form or faction? Actually, let’s hope not. I am all for an Uso Intercontinental Title run and maybe more beyond that, but it would behoove him if he did it by himself. Breakker did hit a nerve with a “you are nothing without your family” after all.
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Maybe it’s just me but …: Don’t get me wrong, I think Sheamus is a future WWE Hall of Famer but I still think there’s another level for him to hit in his rivalry with Pete Dunne. Hell, maybe I am wrong. I understand their past relationship and all of that and the two worked their asses off on Raw with the shillelagh (I love saying the word shillelagh) and the cricket bat to create some bad blood, but it left me feeling like there’s more fire in Sheamus that’s yet to be unleashed.
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Xavier Woods would make a good villain: All we know of Xavier Woods is his goofy ‘New Day’ personality and some wild hairdos. But the last person I’d think of ever being pissed off is Woods. To me, that’s what makes this tease of Woods turning on Kofi Kingston so promising. Woods was livid that he had the match won against the Judgment Day but Kofi went behind his back and asked for help from the LWO. Woods wasn’t happy and that spilled backstage. The key words out of Woods’ mouth were when he asked Kingston if he had doubts Woods could handle business he same way Big E did when he was around. Let’s hope there is not a big kiss-and-makeup session coming any time soon because I’m ready for Woods to look in the mirror and “say hello to the bad guy.”
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Punk in a Hell in a cell?: When I think of Hell in a Cell, CM Punk doesn’t necessarily scream out as a Superstar best suited for it to me. Then again – tonight proved we are currently seeing a different side of him. Now, it’s obvious that Drew McIntyre should flourish in this kind of match, which makes it an interesting decision for Punk to want a match inside the steel. I definitely thought this feud was finished after the Bash in Berlin when Punk not only made McIntyre tap out but he also hit him with multiple GTS’s and then touched all four ring posts before retrieving his bracelet. But I was wrong. What else can these two possibly take to top that? We’ll head inside Hell in a Cell to put an end to things once and for all.
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Unquestioned leader: Finn Bálor had a good night establishing himself as the top guy of The Judgment Day, if you didn’t know that already. Bálor was great backstage in his interaction with Rhea Ripley and then needled her further when he said he’s why ‘Dirty’ Dom Mysterio turned on her and went to Liv Morgan. Bálor was all over the place throughout the night, as he defended the World Tag Team Title with JD McDonough, stuck his nose into a backstage interview with Ilja Dragunov, and also interfered with the match between Priest and Mysterio. All together Balor hit four Coup de Grace on the night — three on Priest and one more for good measure.
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Is everybody afraid of Gunther?: Gunther is the World Heavyweight Champion and nobody but Sami Zayn wants a shot at him? You would figure that the WWE Superstars would be lined up to try to get a crack at him, not just Zayn? I believe Gunther is ready to make up for his shocking Intercontinental Title loss to Zayn at WrestleMania XL by crushing Zayn in a match for his new title, but only after he continues to make Zayn beg for an opportunity.
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Best match of the night: Raw was filled with venom on the mic heading toward Bad Blood in a couple of weeks, so the in-ring action was a little light compared to other weeks. That’s not taking anything away from Bianca Belair and IYO SKY because their match was not only the best of the night, it can stand toe-to-toe with anything we’ve seen in some time. IYO SKY’s suicide dive was ridiculous. My reaction to every moment of this match: “daaaamn.”