Raw recap & reactions: The Wyatt Sicks pop out

I Apologize

The last time I wrote about Monday Night Raw, I spoke about follow through. The Wyatt Sicks thing started hot, like most things involving Wyatt’s name, but needed an effective follow up to avoid going the route that most Wyatt-related things went.

All that said, I’m not sure how I feel about what happened this week. And I don’t think that’s entirely a good thing.

Let’s start with the basics. Chad Gable showed up this week flanked by security and understandably shook. The man looked like a victim in a John Woo action flick, so a little fear made sense.

He survived his triple threat Money in the Bank qualifying match, thanks in part to Judgment Day taking Braun Strowman out of commission. Chad tried celebrating but then this happened:

A little goofy for my liking but I let things play out. Then we got the VHS, as seen at the top of this section.

What I like is that it puts Bo’s motivation front and center. Keeping a family member’s legacy alive is admirable and relatable. Mixing that with real emotion is what makes pro wrestling work. Even addressing the rather large elephant in the room made sense, as I’m sure many are wondering if Bo/WWE are exploiting Bray’s name and goodwill.

My problems come in not really explaining anything. Not even something simple like if Bo Dallas is still, in fact, Bo Dallas. And why should I care about him other than the fact he’s Bray’s brother? The last time Bo was on television sans Uncle Howdy attire was 2021. Needless to say, that’s a very long three years. So maybe instead of assuming everyone watching knows who he is, give a little introduction.

My other issue lies in this slowing down last week’s momentum. They go from attacking everyone in gorilla, including Chad, to one person scaring Master Gable away and delivering a video tape. And to a point made in the Cageside offices many moons ago, this now places a lot of pressure on Bo to lead a thing when he’s spent most of his career drifting from one gimmick to the next. I hope he catches fire because I’m an eternal optimist and because this won’t work without that element.

It’s always hard passing judgement on these type of stories so early while they lay seeds. So keep that in mind when I say ’m less excited about the group than I was last week. I hope that changes.

What do you Bo-lieve?

B-Sides

Clubbin’ & Chaos

I knew it was coming. Anyone familiar with professional sports entertaining wrestling knew it was coming. Sheamus interfered during Bron Breakker’s match against Ludwig Kaiser, causing Bron a W while getting some revenge against Ludwig for last week. Prior to the bell ringing and the chaos that ensued, Bron and Ludwig put on a crisp and fun match. Bron hit his usual spots and Ludwig took them like a champ while also making Bron sweat a bit more than usual.

That said, Bron got what he wanted: He faces Sami Zayn at Money in the Bank for the Intercontinental championship. But I’m throwing a flag on the field here. Sami told Bron a couple weeks ago that if he wants the championship shot, he gets it any time and any place. Bron seemingly forgot that detail when he got in Adam Pearce’s face about everyone getting in his way while he tries to get that match with Sami. Based on Sami’s words from a couple weeks ago, Bron’s tantrum was unnecessary.

I’m glad we got this match, and I really think Bron should win because, come on, just give the dude a belt, but the plot details got a bit lost.

This also, at least I think, puts Sheamus and Ludwig together.

Moby Dick

The world turns for Dirty D and Liv Morgan. But now Zelina Vega wants a spin and that adds another fun element.

Liv, through gifts, is ingratiating herself with Judgment Day. Well, everyone in the group except Damian. She got them a PS5, and a Tag Team championship match! Oh, and she’s possibly sending Dom nudes. I’m not picking sides or anything but the woman is doing enough for me.

But how does Zelina factor in the drama? Easy: she (rightly) reminded Liv that she hasn’t defended that championship since she’s so focused on getting some “dirty D” and “sloppy seconds.” This segued perfectly into the LWO/Judgment Day beef, specifically Rey Mysterio vs. Dom. And if you’re wondering how Dom got a match with his dad next week, you can thank Liv for that too.

Liv delivered later in the show when she helped JD McDonagh & Finn Balor capture the Tag Team championships. That’s when it hit me that she’s not just going after Dom; Liv wants to become Judgment Day’s new mami. Carlito thinks she’s cool while JD & Finn have no complaints right now. That only leaves Dom and Damian, who might not even be in the group in a few weeks.

This story keeps getting better while intelligently mixing in other stories. No complaints on my part even if I wanted some.

The Gentleman

Damian’s championship defense against Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank just got a lot more interesting. If Damian wins, then Seth will never challenge for the World Heavyweight championship so long as Damian holds the belt. But if Seth wins? Well, the champ leaves Judgment Day.

I liked the psychology between these two during this back and forth. They expressed mutual respect while getting in a couple shots. Seth’s disses probably hit the hardest because they ring true: Damian talks about not needing any help but without help, he’s probably not champion anymore. Damian showed his arrogance when he accepted Seth’s gentlemen’s agreement. Not in taking the match but, once again, expressing that the group needs him more than he needs them. This isn’t the first time he said it but it might be the time he pays for it.

That said, I’m not sure how this shakes out. On one hand, Damian out of Judgment Day peaks my curiosity, even if I don’t think it’s the right time for his exit. And I think they can get out of Seth never challenging for that championship pretty quickly since I still got GUNTHER winning the title at SummerSlam. That’s the way to give Damian a big win over Seth, keep tension bubbling in Judgment Day, and free Seth to wrestle for that belt whenever the story calls for it.

Singles

• Lyra Valkyria qualified for the Money in the Bank Women’s match. Very cool triple threat between her, Kari Sane, and Shayna Baszler. Everyone looked good but Lyra really impressed me. I still think her personality is too plain Jane, but she’s getting big spots and doing her thing.
• The Alpha Academy story incorporated last week’s beatdown and gave Chad a change of heart. I’m really invested in this story and Otis continues his great work. Maxxine shined too giving Chad a heart to heart, but it’s clear the number one guy isn’t accepting Chad’s apology. Is he sincere? Did he apologize simply because he’s one man against a band of psychos? It seems like the crew Formerly Known as Diamond Mine are about to find out since Ivy Nile & the Creed Bros. seemingly lent their support.
• Karrion Kross defeated Kofi Kingston thanks to AOP & Paul Ellerling giving Xavier Woods all the hands in the world backstage. That played on Kofi’s weakness and Karrion took advantage. I’m still not sure if they’re really breaking up New Day, but it’s clear they need some…big…help.

Once again, Raw delivers a stellar episode. No wrestling for the sake of wrestling, and every match flowed into something larger. The show was so packed I didn’t even get into Drew McIntyre threatening Adam GM! These three hours flew by and I love the red brand’s hot streak. The jury is still out on the Wyatt Sicks but other than that, everything else is hitting my sweet spot.

What say you, Cagesiders?