Sean Raw Sapp (5/15): Podcast Notes, Strowman, Reigns, More

Opening segment

• Kurt Angle comes out and announces a big top contender match for the PAPE with Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins. I'd have that go an hour. 
• Roman Reigns is the star of this segment, which has the tired old one-by-one entrance.
• They brawl all over the place. Finn Balor would do a front dropkick to the outside of the ring during a brawl
• Angle makes a few matches out of it. This was fine. Really contrived, but fine.

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Jeff Hardy (w/ Matt Hardy) defeated Sheamus (w/ Cesaro)

• Sheamus is a BRUTE.
• Jeff Hardy should not have kicked out of the Brogue Knee.
• Sheamus then kicked out of a modified Twist of Fate. Okay
• Interference number one of the night results in a botchfest. Gross.
• Hardy wins.

Alicia Fox (w/ Noam Dar) defeated Sasha Banks

• I'm all for Alicia Fox taking an advanced role in WWE. She's always solid.
• These two have a much better match than the one that preceded it.
• Alicia Fox wins with a Scissors Kick to the back. I like that she hits the move without prejudice to any part of the body.
• I'm down to see these two go at least ten. 
• Alicia Fox could be one of the outstanding characters on Raw if allowed to be. 

Intercontinental Championship
The Miz (w/ Maryse) defeated Dean Ambrose via DQ

• Maryse always looks ready to wrestle.
• This crowd is HOT early on.
• Miz continues his hot in-ring streak. This is really good stuff. Ambrose has to have someone who brings out the best in him, and a good crowd. This is both.
• Ambrose kicks Miz right square in the penis. Graves' explanation of Miz trying to land one is funny.
• Why does Ambrose get his music played after kicking a dude in the PECKER!?

Backstage Crappenings

• Universe puns. Those are fun. We get one from Balor.
• Miz is mad about the wiener kicking. He gets a title rematch at Extreme Rules and The Drifter shows up. 
• TJP is asking Neville for a title match and Neville doesn't wanna give it to him. 
• More good Golden Truth stuff. I like this.

Alexa Bliss promo

• Bliss owns the crowd chanting "what" again. Who are you people? Why do you do it?
• Bliss cuts a nice promo, and Bayley comes out for the contrived "Bayley, you're not good enough" stuff.
• They fight and Bliss cracks her with a singapore cane, to "ECW" chants. 

Roman Reigns defeated Finn Balor

• This match was really good, and the offense all made sense.
• I appreciate Reigns adjusting his offense to his opponent's size.
• Balor was great, Reigns was great. The story, selling, the action, all of it.
• Reigns picks up the win. 

TJP & Neville defeated Jack Gallagher and Austin Aries

• I really think the Cruiserweight title match should be a multiple person ladder match since Raw won't have one maybe all year. 
• TJP had a nice OrtonLock on Aries.
• The crowd chants for Derek Jeter at the end of this match, which was pretty good. 

Goldust turns

• Goldust beats the crap out of R-Truth. This will probably lead to lower card nothingness. 
• Goldust can be great. If he'll be permitted to be, I don't know.

Big Cass (w/ Enzo) defeated Titus O'Neil (w/ Apollo Crews)

• Titus mocks Enzo and Cass, then Cass reveals Enzo isn't facing Apollo.
• Big Boot, pin. 
• Enzo tries to clown Apollo, and gets kicked for it. 

Seth Rollins defeated Bray Wyatt via DQ

• I'm glad to see Seth Rollins firing on all cylinders, but if he's jumping all over the place, you have to abandoned the "injured knee" narrative.
• I feel like qualifying matches would have really helped them book Raw for a couple of weeks. 
• Samoa Joe attacks Rollins, then Wyatt and Joe double team Rollins.
• Wyatt, because he's a loon, attacks Joe. 
• Overall, I'd say this was a pretty decent Raw.