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WWE RAW MAY 20, 2024
KING GENERAL
Gunther has won the Raw bracket of the King of the Ring tournament. His empty arena promo earlier in the day was excellent, setting up the story of “showman” Jey Uso, having to face his fate when the bell rings. Uso’s walk to the ring and entrance has become a highlight of the Raw broadcast and is very much something that will entice people to attend live events as something you need to be a part of. If you spend any time on Twitter, the geniuses over there have decided that Jey Uso isn’t deserving of his push, despite him being one of the most over guys on the roster. Moral of the story, don’t listen to people that think doing lots of moves is what makes a good pro wrestler. Gunther looked like a killer, and won the match in yet another new way. Something that sets Gunther apart is that he is a guy that can win a match in a variety of ways, so when you watch his matches, you believe the match could end with any of his big moves.
It now seems that it’s a foregone conclusion that Randy Orton will win the Smackdown side of the bracket to set up a huge final and first time ever meeting. Gunther should absolutely be winning the whole thing as a launching pad to the main event/world title scene. I think the winner of the King (and Queen) of the Ring tournament should earn a title match at Summerslam, making it an important event, much like the Royal Rumble is to Wrestlemania. Unfortunately this tournament hasn’t meant anything since 2002 when it was cancelled as a full time concept, and we haven’t really been given much explanation as to what the winner gets other than a silly crown, so it is going to take a few years for it to be seen as an important annual event. Having Gunther win and go on to a big championship match would do a lot in re-establishing it as the same tournament that once helped launch the careers of Bret Hart, Triple H, Steve Austin, Edge and many others.
LYRA MOVES ON
Lyra Valkyria couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the main roster. Big wins over important names, really good in ring performances, and an association with Becky Lynch. All things that tell the audience this is a young star you should be getting behind. She was positioned as the underdog here against Iyo Sky, in front of a crowd still unfamiliar with Lyra, but they popped for the finish, which was seen as an upset. Lyra’s post match promo was also very good, an area she has improved massively on. She is a lot more comfortable giving a live interview than she is in backstage talking segments. I don’t expect her to win the tournament, but even getting to the final is a massive thing to establish her on the roster, and she is already in the mix with Liv Morgan for something post tournament.
BRON
Squash matches have been used for decades to introduce new wrestlers, but this was a new spin on the concept, and a good one. It wasn’t just a new wrestler killing some hapless jobber, there were layers to it. There was a reason to care about Bron and his motivations. He was pissed at not being included in the KOTR tournament, then got even more annoyed at having to face a no-name wrestler, so he tried to kill the guy. And may have succeeded. This was impactful, memorable and Bron is off to the races. It looks like the start of something between him and Ricochet is starting, and just imagine the bumps Ricochet can take for Bron’s offence?
ACADEMY PROBLEM
Sami Zayn opened the show with an excellent promo building to the Intercontinental Championship three way next Saturday. Chad Gable’s heel turn last month was an outstanding moment, but I can’t help but think that some of his interactions “bullying” the Alpha Academy are positioning Gable as a mid card heel, as opposed to a more serious, layered character with a strong motivation, which is where I thought things were going. Some of the stuff with the academy, complete with over acting, cartoon expressions and characters that look pretty stupid for taking his abuse is not doing it for me. I think doing Gable vs Zayn here in this manner, hurts a potential major singles title match between the two in the future. The match became all about some very phoney “will I hit him or won’t I” spots from the Academy. However, there are positives here. Otis is extremely over with the crowd, and when he finally snaps on Gable, it is sure to be a big moment that the audience will pop for. Otis remaining loyal and actually helping Gable was an interesting way to go. The tone at times is just making this feel like an undercard programme, instead of the main event level story it started out as, with much more serious tones.
I can be reached at matthewmacklin90@gmail.com
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