Wrestling with RAW- Week 39- MSG New York, NY

Quick Results:

-Cedric Alexander defeats AJ Styles (DQ for OC interference)

-Charlotte Flair/Becky Lynch defeat Sasha Banks/Bayley

-Rey Mysterio defeats Gran Metalik

-King of the Ring: Baron Corbin defeats Samoa Joe and Ricochet to advance to the finals

-Natalya over Lacey Evans (submission- Sharpshooter)

-Viking Raiders/Cedric Alexander/Brawn Strowman/Seth Rollins defeat The O.C./AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode (Alexander pins AJ Styles)

Comments:

-Having Stone Cold back for a night was a solid move by WWE. I hope the other stars backstage were paying attention. That man can tell a story and cut a promo at the same time! The show started with a lot of good energy and momentum thanks to the efforts of the rattlesnake. I thought going into this show that calling Steve Austin into moderate a simple contract signing felt last second and desperate on WWE's part. I still think it is desperate; but the popularity and talent of the rattlesnake helped them come out smelling like a rose.

-The Cedric Alexander/AJ Styles feud is way too rushed for the audience to really care. Both performers are very talented and are very strong mid-card performers. Both men are well capable of winning and holding the US Championship. However, Alexander's participation in the King of the Ring competition took two precious weeks from the five since SummerSlam. Not enough time to raise stakes and make the audience care. A Cedric win at Clash of Champions will go over well, but mostly because he's the young kid.

-The weakness in the women's division is starting to show. The Bayley turn had a lot of potential; but the fact that WWE has changed nothing about her gimmick makes it looks like this "turn" is just temporary. At least Sasha Banks changed her hair color! The crowd doesn't seem to be much into the rest of the women either (except Sasha Banks, of course). Stars are beginning to become victims of their own success. Charlotte Flair if having trouble getting any pop at all from the crowd because of at the back and forth in the story. The whole thing feels temporary and low risk.

-Rey Mysterio and Gran Metalik was a highlight as well. This was a solid, steady, well-paced match between two lucha style veterans. There were several moments that brought back fond memories of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Ultimo Dragon from the late 1990's. Whatever was holding Rey back before, he seems clear of it now. What happened to Dominic? Even if not much has happened we need to get an update at least once a week, even if its just a short interview or promo. Stories are like flowers, they need a consistent sunlight to grow and develop.

-This King of the Ring match was a very strong performance for all three wrestlers. I can tell you for sure that the final will not be as good as this one was. Corbin stealing Ricochet's pin should have been a great way for Ricochet to get a push and for Corbin to get heat. It was a very solid plan. However, Ricochet's character has had very little development. The people just want to see the "superhero" fly. Corbin has been out of the limelight for so long that he hasn't even had a chance to get any good heat up to this point, plus the crowd like him too. The crown is the only thing keeping this tournament from being a road to nowhere. At least we got some very solid wrestling out of it. There is also some good feud potential between Ricochet and Baron Corbin depending on the winner of the King of the Ring tournament.

-Lacey Evans is a great wrestler and deserves better. She would be a great addition to the top of the card in the women's division. Dress her up in a new gimmick and see what she can do!

-I'll let Matt take the lead on the Firefly Funhouse gimmick. It is very good, but also convoluted and confusing.

-The 10 man tag match was a cheap way to try and get everyone in front of the audience at the go home show. The match was far too crowded to be able to enjoy at its fullest. Cedric going over AJ at the end seems like it could be some foreshadowing, but maybe that is just my bias writing. The ending of the show with Stone Cold would have been even better at Clash of Champions. No doubt we all witnessed some childhood dreams fulfilled on Monday night at MSG.