Greg DeMarco tries out a Top 5 format for this week’s Bloodline rampage edition of WWE Monday Night Raw! See what if you agree with what made the cut!

As you might know by now, I am testing out formats for potential analysis next year. So far, we’ve had:

• Greg DeMarco’s Review & Analysis: AEW Dynamite “Winter Is Coming” 12/14/2022
• Greg DeMarco’s Review & Analysis: WWE Smackdown 12/16/2022

Tonight we shift gears to what might be an easier format for me–but does it translate for you? We’re looking at my Top 5 moments from WWE Monday Night Raw!

Don’t forget, you can get your full recap thanks to Steven Mitchell here.

Honorable Mention

• Michin’s OC gear–it makes her appear as an official member, which is great to see.
• Corey Graves acknowledging that they tape Main Event before Monday Night Raw was such a nice touch–those are the things we would never get under Vince McMahon.
• When the referee tells Adam Pearce there’s a situation at the loading dock, and Pearce runs off, Cathy Kelley followed suit. That is exactly what a reporter would do!
• Corey Graves tossing out a “Season’s Beatings” reference! (If you didn’t know, I love me some Corey Graves on commentary.)
• I wonder how many members of Seth Rollins’ Black & Brave Wrestling Academy served as extras/security tonight?
• Bronson Reed debuts on WWE Monday Night Raw, and helps The Miz win his double or nothing Ladder Match. I can only hope two things: 1) that Bronson Reed gets a fair shake, and 2) that Maryse is revealed as the one who hired The Miz to protect her investment in the double or nothing Ladder Match.
• Seth Rollins’ entrance will always make me happy. Add in him being near his hometown? Even better.

• Great main event with The Usos falling to Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. Even with Rollins being the hometown hero, Kevin Owens is on the collision course with Roman Reigns for the Royal Rumble, and it made more sense for him to score the victory (even though if he did the same thing last week–at least it didn’t feel repetitive). Also a nice touch in having Kevin Owens win with the Pop-Up Powerbomb. Plus, despite all of the chaos created by The Bloodline, it’s Kevin Owens who stands tall on what Roman Reigns called Owens’ show, WWE Monday Night Raw.

And Now … Greg DeMarco’s Top 5: WWE Monday Night Raw 12/19/2022!

5. Akira Tozawa vs. Rhea Ripley

I could honestly just give Akira Tozawa his own entry, but this match spoke to me on so many levels. First off, it’s a rare “intergender match” on WWE television–perfectly paired wit a powerhouse woman taking on a cruiserweight. Hell, she might weigh more than him! (A Google search tells me that she’s 137 pounds and Akira is 156. Is that true? Who knows. She looks bigger than him!)

Rhea won a match that featured interference, but it was interference that largely didn’t impact the finish. So in modern day WWE terms, she won clean. And then Corey Graves put it best: “Rhea Ripley just beat a grown man!”

But here’s what I love: Graves comment aside, there was no focus on this being a man vs. a woman–it was simply a wrestling match. The focus was on the athletes in the ring–and deservedly so. Props to all involved.

4. Byron Saxton Sits Down With Alexa Bliss & WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair

Simple but effective segment backstage with the competitors in our Women’s Championship Match in two weeks. Bianca is 100% justified in her distrust of Alexa, but Alexa presents a story that is so easy for someone to empathize with–and thus believe in her.

The turning point was Bianca seeming to turn the attention towards Bray Wyatt, and Alexa taking exception to it, pointing out how dangerous she is. The vase shot to the head at the end of the interview was the perfect exclamation point. Was that Alexa acting under Bray Wyatt’s control–or Alexa completely acting on her own.

3. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn

You really can’t go wrong when putting two top tier performers like AJ Styles and Sami Zayn across the ring from each other. Their match spanned one commercial break, and did see the (in-arena) arrival of Solo Sikoa.

The Samoan Spike did lead to a pinfall victory for Sami, which he did with the Blue Thunder Bomb–I am not sure he’s ever gotten a WWE victory with that move!

Overall, a fantastic match that kept the story moving forward.

2. Paul Heyman/Roman Reigns Cold Open Leads To Show-Spanning Storyline

WWE Raw opened with the Special Counsel to the Tribal Chief–Paul Heyman, introducing himself in traditional fashion. But that quickly led to the revelation of Roman Reigns himself, who used his issues Kevin Owens to declare war on the Raw roster. Whatever happens tonight on Raw, the blood is on the hands of Kevin Owens.

This led to multiple attacks both backstage and in the ring–and more than one match. But it all started with Roman Reigns setting the table for the chaotic meal that was WWE Monday Night Raw.

1. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

WWE usually does a great job of hype–but I think the hype for this match throughout the show didn’t match on commentary. Show highlights of prior matches–even utilize some NXT. This was a huge match, but it was presented as just slightly less than that.

“What the hell was that?” was a great line from Bayley when Becky went all British with her offense. Kevin Patrick called this a WrestleMania worthy match despite no championship being on the line, and that is a key point. We need feuds for the women that don’t revolve around a championship. I would love to see this at WrestleMania, with no title on the line.

I was also extremely happy to see Bayley get a victory, even if Damage CTRL played a role. That means we could (and should) see more of this down the road.

Let me know what you thought of my analysis for this edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, and if you want me to continue this format over the other option! As I said, I want to get to writing more often, and this could be a good way to make it happen.

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Until next time, remember: enjoying wrestling is a choice…make the right choice!