5 Mistakes WWE made on the go-home RAW before Survivor Series: WarGames
The stakes were high for several WWE stars on the final episode of RAW before Survivor Series: WarGames. Bianca Belair and Nia Jax battled in the main event to determine which team would get the numbers advantage for WarGames.
Bron Breakker faced Ludwig Kaiser but Sheamus broke up the match. A Triple Threat Match was later added to Survivor Series: WarGames.
The New Day attempted to get back on track against Alpha Academy. Damian Priest and Gunther had one final face-off before their World Heavyweight title showdown. Both women's squads had backstage segments.
The faces couldn't agree on anything, while the heels agreed that they would work together to dismantle the heroes. WWE made the next five mistakes on the final episode of RAW ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames.
#5. Treading water with the LWO and American Made
The LWO and American Made have been feuding over the last few weeks. It hasn't done much for either team, as officials have used 50/50 booking. Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega defeated Chad Gable and Ivy Nile in mixed tag team action on the November 11 episode of RAW.
Chad Gable blew up at the Creeds, who weren't even present for the match. They then posed like they had won a Championship. Gable helped the Creeds cheat this week to upend Mysterio and Dragon Lee.
Lee is exciting, and the Creeds are future tag team Champions. Nothing that has happened in the feud, however, has helped either side climb the ladder in the RAW roster.
#4. A stark presentation of men's WarGames teams
While the men's WarGames is comprised mostly of SmackDown stars, the build has spilled over to RAW every week. Sami Zayn and Jey Uso are RAW stars as is CM Punk.
The latest episode had brief promos from both sides, with a stark contrast in the teams' presentation. Only Zayn and The Usos appeared for the OG Bloodline team.
Roman Reigns hasn't done any recruiting and is a SmackDown star. Punk, however, returned on Friday but didn't appear on RAW. Solo Sikoa cut a promo with his team around him, presenting more of a unified front.
Perhaps that's the main point in building both teams. WWE wants fans to think that the faces will have trouble coexisting because of trust issues. But is a team with Roman Reigns and CM Punk really going to lose to a team with Tonga Loa on it?
#3. The Judgment Day retained to prolong a lackluster run
The lone title match on the show featured The Judgment Day defending the World Tag Team titles against The War Raiders. The match marked only the second defense since Finn Balor and JD McDonagh won the titles in June.
The other title defense came against the New Day in September. The Judgment Day has cooled off a lot over the last month and swapping the titles to Erik and Ivar would have rebooted the division.
Balor and McDonagh's run has been one of the most disappointing in recent memory. Having the War Raiders dethrone the Champions would have been an unexpected kick on the RAW before Survivor Series: WarGames. It would have also forced the faction to either go its separate ways or regroup.
#2. Excluding the new Championship announcement from RAW
Nick Aldis announced the addition of the Women's United States Championship during an episode of SmackDown. The tournament has already started, with Bayley and Chelsea Green advancing.
RAW did the same thing but didn't air the announcement of a Women's Intercontinental Championship during the actual show. The segment was taped before RAW went on the air and briefly showed Adam Pearce unveiling the belt.
Why wasn't such a big moment like introducing a new title included during the actual broadcast? That's more prestigious than needing two recaps of the Bloodline revelations and behind-the-scenes footage of CM Punk's return to WWE last year. It was a swing and a miss for WWE's newest Championship.
#1. Bianca Belair beats Women's Champion in advantage match
Nia Jax, the WWE Women's Champion, faced Bianca Belair to determine which team would receive the numbers advantage for WarGames. In the end, the EST won with help from Bayley and an exposed turnbuckle. They were supposed to be the faces in the situation.
It makes sense that Bayley wants to prove herself to Belair, but the outcome could have been determined differently. Jax is supposed to be SmackDown's top woman but has lost two recent matches to The EST. That devalues the title. Belair and Jade Cargill also pinned Liv Morgan in a different tag team match.
WWE clearly wants Belair to always look strong, but it didn't need to come at the expense of the supposed top woman on SmackDown. She could have defeated Raquel Rodriguez via rollup or Tiffany Stratton to cause tension on the heel team.
It also begs the question - will a team with Belair, Ripley, and previously Cargill realistically lose? The only way they may lose is if one face star turns heel. Other than that, having the faces win both the advantage match and WarGames is overkill.
