Reviews

WWE Network Review: WWE Raw Talk for 4-26-21

By Aneil Komal • Published 27th April 2021

Raw Talk begins with host Kevin Patrick and the returning 24/7 Champion R-Truth. Patrick questions the whereabouts of Truth who answered that he went to the wrong stadium for Wrestlemania because he had Tropicana Field on his itinerary. Speaking about Raw, they look back at the end of Raw which saw Braun Strowman beat Drew McIntyre to turn the WWE Championship match into a triple threat. Truth wondered why T-Bar and Mace interfered in the main event, adding that Lashley has his hands full against Strowman and McIntyre at Wrestlemania Backlash. They also looked back at the segment with Damien Priest and The New Day throwing tomatoes at The Miz, Morrison, Elias, and Ryker. The two would end by talking about Charlotte assaulting the referee and being suspended only to have it reversed by Sonya Deville.

Aneil’s Take: After being off for a few weeks, R-Truth is back. While it is good to have Truth back, I enjoyed having Xavier Woods filling in. Looking back at the main event of Raw, it was interesting to see Mace, T-Bar, and MVP help Braun defeat McIntyre. I wonder if this is a foreshadow of Braun potentially becoming a new member of The Hurt Business?

The first guest is Riddle. On Truth’s mishap, Riddle says he also got the wrong email as he was at Tropicana Field for Wrestlemania for a quick second. On the newly formed tag team of RK-Bro, Riddle says he beat Orton last week and mentioned the tweet from The Viper about possibly forming a team. The Stallion says he was not sure if Orton was trying to set him up and thought he was going to have a confrontation while talking with him on Raw. However, Riddle was surprised when Orton came up with a name for their team and says it is the beginning of something beautiful. His goal is to become tag team champions with Orton and then form a team with Truth as well. As for the tag team with Orton, Riddle says Benjamin and alexander almost to him but The Viper made the tag and saved them. On their potential friendship, Riddle says Orton told him one day at a time. Riddle ends by screaming “RK-Bro 4 life”.

Aneil’s Take: I am interested to see where this RK-Bro tag team goes. Hopefully, this does not end up as another Y2-AJ, where they are setting them as a team to break up. Seems like Orton is a big fan of Riddle and is willing to work with him. Thus far, Riddle has been fluctuating, getting dominated by Lashley, only to win the United States Championship just to lose it a month later. Hopefully, this feud or partnership with Orton will create some stability for him.

The next guest is Sonya Deville. Patrick asks Deville about her decision to reinstate Charlotte. Deville says everyone misunderstood her decision, adding that she wants everyone to have a fair opportunity. She felt Pearce made a rushed decision and did not think it through. Patrick questions if she should have consulted with Pearce before making her decision. Deville says it is a complicated relationship and does not have to answer to Pearce all the time. When asked if there is anything tension between herself and Pearce, she says she was not trying to undermine him and had had to make a split-second decision which Truth agreed with him. Deville says Charlotte is human and made a mistake. She says everyone made apologies and everything went well. Patrick asks if Sonya chose Mandy to face Charlotte based on their history. Deville denies it, saying Mandy is a competitor and knows how to bring the best out of her. When asked if she was trying to be devious, Deville explains she is not trying to play the games like she did last year and is trying to do what is right and fair for both brands.

Aneil’s Take: Sonya did a great job explaining the reason why she reinstated Charlotte, saying she made a mistake. While it is not a reason everyone would agree with, it would not a bad explanation. It was good to see Sonya getting involved in a storyline, which will lead to a power struggle between Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. I also liked Patrick bringing up Sonya’s history with Mandy Rose from last year which I forgot about, so good job tying it back.

The final guests are WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and MVP. Patrick begins by asking Lashley about Strowman being added to the championship match. Lashley says he feels disrespect by the question as Truth adds he has been out for a while so he does not know what is going on. MVP says the situation is simple as Drew has shown he cannot defeat the champion and Lashley has beaten Strowman. Patrick asks what was Lashley thinking while watching McIntyre and Strowman battle each other. Lashley answered that he saw a lot of mistakes in both men’s games. While being in a triple threat match is a cheap way for him to lose the title, Lashley says he will fight both men and beat them at the same time. MVP says no one talks about Lashley’s fight IQ, using Floyd Mayweather as an example to an explanation for how he dissects a fight. The Hurt Business manager reveals the champion studies game tapes and scouts his opponents. Lashley says if they look back at his match at Wrestlemania, McIntyre had no focus. The WWE champion says if both Strowman and McIntyre team up on him and find a way to beat him, he will get a one-on-one rematch. MVP says just like Wrestlemania, Lashley will walk in and out of Wrestlemania Backlash as WWE Champion. Patrick ends by asking how to define the All-Mighty Era, MVP answered “Black Excellence”.

Aneil’s Take: Good interview with the WWE Champion Lashley and MVP. Good answers by Lashley, especially saying he scouts his opponents to see holes in their game. While Lashley is a powerhouse, it also makes him a bigger threat with his strategic mindset. They did miss an opportunity to bring up T-Bar and Mace being involved in the main event. As I said earlier, it would be cool to see Strowman, T-Bar, and Mace join The Hurt Business.

I thought it was a good Raw Talk. The new host Kevin Patrick is finding his groove and asking decent questions.