It has been two weeks since WWE kicked off its self-proclaimed "new era" with a brand split and a draft, changes that produced a red-hot run of shows on Raw.
But the WWE's flagship program came back down to earth Monday night in a big way.
If the fading of the new-car smell seems quick, it shouldn't, as the timing fits in with WWE's recent history. Week 3 of the four-week structure between pay-per-view events has typically been the weakest, with the more explosive moments saved for the go-home show. It's something that bodes well for next week, just days before SummerSlam invades New York City.
But the bar had been set high in previous weeks with new pushes, fresh booking and a heavy splash of much-needed PG-13 dialogue and intensity, all of which were mostly missing Monday (with the exception of some well-played jokes at the expense of Big E's injury below the belt).
In its place was a noticeable void of top stars being used in prominent spots and a predictable finish to a main event match -- Rusev vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States title -- that didn't start until 11 p.m. ET and had been hastily thrown together moments earlier.
If the WWE had hopes of building two separate brands that are independent of and in competition with each other, the cheap pop from SmackDown Live's Daniel Bryan "invading" the final segment of Raw felt gratuitous. Cross-pollinating with run-ins from Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton is one thing and an extreme case unto itself; this one, however, was forced.
But all was not lost Monday as WWE did a good job, mostly in subtle ways, of keeping the storyline moving within the major feuds. The attention to detail remained high, proving to be a good step forward from the old method of killing time with unnecessary rematches. It's something we are likely to see less of after the brand extension because of how valuable each second of real estate has become.
Credit Seth Rollins (in-ring) and Finn Balor (pretaped) for strong promos to keep interest high ahead of their inaugural WWE Universal title match, even if the decision not to showcase Balor in a match on Monday felt like a mistake.
Rollins did a nice job of teasing the fear inside of him (remember, every great heel needs a weakness or he or she wouldn't have chosen that path) over Balor's hidden persona, with references to Balor's last name translating to "demon king" in Irish mythology. Balor, meanwhile, showed hints at a possible heel turn down the road (Balor Club, anyone?) by teasing a creepier and more sinister edge. WWE doesn't usually take that much time explaining the origin of a character, but for anyone who doesn't watch NXT and will be seeing Balor's face paint and unique entrance at SummerSlam for the first time, it made sense.
The WWE also officially announced three more bouts for the Aug. 21 SummerSlam card in Brooklyn: Enzo & Cass vs. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens in a tag team match; Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for Rusev's United States championship; and The New Day vs. The Club for the WWE tag team championships.
Hits and misses
A match as star-studded as Lesnar-Orton doesn't need much of a proper build to garner buzz, especially with Orton returning from injury and Lesnar fresh off the bad press of a UFC doping violation. But WWE has done well to build this the old-fashioned way and not cut corners. Monday's prepackaged video promo showcasing their history was full of trash talk, the perfect complement to each superstar trading finishing moves last week.
Sasha Banks' victory over Dana Brooke added a stipulation to Banks' WWE women's championship rematch with Charlotte at SummerSlam, banning Brooke from ringside. Banks-Charlotte is the rivalry WWE fans have clamored for since day one of last year's so-called "Divas Revolution" (now "Women's Revolution"). Removing the chance of a schmoz finish should allow two of the company's best workers to better shine.
With the brand split producing a shortage of tag teams on each show, I'm all for WWE getting creative in matching Jericho and Owens as tag team foils at SummerSlam for Enzo Amore and Big Cass. All four superstars can talk and the two heels are strong enough workers to help Enzo and Cass get the extra shine and seasoning they still need in the ring.
Big Cass' wisecrack against Jericho and Owens (referencing Bert and Ernie of "Sesame Street") came off as crass, considering the potentially homophobic undertones. Although adding some spice to the dialogue is mostly welcome in this PG era, this was an uncalled-for turn.
It was a piece of cake for @WWERomanReigns to wreck @RusevBUL and @LanaWWE's post-wedding celebration. #RAW https://t.co/X4UljoY7UK
- WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2016
Reigns was strong in the Rusev-Lana segment, receiving huge pops on his way in and out of the ring as WWE stubbornly stays the course of keeping him babyface. Reigns twice telling Rusev to "put that beef away" as he took off his vest was an honorable mention for line of the night.
Raw announcer Corey Graves referred to Braun Strowman as a "walking abomination" during the former Wyatt Family member's third straight squash match. As far as on-the-fly descriptors are concerned, that was perfect.
Part of why Titus O'Neil's subtle heel turn against Darren Young is working so well is he's taking an already physical style and adding viciousness. This is the right direction.
It was good to see WWE continue a trend that any formal event that takes place inside the ring needs to end in all-out craziness. Rusev and Lana's wedding segment was poorly written and went on way too long, but the payoff of Lana going face-first into the cake was enough to cover all sins (even if seeing her covered in red frosting brought eerie flashbacks of the 1976 thriller "Carrie").
I've never been one for forced celebrity skits on WWE television, but considering the amount of promotion for Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' guest spot on Raw, his brief appearance was underwhelming. Considering he had good chemistry with The New Day and Mick Foley, and his off-color joke on Big E's injury worked (complete with Foley's response of "You can't say that on TV"), I would have liked to see more.
Move of the night
Neville made his second appearance on Raw since missing four months with a fractured ankle. He looked great teaming with Sin Cara (newly clad in all black) against The Dudley Boyz. While Neville's incredible finisher, the Red Arrow, had become an overused party favor ever since his call-up from NXT, nothing quite does it full justice like seeing it in a slow-motion replay. The one he landed Monday against D-Von Dudley was a thing of beauty.
Line of the night
"If you forget, I've been doing this since I was 5 years old. I'm like a f---ing robot. I train, I eat and I s--- f---ing opponents. That's what I do for a living." - Lesnar, during a pretaped video promo hyping his SummerSlam bout against Orton.
Campbell's criticism
The use of Cesaro in two separate matches Monday, only to see him sent deeper into a feud with Sheamus that no one cares about, was particularly disappointing. Had Cesaro, an underused and forgotten player beloved by smart fans, surprised Rusev by winning the U.S. title in the main event, setting up an out-of-nowhere triple threat at SummerSlam, it would have accomplished three things. First, the upset win would have saved last night's largely forgettable show. Second, it would have justified the storyline push of using Cesaro twice in one night. Finally, the shotgun booking would have furthered the idea that anything can happen in this must-see "new era" of Raw and SmackDown. Falling back on a predictable finish, using the tease of a stipulation to hold interest in an otherwise unnecessary and poorly executed main event, instead added to the belief that Cesaro is an afterthought in the eyes of the WWE, particularly on Raw, and a superstar who could be much better off with some kind of trade to SmackDown.