Best and Worst of WWE RAW before Money in the Bank - Adam Pearce’s newest acquisition debuts, Judgment Day member gone?
Money in the Bank will feel bittersweet after the final RAW before the big event. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh defeated the War Raiders with help from Roxanne Perez, but The Judgment Day member, Carlito, was absent.
Like R-Truth, he revealed over the weekend that WWE won't be renewing his contract. Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria had one last battle on the mic.
Officials broke them up after Lynch refused to throw hands ahead of Money in the Bank. Rusev and Sheamus addressed how they used to be friends, but their mindsets have changed over the years.
Stephanie Vaquer and El Grande Americano filled the final spots in WWE's annual ladder matches. Gunther warned Jey Uso that he was wearing himself thin ahead of next week's title clash. Here's the best and worst of RAW ahead of Money in the Bank.
#2. Worst - Not using other stars in the Money in the Bank qualifier
WWE announced on Sunday that CM Punk, AJ Styles, and El Grande Americano would be competing in the final Money in the Bank qualifier on RAW. Seth Rollins had a match, so it made sense for Punk and Styles to also be included.
The massive outlier is El Grande Americano. Chad Gable failed to qualify last week. Instead of giving Karrion Kross, Sheamus, Rusev, Otis, or another RAW star the spot, Gable had two opportunities to make Money in the Bank.
Kross was used in another backstage segment, trying to corrupt Sami Zayn. The roster is deep enough that someone else could have been in Gable's spot last week or this week.
He is already competing in the main event of Worlds Collide, so another star should have been given the spot.
#2. Best/Worst - Kairi Sane's victories heavily telegraph a future tag match
Kairi Sane unfortunately lost her first match back when Rhea Ripley defeated her and Zoey Stark to qualify for Money in the Bank. Even if Stark had been pinned, Sane would have technically lost in her return from a lengthy injury.
Fortunately, the former NXT Women's Champ was able to defeat Liv Morgan last week due to miscommunication between Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. Perez actually helped Morgan, and Rodriguez took exception to it.
Morgan and Rodriguez had more issues as Sane toppled Rodriguez when IYO SKY came to her aid. Notching two wins over the Women's Tag Team Champions is a step towards an inevitable pairing between the two teams.
If WWE had not released several members of the tag division last month, the titles would have already been defended. They haven't been on the line since Morgan and Rodriguez won them on the April 22 episode of RAW.
#1. Best - Stephanie Vaquer qualifies for Money in the Bank on RAW
WWE could have seriously messed things up when Liv Morgan faced Stephanie Vaquer and Ivy Nile for the final spot in the Women's Money in the Bank match. Morgan has already won the case, but was the biggest name in the trio.
Ivy Nile hasn't done much to deserve a spot in the match. The qualifier also acted as Vaquer's official RAW debut despite a few matches on the Monday Night Show after WrestleMania.
La Primera won, taking Liv out of the running. Had Morgan won and held the Tag Team Titles without defending them in six weeks, it would have been a massive mistake.
She should focus on those titles. While Vaquer has a match earlier in the day at Worlds Collide, it's a tag team contest, and it wouldn't be the first time she has done double duty in WWE.
#1. Worst - El Grande Americano defeats AJ Styles and CM Punk
While Vaquer will wrestle at both events, she is renowned by Lucha Libre fans and is in a tag team contest. Gable/El Grande is in the main event of Worlds Collide against Vikingo.
He'll also be in the Men's Money in the Bank match, and Vaquer won't have to do the heavy lifting at Worlds Collide. AJ Styles should have qualified since everyone knew Rollins and his alliance would prevent Punk from winning.
El Grande cheated yet again on RAW by putting metal under his mask and blasting Styles with it.
If it's so devastating to his opponents, why doesn't the metal hurt Gable as well? Styles could have won and challenged for the Intercontinental title.
#1. Best/Worst - The required disqualification match
WWE kept with its trend of needing at least one match to end via disqualification on both RAW and SmackDown. Jey Uso tagged with Sami Zayn ahead of his featured bout alongside Cody Rhodes at Money in the Bank.
Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed teamed up for the first time, so they couldn't lose. After some back and forth, Seth Rollins came down to stomp Jey. This ended the match via disqualification but ultimately brought out CM Punk.
The two sides fought with Rollins' alliance exacting revenge on The Best in the World in the main event.
WWE doesn't always need to use this type of finish, but they've booked themselves into a corner with so many events and big matches in a small time frame.
