WWE Raw: Too Sweet reunion for AJ Styles and Finn Balor
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
AJ Styles and Finn Balor came face-to-face this week on WWE Raw, only this time they weren’t opponents.
Welcome back to my weekly Raw roundup, this time covering the May 2 edition of the show featuring Balor assisting Styles, a fantastic six-woman tag match, Miz TV with Mustafa Ali, and more.
Here’s a quick rundown of the match results:
- Kevin Owens and Alpha Academy defeated Ezekiel and The Street Profits via pinfall with Gable getting an inside cradle on Zeke
- Veer defeated a local enhancement talent via submission
- AJ Styles defeated Damian Priest via roll-up pinfall to banish Priest from his match against Edge at WrestleMania Backlash
- Theory and The Miz defeated Mustafa Ali via pinfall in a Handicap match
- Dana Brooke defeated Nikki A.S.H. via pinfall to regain the 24/7 title
- Bobby Lashley defeated Cedric Alexander via submission
- Liv Morgan, Asuka & Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley and Sonya Deville after Morgan pinned Deville
Moment of the night: Styles and Balor
Finn Bálor attacks Edge after Damien Priest is banned from Backlash ringside I WWE on FOX
This may have been quick, but it was cool to see two former leaders of New Japan’s Bullet Club working together against Judgement Day.
Beyond their Club-related history, these two also wrestled a stellar match against one another at TLC 2017, which showed they have phenomenal chemistry in the ring together (no pun intended).
Therefore, putting them in a team against Edge and Priest is smart booking.
Now we can finally get the BC pairing we’ve been waiting for in WWE, and hopefully it leads to Balor turning heel.
I could picture him joining Edge’s faction now that Priest is banished from ringside at Backlash.
Best match: Asuka, Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley and Sonya Deville
Bianca Belair, Asuka & Liv Morgan face Sonya Deville, Rhea Ripley & Becky Lynch I WWE on FOX
This six-woman tag pushed multiple stories forward and each competitor gained from being involved in the match.
Asuka proved she doesn’t have any ring rust after a nine-month absence. Rhea, Sonya and Bianca looked tough. Becky stood out as a star. And Liv Morgan, she got a boost by picking up a clean win for her team.
Plus, check out this awesome tandem maneuver.
Additional highlights:
Mustafa Ali on Miz TV was an entertaining segment.
The best WWE storylines blur the line between reality and fiction, so this stuff is heading in the right direction for me as a viewer.
Lingering question: Is WWE dropping the Nikki A.S.H. gimmick?
That’s how it appeared this week on Raw after Doudrop asked the former Nikki Cross if she’s done playing around.
As much as I enjoyed the superhero character, dropping the silly antics and going serious is the best course of action. Fans just weren’t accepting the gimmick, so she might as well try something new.
Doudrop and Nikki also have a long history together outside of WWE, so this could be exactly what both performers need to get some momentum.
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