The performances on Monday's episode of "Raw" reminded fans that the WWE roster is full of talent capable of stealing the show at any time.
JD McDonagh had an incredible showing against Sheamus, picking up the win with Finn Balor's help. The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship main event of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss retaining against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria was worthy of its main-event status. The show didn't add much interest to Saturday Night's Main Event coming up on Nov. 1, but as a self-contained show, "Raw" had entertaining moments and reinforced the depth of talent within the company.
Oct. 27 'Raw' results
Penta vs. Rusev ruled a no contest
Rozanne Perez defeats Nikki Bella
Bron Breakker defeats LA Knight
JD McDonagh defeats Sheamus
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss defeat Bayley and Lyre Valyria
When results matter -- and don't
Wins and losses don't matter in WWE -- until wins and losses do matter. For example, on Monday's edition of "Raw," LA Knight lost his fourth singles match since facing Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on Aug. 4. It doesn't bother me much that he will take on the winner of Saturday's Heavyweight Championship match between CM Punk and Jey Uso, because if he takes the title, he will still be a believable champion. He's already at that level of popularity. But he can only continue to lose for so long before the fans will start to move on.
Meanwhile, a win over Sheamus matters a lot to JD McDonagh, who had an incredible performance and looks stronger because of it. The importance of that win for McDonagh's story is part of the beauty of professional wrestling. Wins matter and losses don't matter all at the same time.
More 'Raw' takeaways
Could the Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella partnership be interesting, even in the short term? The surging Women's World Champion came to support the veteran, Bella, who has been backing Vaquer during her title run. It is interesting that this is where "La Primera" finds herself after the big win at Crown Jewel. Will her alignment with Bella give her more momentum or hinder it?
I'm growing tired of the Los Americanos schtick. Penta vs. Rusev was supposed to determine the No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship, but it ended in a no contest after El Americano Grande, Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano butted in to attack both challengers. Where is it all leading? If a long game is being played, a few more clues and more intrigue would be appreciated.
With that said, I love that a triple-threat is planned for Saturday Night's Main Event this weekend -- particularly for Dominik Mysterio. I hope Mysterio finds another creative way to sneak out of the match with Penta and Rusev with his title intact. His Eddie Guerrero-inspired moments over the past several months have been incredibly fun and flawlessly executed.
The opening segment with CM Punk and Jey Uso wasn't their greatest, but it really didn't need to be. I know they're going to have a good match at Saturday's Main Event. Punk can hit people where it hurts on the mic, but Uso came out looking a bit stronger, which is encouraging. I still think Punk wins the title on Saturday, and he might keep it until Seth Rollins returns from injury.
WWE showed a well-produced video of Asuka's decade of dominance in WWE, highlighting her 914-day undefeated streak. This comes after Asuka responded to Bill Goldberg's sharp comments about her surpassing his undefeated streak.
