WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for May 22
By Bryan Heaton
Finn Balor vs. Karl Anderson (w/ Luke Gallows)
Result: Finn Balor defeated Karl Anderson via pinfall
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
First things first: even in defeat, this was the best Karl Anderson has looked in a WWE ring. He and Gallows have been woefully misused, and even as Tag Team Champions they looked weak and ineffectual. Here, though, Anderson showed why he (and Gallows) were such coveted acquisitions last year.
Where there's a @KarlAndersonWWE, there's a @LukeGallowsWWE... #RAW pic.twitter.com/lvr7WiIoHy
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 23, 2017
As we march towards Extreme Rules, this match was also perfect for Balor to show he can overcome a numbers disadvantage. Sure, he lost to Roman Reigns one on one last week. But tonight, he withstood a challenge from two guys – the one in the ring, and his buddy outside. Maybe it was the quasi-pep talk from Heyman, maybe not.
Interference from Gallows aside, Balor proved he can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. The spinebuster from Anderson looked especially brutal.
TWO for the price of one as @FinnBalor takes FLIGHT to lay out BOTH @KarlAndersonWWE and @LukeGallowsWWE! #RAW pic.twitter.com/Halr3MtqvX
— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2017
But Finn came back, and after taking out Gallows focused his attention on Anderson. The distance he got on the Coup De Grace was insane, wasn’t it?
Sadly, nothing really happened in this match that would indicate any kind of Bullet Club reunion between the three men in the near future. It’s a shame, because I got the impression for a while that Anderson and Gallows were just kind of treading water until Finn came back from injury. Guess not!