WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for June 5

Source: WWE.com (via Twitter)

Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins

Result: Samoa Joe defeated Seth Rollins via submission

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

The Rollins/Joe rivalry never really ended, yet this match was billed as “A Rivalry Renewed.” Sorry, the only Joe rivalry I want renewed is against William Regal.

The worst part about this is that, on paper, ignoring everything else these two have been through together in WWE, this should be a good match. Problem is, as we’ve established a bunch this week, wrestling doesn’t exist in a vacuum. This “rivalry” has been disappointing at every turn. So let’s “renew” it one more time, right after Joe threatened to basically murder Brock Lesnar.

Here’s another problem with this one – Samoa Joe is gearing up for a championship match against Brock Lesnar. Brock is a guy who is nearly unbeatable. He’s not just a champion, he’s The Beast. Joe needs to prove he can hang with Lesnar to anyone unfamiliar with his pre-WWE work. Having a sort of back and forth match against Seth Rollins doesn’t accomplish that.

Not only that, but right now Seth Rollins is the most inexplicable WWE main eventer there is. He’s got the absolute worst suicide dives in wrestling. For all intents and purposes, he doesn’t have a finisher! (He gave up the Pedigree, and the ripcord knee strike is more ineffective than Mojo Rawley’s butt-based offense.)

And with all that said, after a decent match – nothing great, because these two have less chemistry than any “rivalry” in recent memory – the monster number one contender who’s not afraid of Brock Lesnar needs a distraction from an invisible Bray Wyatt to win the match. What a disaster for the build to a huge match.

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Tune in next week when Brock Lesnar returns! What did you think of this week’s episode of Raw?