WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for August 14

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Result: Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This is the second consecutive match to be moved up from SummerSlam to the kickoff show kickoff. With everyone (myself included) basically assuming that Balor would break out the war paint at SummerSlam, perhaps this was a way to really avoid that? Otherwise, aside from time constraints I can’t think of why this match would get bumped.

Oh, maybe it’s because Wyatt has been a creative black hole since dropping the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. He had a tremendously poor “House of Horrors” match against Randy Orton, and a lousy feud with Seth Rollins. The build to the Balor match was “vintage Wyatt” – spooky stuff, cryptic promos, and a lack of direction.

So what happens? A 100% squeaky clean victory for Wyatt with a Sister Abigail. I guess the match was okay, but there was literally nothing special about it one way or the other. Nothing so good it made you perk up, and nothing so bad it made you feel dumb for watching. It was just there, like most Wyatt matches of late.

After the match, things got weird. You ever see the movie Carrie? It was kind of like the end of that, but it definitely wasn’t blood, no sir. It was a “thick, viscous, acidic liquid of some sort” as per Michael Cole. So there. Now, why Bray Wyatt felt the need to dump not-blood on top of Finn Balor is unknown. But I do know that I feel bad for whoever had to go in the ring after that and roll around in viscous acidic stains.

Shoulda broke out the war paint, Finn. Even if it was just an episode of Raw.