WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for June 4

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Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

Result: Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens via disqualification

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

A great touch at the start of the match as Finn Balor makes his ring entrance while a group of Special Olympic athletes are on stage with Big Show. Once again, Balor Club is for everyone — except for Balor’s friends, because all of them have ended up on SmackDown Live.

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Not surprisingly, this match is above average. Kevin Owens and Balor are both tremendous talents, and they know how to connect with a crowd.

It didn’t hurt that this match had the benefit of a decent chunk of time, too. Given some room to breathe, it’s much easier to put together a match that tells a good story.

In this match, the story was the ruthlessness of a desperate Owens going up against the resourcefulness of a resilient Balor. Owens spent the entire match just trying to wear down Balor — not necessarily to win, but to put a hurting on him.

And Balor? Well, Balor tried to just survive and bide his time until he could steal a victory.

As good as this match was, though, the big problem I had with it was the finish. In a main event wrestling match, where both competitors are busting their butts to pull out a victory, why would “too much wrestling” be reason for a disqualification? Let them duke it out, until something really egregious happens.

Lousy finish aside, there was plenty in here to like. Owens being afraid of heights is a great wrinkle to his character heading into a match where the whole point is to climb up really high. Balor’s disregard for his safety with the Coup de Grace from the top of the ladder was also a nice little callback to Balor/Owens at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn back in 2015.

Plus, both superstars just seemed super-willing to do anything to grab the briefcase. Add in six other superstars to the match, and things are going to be nuts.

Next: MITB Predictions Version 3.0

WWE Raw definitely took a step forward this week, even if it was still a pretty uneven show. Everything with Rollins was great, the main event was good, and there was really only one not-good promo segment. Plus, WWE actually did a pretty good idea building to Money in the Bank this week. I’m excited for the pay per view. What did you think of WWE Raw this week?