WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, and Grades for August 6, 2018

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Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley

Result: Bobby Roode defeated Mojo Rawley via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Before getting into this grudge match, Seth Rollins approaches Kurt Angle backstage regarding his constantly being shorthanded against Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. Angle tells him to find a partner, and we can have a tag team match later tonight.

Please let it be Jason Jordan (sorry, I like to watch the world burn).

But onto Rawley and Roode, it’s a step down from Reigns/Corbin, but not as much as you might think. Mojo is a billion times better than he was at this time last year, and Roode, even in a “slump,” is still better than a lot of guys on the roster. Trouble is, this was a very 1980s match in front of a very 2018 crowd.

Roode has always had a “WWE style,” which most people take to mean “slow and methodical.” Compare it to a New Japan style, or a lucha style, which is much more popular on the indies because of the faster pace. Today’s audiences like the fast paced stuff, and even the best slow stuff is looked down upon.

Put it this way: If Roode vs. Rawley happened on SummerSlam 1988, it would be one of the best matches on the card. Today, no one really cares for it. And it’s a darn shame, because not everything can or should be frenetically paced.

At first, I questioned Roode getting the victory. Rawley has been riding a hot streak lately, and Roode has been slumping. A victory by Rawley could have been the bump he needed to take things to the next level, and a loss by Roode could have been a turning point for him. But after a second, I think this will fire up Rawley to come back stronger, and put Roode in the cross hairs from being complacent at “getting back on track.”