WWE Raw Power Rankings: Dean Ambrose Evens the Odds for Seth Rollins
By Bryan Heaton
14. Kevin Owens (last week: 11)
Cowardly heel gimmicks are one thing. But Kevin Owens being deathly afraid of Braun Strowman is beyond ridiculous. And now, it almost seems like it’s being exaggerated for laughs. How can Owens be taken seriously after this?
Look at the match this week: Owens and Jinder Mahal think they’re facing Finn Bálor in a handicap match, so they’re over the moon excited. When Kurt Angle adds Braun Strowman to the mix, Owens is terrified, but forges ahead against Bálor. The instant Bálor tags out, Owens scrambles to Mahal to exit the match.
You want to keep Owens and Strowman separate until SummerSlam? Fine, I can buy that. But think of how much better the story plays out if Strowman tags in, and KO looks like he might make the attempt to soften up his SummerSlam opponent before turning tail and tagging out. He gets to save face, and he and Strowman still don’t interact.
13. Ember Moon (last week: not ranked)
Welcome back to WWE Raw, Ember Moon! Coming back with a match against the Raw Women’s Champion where she almost pulled out an improbable victory is a heck of a way to reacquaint yourself to the WWE Universe.
However, I can’t help but get the feeling that Ember was a last minute replacement for Natalya, absent from the show after the death of her father Jim Neidhart. It’s horrible to think, but maybe I’m a horrible person? Given the context of the story at hand, one would think Natalya would have the match, since she’s Ronda Rousey’s good friend.
But the match itself, however it came about, was pretty good, if a bit obvious in the booking. Maybe this will lead to Ember getting a title match in the near future, no matter who the champion is after SummerSlam.