WWE: Lana and Bobby Lashley’s wedding – The good, bad, and the ugly

Last night was WWE’s last RAW of the year – the decade – and the powers that be decided to close with a wedding: Lana and Bobby Lashley’s, that is.

From the beginning of this love triangle storyline, the WWE Universe has had mixed reviews, I even wrote a DDT article about it back in November when it all began to unfold. While, let’s all face it, with the exception of some minor segments here and there (moreover, anytime Rusev has laid the smackdown on Lashley), the angle itself has been lame, with many fans simply wanting the entire thing to just go away.

With that said, it hasn’t, and the latest installment to move the Lasley/Rusev program came in the form of a wedding. As most WWE weddings, the entire event was a disaster (on so many different levels). Here’s some of the good, bad, and ugly around last night.

The Good

I’m always one to start off on a positive note before spiraling into the negative, and there were some good things about the wedding.

First off, there are plenty of fans who continue to beg for more edgy content from the WWE, and last night’s wedding screamed Attitude Era; from the wedding itself, to Liv Morgan being one of many who interrupted the ceremony.

Speaking of, the entire thing was actually drab until Liv showed up and while many fans are iffy about this entire lesbian angle and what this means for Morgan’s repackage, one cannot deny that the moment she stepped onto the ramp, it brought the entire segment up a notch before she even said a word.

The WWE Universe has been anxiously awaiting her debut, and she did a tremendous job (considering what she was given). As a Liv Morgan fan myself, it was nice to see her as part of a closing segment on RAW, even despite my reservations (now) about her repackaging.

While many of us wanted to see her dive into a darker character – and she still may – once it was clear that she was upset because she was in love with Lana, some fans tuned out. I’m going to wait and see her in the ring, and other RAW segments, before I truly pass judgement on this repackage.

Therefore, in one sense, those thirsting for Attitude Era  got just that, and Rusev jumping out of the cake (which we all knew he would … why else would there be a cake that size in the middle of the ring?) was predictable, but a welcomed predictable. The close with him and Liv in the ring, with wedding cake everywhere, and Lana’s scowled face drenched in icing, was a nice touch too.

The Bad

So, time to dive into the bad and address the elephant in the room: the segment was uber cheesy. Yes, there was some comedic relief; however, overall the cheese factor was a turn off, and provides a fine example of why WWE fans are fed up with the brand’s weekly programming.

Then, the fact that the segment ran over 11:00 p.m. (at least in Canada it did), was beyond frustrating. It was just way too long. Everything they did last night could have been accomplished in a 15-minute time slot.

The Ugly

Lana and Lashley are just so incredibly awkward together. When this angle first launched and they had that infamous make-out session at the top of the ramp in front of Rusev, it seemed as if they had a little chemistry, but everything since has proven that they do not.

Bobby Lashley is not fit for these storylines and, in my opinion, deserves better. Rusev has done well with what he’s been given, but Lana has lost her sparkle when it comes to backstage promos and in-ring segments.

It’s not even that I don’t like her character. I’ve been watching pro wrestling long enough to know that if I don’t like a heel, then they are doing their job right (although, there’s nothing more I like than a good old fashioned heel – but I digress).

Lana, on the other hand, feels “off” in this role. The entire ceremony and vows, plus everything that came out of Lana and Lashley’s mouth was awkward and hard to watch.

And then there was Lashley’s bronzer rubbed all over Lana’s face after they made out during the ceremony, which was incredibly distracting.

Final “ugly” of the segment?

Last RAW of the 2019 – last RAW of the DECADE – and we get this?

It was the proverbial overly sugared icing on a crappy year of RAW programming (wedding) cake. Why not have the wedding segment air at 10? With the show starting off with K-Joe (the tag team we never thought we wanted, but the one in which the WWE Universe so needs), and stellar segments between them (along with Seth Rollins and the AOP), there surely could’ve been a stronger segment or creative idea to close the big episode.

Last night’s show was actually pretty decent: from the K-Joe/Rollins/AOP stuff; to Becky Lynch’s backstage promo, continuing to build on her stellar Royal Rumble program with Asuka; to Randy Orton’s injury tease and RKO (literally) out of nowhere; to the strong matches from Buddy Murphy, Aleister Black, Street Profits, OC, and Charlotte Flair versus Nattie: The final Monday Night RAW was set up for something wonderful, and ended on such a low note.

Here’s hoping they bury this segment, and the Lana/Lashley/Rusev angle, under the rug come 2020. There’s no redeeming this storyline, and after last night’s “wedding,” WWE Creative needs to move onward and upward.