[8.0] "CLASSIC REVIEW: The July 26, 2016 episode of Monday Night RAW on USA was simply overrated in my opinion. Was it good? Yes! Was it memorable? Yes! but their are some issues here that I cannot overlook. Even with the 3 hour runtime RAW is beyond a drag at this point and it would get worse throughout the year. We have lots of filler here. Nia Jax and Braun Strowman are getting monster Heel pushes here and it works for Braun but not exactly for Nia. Overall, a great show held down by filler and a miserable runtime. 8 sounds good but a 9-9.5 feels too far. [****]"

[7.0] "This was the first show I ever attended, so it was fun to go back and see it. I didn't appreciate it as much then because I went in knowing nothing about wrestling, but looking at it now, it was honestly a great episode of Raw. The matches were really good. It was also neat to see Britt Baker make an appearance as a jobber."

[7.0] "Supposedly the beginning of a new era for Raw- this show had debuts from Corey Graves, Finn Balor and Nia Jax. Notable, the latter squashes Brit Baker in her match. A good amount of wrestling on this show; it sure seemed like more than usual for an average Raw. The standout match is Sashas first title win, against Charlotte. As for promos, theres a running gag with Goldust and Ron Killings playing pokemon go which is pretty funny. No real bad or slow parts to this raw."

[9.0] "As a season opener of sorts, this episode set out all it sought to achieve. The squash matches were effective, getting over a returning Neville, a debuting Nia Jax and a somewhat repackaged Braun Strowman. Banks and Charlotte had a great match with a big title change. Its always a good time when any of the Horsewomen face off. Then theres the mini tournament throughout the night to decide who will face Seth Rollins for the new Universal Title at SummerSlam. The two four-way matches were just good fun showing off the talent in Raws mens division. It culminated in the Reigns vs. Bálor match, a solid main event with a massive clean victory for Finn on his first night on Raw. A stacked show that set up Raw really well coming out of the second Brand Split."

[6.0] "Only watched the youtube version. Great matches, except for Nia Jax. Why do a squash match? It would have been so much better with a good match from her, where she really could show off her skills"

[10.0] "I know not every show can be this action packed but I truly wish more episodes of Raw & Smackdown had this level of vigor to it. It was paced extremely well, had great matches and said matches told stories. Just about everything on the show had a reason for happening. I don't see why they can't give us more great TV matches."

[10.0] "This was the last time i decided to watch full Raw because various reports showed how good this was. And of course, this was the best Raw in years for sure. 2 4 way match were very good (***3/4 and ***1/2 respectively ). The women title match was so freaking great. Great heel work by charlotte and sasha played face role well. The match had great storytelling as well. Charlotte told sasha that she never beat her only for a moment later sasha tapped her out. Just remind me how good a women title match should be (****). ME was quie good, too with balor winning clean, which was surprising***1/2. I remember being blown away by this show and it is still the same now. Great tv show."

[9.0] "It has been a long painful journey over the past couple of years to finally get to this point in WWE. WWE has been putting together great events left and right and this one was the best. The new theme of RAW delivered, the squash matches were okay but the fatal 4 way matches, the women's title match and the #1 contender match were all great matches. I'm just elated that WWE finally got it together. So in my opinion, there are 4 match guide worthy matches on the show. I feel bad for anyone who didn't enjoy this show."

[10.0] "Yes, this is really one of the best editions of Monday Night Raw in the company's history. All matches were excellent, new stars were presented, including the long-awaited Finn Balor, was amazing titular change, which all have been waiting for a long time. This issue gave rise, he forced people to watch the draft, forced to believe that it would be cool. The show was perfect from all sides, and these levels are not brought weeklies for years. And for me personally, this is the best show I have seen in all 9 years of watching wrestling. With all the proper scripts, with 4 matches the level of the PPV, with emotion, which gave the title match and main-event, someone will make even a hint that the show - overrated? In this case, I was once again convinced of human obstinacy. Even when everything is perfect - there are disgruntled. And okay it was just this Raw, these people managed to call the "overrated" even match Omega vs. Okada. Let them think what they want and continue to put 1-2-3, personally, as for most, it was a wonderful release that deserved for a long time to stay on top positions."

[6.0] "I hate to mention others ratings in my rating but over 100 people rated this a 10 ? This was a decent show with some entertaining matches and nothing exceptional . In fact there where 3 matches that I would say where outright bad . It is a good thing WWE doesn't care about title credibility because they seem to go out of their way to destroy their title's and champion's credibility at every turn . Whether it be ridiculous tournament stips or creating new championships out of thin air . They also never miss an opportunity to job out a second tier champion . Matches worth watching : Chris Jericho vs. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus , Charlotte (w/Dana Brooke) (c) vs. Sasha Banks , Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns and my top match was Cesaro vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev (w/Lana) ."

[7.0] "A decent show, but it seemed to desperate for ratings as Sasha won the RAW Women's Championship and Finn beat Roman."

[10.0] "This was definitely one of the best RAWs ever. Brilliant debut by Finn and four incredible PPV quality matches."

[10.0] "Finn Balor Vs Cesaro Vs Kevin Owens Vs Rusev ****1/4. Nia Jax Vs Britt Baker DUD. Roman Reigns Vs Chris Jericho Vs Sami Zayn Vs Sheamus ***1/2. Neville Vs Curtis Axel *. Sasha Banks Vs Charlotte ***. Braun Strowman Vs James Ellsworth 1/4. Enzo and Cass Vs The Shining Stars DUD. Finn Balor Vs Roman Reigns ***1/2. What a great RAW. MOTN was the first four way. Womens title match, second fatal four way, and main event were also very good. Tag team match and Nia's squash match were horrible. Overall this was very enjoyable and I hope some of these matches get on the matchquide. *I changed my rating from an 8/10 to a 10/10 because after realizing this was a TV show with the quality of a PPV is just too good to not give a 10/10*"

[10.0] "One of the best RAW's in a long time. if this is the new era, and it really is now everything is different keep it up, If episodes can keep being as good as this one was then there is no reason why ratings won't start climbing again. A shot to TheIbar GTFO, this is an intelligent wresting board fools and trolls need not apply"

[8.0] "Raw was a lot of fun because of the multiple opportunities within each fifteen minute (TV time) four way that it could have legitimately ended. I thought putting the title on Sasha on this Raw was a mistake, but I thought her post-match speech made up for the rash decision-making. (A talent a company takes seriously as a Player should win his/her first main roster belt on a bigger show than a Raw in Pittsburgh... a town notable for its dead crowds) Anyone surprised with Reigns losing is out-of-touch with how the machine operates; they are indeed shrewd enough to know that the backlash to Roman in a position to yet again win the #1 belt of the brand so soon after his suspension would further lead the crowd to continue to resist him as the company's future Cena. Although his beard has thickened, typically an aesthetic appropriate to a heel, his post Balor match speech as well as the way the announcers would spout platitudes like 'no-rust/how tough he is/etc bullcrap' leads me to believe that he is still the company's guy."

[10.0] "Good LORD that was fun. Loads of great wrestling, unpredictable booking, jobber squashes to break up the pacing just right, post-match interviews, a very strong A-plot with the #1 contendership, and a fun comedy bit that didn't take away from the show. Balor winning the #1 contendership was a huge shock to me, but one that felt earned and incredibly satisfying. It's almost too good to be true. His performance during the night was excellent, too. Sasha finally reaching the top of the mountain was an excellent moment and just the thing to get the crowd and the audience watching at home excited. I don't want Raw to be like this every week, but this was the perfect way to kick it off."

[1.0] "Fuck, I'm so tired of this pro-Indy suckage. This is not WWE anymore. Just a ROH show expanded. Where the hell are the GIMMICKS? If I wanted to see good wrestlers, I'd fucking go to a UFC show or watch the goddam Olympics. Stick your tongue of all the asses on the Internet, WWE. Make your own superstars."

[10.0] "I was there for this one. Best wrestling show I've ever been to. They needed to make a new star last night and with Finn winning they clearly did so. Crowd loved him and popped huge for Sasha winning the title. Great night."

[10.0] "This is one of the best episodes in the history of Monday Night Raw. It makes me feel that a new era is really here and it's not just a promotion to get more viewers. Finn Balor has one of the best debuts of all times, beating the odds. There is a couple of squash matches but they were short. Also, Charlotte vs Sasha Banks was epic. It's the perfect point of return if you missed Raw for months."

[10.0] "Been watching WWE since late 2009 and this has to be right up there with my favourite episodes of Raw in that time. First of all I really digged the new set, theme music, logo and the positioning of the commentary team. The opening set did well to set the tone and direction of the show and Raw going forward. The four way matches, the women's title match and the main event were 4 PPV quality matches. Not the biggest fan of the WWE Universal Championship as a name but it'll probably grow on me. It was great to see Finn Balor get his main roster career off to a flying start and I can't wait for Rollins vs. Balor now at SummerSlam. Seeing Roman Reigns' get cleanly pinned two nights in a row, will make it interesting to see where he goes from here. I liked the return of squash matches and I'm surprisingly finding myself liking Braun Strowman. Sasha Banks winning the Women's Title in a great match was a great moment, and even Charlotte couldn't stop herself from smiling. Finally I really liked the whole idea of doing some in-ring interviews before and after matches, it gives it a proper sports type vibe."

[10.0] "WWE actually put out a good Raw, and not just a good one but a great one. It's a miracle! Everything on this show felt like they were taking a new direction entirely from what the product was like just a month ago. The presentation was a fresh retread of the mid-2000s Raw look, the commentary was incredibly competent and focused (amazing what a lack of JBL can do, not to mention how great Graves is), the matches that were important got focus and time, while shorter matches were there to build up talent (Jax and Strowman getting the jobber build is a good call), the promo time there was was meaningful/entertaining/both with Byron as an in-ring interviewer working really well and Golden Truth playing Pokemon GO being legitimately funny without taking up too much time. 4 good/great matches on this show, with the two 4-Ways (***3/4 and ***1/4 respectively), the incredibly hot Women's Title match (****), and a solid main event where the debuting and immediately over Finn Balor defeated golden boy Roman in order to go to the Raw main event of Summerslam for the brand new top title of the brand. I just can't fault anything here. The best Raw in fucking YEARS. Bravo."

[10.0] "It was a huge RAW. I didn't get bored in anytime during the three hours, something great considering that the week before it wasn't a good show. All the segments had their importance and there wasn't any low point during the whole event."

[10.0] "I don't think WWE could do better. What an amazing RAW. With an already solid Battleground on Sunday, they were able to deliver one of the best shows since... well, a long time. The entire show seemed well scripted, with a lot of good surprises. Michael Cole giving attention to Balor's accomplishments in New Japan even listing HIS IWGP Junior and IWGP Junior Tag Team reigns? WTF? Let's hope this is what WWE will be all about from now on. And let's hope SmackDown an give us something like that. If that happens, man, what a time to be a professional wrestling fan."

[9.0] "Not the perfect ten but it was probably the best Raw episode of 2016 so far. Change is finally happening and this draft has got off to the perfect start. A very entertaining fatal 4-Way to kick things off, another fatal 4-Way shortly after, Sasha Banks becomes the new Women's Champion and Balor knocks another nail in Reigns' coffin. Building Nia Jax & Braun Strowman up as forces is understandable, but the filler like Neville, Enzo & Cass and some backstage stuff stops me giving it a 10/10. Very good start though, can Smackdown top this? I'm not so sure."

[7.0] "A pretty solid RAW, but to be honest, not getting the whole "best RAW ever" hype. It was probably the best RAW since the one after WM30, which was an all-time great episode, but being the best episode since then isn't saying much because 99% of the RAW's ever since have been straight garbage. The first one of the two Fatal 4-Way matches was bad, didn't do anything for me (*), the 2nd one was muuuch better, really made me want to see a one on one bout between Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn (***1/2), The New Day celebration segment + the squash matches were all pretty boring. The Women's Championship match between Sasha Banks & Charlotte was really damn good, one of the best TV matches of the year & a real feel good moment (***3/4). Finn Bálor vs. Roman Reigns was a really good main event (***3/4), I liked it even more than Charlotte/Sasha - Reigns really carried the match with his swagger, work on top & overall presence while Bálor did his usual moves. All in all, a pretty good show, 3 very good matches, but too much boring stuff happening between those 3 matches."

[8.0] "Fantastic episode of RAW. The first Fatal 4-way allowed all 4 wrestlers to show off their unique style and abilities. I was glad Finn won and thought him, Owens, and Rusev all gave good performances. Cesaro was alright but still just doesn't click with me. ***1/2. The second Fatal 4-way wasn't as good but Reigns got in his power moves, Zayn showed off his athleticism, and Jericho and Sheamus did alright jobs too. ***1/4. Baker vs Jax, Strowman vs Ellsworth, and Cass & Enzo vs The Shining Stars, and Axel vs Neville were all time-wasting squash matches. Sasha vs Charlotte was pretty good. They took some shocking bumps, which deserves a lot of respect. I liked Sasha's Eddie tribute (despite it being messy) as well as how she kept working to get the Bank Statement locked in before finally winning with it. Sasha and Charlotte can often be quite awkward individually but their chemistry here was very good. ***1/2. Finn vs Roman was another really good match simply because Finn was allowed to look really smart and athletic in the way he challenged and defeated Roman. Roman remains a very competent powerhouse who can even pop a crowd that's been booing him the entire night with just one big power move (although they will immediately then go back to pretending they hate him). Although Roman still looked 'STRONG' it was awesome that Finn was made to constantly outsmart him and survive his signature moves. ***3/4. A great start to this 'New Era'. I hope for more of the same."

[9.0] "This Raw really needed to deliver and thankfully it did. I liked the changes and the show really felt important. I wanted Sasha/Charlotte to be saved for Summerslam, but obviously they wanted a title change here and I don't blame them. Squash matches were really entertaining and I will take them over unnecessary 10 minute matches. First F4W match was great (*** 3/4), the second one was fine (***). Sasha/Charlotte was really good (*** 1/2) and so was the main event (*** 1/2). Overall a really good show and I like the booking directions. This show HAD to deliver big time and it did, easily one of the best Raw episodes in recent history."

[8.0] "I don't really need to see a return of low stake squash matches but this was a great episode if you put the focus on the two fatal four-way matches (especially the first), Sasha Bank's Women's Championship victory and Finn Balor's surprise main-event win. This was great stuff. If Smackdown is even more wrestling heavy, I'll be very happy."