WWE Rumors: Raw Was 'Heaviest Paul Heyman-Influenced' Show 'To Date'
July 30, 2019
Monday's episode of Raw featured strong matches and dramatic angles that made it one of the best Raws in recent memory, and there may be a behind-the-scenes reason for the uptick in quality.
According to F4WOnline (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), Monday's Raw was the "heaviest Paul Heyman-influenced red-brand episode to date."
In June, WWE announced that Heyman and Eric Bischoff had been hired as the executive directors of Raw and SmackDown Live, respectively. It was speculated that Heyman made an instant impact with regard to the July 1 Raw.
That episode began with a match pitting Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley, and both Superstars went crashing through the LED board. The July 1 Raw was roundly praised as the best show since WrestleMania 35 in April.
It can be argued that Monday's edition of Raw surpassed it thanks to the sheer number of newsworthy things that occurred.
Among the biggest talking points was Maria Kanellis becoming the first pregnant woman to hold a title in WWE after beating her husband, Mike Kanellis, for the 24/7 Championship.
Also, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson won a Triple Threat tag team match to become the new Raw Tag Team champions, and Ricochet beat Rey Mysterio, Andrade, Sami Zayn and Cesaro in a gauntlet match to earn the No. 1 contendership for AJ Styles' United States Championship.
Above all else, Universal champion Brock Lesnar brutally attacked Seth Rollins and hit him with multiple F5s onto steel chairs. As a result, Rollins was left spitting up blood.
Lesnar even stopped Rollins from being taken away in an ambulance and hit The Beast Slayer with a final F5 onto a gurney. That angle added some much-needed heat to the Universal title rematch between Lesnar and Rollins at SummerSlam.
If Heyman being at the controls continues to produce Raws the caliber of what aired Monday, then WWE's flagship show may finally exit the malaise that has plagued it for so long.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).