WWE always treats shows from Madison Square Garden as huge deals, and the latest RAW was no exception. Maxxine Dupri defeated Becky Lynch to become the new Women's Intercontinental Champion.
Both sides of the Men's WarGames match were filled out by the end of the night. John Cena teamed with Sheamus and Rey Mysterio against the Judgment Day.
Team Ripley scrambled to fill out its ranks with under two weeks until Survivor Series. Gunther and Solo Sikoa predictably advanced in the Last Time is Now Tournament.
Even with some big reveals, WWE made the next four mistakes on RAW from Madison Square Garden.
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#4. The Curious Case of Charlotte Flair and WarGames
Last week on SmackDown, Charlotte Flair refused to join Team Rhea Ripley for WarGames. She thought Ripley was a snake due to their history in the ring. Her departure led the heels to attack the remaining three members of the team.
Alexa Bliss called The Queen out on RAW for her actions, but got Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and the Kabuki Warriors instead. Ripley and SKY eventually saved Bliss, but it all led to Flair running down with a chair to save her tag team partner.
The whole "is she/isn't she" trope isn't necessarily as successful as bookers think, since she said no last week. Having her agree at the last minute just makes her look petty and selfish, which is what her face turn has tried to avoid.
#3. A surprise entrant doesn't win in the Last Time is Now Tournament
Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis made a big deal about competitors from various brands competing in the Last Time is Now Tournament. The only NXT star was Je'Von Evans, who lost to Gunther.
The other "surprises" were Zack Ryder, who lost to LA Knight, and Dolph Ziggler, who fell to Solo Sikoa. Both are former WWE stars, but both basically showed up for the exposure.
Having one win, like Ziggler, would have been a great call. Ziggler has a history with Cena, and Sami Zayn could have cost Sikoa the match. Having the surprises is only half the battle if they both lose.
#2. A double-edged sword of a title change on RAW
It was nice to see Maxxine Dupri defeat Becky Lynch due to Lynch's overconfidence and arrogance. Dupri is a hard worker, but so are the rest of the women in the locker room.
The victory came because of a distraction from AJ Lee, but it still feels weird to have the title change hands. Had it been someone with a pedigree like Lyra Valkyria, Roxanne Perez, or even Natalya, that would have made sense.
It's also strange that The Man can't beat someone who's only been "wrestling" for about two years.
#1. Overshadowing one return with another
Bookers opted for this method on last week's RAW when SKY returned to back up Flair and Bliss. She was the first to have issues with the Kabuki Warriors, but as has been the case, she was overshadowed by Rhea Ripley's return moments later.
The men's WarGames squads were supposed to have a face-to-face to end RAW, but it predictably led to fighting. Brock Lesnar's music hit first as Punk was ready to hit Logan Paul with a Go To Sleep.
After The Beast cleaned the ring, Roman Reigns predictably returned to fill out both sides. Saving Lesnar's return for next week would have made more sense since he's the ultimate part-timer.
Everyone knew The Tribal Chief would be the fifth member of the hero team. His appearance right after Lesnar's took a lot of wind out of that sail. Triple H clearly wanted RAW from Madison Square Garden to be a spectacle instead of methodically letting things build each week.
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Edited by Matthew Serocki

2 hours ago
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English (US)