4 Questionable reserving choices from WWE RAW in Mexico City

WWE RAW returned to Mexico City for the first time in 15 years on September 14, giving the company an opportunity to deliver a particularly memorable episode in front of an extremely passionate crowd.

The show certainly had several major moments. Roman Reigns retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Penta, Je’Von Evans qualified for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Chad Gable retained the Intercontinental Championship against Dragon Lee, and Stephanie Vaquer appeared as the new Women’s World Champion.

However, not every booking decision landed perfectly. Here are four questionable choices WWE made on RAW in Mexico City.

#4. Big Cass taking the pinfall

Je’Von Evans defeating Big Cass and Austin Theory was a solid way to establish Evans as a Money in the Bank contender, but WWE arguably could have protected Cass by having Theory take the fall.

Cass has only recently returned to WWE and remains a relatively fresh presence on the roster. Meanwhile, Theory is already an established member of The Vision and has been involved in the faction’s major storylines for months.

Having Evans pin Theory would not have significantly hurt the Vision member, while also allowing WWE to continue building the 7-foot star without immediately having him take a loss.

#3. Roman Reigns and the Mexican Destroyers

Roman Reigns retaining the World Heavyweight Championship was the right call, but the way WWE handled Penta’s Mexican Destroyers arguably hurt the credibility of one of his biggest moves.

Penta hit Reigns with a Mexican Destroyer late in the match, and while the champion was clearly affected, he recovered almost immediately and hit Penta with a Spear. Penta then hit another version of the move later in the match, this time a springboard Mexican Destroyer, only for Reigns to kick out at two.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Reigns surviving one of Penta’s signature moves in a major World Heavyweight Championship defense. The problem is that the first Destroyer barely kept him down before he recovered, while the second one only produced a two-count. That makes the move feel less definitive than it should, particularly when Penta was presented as a genuine threat to Reigns in front of his home crowd.

#2. Not giving Oba Femi a moment in Mexico City

WWE made a deliberate choice to keep Oba Femi away from the action after The Vision brutally attacked him on RAW one week earlier.

That decision makes sense from a storyline perspective. WWE may want to sell the severity of the attack and make Femi’s eventual return feel more important. The company did replay footage of The Vision’s assault during the show.

Still, this was RAW in Mexico City, a major international show with a particularly strong atmosphere. Femi is one of WWE’s biggest rising stars and is currently involved in a storyline with The Vision, so even a brief appearance could have helped keep that feud moving.

Instead, the audience received a recap rather than a new development involving one of RAW’s most important ongoing rivalries.

#1. Not giving 946 a bigger moment on WWE RAW

946 did technically appear on RAW, with Royce Keys, Bronco Nima, and Lucien Price featured in a vignette. Keys continued to taunt The Bloodline and even held up the lighter associated with their recent attacks on The Usos.

However, after several weeks of 946 producing memorable moments, their role on this particular show felt relatively underwhelming.

The faction had previously attacked The Usos in the parking lot and set their car on fire, while continuing to make their presence felt around The Bloodline. RAW in Mexico City felt like an ideal opportunity to give 946 another major visual, especially with Roman Reigns defending the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

Instead, they were largely limited to a backstage segment. The story itself moved forward, but the group’s recent run of shocking moments was noticeably toned down on a show where the company had an opportunity to keep their momentum going.