By: Keila Cash
Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. I want to use this space to offer my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the senseless mass shooting in Las Vegas late Sunday Night. Violence solves nothing. It only drives a bigger wedge in our society. Here’s hoping love, faith, and equality for all can erase the evil that pervades this world.
On a lighter note, let’s dive into the crazy world of WWE and dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.
· Braun Strowman defeated Seth Rollins with a Running Powerslam in a good match to kick off the show. Rollins tried to use his speed and agility in order to keep Strowman off balance, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Monster Among Men.
· After the match was over, Strowman dropped Rollins with another Running Powerslam before leaving the ring. Some fans wanted him to do it one more time. He was about to honor their request when Dean Ambrose made the save.
· Ambrose attacked Strowman, but it was to no avail as he ate two chokeslams for his troubles.
· Strowman finally left the ring, but Ambrose and Rollins were in for more doom and gloom when Cesaro and Sheamus made their way to the ring.
· Cesaro nailed Ambrose with the Neutralizer while Sheamus nailed Rollins with a Brogue Kick for good measure as the segment came to an end.
· It was nice to see WWE shake up the opener by kicking off the show with a match instead of 20-minute promo for a change. The seeds are being planted for a blockbuster main event at TLC that should be awesome if everything goes according to plan. More on that later…
· Bray Wyatt is losing his mind. Oh, joy. *Insert Sarcasm Here*
· Elias defeated Titus O’Neil with the Drift Away in a match that didn’t overstay its welcome. It was serviceable and inoffensive for the most part.
· Mickie James defeated Nia Jax via disqualification after Alexa Bliss broke up a pin attempt by James. James and Jax had a solid match which saw Jax on offense for the most part. James made a comeback and had Jax beat with a Tornado DDT until Bliss made the save on behalf of her frenemy.
· Bliss tossed James out of the ring and was about to finish her off when James went on the attack by slamming Little Miss Bliss into the barricade before nailing her with a kick to the face for good measure.
· James might be “old”, but she’s a wily veteran who lured Bliss in a trap by playing possum. This feud is a nice stopgap leading up to Asuka’s debut at TLC later this month. Here’s hoping both ladies deliver the goods in the ring in order push things over the top.
· Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated Matt Hardy and Jason Jordan when Anderson pinned Hardy with the Magic Killer in a solid match. Jordan played the babyface in peril for a large chunk of the bout until he made the hot tag to Hardy.
· Hardy cleaned house as the fans chanted “Delete” after each offensive maneuver. However, it wasn’t enough as Anderson rammed Jordan into the barricade which led to the finish moments later.
· This was a nice win for the Good Brothers while Jordan has to fight through another setback in order to gain a sense of purpose on the Raw roster without using his father’s influence in order to get ahead. Can he resist temptation? Only time will tell.
· To keep things fair and square, Roman Reigns took out Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel to ensure that they wouldn’t interfere during his Intercontinental Championship match against The Miz.
· Reigns played an unorthodox game of Whack-A-Mole as he hit both men in the back with a steel chair until WWE officials broke things up. Miz looked on in shock as his insurance policy went up in smoke.
· The Miz retained the Intercontinental Title thanks to an assist from Cesaro and Sheamus. Prior to the DQ, Miz and Reigns had a nice back and forth match that featured hard-hitting action and dramatic near falls throughout.
· Reigns was about to finish Miz off with a Spear until Sheamus and Cesaro pulled him out of the ring. From there, the Big Dog ate a Neutralizer from Cesaro, a Brogue Kick from Sheamus, and the Skull Crushing Finale from Miz.
· However, the trio wasn’t done as they wanted to give fans a faux Shield moment when delivered a Triple Powerbomb to Reigns. To add insult to injury, they did the signature Shield fist bump as the crowd showered them with boos.
· This was another strong segment that hinted at The Shield reuniting sooner rather than later. As I hinted at earlier tonight, the main event of TLC is coming into focus as The Shield is set to face the team of Cesaro, Sheamus, and The Miz (or Braun Strowman) in the eponymous match that the PPV is named after.
· There have been too many breadcrumbs dropped to suggest otherwise at this point. Miz inadvertently pushed Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins back together. However, the end game wasn’t Rollins and Ambrose facing Miz and his Miztourage.
· The same rule applies here as Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel were placeholders for Sheamus and Cesaro. Miz is a wild card because Braun Strowman has a long-standing issue with Reigns and has defeated Ambrose and Reigns over the past couple of weeks.
· If there is a six-man tag team match featuring either man over the next couple of weeks, the main event of TLC becomes clearer. Based on Miz being the Intercontinental Champion, a Winner Takes All match featuring The Shield vs. Miz, Cesaro, and Sheamus is more plausible at this point.
· Bray Wyatt thinks The Demon is Finn Bálor’s true face. Wyatt will show his true colors if Bálor does the same. Apparently, Sister Abigail is alive and would love to come out and play. I thought her ashes were baptized by fire thanks to Randy Orton. Oh well…
· Sasha Banks and Bayley defeated Alicia Fox and Emma when Bayley pinned Fox with the Bayley-to-Belly in a decent match. The heels dominated the action for the most part, but a miscommunication between Fox and Emma resulted in the latter walking out on her tag team partner which led to the aforementioned finish. The in-ring action was fine, but this match was slotted in the 10:30 P.M. Lull Period of Death which did the ladies no favors.
· In another bold move, The Cruiserweight Division was in the main event spotlight once again as Enzo Amore cut another heelish promo that garnered a mixed reaction from the crowd.
· WWE continues to straddle the fence by having Enzo spout his signature catchphrases which draw cheers from the crowd while the body of his mic work is booed for the most part. The company needs to take a page out of The Rock’s playbook when he went Hollywood 14 years ago. He didn’t allow the fans to sing along with him. Rock cut them off and did everything in his power to get booed. It worked as he had a great heel run leading up to his WrestleMania match against Stone Cold Steve Austin in 2003.
· If WWE wants fans to hate Enzo, he shouldn't do babyface things in order to get a cheap pop. Being an asshole is his forte. Let him loose and watch the magic unfold.
· During Enzo’s spiel, he mentioned that no one from the Cruiserweight Division could touch him because they would be fired on the spot. Neville led his army to the ring as they circled Enzo like a cornered rat.
· Enzo zinged each of them which drew laughs from the crowd as he waved his paperwork in their faces. Kurt Angle came out reassured Enzo that his no-contact clause was valid.
· However, that edict didn’t apply to the newest member of the Cruiserweight Division. Kalisto came out to a so-so reaction as he ran down to the ring and attacked Enzo. He laid the Champ out with the Salina Del Sol as Raw seemingly went off the air with Kalisto leading the crowd in a “Lucha, “Lucha!” chant.
· Instead, the camera cut backstage to Roman Reigns sulking in the locker room. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins showed up to offer moral support. Their silence spoke volumes as Raw went off the air with Reigns contemplating his future.
· WWE was smart to tease a Shield reunion to close the show. They didn’t give away the fist bump because that should happen in the ring. Smart strategy aside, the company ending the show with another Enzo promo was a little shocking because the third hour fell off a cliff from a ratings standpoint last week. He’s a great talker, but the main event spot should be reserved for the heavy hitters who actually move the needle in the right direction. Here’s hoping the E realizes that by ending the show with a Shield reunion next week. Fingers crossed!
· As for Kalisto joining the Cruiserweight Division, it’s long overdue. He should’ve been there since day one, but I’m glad the Powers That Be have finally seen the light. Can Kalisto carry Enzo to a decent match? To Be Determined…
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was middling at best. The in-ring action was blasé with the exception of the opening match featuring Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman and the Intercontinental Championship match between The Miz and Roman Reigns which kicked off the third hour.
· The Shield reunion is keeping the show afloat along with Mickie James and Alexa Bliss feuding over the Raw Women’s Title. Outside of that, the red brand is snoozing their way through football season without the star power of Brock Lesnar and John Cena.
· The TLC PPV is predicated on Asuka’s debut and the main event involving The Shield vs. Fill in the Team Here in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The rest of the card looks paper thin. Can the creative team pull off a miracle over the next couple of weeks? We shall find out soon enough.
On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!
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