The Raw Exposé: Motown 25 > Raw 25 (1-22-2018)

By: Keila Cash

Date: 1-22-2018

Primary Location: The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Secondary Location: The Manhattan Center in New York City, New York

Happy Anniversary: Raw Turns 25!

Rest of the Show: Meh…

·        Shane and Stephanie McMahon kicked off Raw 25 with a video package recapping the most memorable moments over the past 25 years. Afterward, Shane and Stephanie introduced Vince McMahon so he could take a bow for creating a wrestling juggernaut.

·        Vince was moved by the ovation, but things quickly went south when his kids gave him a plaque commemorating the occasion. Apparently, Shane and Steph set up a GoFundMe page which resulted in limited donations coming in. Vince was offended that the gift was so cheap before running down the city of Brooklyn because they had plaque on the teeth and arteries for eating too many hot dogs.

·        Vinnie Mac decided to thank himself for being the mastermind behind Raw and took credit for the show being a success. Before he could continue, Stone Cold Steve Austin came out to a raucous ovation.

·        Stephanie immediately left the ring while Shane stuck around like a lamb being led to slaughter. Vince tried to calm Stone Cold down by claiming that he was a senior citizen suffering from a number of health ailments. Because of his AARP status, Vince appointed Shane to fight Austin on his behalf.

·        Shane-O-Mac tried to make nice with The Rattlesnake, but he got bit with a Stunner instead.

·        Vince grabbed a couple of cans of Miller Lite and shared a toast with his arch nemesis. The beer drinking continued until Austin dropped Vince with the Stunner as the crowd popped something fierce. Austin celebrated by drinking some Steveweisers as Shane McMahon regained consciousness.

·        Shane tried to share another toast with Austin, but he got nailed with another Stunner as the opening segment came to an end with Austin giving the audience the double middle finger salute.

·        This was a great way to start the show. Vince McMahon and Stone Cold had another classic encounter while Shane was thrown to the wolves by his own father. Just like old times!

·        Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, and Asuka defeated Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Nia Jax, and Alicia Fox when Banks made Fox tap out to the Bank Statement in a decent eight-woman tag team match. However, Asuka reminded her tag team partners that it’s every woman herself at the Royal Rumble when she tossed James, Bayley, and Banks over the top rope. Is this a sign of things to come? We shall find out soon enough.

·        The Undertaker appeared at the Manhattan Center and cut an ominous promo about the future. It wasn’t a retirement announcement but left me very confused, to say the least.

·        The Miz became an eight-time Intercontinental Champion when he defeated Roman Reigns with the Skull Crushing Finale in a good match. The Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas) paid dividends at ringside as they took cheap shots at Reigns behind the referee’s back. Reigns eventually nailed both men with the Drive-By. The diversion allowed Miz to remove the covering from the middle turnbuckle which played into the finish.

·        Reigns nailed Miz with a Superman Punch and was about to finish him off with the Spear when Dallas grabbed Reigns’ leg. The ref caught Dallas red-handed which led to him and Axel being tossed from ringside.

·        The distraction allowed Miz to hit Reigns with the Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall. Reigns charged after Miz, but the A-Lister moved out the way as Reigns slammed his head against the exposed turnbuckle which set up the finish moments later.

·        The crowd popped for the finish because they hated Reigns. This was the perfect setting for Reigns to drop the title which should lead to his presumed Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

·        Jason Jordan generated the third-most heel heat on the show as he couldn’t get a word in edgewise during his appearance on Christian’s Peep Show. Seth Rollins looked on in astonishment as Jordan died on the proverbial vine.

·        Cesaro and Sheamus came out to tell Jordan that he sucked which led to Jordan attacking Sheamus. The brawl was on as Rollins laid out Sheamus with a tope. Jordan held Cesaro so he could take a flying knee from Rollins, but the Swiss Superman moved out of the way as Rollins took out Jordan instead. To say that the crowd was overjoyed would be an understatement. All in all, this was a nice way to hype the Raw Tag Team Championship Match at the Rumble.

·        Bray Wyatt defeated Matt Hardy with Sister Abigail in a subpar match. The Manhattan Center is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to seeing quality in-ring action.

·        Nice cameo by Chris Jericho as he put Elias and his scarves on the list. Y2J deserves a full segment, damn it!

·        The oddest feud of 2018 is John Cena vs. Elias. Elias was singing a ditty when Cena interrupted him. Cena was in the middle of cutting a promo when Elias told him to shut up. He blamed Cena for ruining his moment. Cena told him to do something about it.

·        Elias told him that he doesn’t answer to Cena or the scumbag fans in Brooklyn as he headed out of the ring.

·        Elias tried to sneak attack Cena, but he was dropped with the Five Knuckle Shuffle instead. Cena went for the AA, but Elias wiggled out of the move as he nailed Cena with a low blow. He grabbed his guitar and struck Cena in the back before hitting the Drift Away to wrap up the segment.

·        Elias is such a great asshole. His personality continues to shine and he’s in a high profile feud with John Cena. Their first match on Christmas night left a lot to be desired, but their second outing should be much better once they work out the kinks. Hopefully…

·        Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews ended abruptly when the referee called for the bell after both teams were disqualified for kicking too much ass.

·        The Dudley Boyz helped ease the pain when Bubba Ray and D-Von put Heath Slater through a table. It was a beautiful moment that made the previous match worth enduring.

·        Mene Gene Okerlund interviewing AJ Styles was a nice surprise. Styles impersonating Hulk Hogan was surreal, but he sold it like a champ.

·        The DX Reunion was cool as Triple H and Shawn Michaels paid homage to Ravishing Rick Rude and Chyna before introducing The New Age Outlaws. X-Pac made a surprise appearance followed by Razor Ramon. For some reason, WWE cut to commercial which made Ramon’s entrance super awkward.

·        Fortunately, Ramon had a chance to address the crowd before The Bàlor Club came out. Both factions joined forces for a Too Sweet Salute as the crowd popped for the moment. Billy Gunn was about to say his signature line when The Revival came out to interrupt.

·        Gallows and Anderson defeated The Revival when Karl Anderson pinned Dash Wilder with the Magic Killer. The match was nothing special, but it was a means to an end as Dash and Dawson took a parade of finishes from the DX-Bàlor Club Kliq. Billy Gunn finally said his catchphrase as the crowd joined in on the “Suck It!” chant. This was nice a dose of nostalgia that sent the Manhattan crowd home happy.

·        Meanwhile, all hell broke loose at the Barclays Center when Brock Lesnar nailed Braun Strowman with a wicked clothesline at ringside before hitting Kane with the F5. Strowman went back on the attack as he knocked Lesnar out of the ring with a clothesline.

·        Strowman tossed The Beast against the barricade before power slamming him through the announce table as the crowd popped for the spot. Raw 25 went off the air with the Monster standing tall while the Beast and the Machine licked their wounds at ringside.

·        This was an abrupt way to end the show. Lesnar was on the warpath until Strowman put in that work. Strowman has been unstoppable over the past few weeks. However, the outcome heading into the Triple Threat Match on Sunday remains the same. Lesnar will retain the Universal Championship and face Roman Reigns for the title at WrestleMania 34. Anything less would be a shocker. I would love to see WWE swerve us all, but that is highly unlikely unless something crazy happens. Kane will eat the pin while Strowman maintains his street cred for being a badass. Consider it a guaran-damn-tee! I think…

·        Overall, I thought Raw 25 did a nice job paying tribute to past while putting a spotlight on the future. The show dragged at times as the in-ring action left a lot to be desired. Roman Reigns vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship wins best match of the night honors by default because WWE had a tough time serving two masters as the action was dry at the Manhattan Center until DX came out during the third hour.

·        The company running two shows in two different location seemed like a good idea on paper. However, the execution was so-so as the fans had to watch half the show on the big screen while feeling cheated if certain stars didn’t show up at their venue. It was a hot ass mess, to say the least.

·        My favorite part of the show was the poker game involving the APA (JBL can still kiss my ass after blocking me on Twitter), Heath Slater, Rhyno, Ted DiBiase, MVP, The Usos, Natalya, The New Day, and Jeff Hardy. It was mindless fun as Slater kept getting bad beats until he had to resort to cheating in order to win a hand. Dana Brooke busted him which resulted in The Million Dollar Man taking down the pot with a royal flush.

·        The presentation of former Raw General Managers was cool as well as the women from the past getting their moment in the spotlight. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a few of them appear in the Women’s Royal Rumble on Sunday.

·        The Rock not appearing on the show was a letdown, but his production schedule is super busy these days. Batista making a cameo appearance would’ve been sweet as well, but it wasn’t meant to be.

·        Raw 1000 remains one of the best Raws of all time. Raw 25 had too many lull spots which prevented the show from being an all-time classic. Here’s hoping Raw 30 has a bit more bite in 2023 because the future is bright if the E doesn’t wet and shit the bed.

·        Until then, the Road to WrestleMania kicks off with the Royal Rumble on Sunday. Who will punch their tickets to New Orleans? We shall find out soon enough. And so it begins…again.

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!

The SmackDown Files: The Fifty Shades of James Ellsworth Edition (9-12-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sin City served as the backdrop for three championship matches featuring AJ Styles vs. Tye Dillinger for the United States Championship, The Usos vs. The New Day facing off in a Sin City Street Fight for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, and Natalya vs. Naomi battling for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Also, Vince McMahon would confront Kevin Owens regarding Owens’ pending lawsuit against WWE after Shane McMahon attacked him last week. Did The Boss lay down the law or did Owens clap back in more ways than one? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.

·        The highlight of the opening segment was Dolph Ziggler trolling the audience as he came out to Shane McMahon’s theme music. Ziggler’s attempt at cosplay sucked last week, but it worked tonight. He gets a reprieve. For now…

·        Kevin Owens cut a great promo heeling on the crowd as he vowed to fire Sami Zayn and cancel the Fashion Files. He’s greatest dig was making Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton wear one suit because they sound alike on commentary. Corey Graves’ facial expressions pushed things over the top in terms of hilarity.

·        Daniel Bryan came out and reminded Owens that he was in charge and informed KO that he wouldn’t like what Vince McMahon had to say later tonight. Owens said the feeling would be mutual as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was a good way to start the show. Kevin Owens was an excellent prick heel who managed to get under everyone’s skin while WWE played it smart by delaying the appearance of Mr. McMahon until later in the show. Their confrontation should be interesting, to say the least.

·        AJ Styles retained the United States Championship when he made Tye Dillinger tap out to the Calf Crusher in a solid match that was slightly marred by outside interference from Baron Corbin. Styles was about to nail the Perfect 10 with the Phenomenal Forearm when Corbin climbed on the ring apron to cause the distraction. Styles nailed him with the forearm which allowed Dillinger to roll Styles up for a near fall.

·        Styles went for the Styles Clash only for Dillinger to counter with the Tye Breaker for another close fall. Styles managed to regroup and locked in his submission hold for the win.

·        Both men shook hands after the match, but the feel-good moment was ruined when Corbin dragged Styles out of the ring and tossed him over the barricade. Dillinger tried to make the save, but Corbin nailed him with a Clothesline before dropping Styles with the End of Days on the floor.

·        Corbin grabbed the mic and informed an unconscious Styles that he would challenge him for the United States Championship next week as the segment came to an end.

·        Even though Dillinger and Styles were shortchanged on time, the match was good while it lasted. This was a clever way to insert Corbin in the US Title picture, but I still wanted Dillinger and Styles to have a strong television match. I hope they are given another chance in the near future because both men are capable of doing so much more than what we saw tonight.

·        The Good News About Jinder Mahal’s Promo: Mahal showed more personality than ever before on the mic.

·        The Bad News About Jinder Mahal’s Promo: The material he was given sucked for the most part and I’m not a fan of WWE making fun of Shinsuke Nakamura’s facial expressions. The overacting by The Singh Brothers was especially grating which took me out of the segment as well. Plus, the creative team fell into the trap of comparing Nakamura to Michael Jackson in the worst possible way. I hated Dolph’s Ziggler promo from earlier this year when he went on a similar spiel that pissed me off to no end.

·        Furthermore, the Pikachu having a seizure joke was classless. The Singh Brothers doing Nakamura’s mannerisms made it worse. The whole segment irked me even though I somewhat applaud the creative team for giving Mahal a spark of a personality for a change. If he’s given less offensive material, he might actually get over as a pompous heel who draws heat for all the right reasons.

·        The New Day defeated The Usos to become the NEW SmackDown Tag Team Champions when Big E and Kofi Kingston dropped Jimmy Uso with the Midnight Hour for the win. The Sin City Street fight was very good as it featured hard hitting action throughout. If I’m not mistaken, there are no rules in a street fight with the exception of pinning or submitting your opponent. From some strange reason, the referee pulled Kingston away from one of the Usos after hitting him repeatedly with a Kendo Stick. That was weird, but the overall flow of the match wasn’t interrupted for the most part.

·        The Usos nailed Big E with a double Superkick and was about to finish him off with a double splash from the top rope when Kingston shoved Jey Uso off the top rope and sent him crashing into a table that was set up at ringside. It was a sick spot that left Jimmy high and dry. Kingston nailed him with Trouble in Paradise which led to the finish moments later.

·        The title change is a little surprising, but both teams have played hot potato with the belts as of late. One can only presume that their rubber match will take place at Hell in a Cell to blow off this feud once and for all. It should be another barn burner if they are given enough time to shine.

·        Natalya retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship when she made Naomi tap out to the Sharpshooter in a solid match. Both ladies didn’t receive ring entrances which meant the show was running short on time. Nonetheless, both ladies had another competitive match that featured outside interference towards the end.

·        Naomi knocked Natalya out of the ring which led to a confrontation between the champ and Carmella who was sitting in on guest commentary. Nattie shoved Carmella to the floor which allowed lay out Carmella and James Ellsworth with a cross body from the top rope. Natalya took advantage of the situation by slamming Naomi head first into ring post which led to the submission finish.

·        It appears that Naomi is out of the championship picture for now. It should be very interesting to see who's next in line for Natalya’s SmackDown Women’s Title.

·        Remember the reprieve I gave Dolph Ziggler during the beginning of this blog? It’s officially been rescinded. Ziggler came out and imitated Bayley and The Ultimate Warrior in order to show fans that they love a gimmick more than what he can do in the ring. It was a word-for-word replay of what he said last week. Once again, Ziggler’s promo was dumb and pointless. This has to be a setup for a feud with Bobby Roode at Hell in a Cell. Right? Right?!?

·        Chad Gable and Jason Jordan defeated The Hype Bros when Gable and Benjamin dropped Zack Ryder with the Tech Fall. The match was fine, but it was slotted in the 9:30 p.m. Lull Period of Doom and Gloom. Things ended on a newsworthy note when Ryder refused to shake hands with Gable and Jordan. He also gave the cold shoulder to Mojo Rawley which plays into a possible heel turn that has been hinted at in recent months.

·        Vince McMahon told Kevin Owens that it would be in his best interest not to sue WWE because he might end up fired or bankrupt. McMahon informed Owens that he didn’t suspend Shane McMahon because he crossed the line as an authority figure. He suspended him because he didn’t finish the job. Shane would get another chance to avenge the McMahon family when he faces Owens inside Hell in a Cell at the eponymous PPV next month.

·        Owens wanted McMahon’s assurance that he wouldn’t be fired for hurting a McMahon. Vinnie Mac agreed and sealed the deal with a handshake. Owens broke the handshake and head butted Vince in the face moments later. KO stated that The Chairman of the Board gave him permission to beat up a McMahon and he did just that as he kicked Vince’s ass. He kicked him in the ribs before nailing him with a Superkick and Frogsplash from the top rope. Adam Pierce tried to intervene, but he let his boss bite the bullet in an unintentionally hilarious spot.

·        Owens eventually walked away, but Stephanie McMahon confronted him before tending to her father as SD Live went off the air.

·        This was a hot way to end the show. Kevin Owens was a sinister heel as he attacked the man that signed his paycheck every month. Vince McMahon must really like Owens because it’s rare to see him get beat up. McMahon even did a blood job to push the closing segment over the top. I give Vince props for taking bumps at 72. It’s ill-advised, but the boss has the final say.

·        In any event, this adds more heat to the Kevin Owens-Shane McMahon feud leading up to their Hell in a Cell match next month. I am not looking forward to Shane’s Charmin Tissue Paper punches, but Owens should carry him over the finish line by going batshit crazy in the best possible way. It will be quite the spectacle when WWE christens in the new Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan next month. “Pizza, Pizza!”

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was solid. The Sin City theme gave the show a sense of purpose, but the in-ring work wasn’t as strong as the Wild Card Finals which took place last December. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and The New Day was the best thing on the broadcast from a wrestling standpoint. The United States and SmackDown Women’s Title matches were hampered by outside interference, but the in-ring action was solid for the most part.

·        The show will be best remembered for Kevin Owens kicking Vince McMahon’s ass. It was a surprising moment that reminded me of Randy Orton punting Vince in the head 8 years ago. Will Owens become a sociopath who destroys the McMahon Family from the inside out? We shall see how it all plays out, but I like how Owens has become more menacing in recent weeks. He’s not cracking jokes in order to get cheered. KO is a cold-hearted bastard who should be despised from the moon and back.

·        Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, and Randy Orton not being on tonight’s show was a little surprising. Their star power was missed, but should they be back next week as SD Live emanates from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The march towards the Hell in a Cell PPV continues. Here’s hoping the blue brand continues to raise their profile heading into the fall season. Fingers crossed!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls! 

The Raw Exposé: The Roman Reigns is Public Enemy #1 Edition (4-3-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It’s the night after WrestleMania which means only one thing: It’s the craziest show of the year when it comes surprise returns and/or debuts along with the unpredictable crowd being the star of the broadcast.

Mania was filled with twists and turns with the biggest shock coming at the end when The Undertaker seemingly retired from WWE after losing to Roman Reigns during the main event. He symbolically left his coat, gloves, and hat in the ring as he kissed his wife before disappearing underneath the stadium. It’s safe to assume that Roman Reigns is public enemy number one with the fans wanting his head on a silver platter.

Meanwhile, The Hardy Boyz continued their Expedition of Gold when they won the Raw Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way Ladder Match. It was quite the moment that popped the crowd something fierce.

Brock Lesnar was crowned King of the Universe when he defeated Goldberg to win the Universal Championship. It was a smash mouth fight that was fun to watch, but the outcome was never in doubt as The Beast walked away with the Big Red Kryptonite Belt. With these storylines in play, how did the raucous international crowd respond to the Mania fallout? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·       Raw got off to an insane start when the crowd showered Roman Reigns with monstrous boos and expletives that were too colorful to repeat here. The crowd roasted, toasted, and flambéed Reigns for a good five to six minutes until he finally got on the mic and proclaimed that the ring was his yard before heading to the back.

·       The fans were super pissed about Reigns retiring The Undertaker last night at WrestleMania and they vented in epic fashion. It should be interesting to see how the New Big Dog is received in cities outside of the Mania bubble.

·       The Hardy Boyz retained the Raw Tag Team Championship when Jeff Hardy took out Luke Gallows with the Swanton Bomb which allowed Matt Hardy to score the pin. The match was pretty good with the exception of Jeff’s execution of the Twist of Fate on Gallows. It was a little sloppy, but Matt made it look better on the second attempt which set up the finish. The action was solid and the fans were hot as they chanted “Delete!” “Obsolete!”, and “F*** That Owl!” for atmospheric effect.

·       Neville and Mustafa Ali had a very good match, but it was marred by the crowd playing an impromptu game of volleyball with a pair of beach balls. If you cancel out the extra noise, Ali had an impressive showing as he dropped Neville with a beautiful Springboard Spanish Fly from the top rope. Ali tried to finish Neville off with the Inverted 450 Splash, but Neville moved out of the way.

·       The King of the Cruiserweights climbed to the rope and was about to hit Ali with the Red Arrow, but decided to lock him in the Rings of Saturn for the submission win instead. The crowd popped for the big spots towards the end, but they were too busy entertaining themselves instead of paying attention to the action taking place in the ring. Sadly, that is one of the drawbacks to the night after WrestleMania.

·       Vince McMahon announced that there would be some kind of Superstar Shakeup next week. McMahon didn’t outright say that a draft was taking place, but we shall see how this news develops throughout the week.

·       In the meantime, Vince had to name a new General Manager since Mick Foley was fired and Stephanie McMahon is out of action due to Triple H accidently putting her through a table last night. Teddy Long came out and assumed he was the man for the job, but Vince quickly shut him down. 2017 WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle was named the new Raw GM as the fans erupted in “You Suck!” chants in the most endearing way possible.

·       Angle cut a quick promo about being glad to be back on Raw as the segment came to an end. Angle’s name popped up as Foley’s replacement dating back to his HOF announcement a few months ago. He has the right personality for the job and it should be interesting to see him interact with Stephane because they had a mutual attraction for each other during the height of the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

·       The Revival just made their debut on Raw. They are the perfect team to shake up the tag team division along with the Hardy Boyz. However, their talents might have been better utilized on SmackDown Live because that division also needs some much-needed TLC.

·       The Revival defeated The New Day when Dash and Dawson nailed Xavier Woods with the Shatter Machine for the win. It was a solid match that showcased The Revival’s prowess as a tag team.

·       Things took a heelish turn when Dash and Dawson attacked Kofi Kingston after the match was over. They double-teamed Kingston and took out his knee as the crowd booed them out of the building. This was a nice way to establish The Revival as heels who shouldn’t be cheered under any circumstances. Their debut was a success despite my mixed feelings about them being better off on SD Live.

·       Kurt Angle, Enzo Amore, and Big Cass had an entertaining backstage segment that featured several laugh-out-loud moments. Angle had a great line about not knowing where Enzo got his certification as a G from while Enzo asked a great life question about why Goofy was treated like a human while Pluto acted like a dog. That is quite the conundrum.

·       Enzo and Cass pleaded their case about wanting a shot at the Raw Tag Team Titles and Angle responded by booking them in a number one contenders match against Sheamus and Cesaro. Cass spelled out the word SAWFT and Angle mused that the spelling was incorrect as the crowd laughed in the background. This was classic Angle in the best possible way. His sense of humor is always on point.

·       After 30 weeks of hype videos, Emma is finally back! It’s about damn time.

·       Bayley, Dana Brooke, and Sasha Banks defeated Emma, Nia Jax, and Charlotte when Banks made Charlotte tap out to the Bank Statement. It was a solid match that illustrated the vicious streak of Emma when she yanked Bayley’s ponytail while The Raw Women’s Champion hung upside down in the corner. The match broke down into a parade of moves leading up to the finish.

·       Charlotte took out her frustration on Emma and Nia Jax after the match was over. Jax shoved Charlotte in the corner and nailed her with a big boot while Emma got out of dodge.

·       Jax dropped Charlotte with a vicious elbow to send the message that she wasn’t the woman to mess with.

·       Paul Heyman kicked off the third hour of Raw by telling a bedtime story about Goldberg being a hero in his village only for him to take a detour in Suplex City where he got his ass kicked by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Lesnar is the new Universal Champion and Heyman promised that Bill Goldberg would never show his face in a WWE ring again.

·       Heyman switched his attention to Lesnar’s possible new challengers for the Universal Title. Heyman name dropped Seth Rollins and The Hardy Boyz before setting his sights on Roman Reigns as the fans booed at the mere sound of Reigns’ name.

·       Since Lesnar and Reigns are the 2 in 23-2, it’s only fair that they duke it out to determine who the Top Dog really is. Realizing where the segment was going, the fans started up a “We Want Balor” chant. Heyman didn’t acknowledge it and continued his promo. He was about to make a major announcement when Braun Strowman made his way to the ring.

·       Strowman told Lesnar that once he took care of Reigns, he would have his attention. He gave Lesnar a light shove before telling The Beast that they would throw hands on his terms as he left the ring.

·       This is was a good segment, but the crowd was not very receptive towards another Lesnar-Reigns feud. It’s a hardcore post-Mania crowd that knew Finn Balor never lost the Universal Championship outright. Therefore, he should be first in line for a title shot. With WWE sidestepping the issue, it makes for a very awkward situation. 

·       Strowman facing off against Reigns is getting a bit tiresome because Reigns beat him decisively at Fastlane last month. Unless Strowman picks up a quality win soon, his monster push will become mute. Strowman vs. Lesnar is an intriguing matchup, but it will mean nothing if Strowman continues to rack up losses.

·       Chris Jericho cut a great backstage promo as he acknowledged the Beach Ball Mania chants from earlier tonight. He topped things off by putting the tip of Kevin Owens’ finger on the LIST.

·       The fun and games quickly came to an end when Owens attacked Jericho and power bombed him through a table thanks to an assist from Samoa Joe.

·       Angle informed Rollins that Jericho was in no condition to compete, but vowed to find a partner for Rollins. Something tells me that a certain Demon King is going to make a surprise appearance. Just a hunch...

·       Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Enzo and Big Cass to become the number one contender for the Raw Tag Team Titles. The match was decent, but it was rough in spots. The crowd added some levity by serenading Sheamus and Cesaro. It was cute and endearing, but it could’ve gotten ugly if Enzo and Cass picked up the win.

·       They were about to do just that when Sheamus nailed Cass with a Brogue Kick. This allowed Cesaro to nail Enzo with a flying European Uppercut for the win.

·       Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Hardy Boyz should be very good and the mere thought of Cesaro and Jeff Hardy being in the same ring together is the icing on the cake.

·       Jinder Mahal got the early jump on Sami Zayn, but it wasn’t enough to keep Zayn down as he nailed Mahal with the Helluva Kick for the win. The match was serviceable while it lasted.

·       It’s good to see you again, Finn.

·       Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor defeated Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe when Bálor pinned Owens with the Coup de Grace. The match was good, but it hit a lull when Rollins played the babyface in peril midway through the match. The crowd decided to do The Wave until Rollins made the hot tag to Bálor.

·       The action picked up from there with the finishing sequence coming off strong when Bálor tried to dropkick Owens in the corner only for Joe to catch Bálor in mid-charge. He locked Bálor in the Coquina Clutch, but Rollins made the save when he nailed Joe with a flying knee from the top rope.

·       This allowed Bálor to take out Owens with the running dropkick in the corner which led to the finish.

·       This was a nice comeback match for Bálor as he looked sharp and fought with an extra tinge of intensity throughout.

·       Balor not being in the Universal Championship picture is odd and I hope the big red elephant in the room is addressed sooner rather than later. Owens has a claim to the title as well which should create an interesting dynamic in the weeks and months to come.

·       Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. The show had its share of surprises with Kurt Angle being named the new Raw General Manager along with Emma making her long-awaited return, The Revival putting the tag team division on notice, and Finn Balor’s homecoming during the main event.

·       As always, the broadcast hit a lull during the third hour with the fans starting to get a bit restless with the exception of Cesaro and Sheamus getting serenaded by the crowd during their tag team match. It’s remarkable that The Celtic Warrior went from being on the fast track towards nowhere this time last year to being a beloved babyface due to his partnership with Cesaro. It’ quite the career resurrection.

·       The rest of the show was fine with the crowd being vocal in key spots. Some of their chants had merit, but the beach ball fiasco was the lowlight of the show because it diluted a competitive cruiserweight match between Neville and Mustafa Ali.

·       The Superstar Shakeup appears to be a take on the NFL Free Agency Period. There will probably be some trades involved to strengthen both rosters heading into the spring and summer months. The Raw roster is bloated and they need to unload some talent to SmackDown. SmackDown can’t afford to part with too many stars, but we shall see who debuts on the blue brand tomorrow night as the fallout from WrestleMania continues. With another PPV looming on the horizon for the red brand, it’s time to unload some of the excess baggage and become a more efficient show from a creative standpoint. We shall see how it all plays out next week.

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 edition of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!