The WWE is undergoing a shakeup of superstars, and the latest episode of Raw already gave us some new storylines to look forward to in the coming months.
We knew the superstar shakeup would give Raw some big names, and a few of the additions, such as Alexa Bliss and The Miz, weren’t surprising. However, not everyone predicted that Bray Wyatt and current Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose would make the switch to the red brand. All of these moves make it easy to come up with talking points, but some of the biggest takeaways from Raw came from segments that didn’t involve a new superstar.
5. Cesaro And Sheamus Are Here To Stay
When Cesaro and Sheamus first formed as a tag team, their rockiness made many speculate that a break-up at around WrestleMania 33 would be inevitable. A more cohesive friendship, however, was teased over the months, such as when they teamed up together in a bar fight or when Sheamus tried to help Cesaro stand up to Samoa Joe.
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From interrupting each other during Raw Talk segments, not holding the tag team belts together, and merely co-existing in the ring as a means of trying to out-do each other, Cesaro and Sheamus have become one of the WWE’s best bromances. In this past episode, they had their own fist-bump, they were cracking jokes that neither took as insults, and they came up with a “We are the bar” catchphrase that works better than Dolph Ziggler’s “I am the brass ring”.
Maybe this is more of a hope than a takeaway, but it looks like “Shesaro” is here to stay as a tag team. They shouldn’t defeat the Hardy Boyz at Payback, but they should eventually claim the tag team titles for a second time. I know many people would still like to see Cesaro as a successful singles competitor, but this is the best place for both him and Sheamus to be in right now. They are a cornerstone in Raw’s tag team division, especially if The New Day, Enzo and Cass, or The Club join SmackDown Live.
4. The Cruiserweight Division Just Got More Interesting
It’s safe to say that everyone wanted TJ Perkins to turn heel, and while he seems like the ultimate babyface as a person, I’m not going to doubt his ability to become a slimy heel in the Cruiserweight division. I’m not sure I like the potential dynamic between Perkins and Neville, but everything about Perkins screamed, “This guy needs a change in character.”
Prior to this heel turn, Perkins was jobbing to everyone. He was the one taking pins in fatal four-way matches, losing to Brian Kendrick, and jobbing out to Shinsuke Nakamura in his NXT return match from a kayfabe knee injury. Even though Perkins lost in all of those encounters, he often looked like the best competitor in the ring, reminding fans of just how exciting his style of wrestling is. That match with Nakamura was one of the most underrated of the year so far, as the only thing holding it back was a lackluster crowd.
The Cruiserweight division had one world-class heel in Neville and another strong heel character in Kendrick. Outside of that, they were sorely lacking. Turning Perkins heel allows other competitors like Jack Gallagher, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander, and the criminally underrated Mustafa Ali to have new feuds with an experienced wrestler. There’s a reason why he won the Cruiserweight Classic, and here’s to hoping #HeelJP can get more people behind him as a heel.
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3. Dean And The Miz Feuding Again?
Dean Ambrose hitting the “Dirty Deeds” on The Miz after “The A-Lister” revealed that he is not John Cena was brilliant, and Ambrose picked up even more momentum after defeating Kevin Owens in a Champion vs. Champion match. With the Intercontinental Championship on Raw, it’s clear that the WWE will make the wise move of shifting Owens to SmackDown Live, especially after they had him lose to Ambrose.
What’s next for Ambrose is a bit unclear, because it seems like Samoa Joe will be locked in a rivalry with Seth Rollins. Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns are in a heated program, too, so that leaves The Miz as the most likely opponent for Ambrose’s Intercontinental title.
We all remember how The Miz and Dolph Ziggler elevated the prestige of that title, and Miz’s 2016 run with the belt made it feel like the most important title in the company. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to envision him winning it back, as Sami Zayn’s gutsy victory likely confirms that he will be making his much-anticipated move to SmackDown.
Ambrose and The Miz put on some great matches together, and The Miz did a fantastic job of bringing out some of Ambrose’s most fiery promos. These two were meant to have a longer feud with each other, because it felt like something was left on the table the first time around. Assuming Renee Young is not involved, it will be interesting what the storyline revolves around this time, or if The Miz quickly snatches the title away from “The Lunatic Fringe”.
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2. Big Things Ahead For Charlotte
Ever since she lost her Pay Per View streak to Bayley at Fastlane, Charlotte Flair has been riding a losing streak. She didn’t win at WrestleMania, she submitted to Sasha Banks in last week’s six-woman tag team match before getting rolled over by Nia Jax, and Nia defeated her on this episode of Raw in a single’s match. Nia, by the way, kicked out of “Natural Selection” and survived a devastating moonsault outside of the ring.
What’s more interesting is the fact that the announce team actually addressed Charlotte’s losing streak before Nia won the match. Furthermore, Charlotte played up the way the losses are getting to her ego perfectly. After last week’s post-match tantrum directed at Emma and Nia, she had a completely defeated expression on her face following her loss to Nia.
Charlotte is definitely going to SmackDown. With Alexa Bliss on Raw, the swap of top heels that many predicted is indeed set to happen, and there’s simply nothing left for Charlotte to do on Raw. Plus, this losing streak has to mean something, and it means that big plans are ahead for “The Queen”. I’m not sure if that means she’ll spark a feud with Becky Lynch or steal away the Women’s Championship from Naomi after a heated rivalry, but the wheels are in motion for a big storyline involving Charlotte on the blue brand.
1. The WWE Will Milk Roman Reigns as a Face for as Long as Possible
Even though Roman Reigns cut what was essentially the best heel promo of 2017 (and easily the best promo of his entire career) on the Raw after WrestleMania, the announcers were quick to say that the audience would normally be cheering him. Reigns confirmed that he is still a face by stating his victory over The Undertaker felt “heavy”, and his alignment was further confirmed by Braun Strowman’s show-stealing attack.
I bet the WWE thinks they can keep Roman Reigns as a face forever, because they know people will keep reacting no matter what. The kids and casual fans who will cheer for whoever the WWE tells them to cheer will continue to support Roman, and the hardcore fans will continue to boo them. As always, WWE cares about getting a reaction, and people cheering for Strowman to obliterate Roman is indeed a strong reaction.
The problem is that people will eventually stop reacting. It seems crazy to think that the blowback will eventually stop, since it has been as forceful as Roman’s push over the past few years. But eventually, people will get bored. I’m just speaking for myself here, but it’s hard to really care about any program that Roman is involved in. You know the promos will be boring, you know the matches will be good-but-not-great, and you know who will win in the end.
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Eventually, people will tune him out, but the sad fact is that we haven’t seen any evidence of that yet. Until that happens, Roman Reigns will continue to be positioned as the biggest face in the company, even though it’s a spot that should go to Seth Rollins, who did a nice job of riding the momentum he earned from his WrestleMania 33 victory over Triple H.