Last night’s edition of WWE Raw saw a return over three years in the making and continued the buildup towards the Raw-exclusive pay-per-view TLC in less than two weeks.
Weeks of rumors came to a head last night on WWE Raw and several key matches for the TLC pay-per-view have been announced. One major storyline dominated the show, but others presented themselves as well.
The intrigue is building around TLC and it’s shaping up to be a memorable showing for the red brand. With that being said, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from last night’s edition of Monday Night Raw.
Source: WWE.com via Twitter
5. Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James is One of the Most Entertaining Women’s Feuds in a Long Time
With the star-power the Raw women’s division has, who would have thought the most entertaining feud in a long time would come courtesy of the division’s most veteran superstar? But that is exactly the case in the feud between Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. It has been a very entertaining feud and the premise of it is timeless as well.
It began when Bliss called James an “old lady” on Raw Talk following the No Mercy pay-per-view and since then, the two have had great chemistry together. Their promos have been great and the humor has been some of the funniest the WWE has seen in a while. The final step is to have chemistry in the ring, but the start has certainly been impressive.
It’s the classic storyline of the old lion wanting to prove it can still hang, but the young lion wants to take its place and rid the environment of the past. But that added with Bliss’s old jokes directed at James has made the feud even more entertaining. On last night’s Raw, Bliss gave us an old, black and white video showing James’ career and the old jokes hit an all-time high.
This has been one of the most memorable women’s feuds in a long time and it’s still in its beginning stages. It could and should go on beyond TLC and if the two can have quality matches together, the feud will come full circle.
Samoa Joe is on the prowl on WWE Raw. Credit: WWE.com
4. Samoa Joe’s Return Can’t Come Soon Enough
A big void on Raw in recent weeks has been the absence of Samoa Joe. Joe was one of the hottest superstars on Raw over the past few months, but since getting injured in early September, he has been out of action. Losing a main event-caliber talent is never a good thing, and Joe’s absence has closed the window of opportunity for several potential feuds heading into TLC.
It’s likely he will be back soon enough, but with the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar not appearing at TLC, the card needs as much star power as possible. The pay-per-view is taking shape, but having Joe on it would have made it even better. One superstar in particular could have used a Joe return before TLC, the Monster Among Men Braun Strowman.
Since losing to Lesnar at No Mercy, Strowman has just floated around on Raw with no clear purpose. But on last night’s Raw, Strowman was added to the main event at TLC, albeit not in nearly the same way he was in the No Mercy main event. Strowman could have had another match at TLC instead, against the Samoan Submission Machine.
Rumors called for Joe to face Strowman at TLC, but that won’t be happening. It could still happen in the future, but a match of that caliber would have been a big get for the pay-per-view. Not to mention, Joe’s return could open up possibilities for several other superstars once their current programs are done.
Joe is needed back on Raw and his return can’t come soon enough.
WWE.com
3. Main Event-Level Continues for 205 Live
The WWE’s evident push of 205 Live continued on last night’s Raw in a big way. For the third straight week, the cruiserweight division closed out Raw, but in a much-bigger way this week. It began with Enzo Amore complaining earlier in the night that he has to defend his title against Kalisto at TLC.
So, Raw GM Kurt Angle intervened and said Enzo doesn’t have to worry about defending his Cruiserweight Championship at TLC, he was to defend it on last night’s Raw. Enzo was incensed, but asked for the match to take place in the main event.
Kalisto’s addition to 205 Live was a perfect fit and earning a Cruiserweight Championship match this quickly helped go along with the Enzo vs. 205 Live storyline perfectly. An extra stipulation to the match was added and Enzo was unable to get himself disqualified or counted out to keep his title and the ring would be surrounded by the rest of 205 Live.
The match itself started out slow, but picked up towards the end with two awesome spots to end the match. The first came via Kalisto suplexing Enzo from the top rope out onto the lumberjacks to the floor. And the second sealed the deal for Kalisto when after a Salida Del Sol from the top rope to Enzo, Kalisto won the Cruiserweight Championship.
It was a great moment and despite WWE not waiting to do it at TLC, Enzo’s rematch will in all likelihood come at the pay-per-view and could add another dimension to this storyline.
Source: WWE.com
2. Is Sister Abigail an Alter Ego or a Real Person?
Bray Wyatt’s importance on Raw in recent months has been in serious question with people losing interest in the poorly-booked superstar. But over the past two editions of Raw, the Eater of Worlds has added a new, creepy dimension to his rivalry with Finn Balor. Wyatt has mentioned a Sister Abigail for years now and he stated in recent weeks that she is alive and dying to meet Balor.
Balor seemingly had wrapped up his feud with Wyatt at No Mercy, but Wyatt had other ideas and the tease of Sister Abigail has spiced this feud up again. It has led to two creepy promos by Wyatt on each of the past two Raw’s and last night’s took it to a new level.
As it did the week before, Wyatt’s face changed into Sister Abigail form last night and we heard the distorted voice of Abigail. The promo would have been a hit in a horror movie and certainly raised a few eyebrows of the WWE universe. But is Sister Abigail an actual person or just an alter ego?
Balor’s alter ego is the Demon King, so it would be logical that Sister Abigail is an alter ego of Wyatt. But it would be much different if Abigail is an actual person who could join Wyatt and give him much-needed intrigue in the future. The WWE hasn’t definitively told us what or who Sister Abigail is, so the interest will go into Wyatt and Balor’s next match likely at TLC.
Sister Abigail is alive, but what or who is she? Only time will tell.
Source: WWE.com via Twitter
1. The Shield’s Reunion Has Already Shaken up Raw
The hottest rumor on Raw over the past few weeks has been if The Shield would reunite or not. And last night, we found out emphatically when the trio of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns made it official.
Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns have all had issues with The Miz and Sheamus and Cesaro in recent memory and the teases of a Shield reunion ramped up every week. And on last night’s Raw, the reunion was on full blast.
During The Miz’s “Mizzies” segment to open up the show, Miz and The Bar continued to take shots at The Shield. Reigns came out on the stage and put the rumors to rest when he was surrounded by both Rollins and Ambrose. The trio laid waste to Sheamus, Cesaro, and lastly The Miz in the prototypical way they used to do and it was a pretty surreal moment.
Their night was far from done when after Braun Strowman defeated Matt Hardy, Strowman attempted to cause Hardy even more pain after the match. But the Hounds of Justice had other ideas and laid out Strowman via a patented triple powerbomb through the announce table.
The main event at TLC was officially made after the dust cleared on last night’s Raw and The Shield will battle The Miz, The Bar, and Strowman at TLC in a TLC match. Seeing The Shield back was a sight for sore eyes and despite it likely not lasting for the long haul, it should be a great success in the near future.
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The Hounds of Justice are back and Raw has been put on notice.