What were the biggest questions WWE left us with this week? Which stars left us guessing at the end of Raw and SmackDown Live?
The WWE had a week of ups and downs throughout. Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV was a spectacle for the ages. It might as well be one of the last times we see Shane McMahon pull off another daredevil stunt, let alone compete in the ring. Shane O’Mac gave us all that he could and more and could have to take time of to deal with its repercussions.
While Raw continued to build towards the upcoming TLC PPV, SmackDown Live was still dealing with the aftermath of Hell in a Cell. The Red Brand featured an epic reunion which the fans have been waiting for the last three years. We also saw the revelation of Sister Abigail which raised quiet a few eyebrows. The show capped off by featuring the Cruiserweights in the main event for the third week in a row. Amidst speculations and rumors of Neville potentially asking for his release, Kalisto has become the new Curiserweight champion.
Storyline-wise though, the Blue Brand caught up to Raw in grand fashion. Sami Zayn has seeming joined forces with the dark side and it seems like after many years, he and Kevin Owens are on the same page. What this new alliance could achieve on the main roster still remains to be seen. However, the potential for this is huge.
Elsewhere on the show, we are still waiting to find out who will be the next person to step up and try to snatch the WWE title away from Jinder Mahal. We also don’t know what lies ahead for Shinsuke Nakamura. With so many questions to answer in the upcoming weeks, we have picked the top five burning questions of the week.
Raw. Photo by WWE.com
5. Will Bray Wyatt be able to make this work?
Amidst speculations of an actual female wrestler portraying the character of Sister Abigail, the big reveal this week was the Bray Wyatt himself would be doing the devil’s bidding this week. Whether that works for the better or worse remains to be seen though. The Sister Abigail segment from this week’s Raw raised many eye brows and questions. It received largely negative reviews from fans and critics alike.
All this leads us to the big questions. Will Bray Wyatt be able to make this work? Or is he destined for failure? Worst of all, will he be able to recover from this ever again? Ideally, Bray should have filled the void left behind by the Undertaker. He has the aura and the skills necessary to pull it off. The only thing he lacked was the creative’s support. That same creative team has now placed him in an angle that seems to have stemmed from a cheap horror flick.
However, without any doubt, if anyone could actually make this work, it would be Bray. The mere fact that he still remains over with the WWE Universe is a testament to his ability to do this. If the WWE can give him an alternate entrance that is much more edgy, mid-match swaps between characters and different finishing moves, this might make up for something interesting. Ultimately, if the whole execution fails, creative can actually try to have Abigail’s spirit manifest as a female wrestler to aid Wyatt. I believe he will defeat Finn Balor this time. On top of that, if he makes Sister Abigail work, the future will be bright for the Eater of the Worlds.
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4. Where was Nia Jax this week on WWE Raw?
So this week on Raw, there was a segment where almost the entire Women’s division was talking to Kurt Angle to make their case to face Asuka when she debuts at TLC. We all know she is gonna essentially squash her way through to an easy win at TLC but the enthusiasm shown here makes sense storyline-wise. Every professional would want to make a statement by taking out the biggest name.
Angle would then announce a five Women elimination match to determine who gets to face Asuka at TLC. Eventually, Emma would pull off an upset to earn her right to be the sacrificial lamb. It seems ironic how she picked up a clean victory over the rest of the division when only certain defeat was assured in the end. However, one woman was most notably absent during this entire ordeal. Nia Jax, perhaps the most dominant female athlete on the main roster seemed to have no interest at all in the proceedings.
Neither did she make the case for a shot at Asuka nor did she participate in the match. Is she smart enough to know that she can avoid certain defeat this way? Or is something else in the works backstage? Nia Jax has had some beef with Asuka back in NXT before being called up to the main roster. Will she decide to spoil Asuka’s debut or even aid Emma to pull off an upset? That is a big, monstrous question leading up to Asuka’s debut at TLC.
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3. What lies ahead for Shinsuke Nakamura?
The booking of Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown Live is starting to worry me. He has picked up some signature wins over the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton. But to think he would lose twice in a row to Jinder Mahal! Moreover, creative has not made full use of his abilities and as a result Nakamura is yet to hold a title on the main roster.
Like many talented call ups from NXT, he could easily get lost in the shuffle at this rate. Moreover, with rumors of AJ Styles making a move for the WWE title, I am even more worried for Nakamura. What lies ahead for him? Perhaps he could rekindle his feud with Baron Corbin and fight for the Untied States title. But then, Corbin seems to doing a great job as a heel champion and rubbing it in the face of the hardcore and internet fans. Taking the title from his shoulders anytime soon would be a bad idea. Moreover, Tye Dillinger is the next logical challenger for him.
So then, where does Nakamura head to after this? With the recent developments, we might be on the way to a Survivor Series match between Team KO and Team Shane. That is, if Shane McMahon is able to make it to Survivor Series. May be Nakamura can play an integral role in that match. Or else he could move to WWE Raw. But seeing as how crowded the main event scene is there, with stars like Finn Balor and Samoa Joe waiting for a shot at the title, it might be bad move as well. That kind of leaves the King of Strong Style in limbo at the moment. May be it’s time to reintroduce another title or a King of the Ring tournament.
The Shield is ready for WWE TLC 2017. Credit: WWE.com
2. How long will the Shield reunion last?
The Shield made their reunion official this week on Raw. It was a fun sight and composed of the entire package – the triple power bomb to the commentary table and the fist bump. We have waited ages to see this sight once more. However, nothing lasts forever. Especially, in the WWE, everything has an expiration date. When will that day come for the Shield?
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The ripples of their reunion are still echoing through the WWE Universe. However, we already have rumors about the group not sticking around for long. But there still is so much the Hounds of Justice could do this time around. A feud with the Balor Club is a no-brainer for starters. However, the long-term plan for Roman Reigns has always been to main event WrestleMania and defeat Brock Lesnar. The whole reunion arc might get in the way of that.
So does this mean we might as well savor every moment of the Shield while we still can? Apparently yes. However, the bigger question is how they will break up. Will someone turn heel this time around as well and break them up from the inside? Or would all three of them go on their own ways, promising to reunite whenever the time and circumstances call for it? The second options seems to pander more to my taste.
Photo by WWE.com
1. What does the future hold for SmackDown Live?
While the length of the Shield’s reunion is certainly a big question, there is an even bigger question the WWE must address soon. That questions pertains to the future of WWE SmackDown Live. The recent shocking heel turn of Sami Zayn has left us all in awe. This was something we all knew could be happening. We all knew it should happen. But truth be told, none of us actually expected the WWE to go through with this idea.
The moment has made a lot of us to feel like fans once more. But where does all of this lead to? Daniel Bryan didn’t do much this week to help with the continuity. Seeing as how devastating Shane’s jump from the top of the cell was, he might not show up soon either. So what is next for Kevin Owens and his now best friend Sami Zayn? Will the duo attempt to take over the Blue Brand? Or will someone like Vince McMahon or even Triple H show up to address this revolting act?
Those questions hold the key to the future of SmackDown Live as it stands. We still don’t know where all of this is headed to. Moreover, if this eventually results in something good for Sami Zayn, then am all in. I’ve made the case for a Survivor Series elimination match before. Whether this eventually leads to it remains to be seen.
Next: WWE TLC 2017: Early Predictions
These questions lead up the storylines towards another week in the WWE. How many of these would be answered in the upcoming week remains to be seen. Regardless, we might be in line for a great TLC PPV and Survivor Series beyond that. What are your thoughts?