Braun Strowman was the victim of a double cross at WWE TLC. How will The Monster Among Men respond this week?
One of my favorite pastimes as a WWE fan is to try and guess what’s going to happen in the future. I don’t go out of my way to spoil myself. But trying to get into the heads of the creative department is a good way to kill some time.
This week, Raw heads towards its next exclusive pay per view, TLC. With only four matches announced for the show on Sunday, obviously Team Red will work towards filling the card. And SmackDown Live has a big Hell in a Cell rematch set for this week. But the Blue Team has a lack of challengers for its championships. Something has to happen, right?
Here’s this week’s bold predictions for WWE programming.
Braun Strowman Destroys Everything in Sight
Think back to when Braun Strowman first began his big push. After last summer’s draft, he would squash local competitor after local competitor. Eventually, he demanded more competition, and when he didn’t get it, he’d go off on a destructive tour until he got his way. Remember when Kalisto got tossed around like literal garbage backstage?
Well, that may happen again. After Strowman was turned on by his team at TLC, The Monster of Men is likely in a foul mood. Heck, if I was thrown in a garbage truck, I’d be pretty steamed myself. Throw in the fact that Kane tried to murder him via chokeslam and chair piling, and Strowman is probably pretty peeved.
This week on Raw, Braun is probably going to hijack the show somehow. He’ll run in during a match and hold things up until he gets what he wants – another shot at Kane. Whether it’s a Survivor Series bout or something on Raw in between remains to be seen. But chances are, he’s going to be mad.
Asuka Enters The Women’s Title Picture
At TLC, Asuka surprised absolutely no one when she defeated Emma in the opening contest. It was a solid debut for The Empress of Tomorrow. And don’t listen to anyone who says it was a poor debut because it was a “50/50 match” – if you actually watched NXT, you’d know that Asuka, while dominant in her win-loss record, often took a beating before eventually winning.
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So with a win over Emma – and another likely coming on Raw this week – what’s next for Asuka? The best bet is that she’s going to enter the Raw Women’s Championship mix before too long. Possibly as early as this week.
Alexa Bliss is riding high off her victory over Mickie James at TLC. It’s probably the end of Mickie’s title hopes for the moment, so Alexa needs a new challenger. Who better than an undefeated NXT Superstar who has never lost? Someone who relinquished her Women’s Championship there to come up and find more competition?
Whether paths cross backstage or not, Asuka and Alexa will soon meet up. And when they do, Asuka’s going to make it clear that Alexa is just holding the title until she takes it. It’s almost certain that Asuka will be Women’s Champ before the year ends, so why not get the ball rolling this week?
Shane McMahon Makes A “Shocking” Announcement
Last week on SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan informed Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn that Shane McMahon would be returning this week. After what Shane went through at Hell in a Cell – and with Sami helping KO out in that crazy match – no one knows what Shane is feeling, thinking, or planning upon his return.
Or do we? The next pay per view on the schedule for both Raw and SmackDown Live is Survivor Series. Last year, the card featured several interbrand matches for bragging rights. While that’s still a possibility this year, I’m feeling like Shane and Owens still have some life left in their feud.
So when Shane returns this week, he’s likely going to issue a “shocking” challenge to Owens. That challenge? A five on five traditional Survivor Series elimination match. Team Shane vs. Team KO.
It’s so brutally obvious that even if it’s billed as a surprising announcement, no one on the planet should be blindsided by this. It’s almost unfair to label this as a “bold” prediction. But alas, we already know Brock Lesnar is going to accept Jinder Mahal’s challenge. So what’s left to surprise us on SmackDown this week?
Perhaps Owens will try and dodge the challenge for a while, saying he has nothing left to prove against Shane. There, that’s your bold prediction for this very obvious story.