WWE Raw tried its best to follow up on the hype created by the explosive TLC PPV. Who were the biggest stars from the show though?
WWE Raw aired from the Resch Center in Green Bay this week and wasted little time building towards Survivor Series. The show did a good job of balancing between building towards Survivor Series as well as ensuring continuity with regard to TLC. The opening segment and the subsequent matches could all be linked to one another. That’s the kind of effective booking creative should attempt more often. From Angle’s promo about Survivor Series to the Miz’s interference to the tag match that followed, everything were part of a chain.
That chain would continue to link itself to Kane, who seems to be on course towards getting annihilated by Braun Strowman. The Big Red Machine picked up a victory over Finn Balor, which is questionable to say the least. Balor, coming red-hot off a five-star match against Styles shouldn’t be jobbing out to Kane. However, this seems like it’s headed somewhere for both men involved. Speaking of AJ Styles though, he continued to be a center piece of the show, despite belonging to SmackDown Live.
The rest of the show featured plenty of meaningful segments. Even Elias had something to do on his own. That guitar shot to Jason Jordan looked so genuine and painful. However, the end of the show was marked by a mass brawl that didn’t make much sense. It was still a brawl not to be missed. There was enough savagery. Baron Corbin messing with an intern backstage was just gold. But I still couldn’t understand why all the sudden, the entire SmackDown roster forgot all their rivalries and came together. Perhaps, Tuesday night will give us an explanation. Regardless, it was fun and that is what matters in the end. Who were the biggest stars from an insanely wild show? Let’s find out.
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5. Elias Samson
Elias Samson’s career progression does not make much sense on paper. The Drifter was one of the worst gimmicks to come out NXT. He seemed to be struggling with the character and the gimmick as a whole. But not anymore. One call-up to the main roster was all that it took it seems. Elias has been killing it with his act week after week.
He has a very natural ability to generate heat, perhaps on par with the Miz. This week was no different. Elias effectively played up the crowd and was in the middle of an entertaining segment until Jason Jordan came out to be Mister Buzz-kill. I don’t have anything against Jordan. He is a phenomenal athlete and can become a great wrestler with some more experience. I just can’t buy into his babyface character at the moment and the whole ‘Angle’ angle. Confused about the last two words in that sentence? That’s exactly how the rest of the WWE Universe felt when they found out the illegitimate son angle.
Back to Elias, however. He would lose the match via disqualification but nonetheless didn’t seem to care. He did what every heel did. Smack the babyface with a guitar and make it look good. Elias’s placement on this list is a testament to the fine heel work he is capable of and not just about this performance this week. Hopefully, creative finds something more meaningful for him to do. Apart from smacking babyfaces with a guitar, that is.
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4. Mickie James
Oh no, I wasn’t referring to Alexa Bliss. ‘You deserve it.. Alexa!’ is what Mickie James said to Bliss, after kicking her, and planting her with a DDT, while wearing spike heels. It doesn’t get more bad ass than that. I thoroughly enjoyed that James didn’t waste anytime talking and went down to action right away.
She might have lost her shot at winning the Raw Women’s title. But it seems like her issues with Bliss are far from over. She might get another shot at the title for all we know. Am sure creative will try to throw a few curve balls our way between now and Survivor Series. Will we see Mickie James Vs. Natalya instead? Even better, will Mickie James somehow factor into the outcome of the match between Bliss and Natalya?
These questions will be in the back of everyone’s mind as the build towards Survivor Series continues. For the time being, that is more than enough to keep Mickie James as a viable contender for the Women’s title, irrespective of whether or not creative continues her feud with Alexa. It could also be possible that she may end up being one of the members of the Women’s division team representing Raw. The coming weeks will shed more light into all this hopefully.
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3. Kane
One week after making a surprise return to Raw, Kane would defeat Finn Balor. Take a moment to process that folks. Kane is indeed a respected veteran in the business. He has done a lot for the industry. But did he really need to defeat Finn Balor at this point in time? That too, when Balor himself seemed to have finally built some momentum for himself after defeating AJ Styles.
Regardless, Kane just did something not many could do in the WWE. He is also being built up to face Braun Strowman when he makes his return. Seeing as how entertaining Strowman’s matches with the Big Show were, I can’t wait to see him throw Kane around. Until then, Kane will continue to be a big factor on Monday nights. The Big Red Monster would first come out and clear the winners of the tag team match that opened the in-ring portion of this week’s show.
He manhandled the likes of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles before delivering a strong promo. Kane is not someone who is known for his promo skills. But this was rather well delivered and ensured to display enough character and motive from the Big Red Machine. I still can’t get around the fact that he pinned Balor in the middle of the ring. But for tonight, that earns him the number three spot on this list.
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2. Alicia Fox
Alicia Fox is a really underrated performer in the Women’s division. She would often get lost in the mix when Sasha Banks and Charlotte are at the forefront of the Women’s division in the WWE. However, when an opportunity presents itself, she makes sure to make the most of it. Her crazy antics and persona have made her character vastly entertaining.
Her match with Sasha Banks at TLC might have been put together at the last-minute due to Nia Jax taking a leave of absence, for all we know. But she made the most of her time, with the backstage attack on Banks. Then again, on Sunday she and Banks had a very good match, considering it was on the pre-show. This week, Foxy was given another opportunity to make a name for herself.
She faced Sasha Banks and Bayley in a triple threat match, where the winner gets to be the captain of the Raw Women’s team. The match was like every other generic triple threat match. But the outcome was indeed a testament to the work Alicia Fox has been putting in. She is now in the spot light for once and can lead the division in a match that pits the divisions on both brands against each other. Combining this with her crazy and unpredictable personality will make up for some entertaining weeks during the build towards Survivor Series.
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1. AJ Styles
If SmackDown Live is the House That AJ Styles Built, then Raw is the House That AJ Styles has been holding together. Despite not being in the roster, Styles has come to the rescue for the Red Brand once more this week. After saving the TLC PPV with a five-star classic against Finn Balor, Styles would return this week to team up alongside Rollins and Ambrose.
In addition, while the build up towards Survivor Series was going on, Kurt Angle would look to recruit Styles to his brand. That didn’t workout the way Angle expected. But that right there is proof of the fact that how valuable Styles is to the WWE. There is no one better than him on either brands. He is indeed the Phenomenal One.
Seeing him featured this heavily on Raw has made me to think if he will ever switch brands. The next superstar shakeup might result in him ending up on Raw. Styles is the best wrestler in the WWE, if not the planet. In fact, if the two brands went to wage war with the stipulation that the winning brand would get AJ Styles, the brawl at the end would have made more sense.
Next: WWE Raw: Results and Grades
What are your thoughts on the events that unfolded this week? Do you agree with the list of top 5 stars from WWE Raw this week? Who else would you have placed on this list? Did Brock Lesnar’s return create the kind of impact you were hoping for? Let us know in the comments section.