The post-TLC edition of WWE Raw focused heavily on the buildup towards the interpromotional pay-per-view Survivor Series in just under four weeks.
With Survivor Series being the only pay-per-view pitting WWE Raw and SmackDown superstars against each other, several of the event’s matches were announced last night. And while the card is a bit controversial with some fans, it does feature some intriguing matchups.
One matchup in particular, however, has a wide variety of differing opinions among the WWE universe as to whether it needs to take place or not. But regardless, Raw had several strong points last night.
Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the Oct. 23 edition of WWE Raw.
Raw. Photo by WWE.com
5. Mickie James is Not Finished With Alexa Bliss
The feud between Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Mickie James has done great things for both individuals. It has given both a chance to shine in different ways, especially the veteran James who had been an afterthought the previous few months.
The two had a lot of chemistry leading into their TLC pay-per-view match and that match was a quality encounter before Bliss retained her title. But the post-match promo by James suggested she was not done with Bliss, and last night’s Raw all but confirmed that.
Bliss came out and cut a typical heelish promo while still taking shots at James before the six-time women’s champion made her presence felt. James planted Bliss with one of her patented DDT’s to make a big statement that she will be looking for another Raw Women’s Championship match in the near future.
But when will that come? Bliss is scheduled for Survivor Series already as we found out last night, so a Bliss vs. James rematch will likely come after the pay-per-view with the leadup to the event being dedicated to the Raw vs. SmackDown theme.
Regardless of when the rematch comes, it appears likely we will see another chapter written in the Bliss vs. James rivalry.
Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter
4. Enzo Amore Should Ditch Pre-Match Shtick Permanently
205 Live has seen a resurgence over the past couple of months with the addition of Enzo Amore to the division. And while many think he is not a great cruiserweight competitor, Enzo’s character has been strong enough to rejuvenate a struggling division that was struggling to find relevance.
Enzo became a two-time Cruiserweight Champion at TLC this past Sunday with a heelish win over Kalisto and his heelish tendencies have picked up significantly over the past few weeks. The Certified G has alienated the majority of the 205 Live roster and has even started alienating the fans as well.
There was still enough of a grey area to where fans want to cheer for Enzo despite him being a heel, but last night showed one way he could become an even better heel. Enzo’s pre-match microphone shtick was great when he was a babyface and it got the crowd fired up, but as a heel, it doesn’t fit.
Last night, Enzo had Drew Gulak read his typical pre-match speech in a humorous promo. And while this is likely only because Enzo’s voice is shot, it was a nice change of pace. Not that this should happen necessarily every week, but Enzo should ditch his microphone routine permanently as a heel. Heels don’t do anything fan-oriented and if he would come out and tease his microphone routine but not go through with it, he would get a great amount of boos.
Enzo is one of the WWE’s best rising heels and ditching what made him famous as a babyface would be a big step in the right direction to building his heelish tendencies.
Photo Source: WWE.com
3. A Braun Strowman Babyface Turn Might Be Coming
The return of the Big Red Machine Kane was a surprising twist to Monday nights and this past Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view. Kane returned and joined The Miz, The Bar, and Braun Strowman in a battle against Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Kurt Angle that went in favor of The Shield and the Olympic Gold Medalist.
But Kane’s actions in that match led to a lot of questions as to what he was doing back in the WWE. He assaulted Strowman and eventually put him in the back of a garbage truck, appearing to compact Strowman in the back. Fans speculated Kane and Strowman might turn on each other, but there were still questions as to why.
Last night, the Big Red Machine answered those questions. His reasoning behind his attack of Strowman was all about wanting to remain the only monster on Monday nights as Strowman’s momentum as the Monster Among Men built. This will likely lead to a match between Kane and Strowman, but it also looks like it will lead to a change of pace for Strowman.
Despite being a heel on paper, Strowman gets big crowd reactions every week that resemble top babyface reactions. And with Kane’s actions towards Strowman at TLC, the Monster Among Men could be headed for a babyface turn. It would make sense considering he already gets babyface crowd reactions, so technically turning him wouldn’t be much of a difference with his character.
In an era where kayfabe is all but dead, a Strowman babyface turn would not change much of anything and it could be a positive change for the Monster Among Men.
Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter
2. Survivor Series Card Lacking Intrigue in Key Matchups
The only pay-per-view pitting Raw superstars against SmackDown superstars takes place in less than four weeks. Survivor Series is a Big Four pay-per-view for the WWE and has been a fall tradition for many years.
But while a brand vs. brand theme looks good on paper, will it pan out at this year’s Survivor Series? Outside of the two traditional five-on-five matches Survivor Series will see with the men and women, many are skeptical of some of the event’s key matchups already after many being announced on last night’s Raw.
The brand vs. brand, champion vs. champion theme will be on heavy display and we will see several matches of that trend. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss will battle SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya, Intercontinental Champion The Miz will battle United States Champion Baron Corbin, Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will battle SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, and one other match that really evokes differing opinions out of the WWE universe.
It was confirmed last night that Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will square off with WWE Champion Jinder Mahal at Survivor Series. While having two world champions face off sounds good, this could be the worst possible idea for the individuals involved and the fans. Lesnar doesn’t wrestle one-on-one matches of any sort of length anymore and Mahal’s slow-paced, submission hold style is not fan friendly in 2017.
Putting those factors together could spell doom for this match and could even reach disaster level if not done the right way. Outside of that match, the rest of the Survivor Series card up to this point is hit or miss as well. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin is not a marquee match and the differing styles involved might not lead to the best chemistry.
It’s also hard to have great heel vs. heel matches and not only is Miz vs. Corbin a heel vs. heel match, so is Bliss vs. Natalya. These matches could end up surprising fans, but there is enough reasonable doubt up to this point to suggest that this card could be a letdown if not handled appropriately.
Photo by WWE.com
1. SmackDown’s Invasion Raises Stakes in Battle For Brand Supremacy
Thanks to last summer’s brand split, Raw vs. SmackDown brand supremacy matches are back in the saddle at Survivor Series. Last year’s Survivor Series saw a very entertaining five-on-five matchup pitting Raw’s top stars against SmackDown’s top stars and the same is going down this year.
But last night’s Raw raised the stakes for this year’s encounter. With Raw GM Kurt Angle in the ring at the end of the show to announce Raw’s five participants to battle SmackDown, blue brand Commissioner Shane McMahon’s music hit. Shane O’Mac then entered through the crowd with a large portion of the SmackDown roster following him.
Earlier in the night, Angle and Shane had a backstage promo that led to some tense discussions about Survivor Series. And that was taken to another level when Shane claimed Raw was under siege. This led to the SmackDown superstars to rush the backstage area and take out any and everything that moves.
The blue brand laid waste to every individual they came across to stake their claim as the dominant brand heading into Survivor Series. There was not nearly as much intensity in last year’s five-on-five matchup, but this year’s battle has already exceeded last year’s intensity and we still have nearly four weeks remaining until the pay-per-view.
Survivor Series has presented fans with many memorable moments over the years, and the fall classic could do the same again in a battle for brand supremacy the likes of which we have never seen before.