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The May 28 edition of WWE Raw filled the final spot in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and added to other key angles heading into next month’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
Last night’s WWE Raw had its ups and downs, but ultimately most everything was important for the building towards Money In The Bank one way or another.
Certain feuds still need work, but other factors are beginning to click at the same time. With that being said, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from the May 28 edition of WWE Raw.
5. Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley Feud Seems Hopeless
Most everybody was clamoring for a brand switch for Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn during the superstar shakeup after WrestleMania 34. The two had been in a seemingly never-ending feud with Shane McMahon on the blue brand and fans wanted to see them finally break away from it.
Owens and Zayn both ended up on Monday nights and while Owens has had a decent enough start on Raw, the same can’t be said for Zayn. He has been entangled in a borderline horrendous feud with Bobby Lashley over the past few weeks that hit an especially horrendous moment when he brought out Lashley’s “sisters” last week.
Men dressed as women, non-funny dialogue, and simply a boring segment followed in a way that resembled Alexa Bliss’s This Is Your Life segment from last year. Last night was all about Zayn “apologizing” for the segment, but it quickly turned to another boring, non-beneficial segment that seemed to drag on too long before Lashley came out and ended up running Zayn out of there.
These two will face each other at Money In The Bank, but there’s just no way that fans care about this feud given how subpar it has been so far. The creative direction for this feud has been bad and it has hurt both superstars in the process. Hopefully their match in less than three weeks can help right a few wrongs that we’ve seen up to this point.
Money In The Bank aside, the feud between these two seems like a lost cause at this point and there might not be any way to make it feel important.
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4. Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, And Kevin Owens All Creating Valid Money In The Bank Cases
The men’s Money in the Bank ladder match will take place in just under three weeks with four of the best from Raw and SmackDown vying for a chance of a lifetime. There are plenty of options as to who could win that match, but last night gave fans an idea with three of its participants.
Braun Strowman opened up last night’s show by cutting a promo in the ring that would eventually be interrupted by Finn Balor. Balor made it clear he wasn’t afraid of Strowman and after a slap and a subsequent mini-brawl, Kurt Angle came out and said the two would square off immediately in a match just a week after their stellar match that main evented the previous Raw.
This match was solid as well with Kevin Owens, another member of the Money in the Bank ladder match, sitting on commentary. Owens was out for himself the whole time, as usual, and tried to rile up both men during the match. But just when it looked like Balor was getting ready to miraculously put Strowman away, Owens interfered and caused a disqualification.
But The Monster Among Men got the last laugh and after nearly chucking a ladder on top of KO, he stood tall. Overall, this entire sequence did a lot of good for all three individuals. Strowman looked dominant, Balor looked like he was going to beat the monster, and Owens heelish ways shined. It should be interesting to see how the WWE books these three moving forward.
All three seem to have a legit chance to win the Money in the Bank ladder match and after last night, that seems to have reaffirmed itself.
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3. Elias Threatening To Enter The Intercontinental Championship Picture
Seth Rollins’ reign as Intercontinental Champion hasn’t even hit two months yet, but it has already been as stellar as any reign in a long time. The Architect has had open challenge after open challenge for his title, but last night that open challenge interrupted an Elias concert that never got going.
Elias has managed to win over the WWE universe with his simple, yet entertaining, gimmick that has seen a fair amount of success so far. But last night, Elias wasn’t happy with the crowd and he waited until they were all quiet to perform. Instead, Rollins came out to take part in his Intercontinental Championship match with Jinder Mahal.
He chased off Elias for the time being, but that wouldn’t last. After a stellar match with Mahal, Rollins retained his title via disqualification after losing his temper and taking out The Modern Day Maharaja with a chair after Mahal tried to cheat and win the title with a chair shot of his own. Rollins chased off Mahal and Sunil Singh, but his night would end brutally.
While standing on the announce table, Elias came from behind and hit Rollins in the back with a guitar, sending The Architect crashing down below. It seems as if Elias will get an Intercontinental Championship match sometime in the near future, potentially at Money In The Bank. That seems to be a logical next step for him in his quest to become a legit threat on Monday nights.
Rollins has been burning it down lately, but a challenge from Elias could see a changing of the guard for the Intercontinental Championship.
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2. Sasha Banks Earns Deserved Spot In Money In The Bank Ladder Match
For the second consecutive year, the Money In The Bank pay-per-view will see a women’s Money in the Bank ladder match with a massive opportunity at stake for the lucky winner. But last year’s inaugural ladder match ended in controversy and since it was part of a SmackDown-exclusive show, no Raw superstars were involved.
That will all change this year with a co-branded pay-per-view featuring four superstars from Monday nights and four from Tuesday nights. There was one spot still opened for the ladder match, but it would be filled last night via a gauntlet match to main event the show featuring an abundance of Raw’s women’s division stars.
Bayley started the match and despite putting up a great fight against The Riott Squad, the numbers caught up to her and Ruby Riott eliminated her. Riott made it to the very end of the match when Sasha Banks entered the picture. It all came down to Riott and Banks and the two put on a stellar finish to an otherwise iffy match.
Riott’s lackeys tried to get involved, but Banks wouldn’t allow it to happen and she ended up making Riott tap out. Banks is the final participant in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and for a woman that has had so much of an influence over the past few years, she’s a fitting addition to the match.
The Boss is money and if she’s money in just under three weeks at Money In The Bank, she will have a chance to regain the Raw Women’s Championship.
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1. Did Nia Jax Turn Heel?
The rise of Nia Jax as Raw Women’s Champion has been a pleasant sight to see, especially given the angle she was in while trying to capture the gold. However, last night saw a different side of Jax that starts to change the perception of her character moving forward.
The Irresistible Force will defend her title at Money In The Bank against Ronda Rousey, but last night saw a different side to the usually babyface-like Jax. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment while trying to show dominance, but she used old tendencies that might suggest a change over to the dark side.
Jax made a statement to Rousey by bringing a competitor in the ring and breaking out of her armbar. She furthered her dominance and told Rousey what she would do to her at Money In The Bank in just under three weeks. And after calling Rousey down to the ring, she even got chippy with the fans much like a heel would do.
All of this begs the question, is Jax now a heel? She certainly got more boos last night and in a feud with Rousey, she might have to be the heel. But given how Jax won the title in a babyface role by overcoming bullying, this seems to be a rapid change if, in fact, she is now a heel moving forward.
Next: WWE Raw Review For May 28 Show
The WWE’s anti-bullying storyline seems like a long time ago all of a sudden and the Raw Women’s Champion might be taking up a new role as a dominant heel.