After a pretty solid Survivor Series on Sunday night, WWE followed it up with a great RAW episode. Storylines developed for WWE’s next pay-per-view TLC (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs) and we saw some great matches.
The show started with Seth Rollins slamming everyone who took part and lost at Survivor Series in the RAW roster. Then, he was hit by a Stunner from Kevin Owens, which led to Rollins vs Owens main event. Asuka then got the better of Charlotte Flair in a singles match, while Buddy Murphy defeated a returning Matt Hardy. Aleister Black and Murphy continued their rivalry from last week as they both brawled after Murphy’s match. Bobby Lashley was left unconscious by Rusev after the latter completely lost it and tackled the former off the stage onto the tables.
We saw a fatal four-way match to decide the next contender for the United States Championship after Humberto Carrillo was attacked by The OC before Carrillo’s title match. The bout was won by Rey Mysterio as he defeated Randy Orton, Ricochet, and Drew McIntyre. The Master of the 619 then went on to defeat AJ Styles and became the new United States Champion.
The main event saw AOP launch an attack on Owens in between his match against Rollins and the show ended with The Beastslayer hitting two stomps on The Prizefighter.
Here, we are going to take a look at the three Superstars who impressed, while two who flopped:
#5 Impressed - Rusev
Finally, after weeks and weeks of poorly written storyline between Rusev, Lana, and Bobby Lashley, we saw something concrete this week.
After being served with a restraining order, Rusev absolutely lost it and went mad on Lashley as he destroyed The All Mighty, leaving him absolutely beaten up.
This little segment made Rusev even more popular and the WWE Universe might just invest in this storyline more than they have done. The Bulgarian Brute can be a top, top babyface on the Red brand and this was a win for him.
#4 Flopped - Ricochet
After having an incredible first couple of months on RAW when he became the United States Champion, Ricochet is losing steam fast with multiple losses. He is still adored by the WWE Universe but his booking hasn’t done him any justice.
He ate another pin from the hands of Rey Mysterio this week in the Fatal-Four-Way Match. The former United States Champion needs a proper feud or else his credibility will keep on declining.
#3 Impressed - Seth Rollins
Firstly, it’s good to see that WWE is going for a long storyline related to the mental space Seth Rollins is in. They kept teasing a heel turn but it doesn’t really happen. This angle for The BeastSlayer could be somewhat similar to Daniel Bryan’s face turn on SmackDown.
Rollins had a great showing this week. His promo to open the show was great as it felt real and his performance in the main event was pretty good as well. The Architect’s full blown heel turn is inevitable but the question is - when will it happen?
#2 Flopped - AJ Styles
Not often would you see AJ Styles in the flop column but he did flop on this week’s RAW as he lost the United States Championship even with the support of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
At Survivor Series, Styles suffered a loss in the Triple Threat Match against Shinsuke Nakamura, and Roderick Strong. With a loss against Mysterio, that’s two consecutive losses in two days, something that rarely happens. It would be interesting to see what’s in store for Styles after losing the United States title.
#1 Impressed - Rey Mysterio
The most obvious choice for the impressed column of this week’s RAW was Rey Mysterio. The Master of the 619 couldn’t beat Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series but he and his son Dominick got their moment.
This week, Mysterio put on two incredible displays in back to back matches and emerged as the new United States Champion. The moment when he celebrated the victory with his son will always remain etched in the memories!
0 votes
