WWE: 5 talking points from 13th May edition of RAW

The 1042^nd episode of Monday Night RAW came to us live from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it was arguably one of the worst go – home shows before a PPV. WWE did very little to build up the anticipation, and when the night ended, it was a huge mess that the fans would want to forget. In this article, I take a look at the top five talking points coming out of the show.

5. Ryback’s domination continues

This past week on RAW, Cena was involved in a major elimination tag team match, along with Team Hell No, and took on The Shield. During the match, the eliminated members of The Shield came back and attacked Cena, thus causing a DQ, and when the segment ended, The Shield were standing over a fallen Cena after they drove him to the mat with a triple power bomb. But after the vicious attack, Ryback came down to the ring, and even though it looked like he wouldn’t do anything to Cena at first, he turned back and attacked Cena’s injured leg with a steel chair! When all the smoke and dust settled, Ryback was standing over Cena who was hurt. Merely days before the Extreme Rules PPV, Ryback has the clear advantage over the WWE champion on whom he has been inflicting pain for a number of weeks now. Is this an indication that Ryback will beat Cena at Extreme Rules? Or will Cena defy the odds yet again and retain the WWE title? We will find out in a few days.

4. Two monsters and a strap

Last week, Mark Henry viciously assaulted the Great White, which left severe bruises on his back. This week, Mark Henry made his intentions clear of a strap match at Extreme Rules, and when he invited Sheamus down to the ring, Sheamus gladly accepted it, but brought along a strap of his own and then returned the favour to Henry by whipping him with the strap to send him out of the ring and to the back. These two monsters will collide this Sunday at Extreme Rules, and to make matters more interesting, they will be facing in a strap match! This is sure to be an interesting contest, as these two behemoths will go all out and try to hurt each other.

3. The Shield aims for the gold

The Shield completely dominated Team Hell No and John Cena this week, and on Sunday, all the members of the faction will look to get some gold, as Reigns and Rollins will face Team Hell No for the WWE tag team titles, and Dean Ambrose will be facing Kofi Kingston for the WWE United States championship. The Shield has been the most dominant stable in the WWE in a long time, and if they manage to win their respective matches, all the members of the stable will win some gold, which would establish them without a doubt as the most dangerous group in the WWE. Extreme Rules will be an interesting PPV, as it can either confirm The Shield’s hold over the WWE, or it can be the beginning of the resurgence of the WWE superstars against the hounds of justice.

2. Triple H tames the beast

This week on Monday Night RAW, Triple H invited Brock Lesnar to confront him inside the steel structure, and after a little push, Lesnar accepted the offer and stepped inside the steel cage, and Triple H gained the psychological advantage before their match this Sunday by sending Lesnar out of the steel cage. Their match will be physical like their previous two meetings, and can very well be the match of the night of the PPV. Lesnar is a grnuinely tough guy, and this Sunday can be the night he gets his retribution for his loss at WrestleMania. This match will also end the feud between the two, as Lesnar is scheduled to get into a feud with The Rock soon.

1. World Heavyweight Championship match scrapped from the PPV

Dolph Ziggler suffered a very serious concussion last week during the Smackdown! tapings, and hence, hasn’t been cleared to perform anytime soon. Since he is the World heavyweight champion, rumors have been running rampant before RAW as to what the WWE would decide to do. As the night progressed, Teddy Long announced that there won’t be a Ladder match at Extreme Rules, and instead, we will have a match between Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio to find the number 1 contender for the World title. To make matters more interesting, they will be involved in an “I Quit” match, which will raise the stakes. I for one am very interested to see how this match ends.