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Brand warfare is in the past now. The men and women of RAW will now wage war in their very own brands, at least for the foreseeable future. So will the men and women of SmackDown Live. And that's really where the disconnect began, at the very top of the show.
It almost felt like the events of Survivor Series had no bearing on this week's episode of RAW. As a result, the show felt disconnected and put together in a hurry. From what I gather, rumours indicate that it was indeed, put together in a hurry.
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That's not to say that the show was all bad, from start to finish, this week. I will separate the good from the bad, as always, for 'Best and Worst'.
And like always, I invite you to leave your comments in the section right below...
#1 Best: A running thread through the show
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins have been at odds ever since Ambrose attacked his former Shield buddy, shortly after becoming RAW Tag Team Champion. The two men had not come to blows, until this week. I loved the build to the eventual main event segment, interspersed through the whole show. It made the entire episode feel important.
Ambrose played mind games with Rollins for the entirety of the show. And just when it seemed like Rollins, exasperated, had left the arena, Ambrose would come out to ringside. Except it was all a ruse and Rollins would subsequently attack Ambrose.
This will clearly be the main program for TLC. I thought the feud was given its due importance on the show and I'm intrigued for the future.
I do hope that both men elevate the Intercontinental Championship.
#1 Worst: Weeks without Lesnar
Brock Lesnar always brings something special in terms of aura, when he competes in the ring. The fact of the matter is that he is a special attraction because he seldom shows up. And now the entire TLC build will happen without him. He is not expected to work at the pay-per-view.
Of course, this essentially means that other performers and programs will get their due attention. But somehow, it feels like going back to the past, before Roman Reigns captured the Universal Championship, again. Is a show that the Champion doesn't attend on a weekly basis, worth watching on a weekly basis?
Let's hope that Ronda Rousey, Nia Jax, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose step up and make TLC an unforgettable affair. Maybe then, WWE will stop relying on part-timers.
Well, one can hope...
#2 Best: Not a part timer
When you look at her, it's hard to believe that she made her debut at WrestleMania 34, this year. In no time at all, she's become an invaluable part of the RAW roster. There is a passion and ferocity in her promos that nobody in the entire roster can match.
But I've mentioned these points on a weekly basis, in this very article. What made her appearance on RAW this week so special? Well, it's the fact that unlike another former UFC Champion, she actually defended her title at the show.
Even if it was a squash match against Mickie James, it's great to see that we don't have two part-time Champions on RAW, which could have easily been the case. Kudos to Ronda Rousey for taking her current position seriously.
#2 Worst: Going way too long
Sometimes, you need enough time to tell a story in a high stakes match. Generally, I'm all for that. But when you put on a match with no stakes at the top of the show on RAW, which lasts an entire hour, I tune out.
And I'm sure that I'm not the only one that felt that the opening match just went on and on. I liked how the three men ganged up against Braun Strowman and lay the beat down on him. I just thought that it took way too long to get there and tell the story.
It became clear after a point that the only reason this match was going so long is to kill time. It will not surprise me, when the ratings come in if it turns out that people tuned out of this match because of how long it went.
#3 Best: Gable and Roode win
I receive a lot of hate in the comments for reminding people how good Bobby Roode was in NXT, every week. Can I also remind people just how good Chad Gable was, as a part of American Alpha? The two superstars have been underutilized in the main roster. And they're the only credible challengers for the AOP.
If you saw the Kickoff show match at Survivor Series, you know how weak the RAW side seemed. Roode and Gable have a chance to revive their fortunes if they pick up the prized titles from Akam and Rezar in due course of time. None of the other teams size up to the AOP, really.
Roode can even turn on Gable down the line. We've seen cracks in their armour in the past.
These are all positive developments for the superstars involved!
#3 Worst: Pinning The Revival
Maybe I'm not giving the Lucha House Party a fair review by saying the following. But I think that there's a lot more value in building The Revival, than having them take pins. Especially on the heels of them being among the final two at the Kickoff show at Survivor Series. They lost all of their momentum with what was a rather puzzling loss.
The Revival put on one of the better matches of the year on RAW against Ziggler and McIntyre when the latter held the Tag Team Championships. I had a chance to interview Ziggler after that and he gushed about just how gifted and talented the unit was. Anyone who's seen their NXT matches knows that they're one of the best Tag Teams on the planet. I want to see them racking up wins, not losses.
#4 Best/worst: Jokes about urine
It all began when Maverick had an embarrassing moment and peed his pants at Survivor Series. It's become a sort of viral sensation since, and the little kid in me emerges when I listen to 'Urine' puns. I chuckle and I giggle incessantly. But is this taking away from the AOP's charisma?
We recently learned that Jericho wasn't the biggest fan of the AOP/Drake Maverick Pairing. Even I think that harping on the peeing incident does take away from the seriousness of AOP, to an extent. They should be booked like absolute behemoths and not associated with silly jokes, in my opinion.
At the same time, I'm sure all of you laughed at Maverick when the jokes were made at his expense. I'm a big Rockstar Spud fan and I'm glad that he's doing so well in WWE.
Ending as always, with a picture of The Goddess!
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