3 Interesting observations from this week's RAW (January 7, 2019)

This week's edition of WWE Monday Night RAW (7th January 2019) saw a lot of contrasting moments. Right from Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins facing each other in a Falls Count Anywhere match to "Mean" Gene Okerlund's memorable tribute by Hulk Hogan, the episode had it all.

The episode had a few great moments, however, there were some unnecessary bits too. Last night's show isn't the standard to set for the future, as it was very conflicting from start-to-finish.

With Royal Rumble taking place three weeks away from now, let us take a look at some interesting observations from the first episode of Monday Night RAW in 2019...

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#3 Spontaneity is key

Last night's RAW kicked off in a very spontaneous fashion

The opening sequence of last night's show was quite unexpected. Seth Rollins was brawling with Bobby Lashley all over the place. The two would go on to slug it out on the ramp, and just when this chaos had been settled, John Cena came back to RAW when his iconic theme music emanated all throughout the arena.

But Seth Rollins would come out to attack Bobby Lashley once again, when the latter's Hype Man, Lio Rush wanted to legitimately stop the show by interrupting Cena's segment.

This would result in a 6-man tag team match. Nevertheless, it comes off as quite interesting when WWE tries to mix it up by including a spontaneous backstory to something as common as a 6-man tag contest.

Moreover, Seth Rollins' arc of trying to unleash his inner beast after being provoked by Triple H last week also came into play during the show's initial moments. Even if the middle half of last night's RAW wasn't quite as impressive as the first one, it is appreciable that there are minor changes occurring in the show's format. But all of us will have to wait and watch to find out if this change is permanent, or only temporary.

#2 Sasha Banks might turn heel in the near future

Things are not always what they seem...

After beating Nia Jax in order to solidify herself as the #1 contender for the RAW Women's Championship, Sasha Banks will face Ronda Rousey at the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View for the title.

However, one thing that stands out here is the fact that both Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks are formidable babyfaces going into their one-on-one match.

Of course, Ronda has been part of face vs. face matches in the past (Natalya), but the very fact that the champion was written to mention Sasha Banks as the driving force of Monday Night RAW shows that there is a specific reason why the writers want Sasha to be the #1 contender for the title.

Also, Sasha Banks is known for being an effective heel in the past, and face vs. face feuds usually end with either of the two competitors turning heel.

Even if that isn't the case always, be sure to look out for this rivalry in the upcoming weeks, something interesting might just happen.

#1 Is Drew McIntyre John Cena's opponent at WrestleMania 35?

The Scottish Psychopath might be facing John Cena somewhere down the road

While pointing out a few interesting observations for last week's RAW, we learned that Drew McIntyre might be WWE's biggest wildcard in 2019.

However, during the beginning of last night's show, John Cena was interrupted by The Scottish Psychopath, who vowed to take everything away from the leader of the Cenation despite giving him credit at the same time.

While fans were expecting a one-on-one contest between the two of them, we ended up with a 6-man tag team match because of the chaos that soon followed.

After such a big tease, it is very likely that WWE will pursue this angle in the future, with The Scottish Psychopath facing John Cena soon, whether it be next week, the week after that, anytime before WrestleMania, or perhaps at WrestleMania 35 itself.

To summarise, last night's RAW was quite a mixed bag after fans anticipated something even grander because of the pre-announcements leading up to the show itself. Let's hope that things improve next week.

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