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This week's edition of Monday Night RAW was pre-taped on Friday from Manchester, England. The episode was pretty straightforward in terms of storytelling, but a lack of momentum could be felt throughout the show.
On the plus side, NXT UK made their presence felt in this episode, and WWE teased us by keeping Randy Orton's face turn on the fences for now. Whether you like it or not, the Rusev-Lana-Lashley love triangle continued to steal the headlines for all the wrong reasons possible.
Although the angle is entertaining, Rusev and Lana's marital drama took a forced turn in this episode. On that note, let us take a look at some interesting observations from this week's episode of Monday Night RAW.
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#3 Randy Orton's babyface turn might be a short-term plot for Survivor Series
I do what I want, when I want, wherever I want. Remember that.
This is what Randy Orton told Ricochet, and we all know that Randy Orton loves to play mind games with his opponents. On last night's RAW, he left fans and critics on the fence after teasing a face turn with Survivor Series looming in the distance.
While some may see this as a definite turn for Orton's character, it may just be a short-term plot that will eventually boil down at this year's Survivor Series pay-per-view.
After all, The Viper did suggest that Ricochet better watch his back in the future. Because even if they remained distant allies for one night, Orton could very well do the exact opposite by hitting Ricochet with an RKO next week.
The fact that this particular angle ended on an ambiguous note is a potential tease for Survivor Series, where Orton and Ricochet happen to be on the same team with the Red Brand's pride at stake.
So if The Viper pleases to do whatever he wants at any given time and place, he could very well cost Monday Night RAW a victory at Survivor Series by turning on Ricochet during the PPV.
#2 Why didn't anyone pick a fight with Aleister Black this week?
Aleister Black is stuck in a weird position where his dark persona doesn't seem to be moving in any direction whatsoever.
We know that the man has been challenging people to "knock on his door and pick a fight with him" for months now, but this angle hasn't been beneficial for Aleister Black in any shape or form.
While some may have transitioned from cutting promos on a set to feuding with someone next, others like Bray Wyatt manage to create a perfect balance between both elements, and some like AoP and Aleister Black might not be able to transition on to the next stage anytime soon.
Although AoP's ascension to the top might just be in its nascent stages, Aleister Black needs to be in a program with someone soon. What's silly about the whole thing is that Black needs to find opponents for himself at this point, because sitting in a dark room hasn't done any wonders for him so far.
Anyways, Aleister Black teased a future program with a certain wrestler last night when he said "I know who you are and what you have done...", possibly poking at his next challenger. Who do you think will be man enough to pick a fight with Aleister Black?
#1 Rusev-Lana-Lashley love triangle delivered its most forced segment to date
As hilariously bad these segments are, they have found a core audience who seem to accept the silly premise for what it is - A melodramatic, soap-operatic angle that's supposed to attract viewers every week.
But amidst all that hilarity, these segments still had a proper tone and structure to it, unlike this episode, where tensions between Rusev and Lana escalated into a war of words just for the sake of it.
Even the premise seemed to be moving forward until this episode, where it came to a screeching halt just because Lana and Bobby Lashley could have their way yet again.
Lana's unabashed, sarcastic performance is still great for the type of story it is playing into, but there is a limit to using slang words and cheesy gimmicks. Because upon crossing this limit, the slang words and cheesy bits surpass the actual meat (or content) of the storyline itself.
Admittedly, I enjoy hilariously bad segments with purposeful intent behind them (the Attitude/Ruthless Aggression Era showcased these segments like gold medals).
But there is no point to the Rusev-Lana-Lashley love triangle if the plot twists don't move the story forward at all.
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