With WWE TLC on the horizon, the December 3 episode of RAW was another episode meant to build towards the December PPV.
The same feuds that were featured a week earlier were further advanced and the episode was a bit better than the disaster of an episode a week ago.
Unlike the last few episodes, we watched the faces of the red brand stand tall at the end of the night after defeating the heels which was probably a good sign for the fans in attendance and those watching at home.
Nonetheless, a few hints were made by the creatives which were probably seeds for what’s to come in the future and a lot was there to be learned from the show. After careful analysis, we have derived five things that we learned from RAW this week.
#5 The Women’s Tag Team Championship is on the way
A week ago, the team of Sasha and Bayley joined Alexa Bliss for an open forum and were attacked by Mickie James, Alicia Fox, and Dana Brooke.
The duo once again returned this week to answer some questions from the fans, including who their dream opponents were if they would turn on each other and what their dream superpower would be.
The biggest tease that came out of the segment, and probably why the segment was hosted in the first place, was for the RAW Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Bayley answered a fan’s question where she admitted that she would want to become the inaugural Raw Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Sasha Banks.
This segment did more than enough to stamp the fact that the tag titles are on their way, and the extensive tag team matches on RAW is probably warming up the fans for the same.
#4 ‘Lucha House Rules’ make no sense
The Lucha House Party are competing on WWE RAW night after night under the Lucha House Rules. In case you didn’t know, unlike the Freebird Rule, which states that any two members of a team can compete in a tag match (or defend a title), Lucha House Rules state that Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado can all compete at the same time.
This makes the matches handicap matches as the trio usually take on duos and emerge victoriously. Not only that, it’s been seen that many a time they keep getting in and out of the ring without tagging, and at times tag the other person in. This defies all logic as if tagging is not required, why do they do it at times, and if it is required, why are they not disqualified for attacking a single superstar all together?
The Lucha House Party are currently 'faces' on the RAW roster, but their matches make it seem as though they are the heels which is further denting their image.
#3 The Revival are at rock bottom
Remember when The Revival were the top tag team in NXT and won the NXT Tag Team Champions twice before making a statement on the main roster?
That is behind us as now and after being put in feuds with the Rhyno & Heath Slater and then the B-Team, the duo has been pushed into a feud with 205 Live’s exports The Lucha House Party.
The two men have found themselves on the receiving end of some terrible losses which does not make sense for a team of their caliber, and it would make more sense to build the trio of The Lucha House Party against the B-Team or even Chad Gable and Bobby Roode.
The Revival is yet to win a championship on the main roster and keep sliding further down into the rubble of RAW’s tag team division which is bad for the team and the WWE Universe.
#2 Ronda Rousey will be the first woman to headline a PPV
Ronda Rousey has been the center of attention on RAW for some time now, and her importance has increased since the sad departure of Roman Reigns.
Her only parallel comes in the face of male superstars Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre who are still smaller names as compared to the former UFC Champion.
She headlined RAW once again this week and has done so a few times in the past along with other superstars. Not that RAW has not been headlined by females before, but her presence to close out the show does make the event a bit more special.
With that said, it seems all the more likely after her victory this week along with Ember Moon that she will indeed headline a pay-per-view sooner than later.
#1 Finn Balor will lead the Babyface revival
For the first time since dropping his Universal Championship, Finn Balor found himself the center of the show. He was prominent throughout the night, first helping Dolph Ziggler score a win over his TLC opponent Drew McIntyre, then helping Elias attack Lio Rush, and beating Jinder Mahal in a singles match later on.
This very well signifies that the former Universal Champion and Demon King will be the center and the leader of the force that will try to undo the evils on RAW.
Since Braun Strowman is out because of injury, it makes sense that the WWE will team up a few babyfaces together to take on the already strong team of heels on the red brand. Elias and Dolph could prove to be good partners in Balor’s fight to put RAW back on track.
Who knows, maybe Kurt Angle and even Apollo will join him sooner than later as they try to defeat the villainous characters of RAW.