Five taking points from WWE Raw, 18 November 2013

The expectations were high about Monday night Raw as it was responsible to be the last major build up to Survivor Series. And one has to say that the show barely disappointed when it boasted a variety of in-ring action and some intriguing promos. The cloud regarding the match card of Survivor Series was cleared on the show which also saw a return of a certain masked man. From openers to the main eventers the show managed to make it into the headlines for all the right reason. The Show was full of talking points but here are the best ones from the surprisingly and pleasingly big lot.

A surprisingly impressive ending

Rise of the new breed

Push capped with gold

WWE has been pushing its youngster for a long time now. While some prevailed and went on to be main eventers others just fell flat and failed to make the cut. This week’s Raw saw two exciting prospects for the future in the form of Big E Langston winning the Intercontinental Championship and Xavier Woods making his debut. Langston’s push as a baby is well received by the fans so far and is now capped off with him being the new champion. Curtis Axel, however, will be looking to keep himself relevant in the business after losing the title and Paul Heyman. The company is yet to announce a match for Langston in Survivor Series but there is no doubt that he will be part of the event.

New kid on the block

Meanwhile, exciting Xavier Woods took a jump to the main roster directly from NXT and did impress the fans. He outshined his partner R-Truth and the 3MB by picking up the decisive win with main show stealing moments. It would be interesting to see where these two will be headed post Survivor Series as both of them looks promising for a longer stint in the company. And he might not be new to the business but it’s certainly a fresh thing to see Rey Mysterio make a return.

The curious case of Randy Orton

The one who takes the fall

The guy who is labeled as the face of the company has been on the receiving side for past couple of weeks. Apart from losing his significance in the Authority Storyline, Orton has been taking falls to make look others good. Big Show reaped the benefits first when he choke slammed Orton through the announce table, and then Roman Reigns and Kane were made to look intense again at the expense of Orton. And this week’s Raw wasn’t so different as Orton had to show his strength by wrestling an inferior opponent like Brad Maddox. He then walked into a sphere from Big Show later in the night and saw the Authority announce that he will not have any help at Survivor Series. For the record, Orton performed exceptionally well as a whiny champion but if the WWE is planning to make him the top heel of the company again, then they should think about pushing him much better rather than making him look like a jobber.

And the teasing continues

Potential ticket seller

There wouldn’t be anything better than a main event including CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Shield and Wyatt family. Surprisingly instead of using the match for Survivor Series WWE chose Raw to stage this 12 man tag team bout. The in ring action was adreline pumping and wasn’t short of anything in particular. But what grabbed the attention of most fans was the fact that WWE is still only teasing a potential feud between the Wyatt Family and Shield. The fans in Manchester last week chanted “ This is awesome” when the heels went head to head and it was nothing short of awesome when they were teamed together. There was lots of eerie tension between the two teams from the start of the match with both looking like predators fighting over a prey. And though things cooled down later, this will be one feud that is definitely worth waiting for.

Shades of Attitude Era

Jerry Lawyer and dressed up divas.. ring any bells?

It’s an insult to the fans of Attitude Era to compare, but WWE might well be headed back to the olden days to some extent in order to keep the ratings alive. The primary sign was given when Triple H dug out the corporate storyline from the past and molded it into the Authority angle. Further signs were dropped with Big Show’s rebel character which reminded us of Steve Austin. And the recent Raw showcased the Diva segments and a couple of disqualification matches which were the trademarks of the golden period.

Definitely not PG

There were a lot of violence in the Broadway Brawl between Dolph Ziggler and Damien Sandow even though it didn’t have any story to backup. And the punishment received by Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero also dropped some hints. From all these the only thing we can make up is that the WWE has been slowly making the transformation from a family friendly business to more traditional wrestling which was very effective in the past. But the best part is that, WWE has camouflaged the entire thing with class to keep the PG Era fans interested.

Role of Authority in Survivor Series

What next ?

Many didn’t expect Triple H to make an announcement that Randy Orton should win against Big Show on his own. And the decision has left a lot of question marks as it cancels out the importance of the Authority in Survivor Series. The people will have nothing to look forward from Triple H at Survivor Series unless Kane manages to break the agreement and help Orton win the match. If that doesn’t happen then the Authority would obviously have to produce something extraordinary to keep them in the scene at the pay-per-view. A return from Shawn Michaels would be ideal at this time and would keep the fans on the edge of their seat. Apart from those expectations the authority didn’t make much buzz after their return from vacation and will be headed to the Survivor Series on a low note.