Monday Night RAW, 30th December 2013: 5 Talking Points

What makes it must watch TV

Just when we thought that the WWE has nothing left to give in 2013, the company came around with a jaw dropping episode of Raw.

All the segments and matches were well above the standards set throughout the year and the year was definetly ended with a bang. They couldn’t have laid the foundation better for next year as the fans were left asking for more.

From having the curiosity of the fans to having their attention, this week’s Raw had all the fireworks to be one of the best in the whole year. WWE certainly smells the business part of the year and has changed their gears big time. So here is a look at the top five talking points from the last Raw of 2013.

The Absence of Tag Team Division

A rare no show

It’s no secret that WWE benefited a lot from the rejuvenated tag team division this year. The matches from tag division were consistent throughout weeks while entertaining the fans equally.

Now what makes this week’s Raw more interesting is that the division was absent from the whole thing. The company pulled off an excellent show without calling on the Rhodes brothers, Usos or the Real Americans.

The show might’ve been better if there were a representing match from the division but for now, let just praise the creative for proving that WWE is not all about tag team wrestling. The shift of focus to the singles match is going to work wonders with the WrestleMania approaching.

An improving midcard

Signs of improvement

After suffering the whole year due to bad booking, the mid card of WWE finally seemed on the rise with some good matches.

First, technically brilliant Dolph Ziggler and Curtis Axel were seen locking horns. The match went in favor of Ziggler which itself was a great surprise. 2014 may well be the year for Ziggler after ending 2013 on a high note.

Brodus Clay and R-Truth fighting over entrance music might not be a classic moment but these two fighting for some reason is better than bashing for no reason. In the background, Clay is the one most benefited by the whole angle as he is establishing himself as a monster heel in the undercard.

It would be unfair to classify Big E Langston as a mid-carder but his title defense against Fandango was the second best match of the night behind the Gauntlet match. It even outclassed a great bout between Seth Rollins and CM Punk. The future of mid card clearly looks bright as we head into next year.

The rematch

One more time

It looked like WWE was going to waste John Cena only as a rumble entrant until The Authority came up with an ingenious plan to give him another chance at the Unified title.

Now, Orton against Cena would be for the 2345^th time but the introduction of Brock Lesnar into the scene raises the stakes.

The interesting scenario would be Orton winning the match. Then it will be a mess with him, Cena, Lesnar and the Rumble Winner. The four-way or three-way (assuming the chance of Cena winning the rumble) will be the probable option since the company wouldn’t want Orton to go against another heel. A Orton-Lesnar match at WrestleMania doesn’t have the hype unless Orton or Lesnar turns face.

In all ways the booking has all the requirements to be one of the best decisions of the year.

The Beast returns

Langston, Cena , Henry or Orton?

We are getting into that time of the year when all the hibernating big names start to jump inside the ship. And the latest edition to that list is Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar.

Heyman showed up and proved why he is the best non-wrestler in the business while Lesnar destroyed Mark Henry like he was dealing with Spike Dudley or something.

But the breaking news from the return will be Heyman’s announcement that Lesnar want the unified title which means he is bound to face Orton or Cena probably at WrestleMania. It again leaves a lot of questions for the fans.

Who will face the Undertaker then? What will happen to the Royal Rumble winner? What will Lesnar do till Royal Rumble.

The first two questions seems impossible to answer at the moment but the last one, we might’ve had the answer at Raw itself. Lesnar went after Henry leaving him injured and don’t expect Big E Langston to be silent about what happened to his partner.

Lesnar and Langton could well have a short feud to keep both busy. It could cement Langston’s reign as a main eventer and propel him to greatness even if he loses the match eventually. So exciting time awaits the WWE fans when it comes to the title scene.

Daniel Bryan giving up

The hottest twist

If you can’t beat them, join them- it might not be the quote that Daniel Bryan is following but him joining the Wyatt family was the show stealer in a night were a top star like Brock Lesnar returned.

And it shows that it only takes one night in professional wrestling to change a stale storyline into a red hot blistering one.

Everyone was left scratching their head when WWE let their hottest commodity join a heel faction. But wait. Was the Wyatts heel at the first place? Or was they just cool in a bizarre way as Jim Ross said.

Bryan turning heel at the moment is unimaginable which make turning the Wyatts into creepy faces the best option. The Authority who seems to be out in shape with CM Punk could have a lot in their hand if Bryan and the Wyatts decide to go against the “Machine”.

2014 is bound to be good for WWE fans as we will witness the movement of this story and a huge match in the form of Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk. For the first time in the year, it feels actually exciting to wait for WWE’s next edition of Raw.