WWE Raw: 5 Shockers & Surprises from this week’s episode (May 20, 2019)

Just 24 hours after the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, a lot had changed as many surprises were delivered during the show.

The trend continued into Monday Night, as WWE tried to ride the momentum of a good event and make things more interesting before heading into the next Saudi Arabian pay-per-view.

One of the biggest shocks of Sunday night came as a result of the return of ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar. Monday Night was shaken up once again, as Lesnar decided to make a rare appearance at the show after his Money in the Bank briefcase win.

Apart from that, both the top champions of the company were on Raw once again, showing how hard WWE is trying to get the ratings up.

In this article, we will look at the five biggest surprises that WWE delivered in this week’s Raw, and what they could mean for the future.

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#5 The IIconics losing again

Remember a time when The IIconics were the Women’s Tag Team Champions? Oh wait, they still are. It was odd that none of the tag team championships were defended on Sunday, and it would have been better to watch The IIconics defend their titles at Money in the Bank.

After a segment of A Moment of Bliss involving The IIconics, Lacey Evans, Becky Lynch, Nikki Cross, and Alexa Bliss, a six-woman tag team match was set up.

While the match was obviously a non-title match, it was surprising to watch The IIconics take yet another loss even when holding the titles. They essentially fought a handicap match alongside Lacey Evans against Lynch and Cross, as Bliss avoided getting in the middle of the action.

This severely affects the value of the duo and the tag championships, which haven't been defended too often since The IIconics won them at WrestleMania 35.

#4 Sami Zayn losing heat so quickly

Sami Zayn’s return and his promos had set the WWE Universe on fire. The man is as good on the mic as he is inside the ring, and even as a solo performer get a lot of heat behind him which always fuels him to go forward.

While Zayn was looking towards a good run after his return, it seems as though plans have changed. He defeated Braun Strowman last week to take his spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match, but never got a chance to compete in the match, and his place later went to Brock Lesnar.

This week, Zayn faced off against Braun Strowman once again and surprisingly lost the match convincingly, which puts a dent on his character. At this point, WWE is not building Braun Strowman anymore, and a win for the superstar makes it seem like they aren’t invested in Zayn at the moment either.

It would have been better if Zayn would have won the briefcase on Sunday instead, and the heat on him would have been tenfold compared to what it is now.

#3 McIntyre’s win over The Miz

It’s not Drew McIntyre’s win over The Miz that is surprising, but it’s the manner in which it was done that shocked many.

We say that considering McIntyre has been one of WWE’s greatest heels since the past year. The man has the power and the skills to win matches alone convincingly, but WWE still either give him disqualification wins/losses or we see other superstars help him get the win.

This week, it was Shane McMahon who helped McIntyre pick up the win against The Miz in a match where The Miz never looked like the underdog like he should have.

This puts a few question marks over where WWE is going with the superstar, and why such shock booking decisions are made for him even though he is one of the most convincing heels in WWE today.

Currently, it seems like WWE is running the Attitude Era bookings once again with the involvement of The McMahon family.

#2 From Legends to Lucha House Party

You must think I’m joking if I told you that rumors suggested Lars Sullivan was to take on John Cena at WrestleMania 35 had he debuted earlier. Well, that was actually the case, but now it seems like Lars is slowly losing ground because creative has their hands filled with other storylines and superstars.

Lars began his quest for destruction by taking out legends like Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and R-Truth. Now, he is slowly getting into a feud with Raw’s resident lower card highflyers, the Lucha House Party.

This not only dents his value but also shows how things can change in a matter of months if the superstars aren’t able to pull off what they are required to at the right time.

It’s surprising that the only way WWE can showcase Lars' strength is by having him take on three lighter weight superstars in one go and try to establish him a threat.

#1 Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre 2.0

Shane couldn’t get Elias to finish the job, so now he has a new henchman named Drew McIntyre. First of all, it’s surprising that McIntyre continues to side up with heel authority figures without getting any benefits from them whatsoever. Where are his Intercontinental, United States, and Universal Championship shots?

Secondly, it’s even more surprising that Saudi Arabia wants to watch these two big men go against each other one again so soon after WrestleMania 35.

While there is a possibility that Shane will soon make this a tag team match involving himself and The Miz, it’s still worrying that WWE couldn’t have found a different way to do this.

Earlier rumors had suggested that McIntyre would take on Braun Strowman, while Shane would face Reigns himself at Super ShowDown. Instead, we will most probably get a rerun of The Scottish Psychopath vs. The Big Dog, which shows that WWE is still committed to booking Reigns against Raw superstars.