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This was a night of the return of Triple H and this was a night of a hometown hero as well and amidst all of that there was a sad moment which may be indelible for a long time.
This was the last Raw before the Payback Pay Per View, and it sure had its moments to talk about. Matches were added, intentions were made clear, tensions arose and Payback will be quite a test for Lana and Rusev, Kane and The Authority.
It’ll be interesting to note if someone actually gets a Payback. Raw was about finishing touches and building anticipation. The main event sure looks entertaining with the kind of different performers involved.
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1. The Night of Ambrose
It’s been a long time since Dean Ambrose has received this kind of attention. Sure, he may be in the main event to be the falls guy, to be the one who gets pinned, but this is the first time he’s getting some meaningful time in the spotlight ever since his great feud with Seth Rollins had to take a break last October.
The Cincinnati Crowd was going berserk for its hometown boy. And Ambrose did not disappoint. He was fun throughout. What’s promising is that this time in the main event spotlight has reaffirmed his organic popularity with the crowd. His nonchalance, his chutzpah and his craziness make him stand out and what better place to stand out than in the main event!
2. The John Cena Story
John Cena made his way to the ring for another edition of one of the best things WWE has come out with this year- The U.S Title Open Challenge. This week saw Cena square off against Neville. They went beyond the already high expectations and delivered a memorable match.
But looking beyond this challenge is one great factor and that is how much more respect Cena’s earning week after week. For a performer who gets the ‘You Can’t Wrestle’ chant a lot from the hardcore fanbase, Cena has been part of great match ever since this Open Challenge began. More often than not, his part of the show has been the best part of the show.
There is an underlying John Cena story playing and with his mic skills and wrestling skills, it accentuates the fact how great a pro- wrestler Cena is.
3. Lana’s searing popularity
Many of you may not be a fan of how the WWE is going about breaking up a potentially great wrestler- manager duo like Lana and Rusev. But the WWE’s got one thing right and that is to make Lana a babyface.
The chants for Lana continued to this week’s Raw as well and Rusev was certainly not happy about it. When Rusev came to the WWE, Lana seemed to have The Bulgarian Brute on a leash, giving him instructions, one of them being ‘Rusev, CRUSH’. And over time, the dynamic between them has completely changed as the Brute has been unleashed after his losses and Lana is the one taking the brunt of it.
Everyone wants Lana to break free. She may be on her way to becoming one of the faces of the Women’s division and one of the premier faces of the WWE.
4. The Sandow Journey
Damien Sandow has embraced his role of an impersonator, or so it seemed on Raw. He walked out as an impersonator of Macho man Randy Savage to face Curtis Axel’s Axelmania.
This match had absolutely no point with no long term potential but it was a fun throwback to two of the most dominant faces from the past who made sports entertainment thrive in the 80s and 90s.
Also, Sandow is no longer a comic relief jobber. He’s over the crowd and the WWE knows it. One of Vince McMahon’s cardinal rules for success is if a wrestler gets over. Sandow’s popularity has been there for all to see for almost a year. Something’s got to give.
5. Up for grabs
Daniel Bryan’s promo was definitely the saddest part of the show. He had to relinquish another title in a year. He’s unsure if he could even wrestle again. His promo was immensely moving and the only diamond in the rough is that the Intercontinental title is up for grabs.
WWE has made it clear how much they want the secondary titles to be relevant again and the IC title may again see a rejuvenation of interesting moments. It’ll be interesting to see what the WWE decides to do with the vacant title.
