7 Tiny Thoughts on Raw

Raw after a big show like Summerslam is always intriguing. With the dust still clearing, WWE has to fire up new stories that will push us through the fall and into the Royal Rumble. And it looks like The Shield will be leading that charge.

After just one week, it’s hard to make predictions, but Raw will revolve around Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose for the foreseeable future. But the question begs, how long with this last?

While the Shield has monopolized headlines, there are several other talking points on Monday’s episode, so let’s get into it:

The Shield is Back! Now What?

The Shield getting back together means a few things:

1. Braun Strowman won’t be cashing in anytime soon.

2. WWE found an easy way to keep Roman Reigns popular

3. A massive heel turn is on deck.

We have to applaud WWE’s savvy booking here. As we all know, Reigns’ relationship with the crowd is a unique one. However, being aligned with Rollins and Ambrose guaranteed a consistently positive reaction. This is a big deal.

While The Shield is a great group, they’re an even better storytelling device — someone will turn, probably Ambrose, but maybe Rollins. 

A Little Concerned for Ronda Rousey

Up until SummerSlam, Rousey was booked to near perfection. However, her uncompetitive—and sometimes awkward—match with Alexa Bliss may have been a misstep, if not a sign of things to come.

Right now, there’s no one on Raw who can hang with Rousey. Sasha Banks has been reduced to a bit player, Bliss can’t be taken seriously as a Rousey opponent, and Nia Jax is injured.

So what’s next?

Well, it looks like Stephanie McMahon will concoct an evil plan, but I’m not sure where she’ll find a convincing opponent for Rousey. 

No Rematch for Brock Lesnar

An hour before he took leave as Raw GM, Angle flatly denied Paul Heyman’s request for a Universal Championship rematch.

While the rematch clause is used arbitrarily, the fact that Brock Lesnar was even mentioned for another WWE match was interesting. After SummerSlam, it felt like we may not see Lesnar until his Hall of Fame induction in 2022. But, with Heyman establishing that Lesnar wants another crack, maybe The Beast isn’t done in WWE.

Angle Out

WWE has yet to label it, but it looks like Kurt Angle is set for a hiatus. 

With Constable Corbin acting as interim General Manager, Raw is bound to get corrupt. I’ll guess we’ll be seeing plenty more of Stephanie McMahon, too. With villains controlling things, look for WWE’s bad guys to get loads of unwarranted opportunities. 

Building Balor

Finn Balor has enjoyed an excellent 48 hours. But where does he go next?

With The Demon back on the table, Balor is exponentially more interesting. But Finn Balor the mortal man had a fantastic match with Roman Reigns to end Raw. However, he now has no claim to Universal Championship now that his long await rematch has come and gone.

So where to?

I’ll guess he plays nice with The Shield for a while, as Corbin routinely attempts to make his life miserable. 

Apollo Ready to Fly Solo?

For the most part, everything that happens on WWE happens for a reason. so when Apollo and Dana Brooke were caught whispering backstage, WWE looked to plant the seeds of Apollo breaking out of Titus Worldwide.

I’m all for this. It’s time to see if Apollo can be a solo star for WWE. 

No Bray?

Now that his partnership with Matt Hardy is done, it looks like Bray Wyatt is ready to start a new chapter. We just don’t know what or when that will be.

I’m a proud supporter of Wyatt and hope big things are in store for the Eater of Worlds. Will he start his new journey as a good guy? Or will we slide back to the more ominous version of Wyatt?

Regardless I’m excited to see what happens and think there’s an outside chance he gets a Universal Championship shot later this year.