After Money in the Bank left fans angrily scratching their heads Sunday night, many of us tuned in to Monday Night Raw hoping for some logical explanation for the events that took place just twenty four hours prior.
Unfortunately, we were presented with only more of the same creative lunacy we’ve sadly grown used to recieving from WWE’s powers that be. Whether it be due to a lackluster title debut, or just Brock Lesnar’s re-emergence in general, tonight’s episode was the perfect example of why many fans are choosing to seek alternative content or just giving up on wrestling completely.
Nevertheless, it is my weekly task to give you fine readers five things we learned from Monday Night Raw… no matter how challenging that may be. So, with a small amount of complaining out of the way, let’s jump right into it!
1. Brock In The Bank
The term controversial doesn’t even begin to describe Brock Lesnar. Despite being heralded as the most decorated figure in modern combat sports, the majority of wrestling fans consider Brock to be the equivalency of herpes to the business. No matter how badly we want him gone forever, he keeps coming back! Tonight’s Raw opened with Brock and Paul Heyman pulling their usual shtick, with Kofi Kingston and Seth Rollins getting involved in what seemed to be an attempt to downplay the overwhelming presence WWE has established with Lesnar.
In all fairness, Brock’s part-time status works well with the Money in the Bank briefcase due to the fact that we as fans never really know when to expect him to make an appearance, but that doesn’t change the matter of no one wanting this. Once again, WWE fumbles with the concept of giving the fans what they want.
2. Wrestling In The Back Seat
Now, it’s no epiphany to say that WWE doesn’t see itself as a wrestling company, but tonight’s show presented a shining, undeniable example of that mentality. When given the opportunity to showcase two amazing wrestlers the likes of Cesaro and Ricochet, WWE decides that this indy wrestling dream match is the perfect time to promote the crap out of the Secret Life of Pets 2. Sure, the match was one of the best to be featured on a recent edition of Raw, but shilling for a sponsor mid way through tends to take something away from the whole experience.
I know that in the PG Era WWE feels that the younger viewers should be the focus, but my love of wrestling and continued viewership comes from watching great matches as a kid. All I’m saying is maybe if you weren’t so preoccupied with getting a kid’s movie over, you might actually be able to get some of your talent over.
3. The Best (Heel) In The World?
As much as I hate to admit it, Shane McMahon is quickly starting to outdo his father when it comes to being a great heel. Shane has embraced the method of being heel… just to be heel. Sure, you can be bad when motivated by power or greed, but a true villain is evil for the sake of being evil. Shane switching his sights from the Miz to Roman Reigns shows that all it takes to anger the junior billionaire is getting in his way. This can end with Shane either getting what’s coming to him or with Shane’s ego continuing to grow. Either way, I’m interested to see where this goes.
4. Where’s the Funhouse?
After weeks of Bray’s newest gimmick being the most talked about thing in wrestling, WWE seemingly has decided to back burner the Firefly Fun House for the moment. Was it too much to hope for that this week would be the in ring debut of Bray’s new clown faced character?! I mean, after last week’s reveal, a few distorted shots of kids with “let him in” shirts doesn’t really match up. Hopefully this is just a result of creative trying to sort out Money in the Bank’s fallout, and we’ll be back to Fun House as it should be next week.
5. The 24/7 Title
Well, there was no way this wasn’t getting #1. WWE revealed Sunday night that Mick Foley would be debuting the company’s newest championship live on Raw the following evening. This was obviously a cheap attempt to gain viewership, but I know I’m not the only belt fan who’s interest was piqued. It’s no secret that WWE’s belt count is starting to get ridiculous, but something akin to a Cruiserweight Tag Championship being announced seemed likely. Instead we’re presented with the “24/7 Championship”.
Not only is this belt pointless, but it’s damn ugly to boot. Who thought that the thing that needed to be brought back from the Attitude Era was the Hardcore Title’s short lived 24/7 rule?! This and Brock’s capturing of the Money in the Bank are sure signs that WWE wants to appear to be unpredictable, but without knowing how to truly obtain that goal.
There you have it, folks. Another Raw in the books, and another five things we’ve learned from it. Until next time, may all your kicks be super and all your frog splashes five stars!
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