Behind the Lyrics: Propinquity (Instrumental)

Monday Night "Revenge"

by Zac VanderLey (Thunder Z)

This Monday Night Raw had more matches than last week but was not on the same level as last week's show.  There were less surprises and more PPV rivalry filler.  It was still an entertaining show that showcased revenge at its finest.

Braun Stroman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew Mcintyre kicked off Raw yet again by walking down to the ring accompanied by the same heel superstars that had dismantled the Shield last week.  Strowman talked about how last week they beat up the Shield and how Mcintyre's imagery of bloody animal carcasses played itself out when the Shield were decimated.  Ziggler explained how the heel superstars around them made the right choice in their allegiance.  Ziggler also alluded to the fact that all the superstars were fed up with the Shield.  Strowman then finally gave a name to his group, calling them the Dogs of War.  Then came the Shield.  This was not surprising, but the way they dealt with the heel coalition was surprising.  Dean Ambrose tossed axe handles to both Rollins and Reigns and the carnage started.  The Shield dismantled the entire heel coalition, while the Dogs of War fled to the locker room.  This was a cool start to Raw.  It was predictable that the Shield would make an appearance but the axe handles were an interesting equalizer that made up for the Shield's lack of numbers.  The heel coalition is a good use of all the heels who aren't relevant enough to have their own match at Hell in a Cell (except possibly Kevin Owens).  This is a strong rivalry that has intensified every week.  Braun Stroman and Roman Reigns have proved that they have chemistry in the ring in their previous matches.  They also proved they are willing to do some dangerous and vicious things.  Their Hell in a Cell match should exhibit power and a willingness to go above and beyond where regular superstars go.  They will do some brutal things to each other with foreign objects and this match should be the highlight of Hell in a Cell.

The first match that took place was between Ruby Riot and Nikki Bella.  This was a better performance then last week for both the Bellas and the Riot Squad, because this match showcased each team's best wrestler.  It was a decent match that saw Nikki Bella land a spinebuster and Riot hit a flatliner.  In the end Bella prevailed with a Rack Attack 2.0 and pinned Riot.  This was a decent match with no Hell in a Cell implications.  It is possible that this match could happen again on the kickoff show, but that is not likely.  Brie Bella is involved in a mixed tag match on Smackdown that will take place at Hell in a Cell.  There is nothing else of importance except that Sarah Logan needs to change her character.

The match that followed was an exact replica of a match from last week.  The AOP came out and beat some jobbers and then left.  I get that the WWE is trying to slowly set them up as a monster and vicious tag team, but it is boring and I don't understand why Drake Maverick is their GM.  They were more intimidating with their original GM.

Triple H responded to the Undertaker's remarks from last week by stating that the Dead Man's actions proved that he had lost respect for himself.  He agreed that their rivalry was personal and he finished his promo by stating, "I will put you down."  It was a typical response and did not add much to their rivalry.  It is exciting that Triple H and the Undertaker are going to wrestle each other but they have to sustain this rivalry until Super Showdown, which is almost a month away.  The Undertaker is supposed to be on Raw next week, but we will have to see if this rivalry keeps on intensifying into Super Showdown.

The next match was for the Tag Team Championships.  Dolph Ziggler and Drew Mcintyre faced the B-team in a rematch.  The B-team and their old and one dimensional gimmick did not stand a chance.  It was a stronger match than last week's and saw Ziggler and Mcintyre retaining their titles.  It ended with an eye rake that resulted in a Claymore from Mcintyre.  The future does not look bright for the B-team, but they had a good run and proved they are decent wrestlers.  After the match ended, Rollins and Ambrose blindsided Mcintyre and Ziggler, even though they were told if the Shield interfered, the Shield would be arrested.  Corbin tried to get them arrested, but Rollins and Ambrose had their own sheriff who stated that he was going to arrest Corbin for the way he handled last week.  Corbin then backed down and all charges were dropped against everyone.  The sheriff appeared to be Dean Ambrose's Dad as the camera showed "Ambrose" on his name tag as the show switched gears.  Later on, Rollins and Ambrose were also awarded a tag team championship match at Hell in a Cell.  Even though Rollins is already the IC champion, it is possible that Rollins and Ambrose could defeat Ziggler and Mcintyre.  My prediction is that either the Dogs of War or the Shield will be holding all the titles by the time Hell in a Cell ends.  If Stroman wins then Ziggler and Mcintyre will win or if Reigns wins then Rollins and Ambrose will win.

Kevin Owens then had a match with Tyler Breeze, but it never got started.  Owens attacked Breeze and landed a powerbomb on the apron.  Owens then explained that he has the green light from Constable Corbin to do whatever he wants on Raw.  He stated that Lashley was to blame for hurting Zayn and is to blame for all the future carnage he will bring about. He claimed that he was sick of the Shield and was the true MVP of Raw.  This is going somewhere interesting.  The WWE clearly has a plan for Owens and it is developing quite nicely.  This is a perfect character for Owens and will definitely lead to some interesting storylines.  He hopefully will make his way up to the Universal title and create a rivalry with Roman Reigns.  That would be a polarizing rivalry in the ring and outside of it.

After Owens was done, Roode and Gable marched to the ring and fought the Acension.  It was almost an exact replica of last week's match.  Roode and Gable are decent wrestlers, but their character chemistry is odd.  They could have a semi-interesting rivalry with the AOP, but they do not have a clear path to the tag titles, and their gimmick is weird.

Ronda Rousey and Natalya fought in tag team match against Alexa Bliss and Mickie James.  It was a strong match that showed a throwback to the Hart Foundation when Natalya and Rousey landed the Hart Attack. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James focused on Rousey's ribs the entire match with repeated kicks, but in the end Rousey locked in the armbar and defeated James and Bliss.  Rousey would be a strong heel character in my opinion, but she does have to work on her mic work.  The WWE is making the right move in keeping Rousey a face until she has some experience, but everyone is looking forward to when the intensity of Rousey is unleashed and she turns heel.  The only problem with Rousey, besides her mic work, is that she is physically much stronger than the other female wrestlers.  Once she has a rivalry with Charlotte Flair, then the WWE Universe will be able to see her full potential.

Elias then started off his time in the ring by exposing the Saints for losing to the Buccaneers, because the event was in New Orleans.  Even though he does this every Monday, it doesn't get old and irritates the crowd.  Elias was then interrupted by none other than Mick Foley.  This was weird and somehow Foley became the special guest referee for the Universal Championship match at Hell in a Cell.  This seemed completely unnecessary.  Foley has nothing to do with either Reigns or Stroman and it would not make any sense to this storyline if he had an effect on the match.  It is possible that he could help Reigns win and become the leader of the faces and help take down the heels, but the Shield work alone.  In reality this is a move that lets Foley feel like he is still relevant to the WWE, when he is not.  Foley did create a match between Elias and Finn Balor.  One thing about Balor that has become noticeable is his new nickname; "the ordinary man who does extraordinary things."  Who knows why he was given this nickname because he does pretty ordinary things and he looks less than ordinary.  Anyone who wears a leather jacket with no undershirt is pretty less than ordinary.  His Demon King persona is awesome, but it's hard to buy that he is a king.  He looks more like the Demon servant that Satan would boss around and tell to do boring chores like making sure his fiery throne is still burning brightly.  Balor is not intimidating as a wrestler and does the same set of moves in the same order every match.  The WWE Universe needs to get over themselves and realize this fact.  Elias proved that he is still a strong wrestler and used a sit out powerbomb, but Balor won on a rollup.  Balor is a good wrestler when he is being slammed by the other wrestlers.  He is so small that almost every wrestler is able to bring out a new and more powerful move set against him.

The way Raw ended was unusual.  There was no main event match, which was different.  Strowman had been going "Big Dog hunting," but was not able to locate Roman.  He then, with the help of one of the female interviewers, decided to go out to the ring and wait for Reigns there.  Roman then came out and met Stroman by the announce table.  They struggled with each other until Strowman thought he had Roman set up for a running powerslam through the announce table.  Roman countered and landed a Samoan Drop through the floor next to the announce table.  The Shield and Roman Reigns are going into Hell in a Cell with all the momentum.  

This Monday Night Raw had its moments, but it also had some boring segments.  Overall it was a quality show and did its job in promoting Hell in a Cell.

Now some ratings:

Matches: B-, The strong female matches along with the tag title team match gave this Raw a stronger performance in matches than last week's Raw.

Storylines: C, The only storyline that intensified was the Shield versus the Dogs of War.  Kevin Owens' character also improved but other than that there was not much depth added to any other storyline.

Promos: C-, Triple H's promo could have been better and the Foley and Elias exchange was weird.  Kevin Owens brought this rating up with his explanation of what his future holds, but overall less than average regarding promos.

Unpredictability: D+, This show was very predictable.  The only true surprise was the use of axe handles and Foley becoming a special guest referee, but the Foley surprise is not necessarily a good surprise.

Comedy: B-, Elias always provides some comedy, but Ambrose also had a good bit with the sheriff.  It was a more comedic show than usual.

Overall Rating: B-, It was entertaining to see some strong matches, but the other areas were hits and misses.  Decent show, but nothing too special.

And now introducing the newest award, the Ultimate Warrior award.  This will be given to the superstar who performed the best or had the best Raw.

Ultimate Warrior: The Shield, it is hard to choose one of them, but they all had a strong Raw and gained a ton of momentum heading into Hell in a Cell.  Ambrose and Rollins even gained a title match at Hell in a Cell.