As I grow older, I find myself analyzing the use of my time almost obsessively. Feelings of great shame, anger, and dissapointment wash over me if I feel my time could have been better spent. Funnily enough, those feelings don’t apply to most episodes of Monday Night RAW. In fact, they almost never do - although I really want to watch Mr. 3000, and Mondays are my only night off.
“Mr 3000” on my screen. Who knows?
That said, it was worth sacrificing Bernie Mac for last week’s RAW. A fantastic show, end to end. Honestly, each time you think calling RAW dogshit is justified, they double back and punch you right in the mouth with a pretty good show. But that was last week, and this is this week. Time marches on.
A Quick Recap
- Ronda Rousey suspended.
- Dolph Ziggler def. Seth Rollins (c.) to WIN WWE Intercontinental Championship
- Bobby Roode def. Curt Hawkins
- Mr. MITB Braun Strowman addressed the WWE Universe.
- RAW Tag Team Champions Deleter of Worlds def. Slater and Rhyno
- Jinder Mahal def. Chad Gable
- The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) def. Sasha Banks and Bayley
- RAW General Manager Kurt Angle announces a #1 Contenders Match for the Universal Championship at Extreme Rules
- Bobby Lashley & Roman Reigns def. The Revival
- Mojo Rawley def. No Way Jose
- Kevin Owens & Constable Corbin def. Mr. MITB Braun Strowman and Finn Balor
This Week on RAW
The ongoing struggle to DESTROY Mr. MITB Braun Strowman has been for naught. And no, Mr. MITB still stands for Money in the Bank - nobody should subscribe to the attempts to have him known as “Mr. Monster in the Bank”. That is bullshit. Easy cop out. Regardless, Braun has easily become the most powerful member of the roster, across all brands. Trying to attack the guy is similar to Pickett’s Charge in the Civil War. He is unstoppable, and may be the most powerful man in WWE history. Kane once held that honour - though I concede he has lost much of his power in the recent months. However, we should never forget he had to wear f*****g chains to the ring at one point due to the power coursing through his veins.
There is no question now that Braun will be a Universal Champion by next year’s WrestleMania - but Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns may claim that honour sooner than Braun does. Last week, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle announced a multi-man #1 Contenders Match to take place at Extreme Rules. The remaining spots will be filled in the weeks to come, but the Destroyer and the Big Dog are the two clear favourites on the RAW Brand. Not much more is known about the match, but keep an eye on the dangerous rivalry between Reigns and Lashley in the coming weeks.
Excluded from any championship opportunity are Sasha Banks and Bayley. Legitimate months of stop-start-stop-start feuding between the two came to another head on Monday. They went at it like Don Frye and Yoshishiro Takayama. It was nuts. Seriously, look at this.
Hopefully these two get an opportunity to headline Summerslam this coming August.
Champion’s Corner
Startlingly, a title change occured on this past edition of RAW. There is no doubt in my mind wrestling fans will tune in to watch a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship. Tonight, Seth Rollins takes on the newly crowned IC Champ Dolph Ziggler in an attempt to reclaim the strap he lost last week. A surefire match of the month contender, I’d bet. Hell, I bet my VHS copy of Mr. 3000 on it. This will be the reason people tune in… no doubt. No doubt in my mind.
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss incited Ronda Rousey into attacking her, resulting in a 30 day suspension for Rousey. That leaves Bliss open to defend her title against Nia Jax, who is not like most girls. However, Jax had her ass whooped by Bliss with the help of a briefcase. Gotta wonder if she’s going to appear tonight, though I don’t think she will. Only time will tell, however. Look for a Women’s Championship match at Extreme Rules to be made official next week.
RAW Tag Team Champions The Deleter of Worlds have found solid rivals in The B-Team. Hurtful words from the latter did little to affect the self-esteem of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt, instead seeming to incentivize the tag champions into beating Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas‘ asses. Once again, look for a championship match to be made official either this evening or next Monday. It is extremely difficult to be invested in this feud on any level.
That’s it from me - but what are you thoughts? Send us your questions to be featured on this week’s edition of Over the Top Rope. See you next week!
Last 5
- Over the Top Rope: Episode XI
- PWA Recap and Reactions: Night of Champions
- BREAKING: Sami Zayn Injured, Out Until 2019
- Big Cass Released, New NXT Champions on Rey Mysterio Day
- NXT Preview: June 20
