Sometimes in life, you have to admit you are the lesser man (or team. Looking at the Winnipeg Jets.) This happens more often than you think, especially in the WWE - a franchise employing almost exclusively beta males. The proverbial proof is the RAW roster’s pudding.
Admittedly, it’s always nice seeing a “villain” recieve their comeuppance, but only under believable circumstances. Suspension of disbelief aside, there are a great many ongoing feuds that are senseless right now. Which ones? Read on.
A Quick Recap
- Seth Rollins (c.) def. Kevin Owens to retain Intercontinental Championship
- Bobby Roode def. Baron Corbin & No Way Jose - qualifies for Money in the Bank Ladder match
- The B-Team def. Breezango
- Banks, Moon, and Natalya def. The Riott Squad
- Raw Tag Team Champions The Deleter of Worlds def. The Revival
- Alexa Bliss def. Bayley & Mickie James - qualifies for Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match
- The Show (Ziggler & McIntyre) def. Braun Strowman and Finn Balor
This Week’s Preview
Before getting into the good stuff, a little good housekeeping for the ladder matches.
Men’s Match - (RAW) Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode. (SD) The Miz, Rusev, A member of New Day, 1 Vacancy
Women’s Match - (RAW) Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, and 2 vacancies. (SD) Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, 2 vacancies.
No more men from the RAW Roster can qualify for the MITB, and I legally cannot write about Smackdown Live, so onto the women. As of writing, no qualifying matches have been announced to fill the final two spots for the women’s MITB match. A moderately deep pool suggests that a member of the Riott Squad and a Dana Brooke type woman will fill these spots. Ruby Riott has already lost a qualifying match, but as we’ve seen in the past, a Fatal 4 Way (nice) or a Gauntlet type match could help round out the pool. Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Mickie James are all feasible picks. But who knows? I don’t.
Sami Zayn has invited Bobby Lashley’s sisters to RAW, in what is primed to be the worst segment of the year. Past experiences with WWE Creative have me convinced that either the New Day or Titus Worldwide will be playing Lashley’s sisters. However, it will be interesting to delve into the past of The Destroyer.
From his intimate one-on-one interview with Renee Young, we learned the young Lashley was emasculated by his sisters as a child - something he seemed to have fond memories of. What the hell? Is this what we are feeding the youth? God damn us all.
Roman Reigns will undoubtely face Jinder Mahal at Money in the Bank. Need I say more?
Champion’s Corner
RAW Women’s Champion The Nia Jax has found herself a challenger for Money in the Bank - Ronda Rousey. Interestingly, the match took shape on the red carpet at NBC Upfronts. It seems like Nia has a chip on her shoulder, and that defeating Ronda would empower her and other women worldwide or whatever. It is interesting that this is a face-on-face match with no apparent heel, as Jax has been bodyshamed into the face dimension, while Rowdy Ronda will be cheered regardless. I have my ear to the ground on this one.
Intercontinental Champion and resident God Seth Rollins seems set to host another Intercontinental Champion Open Challenge this week. Most of the roster seem embroiled in blood feuds of their own, leaving The Architect to take on whomever comes out of the wings. Thus far, he has defeated Mojo Rawley and former Intercontinental Champ Kevin Owens in convincing fashion. Chad Gable, Mike Kanellis, Apollo Crews, and Baron Corbin will likely have their chances at the championship before a long-term feud between Rollins and a challenger shapes up. However, this author would love to see Drew McIntyre open a can of whoop-ass on the man - he’s got skillz that killz.
On the other hand, RAW Tag Team Champions the Deleter of Worlds are without consistent competition. A big money feud against The Revival was put to bed following a decisive victory last week, leaving many wondering where Wyatt and Hardy are headed. Indeed, the RAW Tag Team division is not stacked. The Authors of Pain are untested and unknown to many. The B-Team may have a novelty appeal, but are not serious contenders. Slater & Rhyno, the inagural Smackdown Tag Team Champions, have become stock and staple enhancement talent. Perhaps a reformed American Alpha could come from behind and steal a victory. Until then, who knows.
That’s it for this article; but what are your thoughts? Let us know. See you next week, and as always, thanks for reading!
