So much going on in the WWE right now it's really hard to pick a direction for this blog and start writing it with a clear point.
Kind of like WWE scripts these days.
First I will start with something I actually like that most people are currently livid about.
Brock Lesnar and the RAW heavyweight title.
Things have been more than a little confusing lately after the "Superstar Shakeup" with Bray Wyatt being in a "title match" on Payback this weekend (which seemingly has changed) and Y2J wrestling KO for the US strap under the stipulation that if Jericho wins he moves to Smackdown? Does that mean that KO goes back to RAW or does he stay on Smackdown regardless?
Confusing.
See, like I said, hard to stay on point. Where was I?
The internet masses are up in arms about Lesnar being a ghost since defeating Goldberg to become the heavyweight champion at Mania thus forcing the weekly show and the upcoming PPV to not include any storyline for the main title!
Oddly enough, I'm ok with that.
In my humble opinion, that's the way it should be.
I believe that it cheapens the heavyweight title to have it defended week after week or to over-expose the champion on RAW. Lesnar is one of the few characters remaining that have that "big fight feel" to them and I think holding him off of TV and not fighting for the belt each week or participating in tag matches vs the other top contenders helps strengthen his character. Once we returns and faces his next opponent, likely Braun, it will actually feel like a big deal rather than just another match that we've seen 100 times.
Back before wrestling was on TV every night and PPVs were not once a month the world heavyweight champion was able to be protected simply based on lack of network exposure. It really felt like a special occasion when you got to see Hulk Hogan wrestle - even if it was against King Kong Bundy :)
The problem I do have is in what they are doing with the "secondary" belts.
If you are not going to have the world title defended on RAW each week or even at each PPV then you darn well better have the IC title on the line. How on Earth is there no IC match on the card for this weekend's Payback PPV? What sense does that make? We will get back to that.
Now I get that the US title is on the line in the Owens v Y2J match so you may not want to put too many title matches on the card but now that the IC belt is on RAW it is my feeling that you cheapen it by now having it defended on the RAW branded PPV.
Other RAW feuds
I love that Ms. Bliss was thrown right into the women's title picture upon her shift over to the RAW brand as I believe her and Bayley can potentially have some great matches with each other while they slowly bring along the Sasha heel turn (kudos to the writers for actually making this a slow build and not just the insta-turn. There have been subtle hints dropped week after week if you're paying attention but they do not seem to be rushing the turn along and I appreciate that). That being said in "kayfabe" terms how can I possibly believe that Bliss, Sasha or Bayley could actually defeat Nia Jax? She HAS to get a title run at some point just to make the product a little more believable. She can't continue to be thrown into triple threat or fatal four way matches, right? At some point they're going to have to bite the bullet and give her the strap for a while. Let Bayley chase her for the title before finally over coming the odds and defeating her to win the belt back (these two have shown they can put on a very solid match back in their NxT days) and you can then have Sasha come down and maul her best friend after the hard fought match thus solidifying the heel turn. Sasha is a rockstar heel.
RAW tag team title picture
How disappointing was it for the Revival to get their long awaited call up only to suffer an injury and have to disappear again for a while. It could be a blessing in disguise a little as the division is a little cluttered at the time being but could soon see some changes that help clear things up. Lets break this down for a second:
(c) Hardy Boyz - as the WWE continues to try and settle with Anthem for the rights to the Broken Matt character they Hardys are stuck in some sort of weird limbo where the crowd is chanting "DELETE" while Matt & Jeff attempt to bounce around like the old characters from their previous stay in the organization. That being said, if/when MeekMan does acquire the rights you have to imagine they will split the duo up and give Jeff another main event push while Matt and his 'broken brilliance' will likely fall back into being a mid-card attraction and could have some really good matches/promos facing someone like The Miz.
Cesaro & Shemaus - this team has to either be on the verge of a heel turn or breaking up, right? Pairing them up was fun for a while and they do look like they continue to get more comfortable working together but how long can they continue to waste one of their potential singles stars (Cesaro) in a random pairing? It has been a fun ride but hopefully sooner rather than later (maybe as soon as this weekend) it will be time to break these two up and let them go their separate ways.
Enzo & Cass - It has been crystal clear from day 1 what the WWE's plans were with these two. Now, don't get me wrong, the crowd loves these two and they do a LOT of behind the scenes charity work but everyone knows that Big Cass is the star of this duo. I believe that Monday showcased the future direction of the company with Rollins, Fin and Cass standing tall as the strong baby faces. Maybe Enzo could get a run in the 205 live division helping give that show a little more face and name star power.
The Club - Can we please do something legit with these guys? Seriously? My dream scenario would be for these two to (re)join forces with Fin and form the Balor Club in the WWE. Fans love factions. It's proven. Why not allow these guys to fall back into what made them the stars that they became in Japan? Why fight the obvious position for them?
Mid-card scene on RAW
There is now an abundance of mid-card type talent on this roster since the shake-up. With Brock likely feuding with Strowman before moving on to Roman Reigns that leaves the following guys all battling at the next level down: Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Fin Balor, Bray Wyatt, Y2J (though leaving soon to go back on tour with his band), The Miz, Dean Ambrose and potentially Shemaus and Cesaro once/if they go their separate ways.
That doesn't even include the next tier down with the likes of Bo Dallas, Heath Slater, Mark Henry, Titus O'Neil, Apollo Crews, Kalisto and the Big Show.
Again, as mentioned previously, fans love factions. Personally I would love to see the WWE do something with Bo Dallas as I think he is being criminally under used over the last few years. The logical thing to do with him, in my mind, is pairing him up with his real-life brother Bray Wyatt.
Bray is going to have to do some serious work to find his way into the main event scene with the star power on RAW so what if they put Bray and Bo together as a tag team and "The New Wyatt family" feud with the Hardy Boyz for the tag team titles? Along the way maybe, just maybe, WWE gets the rights to the Broken Hardys characters and the feud with the deranged Wyatt's is what "breaks" Matt again?
These are just some of the thoughts I have about the RAW program. I have just as many, if not more, random ideas or thoughts about what the heck is going on with the Blue Brand these days.
That show has been a complete cluster since the "superstar shakeup" and it continues to get worse each week.
Those thoughts will have to be held for a future blog post.
