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This week’s Monday Night Raw was clearly not the best outing for WWE. They failed to build up the Rumble match properly and the entire midcard crashed and burned. However, the star of the day had to be Seth Rollins.Amidst all the botched bookings, Mr. Money in the Bank managed to stay afloat and shine bright. None of the storylines except the Title angle saw any developments ahead of Rumble and the company should address the situation at some alarming pace.Despite all these flaws, there were some perks throughout the night which saved Vince McMahon’s face, so here is a look at those best moments from the latest edition of Monday Night Raw.
#5 Setting the tone
The way WWE starts off a show usually sets the tone for what is to follow. At Monday Night, it couldn’t have been any better. After a usual promo from Cena, the company went with a match between Rollins and Cena.
Both men showed some excellent chemistry throughout the match and having the jobs of Erick Rowan, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback on the line added some depth. Near fall after near fall kept the fans on edge of their seat.
The Lumberjack stipulation was something new for both men and even though it had some unwanted interferences, the match was a success story and there is nothing better than Cena losing.
#4 The best promo guy in the business
Even if Paul Heyman is playing a heel, we cannot simply stop respecting the guy. He stands out as one of the best wrestling promoters in history but alongside that Heyman is also the best promo guy in the business.
He could take a bad angle and morph it into gold even without wasting a sweat. Monday Night was no different. Heyman came down to the ring, gave us a lesson in history and promoted the match at Royal Rumble.
Heyman didn’t have much role to play during the contract signing but in the first segment, he stole the show. WWE should try keeping Heyman on the roster even after Lesnar’s departure because he is too talented to keep out of television.
#3 Rivalry reborn
Kane would be the first opponent for a returning Daniel Bryan. It might not sound like great news on the first read, but actually it is a great booking decision by the company.
Before getting injured and taken out of action, Bryan was running a program with the big red monster. It was Kane who took the flying goat out from a kayfabe point of view and this is basically a follow up from where WWE left off.
Though it is an exciting prospect after realizing the backstory, the Kane – Bryan storyline would only be a short one. Bryan is booked for Rumble as things stand and if WWE doesn’t decide to screw Bryan like they did Punk last year, this feud should end after a one match date.
#2 Madness of Ambrose
WWE have been presenting us with a lot of recycled angles in the past few months, but out of the blue they did something unique when they ran the psychological evaluation for Dean Ambrose.
After concluding the Bray Wyatt feud, many expected Ambrose to be put into another one on one angle, but instead the company decided to give him a spot in the Royal Rumble. Ambrose’s addition broadens the field and provides the booking team with more options.
They could’ve simply announced his name for the match but running those angles was a breath of fresh air. It also showed the greatness in Ambrose’s acting thus earning a place in the list.
#1 Mr. Curb Stomp
Seth Rollins completely stole the show this week on Raw. After the excellent opening match that he had with John Cena, the Architect went on to showcase his dominance till the closing moments.
He not only did curb stomp Cena after the contract signing but also laid out the Beast incarnated. JBL sold the angle precisely through the microphone when he said ‘it takes guts to do what Rollins did to Brock Lesnar’.
The story was simple and the execution was perfect. If it wasn’t for this ending, this week’s Raw would’ve gone down in history as a wasted effort which did nothing positive for the long run.
