Triple H slipped out of Reigns’s hands this week.With Wrestlemania just a couple of weeks away, the excitement is palpable. This was the penultimate episode of Raw and though it did not feature major developments or as many big names as last week, it still moved forward towards taking a few steps. The go-home show might have some major finishing touches, hopefully.This night did give us a crystal clear picture when it came to the Intercontinental title scene and it turned out to be what was rumored for weeks, but obviously without Neville, since he’s out injured.Here are the 5 points to note from this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw-
#1 Ambrose Meets Funk
We were not just in the city of brotherly love but we were also in the city where ECW thrived. So, just like last week when Ambrose met another hardcore legend, this time it was Terry Funk.
Ambrose told the legend that he’s going to take all his frustration, heartache and anger to slay the beast and he honestly doesn’t think that Lesnar can go as far as he can. Funk put Ambrose majorly over, calling him the best in the country and then, like Foley, gifted him a tool for Mania – a chainsaw.
This is turning out to be a very twisted and creepy feel good story, where legends are coming over to encourage and help Ambrose reach his goal in beating the beast. If Ambrose does succeed, this can be a major breakthrough moment for him.
#2 Witness KOmania
Kevin Owens is certainly a special kind of a heel in a long, long time. When he saw Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz demanding a shot at his IC title, he told them that a triple threat match will determine who’ll be the no. 1 contender.
He went to Stephanie McMahon backstage and got a go-ahead for a triple threat match. The thing was that he did not mention who all are going to be in it when he took the said permission. So, eventually, Sin Cara, Stardust and Zack Ryder wrestled a triple threat for the opportunity to face KO at Mania.
That match ended in no contest. KO Mania seemed to be a no-show at Wrestlemania until McMahon brought him down to planet earth and made a 7 man ladder match for the title.
#3 Reigns Vs Stephanie
Stephanie McMahon’s night began with her kicking off Raw and ended with her screaming in the background while Roman Reigns laid waste to her husband outside the arena. She had said earlier in the night that Triple H wasn’t present because he had to attend to some corporate responsibilities and not because of what Reigns did last week.
Reigns eventually made his way down to the ring and took the microphone away from McMahon and went on to give a short promo, which in his case, has always been significant.
Basically, he’s going to Wrestlemania, in McMahon’s own stadium, own ring, to beat her own husband and to take the title Reigns thinks is his to begin with. He even stopped a hurricane of a slap by Stephanie and called himself The Authority.
#4 A Twist in the Tale
If anything, the feud between Undertaker and Shane McMahon has stakes, big names but no story. This week the stakes got bigger, but the story still needs some work. Vince McMahon came to the ring and for the first time in a long time, actually put over the son he’s disowned for the past few weeks.
He actually made him look like a credible opponent and then reiterated what Shane said last week that Taker is his #*!ch. While all of this was quite generic, he went on to raise the stakes by announcing that if Taker does not win, this will be his last Wrestlemania, that certainly added some authenticity to the segment.
And when he was done, he was on his way backstage when he passed by Dean Ambrose getting ready for a match against Braun Strowman. That may just be a poetic moment if you think about it.
On a side note, it seems Luke Harper injured his left knee in a dark match after RAW went off air. The match saw the Wyatts take on the team of Ziggler, Reigns, Zayn and Ambrose. Harper’s knee reportedly buckled up in the beginning of the match, after which he had to be attended by the doctors:
Here is a photo of a visibly hurt Harper:
#5 The Phenomenal One at Mania
Steps were also taken towards a match between AJ Styles and Chris Jericho. The two have been at odds ever since Y2J put a halt to the team of Y2AJ and went on to give some of his best heel performances in a while.
This week he chanted Styles’s name until The Phenomenal One lost to Kevin Owens. Styles tried to chant Jericho’s name during his match against Fandango, but Jericho still won.
Afterwards, he calls for Styles to come down to the ring which he does but Jericho runs away. Styles then proposed a match at a Wrestlemania to prove why people chant for him.
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