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This week's edition of WWE Monday Night RAW (18 February 2019) saw a lot of contrasting moments. Right from witnessing the beginning of an NXT invasion of sorts, to Ronda Rousey standing dominant at the end of the show, last night's episode had it all.
Oddly, despite the change in flow for this week's Monday Night RAW, the show felt tedious to watch at times. Even though I appreciate the fact that WWE tried to mix it up for three hours, something felt amiss during the show. Let us know what you thought about the episode in the comments below.
Let us take a look at some interesting observations from last night's episode of Monday Night RAW.
#3 The Dean Ambrose saga continues
By now, it should come off as no surprise that WWE has confirmed that Ambrose will not be returning to WWE when his contract is up shortly after WrestleMania.
Also, Dean's booking in the recent few weeks has been questionable, to say the least. From almost having one-on-one physical altercations with Nia Jax to losing exhibition matches in rapid succession, The Lunatic Fringe sticks out like a sore thumb every week.
Last night, not only did he lose against Drew McIntyre in a singles match (that too seemed as if Ambrose had given up entirely) but he also had a small backstage bit with Seth Rollins where Ambrose derived some elements from his 'absent-minded lunatic' persona by completely forgetting that he and Rollins had been engaged in a war for months.
What seems the most obvious situation here is that Dean Ambrose is purposely being embarrassed on live TV during his final few months left with the company. But the explanation I am personally leaning towards is that all of this is building up to something huge.
Something seems a bit unusual here, and the best case scenario involves Dean Ambrose being set up for something promising in the near future. What do you think?
#2 Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair's absence was felt throughout the show
Even if WWE tried to fill this week's RAW by introducing some names from NXT while also mixing up the format of the show from time-to-time, the episode itself felt like a drag during several segments.
One of the main reasons behind this situation can be attributed to the fact that we did not have a segment that covered the Becky-Charlotte-Ronda saga, which just so happens to be the feud that has gained the most traction so far.
Becky Lynch's suspension is a conflict that was introduced into the overall story for a particular reason. After all, you can't expect the most popular star in the company to breeze through the roadblocks pretty easily. Conflicts are necessary.
But in this particular case, has the conflict left a void that potentially affects other ongoing storylines in a negative way as well? Only the next few weeks will paint a clearer picture regarding this situation.
#1 Which NXT Star was the most impressive last night?
Triple H kicking off this week's Monday Night RAW by introducing some well-known names from NXT was a bit unexpected.
Ricochet had a promising showing by teaming up with Finn Balor to fight against Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush.
While Ricochet has a lot to prove in the future, we all know that a superstar has to be as impressive on the microphone as he or she is in the ring (most of the time). What separates Ricochet from others? Remember, this is the main roster we are talking about.
Ciampa and Gargano teamed up to face The Revival. The DIY reunion was quite unexpected as well. Both of them are currently on the same page, but the reunion came a bit earlier than expected.
Their match itself was pretty decent. Ciampa has a lot more to show that he let on during last night's show, and the fact that Triple H pre-announced all the NXT Superstars at the beginning of the episode might have chewed off some excitement from the audience as well.
SPOILER ALERT: Aleister Black's appearance last night impressed me the most. His ominous presence speaks for itself, and the only thing that worries me is that WWE might wear-down Black's persona by booking him the exact same way as the rest of the roster.
Which NXT Superstar impressed you the most last night? Let us hope that this change lasts for more than a week, as NXT is officially being considered as a third brand equal to RAW and SmackDown Live.
Thanks for reading this article, please share it to spread the word. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and stay tuned for more.
