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From R-Truth, Akira Tozawa, and Santa Claus chasing each other on the streets of New York, to Samoa Joe's comeback tease at the end of the show, this week's episode of RAW featured several contrasting moments.
Throwaway episodes are a part of the WWE cycle around this time of the year. However, if you didn't read the spoilers for this episode, chances are that the bigger moments caught your eye.
A lot of it was bogged down by some generic and predictable matchups in between. However, the interesting developments ensured that the episode was quite notable as compared to previous RAW episodes in December.
Here are a few interesting observations from this week's episode of Monday Night RAW (December 23, 2019).
#3 Samoa Joe's babyface return would be quite beneficial for the show
Most fans have been positively receptive to Samoa Joe's commentary on RAW. He is a unique addition to the commentator's desk since the man feels edgy and relevant as compared to a lot of recent announcers on the main roster.
Joe didn't budge from his seat when the AOP (Akam & Rezar) wanted to put Rey Mysterio through the announcer's desk. The Samoan Submission Machine went through it in the end. However, his resistance to Seth Rollins and AOP's orders reminded us of how cool he is.
The fact that he got involved in a physical altercation might indicate that he is cleared to compete. If that is the case, then he would certainly be a beneficial addition to a roster that still doesn't have enough star power to keep you hooked through 3 hours of content.
On top of that, he is most definitely going to be a babyface, which also gives Kevin Owens a worthy ally in the process.
#2 Brock Lesnar's absence on RAW has its positives and negatives
The current WWE Champion Brock Lesnar has chosen not to appear on RAW for December 2019 entirely. This was quite predictable, to say the least. However, The Beast Incarnate belongs to a special category of wrestlers who benefit from not being around the show all the time.
Lesnar's absence was bound to change things on RAW this month, as the United States Championship has become the most prestigious title on the show for the time being.
Some well-deserving and lesser-known stars have gotten a huge opportunity to showcase their talents at last. Even female stars from NXT like Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green got to wrestle with top RAW talents like Asuka and Charlotte Flair, respectively.
But on the other hand, episodes feel less important due to the Beast's current absence from RAW. The show featured a lot of filler matches this week, and most of them felt predictable from start-to-finish. Even the matches that didn't feature any local wrestlers had Superstars like Zack Ryder who had no winning chance.
People are likely to tune out when a huge chunk of the episode feels unimportant, and that's why Lesnar's presence makes Monday Night RAW an important show to watch. Because aside from a usual Paul Heyman promo, The Beast Incarnate is always up to something unpredictable and explosive.
#1 R-Truth may have reached his maximum potential as the 24/7 Champion at this point
R-Truth is currently in his record 25th reign as the WWE 24/7 Champion. Most of you might have lost count since Truth's memorable adventures outside the ring have been a frequent highlight of 2019.
Last night, Truth, Akira Tozawa, and Santa Claus chased each other across the streets of New York City with the 24/7 Title at stake. It was an entertaining program that unfolded throughout the episode, which is a good thing since fans needed solid reasons to sit through predictable matches for the most part.
But as the year comes to an end, is it time for R-Truth to move on from 24/7 Title shenanigans?
Undoubtedly, his angle with Drake Maverick was the most enthralling period of his career this year. But for how long can Truth keep losing and winning the same title over-and-over again?
I don't have a problem with R-Truth being around the 24/7 Title picture, because these segments are silly fun, to begin with, and there are not a whole lot of restrictions in that case.
However, some fans do feel that it's time to move on to the next big thing in the 24/7 Title scene. What do you think? Has R-Truth reached his maximum potential as the 24/7 Champion?
