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This week's RAW was probably a tipping point for all three major WWE brands (RAW, SmackDown, NXT) a few days before Survivor Series 2019.
The show ended amidst a huge brawl where you couldn't even tell people apart. But an important takeaway emerged from that chaos, where Triple H opened doors for RAW and SmackDown superstars to come to NXT this week.
It seems that the brand supremacy plot stole the spotlight this week, as other storylines involving the WWE Championship as well as Lana and Bobby Lashley's melodramatic shenanigans took a backseat during the episode.
How bigger can this brand war get in the next few days?
Let us take a look at some interesting observations from this week's episode of Monday Night RAW (November 18, 2019):
#3: Why NXT has been booked as the strongest brand on RAW so far
Since the beginning of the buildup to this year's Survivor Series Pay-Per-View, NXT has been on top of WWE's brand wars so far.
A huge reason behind it is that Triple H has been secretly pulling the strings on and off the screen to make sure that more people tune in to watch NXT on Wednesdays.
To some extent, they have succeeded, and the numbers might keep increasing for the yellow brand, especially this week, where Triple H openly invited RAW and SmackDown superstars to step foot inside NXT's ring.
On the other hand, this might also indicate that NXT might not pull off a major victory this Sunday, because WWE tends to showcase wrestlers in a strong light a few days before the Pay-Per-View only for them to lose at the event itself.
Also, we have to take into account the fact that a lot of NXT's talent is going to be fatigued after performing at NXT TakeOver: WarGames a day before, this Saturday.
Do you think NXT will reign supreme at Survivor Series 2019?
#2: Why it made no logical sense for Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens to wrestle each other at this point
Samoa Joe was great on commentary this week.
A reason behind that is because Joe managed to come off as a heel commentator that brought out logical significance to his statements.
One of those moments occurred when Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens faced each other in a match last night. Both men are also part of the RAW men's team in the traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Match this Sunday.
Despite how great the match was going to be, Joe pointed out how pitting two members of the same team in a match against each other was probably not a good idea days before Survivor Series.
Undoubtedly, the match itself got several "This is Awesome" chants throughout its entirety. But the purpose of it was diluted when Triple H's sudden appearance interrupted their bout.
We later got to know that McIntyre vs. Owens was just a setup for a future plotline (more on that later), but Triple H and Kevin Owens' segment could have easily been established via other ways as well.
Also, NXT superstars interfering in a lot of potentially great matches diluted the crowd's response during the ultimate brawl between all three brands at the end of the show.
These segments or matches weren't bad by any means, but the episode could have benefited by not overplaying the NXT Invasion Angle throughout the night.
#1: Why Kevin Owens might betray RAW and join NXT at Survivor Series
A few weeks ago, Triple H came out to offer Seth Rollins a spot on NXT after The Kingslayer lost his way against Bray Wyatt at Crown Jewel.
That subplot culminated in Rollins eventually staying true to the red brand. However, The Game had another trick up his sleeve last night.
He came out to offer Kevin Owens a spot on NXT after the latter's match against Drew McIntyre.
Between Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, I'd say that Owens is more likely to defect given both wrestlers' recent history.
Triple H's intention to offer main roster superstars a spot on the yellow brand shows us that this subplot is likely to culminate in someone ditching their show in favor of NXT this Sunday.
The circumstances are perfect: Now that NXT is a major brand under WWE, it would make sense that some stars who haven't had that much success on the main roster lately might choose the yellow brand in favor of their own.
Also, WWE left this Triple H-Kevin Owens angle open-ended when a brawl erupted out of nowhere.
So it seems that Owens has to make a firm decision sooner than later.
Do you think Kevin Owens will betray RAW to join NXT?
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