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For most WWE fans, the latest episode of RAW was a reminder of how good the show could be if it was given a chance. The show had a number of really good angles and solid in-ring work from most of the superstars.
The most interesting part of the show, in my opinion, was Maria Kanellis winning the 24/7 Championship, making it the first time that a pregnant woman had won a championship in the WWE. Other awesome segments from the night included the 5 man gauntlet and the Samoan Summit. However, despite the show’s improved quality, they lost a large portion of the previous week’s audience.
Most pundits agreed that the sharp decline in the audience was because most fans had only tuned in to see their favorite legends on the RAW Reunion show. While WWE may have increased its ratings for a short while, it did not manage to convince lapsed fans to tune into the show the following week.
This week WWE finds itself in a very unique position. It’s roughly one week to SummerSlam and they have the opportunity to increase their viewership by building on the success of the most recent episode of RAW.
However, for WWE to do this, they need to do several things, and in this article, we look at three of those.
#3 Clear up the 24/7 Championship picture
Since its introduction, the 24/7 Championship has been at the center of some of the most entertaining segments on WWE and this week was no different.
Maria Kanellis delivered a stellar line about kicking Mike in his lady bits if he did not open the door, and after he opened it she went on to win the 24/7 title. It wasn’t Mike’s night.
Because Maria is pregnant we do not expect to see the sort of antics that made the 24/7 championship a crowd favorite. The WWE isn’t going to allow their wrestlers to pile on top of a pregnant woman, even if it’s to improve the ratings.
The only superstar who has said he is willing to pin Maria is Drake Maverick, according to a tweet that garnered his wife’s ire.
If WWE chooses to go down this route, then it ties into the feud that Mike Kanellis and Drake Maverick have on 205 Live. I’m curious as to how all this will play out.
#2 Give The OC a legitimate challenger for the RAW Tag Team Championship
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are the current RAW Tag Team Champions and this is a perfect time for the WWE to make the belts feel prestigious once again.
For a long time, fans have complained that the RAW tag team division has been ignored by WWE creative, and giving the OC a proper challenge will go a long way in repairing the division’s image in the eyes of the fans.
The most likely contenders for the championships are either the Revival or the Viking Raiders. The Revival have a claim to the title as they lost it in a triple threat match without either of them being pinned. The Viking Raiders, on the other hand, have a claim to the title because of their dominant in-ring performance in recent weeks.
What’s the most likely outcome of all this?
The Revival and the Viking Raiders could be given a match to determine the number one contender for the RAW Tag Team titles. I believe that the Revival will cheat in order to win the match, and at SummerSlam, the Viking Raiders will interfere in the match, setting up a big three-way match down the road.
#1 Keep Seth Rollins off TV
For most people, Brock Lesnar’s heinous attack on Seth Rollins was the highlight of last week’s show. The initial beatdown was so severe that Seth had to be stretchered out of the arena. Brock’s follow up attack only served to aggravate the injuries he had already inflicted on Seth.
At the time of writing this article, Seth had refused to make any public statement in regards to the extent of his injuries, and we can only guess at how severe they are. Being F-5ed onto a stretcher does not look fun.
In light of this, the WWE needs to keep Seth away from the screen to give him time to heal and rest up so that he can be at 100% for his match against Brock. If Seth makes an appearance at RAW and Brock manages to get his hands on him, then we might not have a SummerSlam main event.
Keeping Seth away from RAW is best for business!
What do you want to see on this week's episode of RAW?
