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This week's Raw episode (December 17th), the McMahon family announced changes for WWE. Firstly, Kurt Angle returned to end Baron Corbin's reign as Raw General Manager, (watch the video below). Secondly, Stephanie McMahon shook up the women's division. She arranged a Gauntlet match with the winner facing Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's championship.
Following the outcome of Raw things have shaped nicely for 2019. The feud between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose still has more to come. Whereas, the Tag Team division has been refreshed and finally has value. Ultimately, the future looks bright. However, some wrestlers deserve their opportunity. Let's explore a few options.
4. Finn Balor (Intercontinental Championship)
Finn Balor is a former NXT and Universal Champion. Quite literally, Balor exhumes excitement everywhere he performs. However, since his injury in 2016 fans have missed out on Balor's immense talent. Until recently Balor seemed lost within the roster, being relegated to mid-card feuds.
At TLC Balor faced off against Drew McIntyre and surprisingly walked out as the victor. Before the match, almost everyone thought Balor had limited chances to win. Importantly this match served both wrestlers. It furthered the tension between McIntyre and Ziggler. Moreover, it provided a future feud between Ziggler and Balor following backstage shenanigans.
This week on Raw (December 17th), Balor faced Ziggler in a singles match, (watch the video below). His performances at TLC 2018 and Raw have cemented his future with WWE. Moreover, with the announcements made by the McMahon family, now could be Balor's time to shine. Nevertheless, when could this be expected? One direction could be to challenge Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental championship. Primarily due to a lack of opponents outside of Seth Rollins.
3. Elias (Intercontinental Championship)
Elias debuted in 2014 for the NXT brand. During his tenure, Elias had numerous feuds. Notably with names like; Tucker Knight, Shinsuke Nakamura, Apollo Crews, and Buddy Murphy. Nevertheless, fans had yet seen the best from Elias.
On April 10th, 2017, he debuted on the Raw brand. Since then, his character has exponentially developed. Elias is arguably one of the most popular performers in modern WWE history. His interactions with WWE fans are brilliant. In recent months Elias has been involved in a feud with Bobby Lashley. At TLC 2018, the two faced off in a Ladder match. Their match afforded decent entertainment value. However, left fans wondering what will happen next.
On this week's Raw (December 17th), Lashley conducted a segment alongside Lio Rush, which Elias interrupted, (watch the video below). They compete on Raw next week. Nevertheless, this feud is holding back both performers. With Elias' extreme popularity he deserves a bright future.
2. Natalya (Raw Women's Championship)
Throughout her tenure with WWE, Natalya has performed in; NXT, SmackDown, and Raw. The level of experience Natalya possess served her well. Moreover, it helped develop Ronda Rousey. Before debuting Rousey spent exponential time training with Natalya. They became close on-screen.
Recently on Raw (December 17th), Natalya defeated multiple opponents in a Gauntlett match. Notably including names like; Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Bayley, (watch the video below). On next weeks episode of Raw, Rousey and Natalya will compete for the Raw Women's championship. Could this be Natalya's time to shine?
1. The Revival
Since their arrival in WWE, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson have generated intrigue, collectively they are known as; The Revival. During their tenure with NXT, Revival achieved immense success. They would win two NXT Tag Team championships, which was rare.
Debuting on April 3rd, 2017, they answered the New Day's open challenge, which they would win. However, since then Revival has been relegated to poor segments. On the Raw 25th anniversary, they were fodder for Degeneration X. However, their fortunes have changed in recent weeks.
On this week's Raw (December 18th), The Revival defeated; Lucha House Party, Authors of Pain, and B-Team, (watch the video below). They will face Chad Gable and Bobby Roode for the Raw Tag Team championships. Hopefully, this forms the basis for a bright future, because the Revival is an excellent team.
They deserve recognition. Considering recent speculation concerning The Elite joining WWE. Could there be a future interaction between these performers?
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
