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WWE pulled out all the stops on this week's edition of Monday Night RAW and every single moment of the show felt meaningful. Perhaps that had something to do with the subtle heel turn by Seth Rollins at the beginning of the broadcast, or the way AJ Styles lost the United States Championship to Rey Mysterio, but WWE really brought it this time.
Keep in mind that the company accomplished all of this after three straight days of programming, which should show the WWE Universe how invested the company is right now. It should also show that they aren't going to pull any punches heading into the final months of the year and fans should be excited about that.
With that stated and another edition of Monday Night RAW in the books, here are five major developments from this week's Red Brand episode. As always, make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what you think will unfold over the next couple of weeks.
#5 Buddy Murphy gets a key win
Buddy Murphy has already picked up quite a few key wins during his run on the main roster and while nothing will top his victory over Daniel Bryan, him knocking out the returning Matt Hardy was interesting. It is also what could help propel him to RAW's main event card, which is where he deserves to be.
Whether that ultimately pans out or not remains to be seen and will depend on where the company wants to go with this, but a win over a veteran like Matt Hardy is a very promising start. Beyond that, it was an uptick in Murphy's brutality that will serve him well when he takes on Aleister Black next. The two came to blows last night on RAW in what appears to be a promising feud heading forward.
#4 AOP asserting themselves
It's no secret that making an impact is important in WWE and AOP managed to do just that during this edition of Monday Night RAW. Furthermore, they did so at a time when tag teams are largely relegated to the mid or lower card, which seems to prove just how invested WWE is with this team.
Keep in mind that WWE had these two interrupt the main event of Monday Night RAW, beat down Kevin Owens and then leave Seth Rollins unharmed. Not only does this seem to hint at The Authors of Pain working with 'The Kingslayer' in the future, but it also gives them a lot of momentum heading forward.
Momentum will be essential to The Authors of Pain, if they have any hope of trying to stay above water. The duo are also likely to give Rollins an insurance policy going forward. The two could also feud with The Viking Raiders, The O.C., or any of RAW's top tandems in the future.
That's a lot for WWE to accomplish in one night and yet, somehow they did it. If nothing else, it keeps The Authors of Pain relevant, helps Seth Rollins transition into his heel turn, and brings about a number of interesting possibilities.
#3 Rey Mysterio becomes United States Champion
What a strange trip it's been for Rey Mysterio. That's the only way to describe the series of events that unfolded around the United States Championship picture on RAW. It all started with a scheduled title match between Humberto Carrillo and AJ Styles, which never got going thanks to a beatdown at the hands of The O.C.
Things wouldn't end there, however, as Superstar after Superstar would interrupt in order to demand a United States Championship opportunity from AJ Styles. 'The Phenomenal One' tried to play it off that he was injured after his Survivor Series match against Roderick Strong and Shinsuke Nakamura, but no one was buying it.
Then it happened. WWE pulled one of its many audibles of the night and created a Fatal Four Way matchup to determine the new number one contender. The match involved Randy Orton, Richochet, Drew McIntyre, and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio went on to win the match and then face off against United States Champion AJ Styles immediately thereafter.
Mysterio went on to win the United States Title from Styles thanks to an assist from Randy Orton, which has fans wondering what happens next? Fortunately for fans, however, that is one of the many questions the company will be answering over the next couple of weeks and with TLC on the horizon, it should be fun to watch play out.
#2 Not focusing on WWE Title picture
While WWE made huge gains during this week's edition of Monday Night RAW, one thing they didn't seem to move forward with was the WWE Championship picture. Sure, they made reference to it at the beginning of the show when Seth Rollins told Rey Mysterio that he let RAW down, but nothing was mentioned past that.
Interestingly enough, however, WWE seems to have enough blockbuster feuds right now that they don't need a WWE Championship feud. In fact, between Kevin Owens versus Seth Rollins, the ongoing saga for the United States Title, and Rusev versus Bobby Lashley, WWE has a lot to work with.
There are also The Authors of Pain, whose interference in Monday's main event has everyone talking at the moment. Whether that actually pans out or not remains to be seen and will depend on how the company books things, but again, WWE has an abundance of riches when it comes to storylines.
the end, Monday Night's episode of RAW proved one thing and that's the fact that they don't need Brock Lesnar - at least not right now. With the way things are at present, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine Lesnar not being needed until the build to Royal Rumble.
#1 Rollins heel turn
Seth Rollins addressed the RAW roster at the top of Monday Night's broadcast, but he insisted on blaming others for the brand's failure at Survivor Series and not himself. He even went as far as to verbally attack Charlotte Flair, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton, who all walked out on him.
As if this wasn't all jaw dropping enough, he then went on to berate Kevin Owens, leading to 'The Prizefighter' nailing him with a stunner. The two would ultimately go on to settle their score in Monday night's main event, but that seemed to create more questions than answers.
In fact, between The Authors of Pain coming to the ring and attacking Kevin Owens, to Rollins standing by and letting them, it seems like WWE teased some kind of alliance for the future. The move would make sense if Rollins is truly a heel, especially since that's what they have done with him in the past. As mentioned previously, it would also be a huge momentum builder for AOP.
In the end, this was the heel turn that the WWE Universe has been clamoring for and it's finally come. Where it goes is up to WWE Creative, but there is a lot to work with given the fact that Kevin Owens is arguably WWE's biggest babyface and AOP is involved.
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