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The 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw was presented live from the Manhattan and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY simultaneously and was expected to be a 'gargantuan' celebration of the longest running, weekly episodic television show in history. Well, the way in which WWE hyped this episode, it was expected of them to produce a colossal nostalgic cracker of an episode but, unfortunately, the show fell flat on its face.
The fans in the Manhattan Center were disappointed to the extent of asking for refunds with WWE failing to produce what they promised. The whole show was rushy, boring and a disappointing mess.
Here are the five major things we learned from the 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw
#5 The 16-time World Champion will feud with Elias
Well, when Elias came to address the vocal Brooklyn crowd at the Barclays Center and started talking trash about the past legends, there was a corner in your heart that was anticipating an unexpected shocking interruption by the Rock. However, things did not fall into place as we expected it to be & 'the Drifter' was confronted by 'the 16-time World Champion', John Cena.
Now, despite the fact that Elias is a talented young performer and, continues to receive loud reactions from the WWE Universe, the fans & the critics alike did not expect John Cena to be involved in another segment with him. The two traded shots at each other which culminated with Elias hitting 'the Franchise' with his guitar and completely destroyed him.
While we have to appreciate WWE's idea of giving ' the Drifter' a big push but, the fans tuned into Raw 25 anticipating a monumental confrontation between 'the 16-time World Champion' & the Undertaker. The decimation by Elias has answered the pertinent question on - What is next for Cena? It seems the two will tear each other apart in the Royal Rumble match & will have a mini filler feud before Wrestle Mania.
#4 Roman Reigns now becomes a major favorite to win the Rumble
Well, win, lose or draw, the focus will always be on Roman Reigns. "The Big Dog" lost the Intercontinental Championship to 'the A-Lister' in controversial fashion in what was a decent championship match. The Miz defeated Roman to become an 8-time Intercontinental Champion and while the match ended with the former getting the better off the champion, it wouldn't be considered a loss for Roman Reigns as far as his position & future prospects are concerned.
The loss comes with a possible hint on what could culminate on this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. The former Intercontinental Champion has now the odds in his favour and, could walk out of the Wells Fargo Center as the ultimate winner. "The Big Dog" is scheduled to face 'the Beast Incarnate' at Wrestle Mania 34 and, the loss only goes on to prove that the company will push the envelope for this feud.
However, the fact that 'the A-Lister reclaimed' his championship again must be appreciated and he fairly deserves to be acknowledged for making the title prestigious and relevant.
#3 The Balor Club got a major endorsement
A significant 'up' from last night's Monday Night Raw was the classic 'too-sweet' moment between D-Generation X, Kliq & the Balor Club. Finn Balor despite being engraved in history as the First-Ever Universal Champion, the man was directionless for most of 2017 and, was ruled out of a potential money making match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.
A potential reunion of 'the Demon' with his good brothers has brought him back to the main event picture and, placed him on the top of the food chain again. The most fun part of the 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw came when D-Generation X made their way to the ring to ignite a disappointed crowd at the Manhattan Center followed by a cameo appearance by Scott Hall.
The Balor Club interrupted the legendary men to a loud reaction and shared a 'too-sweet' moment with them which only justifies that Finn's popularity & ability to shine through the ropes is admired by the Game and, he continues to put him 'over' whenever he can. There could be conflicting opinions regarding the Revivals' booking last night but, there's no denying that the Balor Club was endorsed in a gigantic manner.
#2 Brock Lesnar will not lose the Universal Championship
The 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw ended with a colossal confrontation between the champion & the challengers. The feud has got all the ingredients to be a money match and WWE delivered another fantastic brawl between the three competitors with 'the Monster Among Men' decimating the Beast & the Machine once again.
The positive side of this feud has been WWE's vision to make Braun Strowman look like a legitimate main event threat who causes carnage wherever he goes and, takes a piece of his opponents with him. While this match could be Kane's final one and his inclusion in this feud is definitely to take the pin rather than getting the win.
Strowman did beat the hell out of Lesnar & Kane and, has continuously made statements with his viciousness but, it still won't be enough to conquer the "Beast Incarnate". Lesnar is scheduled to a date with Roman Reigns at the Super Dome this year which means that he won't lose the title to the Monster or the Machine. The Beast will enter the Wells Fargo Center with a purpose and that would be 'pure annihilation'.
#1 The Undertaker's future is still up in the air
Millions of WWE fans from around the world tuned to witness history and most importantly the Dead man's address to the WWE Universe. The fans and critics alike expected 'the Phenom' to be interrupted midway by 'the 16-time World Champion' to set a major main event feud culminating at Wrestle Mania but, nothing of such sort happened.
"The Deadman" made his way to the ring with the lights on and cut a confusing promo that has led to the speculation that he was done with the WWE. The promo did not serve anything substantial to look forward to and, with John likely to have a mini-feud with Elias for now, it still seems that the Phenom's future is still up in the air.
However, rumours are swirling around that the Undertaker & Cena are still scheduled for a fight at 'the Grandest Stage of them All' and with Royal Rumble just around the corner, it would be an ideal time for the reaper to return back for one final ride. While the fans have been utterly disappointed with Undertaker's current situation, it cannot be argued that "the Deadman" neither denied or accepted that he is retired. Well, let us dream.
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