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For the first time in history, WWE, short for "Walk With Elias", presented Monday Night RAW on Christmas. A sold-out arena in Chicago, which played the part of a perfect host, led to an engaging RAW from top to bottom.
Two surprising championship match-ups along with a host of other segments made the show memorable. John Cena, making his umpteenth return to WWE, kicked off the show in style. One of biggest revelations of 2017, Elias, went toe-to-toe with Cena, which helped his tremendous push.
We look at five major talking points from Monday Night RAW this week.
#5: Walking with Elias(W.W.E) is great!
Elias transcended onto the main roster in April, and was booked perfectly from day one. He made a name for himself back in NXT, shining out as one of the true heels on the roster. Professional Wrestling today lacks true heels, a superstar whose personality is completely hateful.
Elias has stood out as a perfect mid-card heel in the recent months and hence WWE's decision to give him a rub alongside the top superstars is a great decision. Interuppting Cena's promo and handling the ruckus crowd of Chicago with ease, Elias demonstrated why he is destined to become a future main-eventer.
Cena won their impromptu matchup with his "five moves of doom", but it doesn't take away the spotlight from a new star in WWE.
#4: Hideo Itami is definitely not OVER
Hideo Itami made his 205 Live debut last week and the crowd could not care less for the debuting star. Itami's arrival in NXT was met with much fanfare but this has not transcended onto the main roster.
Chicago, one of the hottest wrestling crowds in the world, were dead silent for the superstar and his Go To Sleep manoeuvre also couldn't evoke a reaction from the WWE Universe. Itami's career has been plagued with injuries which hasn't helped the matters.
Hideo Itami was one of the best wrestlers in the world at one time, and hence his current situation is pitiful. Hopefully this changes soon or else yet another top-level talent could become a victim of 205 Live booking.
#3: The Woken Universe is here.
As previously mentioned, this week's RAW featured an electric audience who were hot throughout the night. Bray Wyatt got a massive pop during his promo and when he declared he was here, Chicago went crazy. After weeks of duel promos, Wyatt entered the ring, only to be immediately attacked by Woken Matt.
Woken Matt Hardy made his first-ever appearance in WWE ring and brought the same in-ring attire he used while he was in TNA. Matt Hardy's return to RAW was phenomenal and the crowd was totally into it.
Bray Wyatt and Woken Matt are two fantastic characters in WWE and their feud feels fresh and engaging. Hopefully, this love for their feud doesn't die down anytime soon!
#2: Samoa Joe vs Samoan Joe is Awesome!
Samoa Joe has undoubtedly been one of the, if not the, finest overall performers in the company this year. His mannerisms on the mic and his in-ring performances have been amazing throughout the year. His promo with Renee Young was a classic example of his brilliant and natural charisma.
Joe and Reigns finally went head-to-head this week, producing a thrilling encounter. Joe has injured Rollins and Ambrose before and wanted to complete the hattrick this week. Reigns, on the other hand, was highly motivated to take revenge on Joe.
Both of these superstars have sublime chemistry and a full-fledged feud between these two will be awesome.
#1: Is this all a work?
The main-event of the night saw another unusual pairing in the form of Rollins and Jason Jordan take on the Bar. Dean Ambrose's injury last week led to Kurt Angle giving Rollins and Jordan an opportunity at the tag titles this week. WWE revealed that this injury could take up to nine months to recover from!
However, this could all be a work and sow the seeds of a heel turn for Dean Ambrose. WWE has exaggerated the extents of injuries before as well, so an early return for Ambrose could not be surprising.
Rollins and Jordan are now the tag team champions, and this could lead to Ambrose returning and taking out Rollins for teaming up with Jason. This SHIELD reunion has been nothing apart from a merch-selling run, so a breakup will be the best course of action.
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