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The last week in professional wrestling has been bizarre. The Shield reunited, back in their old form, Kurt Angle returned to the ring, Kane rose from the depths of hell, and a live crowd chanted 'That was murder.'
WWE has made some promising changes to its booking, and the fans seem to have lapped it up. Last week's RAW was one of the best shows in a long time, and the trend of top-notch sports entertainment continued with this week's episode.
This episode was a fallout to an oddly satisfying TLC PPV, and everything about this episode was perfect from start to finish. We look at five major talking points from this week's Monday Night Raw.
#5 Battle for brand supremacy is here
Kurt Angle opened Monday Night Raw and kicked off the build to Survivor Series with some significant announcements. He announced a slew of inter-promotional matches between the champions of the two brands, bringing back the successful formula of Raw vs. Smackdown from last year.
A lot of matches announced by the RAW GM were exciting and immediately caught the attention of the fans. The battle between the two brands has always been an enthralling sight for the WWE Universe, and WWE has given the fans exactly what they wanted.
The traditional 5 vs 5 Survivor Series match last year was a Match of the Year contender, and bringing back the format this year as well adds a lot of promise to the final 'big' PPV of the year.
#4 The Monsters to collide soon
Kane turned on his teammate Braun Strowman at TLC, shocking the WWE Universe with his actions. Strowman seems to have turned face for the first time in his main roster run and looks set to collide with the Big Red Monster, Kane.
Kane has held his own in WWE for the past two decades and is in the twilight of his career. His days in WWE look numbered, and hence the decision to pair him opposite Braun Strowman for a final confrontation is a wise move.
Kane can help Braun in a significant way and can put over the Monster Among Men in a grand manner in this feud.
#3 Survivor Series comes early for cruiserweights
WWE gave the fans a preview of what to expect at Survivor Series by putting together a five on five traditional match between The Zo Train and Team Lucha Lucha. The cruiserweights are no strangers to multi-man matches, but with Survivor Series in sight, a matchup between the two groups seemed interesting.
WWE has started putting more attention on the cruiserweight division of late, and this has resulted in the 205 live Superstars gaining more screen time.
Superstars like Drew Gulak, Rich Swann, and Cedric Alexander are becoming much more popular among the WWE Universe.
The Cruiserweight Revolution seems to be in full flow, and WWE should continue giving these Superstars a chance to shine.
#2 The Beast vs The Maharaja
Jinder Mahal has been booked as a cowardly champion for the last six months, and WWE is making sure he remains one, by having Paul Heyman put the Modern Day Maharaja down with the mic on RAW.
Paul Heyman showed no mercy towards the WWE champion, humiliating Mahal in every way possible. Mahal is already a major heat-magnet in WWE and this even strengthens his position as the top "villain" of SDL.
Jinder Mahal is most likely going to be squashed in his matchup against Brock Lesnar, but WWE should capitalise on this opportunity and try to legitimise the current WWE champion ahead of the India tour.
A dominant performance for Mahal even in a losing effort can be a massive bonus for WWE and can solidify Mahal's status as a top champion.
#1 Takeover
In one of the finest segments that WWE has produced in years, the whole Smackdown roster ambushed the RAW locker room, destroying the Superstars of RAW mercilessly. Shane McMahon seems to have reignited his rivalry with Kurt Angle, and this led to a brilliant beatdown of the Raw locker room.
The sight of Superstars such as Corbin and Rusev leading the march in the arena, vandalising everything in their path was a great moment for the fans.
This segment to end the episode was a great decision and has excited fans for this week's Smackdown Live as well as next month's Survivor Series.
