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WWE does it again. Just one night after pulling out all the stops during an action-packed Fastlane pay per view, the company delivers once again with their latest edition of Monday Night Raw. In fact, between The Shield farewell speech to start the show, The IC title changing hands and Roman Reigns going one on one with Baron Corbin, it was certainly an eventful night.
Of course, it wasn't all roses and tulips as the company faced an occasional misstep here and there, but almost everything on the card from beginning to end served some kind of purpose. It also paved the way for what should be one of the most anticipated WrestleMania's in a long time, which is yet another feather in the company's cap.
With that being said and another edition of Monday Night Raw behind us, here are seven things the company hinted at on the red brand. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and also be sure to tell us what you think the company hinted at Monday Night and the effect it could have on WrestleMania 35.
#7 WWE giving up on Finn Balor
Let's be honest here!
WWE is giving up on Finn Balor once again and him losing The Intercontinental title on Monday Night Raw only proves it. Beyond that, it also pretty much takes him out of the title picture moving forward and might even leave The Demon King without a suitable opponent for WrestleMania 35.
With that being said, however, you can't really blame WWE for the decision they made here. In fact, with WWE already teasing Brock Lesnar versus Bobby Lashley in the near future, and Lashley needing some momentum in order to get there, this decision makes sense for everyone in the long term.
As for Balor, maybe this loss is what finally frees him up to compete for The Universal title later on in this year. Sure, maybe it will take him a while to get there, especially after taking a semi-clean loss to Lashley on Raw for the title, but if WWE is willing to bide there time once again it could pay off for Balor later. For now, however, the company seems to have given up on him again.
#6 Keeping their word on The Shield
Believe it or not, and some people really might not want to, but it seems that WWE is going to keep their word on The Shield reunion being a one time deal. Not only was that made absolutely clear when The Hounds of Justice laid waste to McIntyre, Lashley and Corbin, but also by the farewell address the group offered the next night on Raw.
Unfortunately for The WWE Universe, this likely means that The Shield is actually done as a group and the three members of the iconic faction will all be taking different roads to this year's WrestleMania. Of course, Dean Ambrose's and Roman Reigns' road remains unclear, but everyone knows that Rollins is set to go one on one with The Beast.
In the end, its both a baffling decision on WWE's part and a pretty smart one at the same time. Think about it like this: WWE could continue to milk The Shield for all its worth heading into WrestleMania 35, but that would serve little to no purpose beyond being a stop gap and could end up diminishing the value that the group has left.
With that being said, WWE made the right decision here and it looks like they are going to actually keep their word on this one.
#5 Dean Ambrose officially leaving
Another huge thing WWE hinted at Monday Night on Raw is the fact that Dean Ambrose is still planning to leave after his contract is up. While The WWE Universe has continued to hold out hope that The Lunatic Fringe would change his mind and sign on the dotted line once again, him not getting any microphone time during The Shield farewell was quite telling.
In fact, the only two scenarios that seem to make sense for why that would have happened is either WWE wants to shroud his decision in ambiguity, or they are legitimately afraid to let this man on the microphone and air his grievances. With that being said, either way, you look at, Ambrose not taking the microphone was a huge sign of his departure.
Who knows! Maybe things will change. Maybe WWE can convince him in one way or another to sign a brand new contract with the company, but Ambrose not even speaking during the opening segment of Monday night Raw seems to show that his decision is made up. Beyond that, it seems to show that the company knows this and are seemingly giving up.
#4 Alexa Bliss in a non-physical role for now
Why? That has to be the question on The WWE Universe's mind after Alexa Bliss revealed that she would be the host of WrestleMania 35 and while it is a high profile role for The Goddess of WWE, it also pretty much guarantees she will be in a non-physical role at the show. Beyond that, it also points to Bliss continuing to recover from her concussion injury.
Whether that is actually the reason why WWE is doing this or not remains to be seen and might never really become clear, but it looks like the company isn't comfortable with Bliss being in the ring right now. Not only is that evident by her diminished role inside the ring over the past couple of months, but also by the company continuing to focus on a moment of Bliss.
If nothing else, this is a huge sign that WWE will be keeping Bliss in a non-physical role for the foreseeable future, but wants her to continue to be a huge part of WWE as a whole.
#3 Triple H and Batista's last match?
Although WrestleMania 35 being Batista's last go around in WWE seemed like a foregone conclusion, the company is now hinting that it could be Triple H's as well. Of course, some of this could just be build up for the match between the two at the Show of Shows, but there was legitimately a sense that this would indeed be the last time we see The Game in action.
Not only is that evident by the fiery passion in Batista's plea for one more match, but also by what has happened in the last couple of months in Triple H's career. Think about it! Triple H's last match, which was a reunion with DX against The Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel was critically panned and resulted in him suffering a brutal injury.
Beyond all that, Triple H doesn't even seem like he can go like he used to, which makes his retirement at WrestleMania 35 all the more realistic. If nothing else, Triple H is going into The Hall of Fame as a part of DX is a multi-time champion and is one of most iconic stars in the company's history. He honestly just has nothing else to prove at this point.
#2 WWE pumping the brakes on Roman Reigns' return
Does anyone else feel like WWE is holding off on Roman Reigns' singles return? It honestly seems that way after Reigns was set to take on Baron Corbin in the main event of Monday Night Raw, but he was suddenly ambushed by Drew McIntyre and taken out with a series of Claymore kick that left Reigns reeling.
Things only got more interesting as Raw came back from break with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose escorting Roman Reigns to the trainers, which lead to Ambrose looking for Triple H to set up a match between him and McIntyre. Ambrose ultimately got his wish in a no disqualification match with McIntyre to end the show but ending up losing to the Scottish psychopath.
With that being said and The WWE Universe still having lackluster reaction to Roman Reigns, it definitely makes sense for the company to try to build up sympathy for the big dog before allowing him to make his official singles return. It also gives The WWE a chance to play off of Shield nostalgia without officially reuniting them, which is also very interesting.
#1 Dean Ambrose being written off television
Two freaking claymore kicks to the face.
That's the fate that Dean Ambrose suffered after going one on one with Drew McIntyre during the main event of Monday Night Raw and while The WWE Universe remained hopeful that Ambrose would get revenge for his fallen brother, he ultimately didn't. In fact, it seemed like this was WWE's way of writing Ambrose off television for the foreseeable future.
Not only was that evident by the brutality of the two claymore kicks that Ambrose took in the closing moments of the show, but also by the fact that his future with the company is still uncertain. With that in mind and WWE needing to sell the brutality of McIntyre, taking Ambrose off television for a few weeks makes sense.
Furthermore, this was a huge win for McIntyre and only furthers the idea that Ambrose is indeed on his way out of the company after WrestleMania 35. Whether that changes or not remains to be seen and will be the subject of much debate among The WWE Universe, but getting written off television is not a good sign.
