'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Royal Rumble is just around the corner, and the presence of new wrestling promotion AEW is looming over WWE so it's no surprise that they decided to pull out all the stops on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.
However what was surprising is quite how many stops they decided to pull out and how many last minute swerves were made that we just simply weren't expecting: a title match was changed, titles changed hands, things were revealed, and Superstars debuted. It was a huge episode for excitement.
So without further ado let's go through the list of eight totally unexpected, completely out-of-the-blue, 100% bonkers surprises that took place on Monday Night Raw
#8. Vince McMahon was on Monday Night Raw
Sure, Vince McMahon has gotten more involved in both SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw following the big shake-up a few weeks ago that saw the McMahon family take back control of the shows from the General Managers.
But at this point it's still a huge surprise when the Chairman of WWE decides to show up on a live show, and the fact they opened the episode with him arriving in a limo should have been enough to tip everyone off that we were in for a night of surprises.
They then had Mr. McMahon confront an enraged Braun Strowman, who was hunting for Baron Corbin, which ultimately resulted in Strowman being pulled from the Royal Rumble match for the Universal Title.
See what I mean? Big things always happen when Vince McMahon is on the show, the episode had barely begun and already the man at the top had made his presence felt and removed Strowman from the Royal Rumble title match.
Vince McMahon would later go on to announce a Fatal Four-way match between Finn Balor, John Cena, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre, with the winner facing Lesnar for the title at Rumble.
#7. Braun Strowman rips a door off of Vince McMahon's limo and tips it over
'The Monster Among Men' started the show in the ring talking about getting his hands on Brock Lesnar but was interrupted by Baron Corbin, and an angered Strowman chased Corbin backstage and was pointed towards the limo by Elias. Unfortunately Strowman thought Corbin was in the limo Vince McMahon had just arrived in, so pulled the door off. Obviously.
Strowman also assaulted the limo driver until Vince McMahon intervened and the boss was not happy, not happy at all. Not only did he fine 'The Monster Among Men' but he removed Strowman from the Universal Title match at Royal Rumble. This is how Strowman responded.
#6. Jerry Lawler makes an appearance
Jerry Lawler recently signed a new deal with WWE and Raw was in his hometown this week so perhaps this wasn't as much as a bonkers surprise as it could have been without that context, but the legendary commentator was backstage on Raw!
And what was he doing? He was seen coming out of Mr. McMahon's office with a queue of Superstars waiting to speak to McMahon for opportunities. Then he was reacting to the sheer nonsense that is No Way Jose's posse of party goers of course!, It's great to have you back Jerry Lawler. Hopefully you'll be commentating soon and not just reacting to things backstage.But I'll settle for either.
#5. EC3, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery make main roster debuts
After weeks of teasing, most of the pre-announced call-ups from NXT were finally seen on the main roster either during backstage segments, in-ring segments or even a match. It's clear the WWE is taking its time with them all.
EC3 was spotted backstage waiting to talk to Vince McMahon during the Revival vs. Lucha House Party match, and Lacey Evans was spotted by Finn Balor backstage talking to some of the other Raw female Superstars.
Heavy Machinery's Otis Dozovic interrupted 'A Moment of Bliss' leading to Tucker Knight having to remove him from the segment, and Nikki Cross debuted on Raw in a match teaming up with Natalya and Bayley against the Riott Squad and picked up a win.
#4. Bobby Lashley wins the Intercontinental Title
In a Triple Threat match between longtime rivals Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as well as Bobby Lashley, the unthinkable happened. Dean Ambrose lost his Intercontinental Title and Seth Rollins DIDN'T win it back!
This might have been expected with people thinking Rollins is a favourite to win the Rumble match, which means he doesn't need the title. However, I doubt many people expected Bobby Lashley to walk out of Monday Night Raw with the title.
#3. Alexa Bliss caught changing backstage
In a weird backstage segment just before the talk show segment 'A Moment of Bliss' a backstage assistant walked in on Alexa Bliss changing to give her coffee. Naturally Bliss told him to put the coffee down and leave.
The surprise here is that WWE decided to do this segment at all, even thought it was all PG rated, it's still a weird thing to throw into the show for seemingly no reason. I mean, if this is the beginning of a storyline, what could they possibly be going for?
#2. Women's Tag Titles revealed
Finally the Women's Tag Team Titles that have been announced were revealed when Alexa Bliss unveiled them during her 'A Moment of Bliss' segment. But Bliss didn't stop there and went on to announce exactly when and how we'll get our first Women's Tag Team Champions.
Three teams from Raw and three teams from SmackDown Live will compete for the opportunity to become the first new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions and they'll do so inside the Elimination Chamber!
#1. Finn Balor becomes #1 Contender to Brock Lesnar's Universal Title
Having already overcome Jinder Mahal earlier on in the night Finn Balor triumphed over John Cena, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin to win the Fatal Fourway match to close out the show and earn the right to replace Braun Strowman against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble.
I don't think anyone would have expected this sequence of events at the start of Monday Night Raw, but here we are. Finn Balor is going to absolutely kill it against Brock Lesnar as we've already seen during NXT UK: TakeOver that he's capable of stepping up a gear when needed.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
