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This week in WWE, we got to see various things happen. Roman Reigns began a new feud with Elias and Shane McMahon. We also learned that Becky Lynch will defend both her titles at Money in the Bank in two separate matches. AJ Styles will face Seth Rollins for the Universal title at Money in the Bank in a dream match.
Today I am going to analyze some of the major segments and events of this week's main roster shows. There were several moments that stood out to me.
I will discuss my views on the matters at hand, then we will see how each of these things will help things going forward. Feel free to let me know your opinion on the topics I cover in the comments section below.
Let's begin.
#7 Roman Reigns begins a feud with Shane McMahon and Elias
Last week on Smackdown Live during the Superstar Shakeup, we saw Vince McMahon announce Elias as Smackdown's " biggest acquisition ". Many of us certainly don't think of Elias that way, as he has been booked as midcard fodder for most of his career. Sure enough, the " big acquisition " for Smackdown actually turned out to be 'The Big Dog' Roman Reigns. Upon arrival, he laid waste to both Elias and Vince.
The storyline between Vince and Roman progressed further this week. Shane McMahon called out The Big Dog for attacking his father, leading to both Shane and Elias beating up Reigns. Later in the show, it was announced that Roman Reigns will face Elias at MITB.
Looking at the storyline arc, it's fairly easy to see that WWE is keeping Roman away from the title scene, which is a good thing. It appears that going forward, Roman will not be in the title picture.
There is the possibility that Roman may have even asked the company to keep him out of the title scene for awhile. It could be to give himself time to regain confidence in himself and continue to let his body recuperate. He may have decided to step back so others get their opportunity also.
When Roman does eventually get back in the title hunt, he shouldn't keep getting opportunities. Once he has had no more than two chances, he needs to go to the back of the line and wait his turn. The company will be going against everything they promised us if they don't keep their word.
A few mid card feuds will be good to build him back into being the guy he once was. Elias and Jinder Mahal are good opponents to begin with. Some may see this as a disservice to Reigns, but it will benefit him in the long-run.
WWE must not make the same mistakes with him this time in the booking of his character, or they risk the crowd turning on him like before. He does not need to be portrayed as an underdog or somebody that needs to cut a lengthy promo. Let's face it, he isn't good at either of those things.
He needs to portray the silent, badass character, that mainly lets his actions do the talking. He should only talk when the situation calls for it.
#6 Bray Wyatt returns to WWE with a new character
For weeks, we have been seeing these creepy vignettes being played on our screens. While many of us knew it was Bray Wyatt, what we didn't know was how strange his new gimmick would be. After all, the last time we saw Bray on TV was when he was part of a tag team with Matt Hardy last year.
It's fair to say that Bray is back with a new look and a new lease on the life of his career in WWE. His old gimmick was completely dead in the water, which was down to incompetent booking of the gimmick.
Bray Wyatt's new character appears to be that of a children's talk show host in the "Firefly Funhouse". His new gimmick just seems to have a fresh type of vibe to it, and could be a successful one if it's booked correctly.
The best thing about this gimmick is that it includes elements out of his old gimmick, such as the mention of Firefly and the 'Buzzard. All isn't what it seems though, as we witnessed Bray cut a cardboard copy of himself up with a chainsaw. Something about this new character feels like that it's even more evil than his old one, maybe with the way he speaks and his mannerisms. It certainly has horror/ thriller film elements to it.
My take on this new character is it certainly is a different type of character from what WWE usually give us. There is no margin for error in this character. If it doesn't work due to bad booking, Bray Wyatt will be seen as nothing more than a joke and he will be a jobber. It will certainly mean his career in WWE would be over, as no-one would take him seriously.
The WWE would be criticized by the fans for ruining one of their best all round talents. Bray deserves a chance to succeed, while WWE need to capitalize on the man's capabilities as a performer. I certainly hope it works out for him.
#5 Lars Sullivan destroys multiple superstars
Since the Raw after WrestleMania, we have seen The Freak Lars Sullivan destroy many superstars. Many legends like Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, R Truth and the Hardy Boys have all been victims.
This week however, we saw Sullivan destroy 4 other superstars. Chad Gable was on his way to the ring for a match with Jinder Mahal (accompanied by the Singh Brothers), when Sullivan attacked Gable on the entrance ramp. Sullivan destroyed him and then the Singh brothers, while Jinder Mahal managed to escape. R-Truth tried to come out and get revenge from the previous week on Sullivan, however he got destroyed as well.
Many people may not be happy with how Sullivan is just being used to demolish people, however like it or not, it is effectively building him up for when he does start a program with somebody. Yes, he does need to start having matches soon, but it appears WWE are going about it a different way.
Rather than Lars just destroying local jobbers, WWE are having him their own established superstars. Sure it's understandable that it's either legends or lower midcard talent, but the point is that it's not a group of local jobbers like the usual trope is. It is instantly making the talent on the roster fear Sullivan, which is making him look credible.No superstar on Smackdown knows if they will be his next casualty, which adds to his aura.
It certainly seems like WWE are going to try and make The Freak a cross between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. He debuted on the main roster in the same fashion Lesnar did in 2002, yet he is built along the same lines as Braun Strowman. If anything, he could be the next big thing in the company.
His first program should preferably be with a big name star who could give him a rub. WWE know that he can't just keep going and destroying superstars. It's clear though, that there are big plans in place for him. We must remember that Sullivan has come back after having time off to deal with mental health issues. It could be why the company is easing him into his role. I'm sure many of us can't wait to see him in action.
#4 Becky Lynch will have two matches at Money in the Bank
It was confirmed last week that Becky will defend her Raw Women's Championship against Lacey Evans at Money in the Bank. This week we learned that Becky will be facing Charlotte Flair at MITB for the SmackDown Women's Championship, after Flair scored a win over Bayley.
This could mean that Becky might be losing either one or both championships at MITB. There is the unlikelihood that she retains both titles, however it would be unfair for the rest of the women's division.
So far, Becky Lynch has been a decent champion. She has clearly lost a bit of steam in her character though, and it's hurting her standing as a top star. Towards Survivor Series last year was when her character was at its peak. Unfortunately, since the start of 2019, she has started pandering and embracing the crowd too much.
She needs to go back to being that relentless, ruthless person that she was late last year. It is hard to tell at this point why her character narrative is in a slump, however maybe management felt that she had the support there to keep the momentum going.
Another possible reason may have been the amount of complaints over her brutal Twitter insults (which I personally feel added a layer to the character and was epic to watch). Many feel that the insults traded between Lynch and Rousey crossed the line. It helped build the storyline between them, even if there is real life heat there.
Charlotte is constantly receiving title shots over other women, which means we have to see another match between the duo. They do put on great matches, but this rivalry should not continue beyond MITB. Lynch and Flair have been feuding since Summerslam last year, making it quite old and tiresome now. WWE need to start building up other women to challenge for the titles.
I am looking forward to seeing the Lacey/ Becky match and hope they gel together in the ring. Lacey must not win the title yet as it's too soon. The best thing to do would be for Becky to drop the Smackdown Women's title to Charlotte Flair (even though she has held it enough times). Lynch can have a lengthy run with the Raw Women's title.
Becky needs to be on Raw permanently, as the Smackdown Women's division is stacked, while Raw's isn't exactly looking strong.
#3 Bayley making a change to her character?
Since Bayley is no longer in a tag team with Sasha Banks, she hasn't been the same lovable, smiling person that we are used to seeing. Bayley appears to have more of an edge about her character, as witnessed over the last two weeks. She looks unhappy, yet seems determined to get her singles career back on track.
We witnessed her get a win last week in a 8 person tag team match, when Bayley, Ember Moon, Asuka and Kiari Sane took on the IIconics and Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. This week Bayley confronted Becky and Charlotte, stating that she wanted a chance to fight for the women's title. Charlotte and Bayley had a match to determine the Number One Contender to the Smackdown Women's Championship.
It was really good to see Bayley's new found aggressive attitude, as her character needed a change. WWE may even give Bayley a run as a heel soon, which many of us would be happy to see. Bayley getting right up in Charlotte's face when Charlotte mocked her before the match, was impressive to watch. Equally impressive was the match that they put on with each other, with Bayley keeping on Charlotte throughout the match. Bayley may have lost, however she came out of it looking like a million bucks.
The thing that is driving Bayley is that there's some real emotions in her character at the moment. Her frustration with management seems to be pushing her to take all of her aggression out in the ring. I like this as it could spell good things for Bayley's career, with her new found attitude.
We have seen moments of her aggression in NXT, as well as moments on the main roster. The WWE may begin to build her up for a Women's title run over the next few months. Let's hope something positive comes out of all this.
#2 AJ Styles versus Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank
On Monday Night Raw this week, we saw two triple threat matches take place. The winner of each match faced off in the Main Event on Raw. AJ Styles defeated Baron Corbin to become the Number One Contender to Seth Rollins for the Universal Title. After the match we saw Seth come out and congratulate Styles on his win.
This match is a dream match that's been in the making since Styles arrived in WWE. At the moment, there is no narrative in the story apart from the championship at stake. Unfortunately I don't see there being a clear winner in this match, especially if they both stay as faces. It is possible that one of them turns heel soon, probably after the first match to continue their rivalry.
Another possibility is that a heel is inserted into the match to add to the narrative. This would not be the ideal scenario, as it would ruin the dream one on one match from happening. The only other finish to the match is a heel winning the MITB briefcase. They could then cash in during the match to protect both Styles and Rollins. Again, not an ideal scenario, as Seth deserves a longer title run.
Honestly speaking, this will be excellent to watch if WWE can book it correctly. We know that both of these superstars are superb in the ring, however not all dream matches have been great in WWE (Nakamura v Styles).
If this is going to be a long feud, Styles would be the perfect person to turn heel. His face character has been stale for quite awhile now and he knows how to be a cocky, arrogant heel (watch him in TNA Impact Wrestling). A heel Styles versus a face Rollins is money. Seth Rollins can certainly play the part of a heel, however he is more over as a face than Styles. He would be the better choice as a face.
#1 Kevin Owens turns heel on The New Day
Kevin Owens being a temporary replacement in the New Day was never going to work. Sure it was fun to watch him eat pancakes and gyrating his hips. Owens has never exactly been known to be loyal to his friends. The Prizefighter absolutely destroyed Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods after Kofi's match with Shinsuke Nakamura on Smackdown this week. He made his intentions perfectly clear that he is coming for the WWE Championship.
Turning him heel again was certainly the right thing to do for a number of reasons. He was not working out as a face because of how WWE introduced him back into the fold (as Daniel Bryan's opponent at Fastlane while Kofimania was red hot). If it had of been done any other way, Owens could have had a decent run as a face.
Secondly Owens works better as a heel, as he is excellent on the mic and even better at drawing heat from the crowd. His heel character had gotten stale before he got injured last year, however it was due to getting lost in the shuffle on Raw. Now that he has been back a couple of months and had a small face run, it's time to bring back the ruthless side of him. Having the time off and a brief face run, has allowed the company to present his heel persona in a refreshing way.
Lastly, WWE do not have another big heel to feud with Kofi, since Bryan is out injured. Kevin Owens was the only one in a position that they could turn heel. There is a real possibility that he has a drawn out rivalry with Kofi, eventually even taking away the WWE Title from him.There is already an inbuilt story for WWE to play off. Owens may feel that Kofi took his WrestleMania spot away from him. KO did not get to have a match at the Show of Shows.
MITB could be one of the best PPV's of the year if it's booked correctly. WWE need to continue with building people up for all their championships. After all, people do not want part time world champions again. WWE have the most talented roster that any company has ever had.
By trusting guys like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins , Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens with the two world titles, the company is in safe hands. What once seemed impossible for smaller guys to achieve, has now turned into a reality. Smaller superstars can hold a world title in WWE now, as it's no longer the land of the giants.They have all worked hard and earned their spot to fight for the two most coveted titles in WWE today.
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