#4 Shocking Moments – Winner: Raw
Trending
Another close category this week. SmackDown did have the debut of Lana, which received a much warmer welcome than I think many were expecting, but other than that the show mainly relied on the in-ring action and a few comedy talking segments.
Raw managed to pull ahead again here, especially when you take Samoa Joe’s beat down on Paul Heyman into account. Perhaps if the Beast himself had have shown up, the shock factor would have been even higher. I don’t think many people were expecting Joe to take Heyman down like that, as this usually happens a little closer to the PPV itself when Brock is there to make the save.
The dynamics of this feud are actually pretty interesting, as it's not too clear who is supposed to be the face/heel. When Brock does finally come back, it’s going to be difficult for SmackDown to match it.
Nia Jax receiving a title shot so soon was a bit of a shocking moment in itself, but not necessarily for the right reasons. This feud needs a lot more build before they start giving away all the action so early.
It was right for Raw not to give away too much in terms of their two mysterious backstage storylines, but when we do learn the truth surrounding them, expect a lot more shocking moments than we got this week.
