'%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)
Paul Heyman had his grubs on this week's episode of RAW and if you are a fan of his style of sports entertainment, I'm sure you were entertained. Some others may have been turned off by the edginess of the content, especially at the very end.
From Brock Lesnar starting things off in classic fashion to Bobby Lashley making an interesting return at the end, this was an intense show. In this article, I shall elaborate as to what I was a fan of and what I did not care for on this week's Season Premiere episode.
One thing that is for sure is that WWE will be a very different place with Heyman and Bischoff leading the charge going forward. Vince McMahon may become a lot busier with the XFL, meaning that we'll see the signatures of both of these mad geniuses in the weeks that follow.
RAW kickstarted a very eventful week of wrestling, and here are the salient highlights...
#1 Best: Bobby Lashley returns
Bobby Lashley can be a power player in whichever brand he eventually ends up. There is no way you can book someone like Bobby Lashley in the undercard and whether or not you like his strange alliance with Lana, I think that his return bodes well for the company.
And the fact that him and Rusev seem like they'll be on a collision course in the days that follow is also a very good sign, at least in my opinion. Rusev has been an underutilized player for such a long time and it's finally time for him to showcase his potential to the fullest.
How do you think the Lana-Lashley storyline will pan out, ladies and gentlemen? Let us know in the comments section below.
#1 Worst: 17-time Champion?
It is often an area of dispute in terms of how many times Ric Flair actually became the World Champion. I think everyone knows by now that the number is a lot more than 16 for sure, but less than 21, if certain reports are to be believed.
However, when it comes to WWE history, Ric Flair is a 16-time World Champion and not a 17-time Champion, as the botch this week showed us. This was really hilarious in a sense because it showed that while Paul Heyman had fixed the big picture, there were little details that were waiting to be fixed.
Of course, the internet went wild when the botch happened and everyone went crazy Tweeting this out. Botches can diminish and derail a good product and I really do not think that this should have happened.
Let's hope WWE learned from their mistake this week.
#2 Best: Brock lays out Mysterio and Dominick
What's not to like about an unstoppable monster stepping up to take out Rey Mysterio and his little boy at the top of the show? Even Paul Heyman seemed absolutely terrified and traumatized when he saw how reprehensible Brock Lesnar's actions truly were. Sportskeeda's Facebook page is going bonkers reacting to Brock Lesnar's actions.
Lesnar is such a believable character that he makes one forget that sports entertainment is a scripted art form. I'm sure that this is potentially leading to a clash between Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio in what should be a match for the ages. I know that a lot of people tuned in to see Mysterio vs. Rollins but this was a good compromise.
Rumors about that Cain Velasquez may be next for Brock Lesnar, inside a wrestling ring. Could this have been the setup for that, as Velasquez is a luchador?!
#2 Worst: The commentary unit
I did not think that the commentary this week was good at all, especially if you consider the men they've let go from the desk. Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton would emote far better than the men behind the desk did on RAW. As gruesome as the attack from Lesnar was, it did not feel that serious because the men did not emote it to the degree necessary.
I'm guessing that they'll take some time to get used to the ropes as the weeks pass and they accrue a lot more experience behind the desk. In Lawler's case, I really think that he should stop with the jokes for good. It often feels like I'm watching Michael Scott, the character from The Office, when the WWE Hall of Famer is trying to be funny.
Dio Maddin is the only one who seemed completely out of sorts on the big stage this week. I did not think he added anything substantial at all.
#3 Best: Pyro
When you talk about a show, like say, The Walking Dead, or Games of Thrones, there is a big gap between actual seasons. As a result of which, a season premiere is an actual big deal unlike in the case of RAW, which aired as recently as last week.
To make the show feel special, WWE brought back pyro and I have to say that it did make a huge change to the overall presentation, for the better. I am curious to see how this continues on SmackDown as well because the Superstars there will benefit from it as well.
Do you remember when Goldberg returned to no pyro, as a result of which his entrance felt underwhelming? I have seen Kane at Live Events make the signature 'hellfire and brimstone' gesture, but because of no pyro, he ends up looking silly.
Now, this was certainly a good step!
#3 Worst: No title change
If WWE's idea was to make the show a special one, I just think that it makes all the sense in the world to book a title change. This did not happen on this episode and there were two opportunities where it could have.
Heavy Machinery took on Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler in what was a solid clash. It would not have hurt the division to have booked a title change and for Heavy Machinery to capture the Championships, considering the fact that they are a real team and Ziggler and Roode are only a makeshift unit.
I also think that this was the best stage for Cedric Alexander to upset AJ Styles. Styles could have always bounced back and recaptured the title at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view coming this weekend.
Of course, WWE wouldn't strip Rollins before Hell in a Cell came around!
#4 Best/Worst: A missed opportunity?
Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan were the special guests on Miz TV this week, and a lot of people assumed that The Fiend would attack them both. After all, The Fiend has been laying out legends one by one, every time they appear on the show. However, as much as I like the idea of Team Hogan vs. Team Flair, Wyatt did not appear.
I also thought that it was overkill seeing The Fiend in the main event segment of the night. The Firefly Fun House segments too don't feel as involved or as detailed as they once used to be. They were filled with symbolism once upon a time, but now they're just there!
That said, I'd be a very happy camper if I saw episodes like these, every single week. It was certainly a lot more good than bad, all said and done.
Even the Goddess agrees!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
