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Part 2: RAW, RAW & RAW...
Week 1- RAW:
WWE Super Show-Down took place two days ago. So this is the FALLOUT episode following that PPV.
Kurt Angle makes an impromptu Finn Balor vs. Buddy Murphy exhibition match. They have a fantastic back & forth in-ring contest.
However, Orton attacks Balor during the climax of this bout (Balor wins by DQ). Orton is a possessive heel who is still not over his loss against Balor since Summerslam, and he will use any means necessary to gain the upper-hand.
Plus, Orton is 100% unfiltered now, (remember that gruesome Jeff Hardy ear spot?) so the beatdown should be news-worthy, to say the least.
On the same show, Cena is supposed to face Pete Dunne after their fallout in Australia. But Dunne won't lose this time.
Murphy comes out of the backstage area and causes a distraction to John Cena that helps Dunne pick up the victory.
Dunne and Murphy can start having each others' back at house shows too. Don't get me wrong. They are not a tag team. These two are with each other only up to the point when their common goal is achieved. That is, to #TerminateJohnCena.
WEEK 2- RAW:
Triple H makes a surprise appearance on RAW. He comes out with Kurt Angle for a major announcement.
HHH is aware that Survivor Series is around the corner, and therefore he is looking for up-and-coming wrestlers (possibly from NXT, or maybe even 205 Live?) to be a part of his own 5-man team for the traditional Survivor Series matchup.
However, he does not reveal anything about the opposing team, and the fans start making assumptions.
Later on the show, Balor meets HHH backstage and offers to join Hunter's 5-Man Team. Balor is indeed a guy who has been around for a while, but has Balor's peak ended a long time ago? Triple H does not say anything else except the fact that he'll think about it.
Balor just simply nods and smiles as HHH walks by him. But we can all make out the real expression behind that smile.
Balor knows he's not the hottest new guy around anymore. Time has passed and so have many opportunities. He is nowhere near the top anymore...
Balor-Orton/Cena-Dunne & Murphy continue their respective storylines.
SOCIAL MEDIA (between WEEK 2 & WEEK 3):
Remember the 2k19 conference? There are rumours swirling around Goldberg's return, but there's no mention of it on RAW, so the return rumours have gradually diminished since then. However, I will use Social Media to my booking's advantage.
Goldberg and Reigns have a subtle Twitter exchange following the 2k19 press. The exchange is not intense or ground-breaking, it is short & normal. Perhaps leaning towards a more humorous side. But it still adds more fuel to his return rumours.
Preferably on a Saturday, Balor posts a video message on his social media accounts revealing that a random correspondent of Triple H responded to him about joining Triple H's team.
The response was very 'corporate' in a manner that the correspondent was just beating around the bush instead of just saying 'NO'. In the video message, Balor further goes on to mock Triple H & the fact that Hunter did not even have the balls to reply himself.
WEEK 3- RAW
It is now when the commentators plug all the social media reactions to Goldberg's statement during the 2k19 press, & the subtle twitter exchange that followed between him & Reigns later.
Mid-way through the show, we see Triple H walking towards the Gorilla position, surrounded by a dozen correspondents updating him regarding the five-man team invitation. HHH makes his CEO entrance, wearing an expensive suit & grabs a mic in the ring.
Triple H throws a couple of NXT names around to work the crowd, only to be interrupted by Finn Balor. They exchange a few words regarding Balor's non-inclusion in the traditional survivor series match-up.
Triple H keeps his temper in control until Balor's inquisitive nature crosses the line, which makes HHH go- "Do you want the truth Finn? Well here's the truth then. I have watched you grow as a performer, dominate NXT & work your way through the main-roster. The 'Great' Finn Balor was supposed to reach to the top of this industry, and for a while, you did- You went on to become the very first Universal Champion...but then you got injured, and what happened next?"
Finn Balor has a very serious expression on his face whilst Triple H asks him this brutal question. It is the truth. Balor's career went nowhere after that. As Balor is left speechless, Triple H answers his own question in order to reveal the truth- "...Here's what happened next. Finn Balor became STALE. I don't want to tell this in front of everybody, but the TRUTH is- NXT is just a small pond of 'good' superstars working their way up to here. But being 'good enough' does not earn you a top spot in this big ocean Finn..." The audience gasps, because Triple H literally undermined his own creation (WWE NXT) in front of the main roster.
But in some sort of 'meta-way', it is the truth. Many NXT Superstars fall flat when they arrive on the main roster. Finn Balor started well initially, but then he got injured (and you know what happened next).
The anger within Balor is rising. We see old shades of the 'GREAT' Finn Balor coming to life. But all of this is interrupted when Randy Orton comes out & assures Hunter that he'll take care of this situation. Both of these superstars brawl & Triple H reaches for a corner. Balor accidentally attacks Triple H with a shotgun dropkick when Orton moves away from his path. After Balor realizes what he's done, it is too late, as Orton shoves him from behind and delivers an RKO. Randy Orton is the MVP of the night, and he now has the upper hand in this feud with Finn Balor (for now).
SOCIAL MEDIA (Between WEEK 3 & WEEK 4):
WWE announces on all of their Social Media platforms that for Survivor Series, the traditional tag-team elimination match will consist of two 5-Man teams- with Triple H & Finn Balor being the respective captains. After being floundered & pushed around for so long, Finn Balor is the captain of his own team at Survivor Series.
That, and Randy Orton is the first member of Triple H's team.
The Undertaker will also appear on RAW next week, perhaps to finally respond to the cryptic message from Super Show-Down in Australia.
WEEK 4- RAW:
Balor looks for partners backstage. Maybe make the captain run into Curt Hawkins or Heath Slater for some comedic relief.
But finally, he will encounter Pete Dunne and Blake Murphy.
Even if their ideologies don't match- Balor still recruits them perhaps because he sees a little part of himself in both of them (New guys on the main roster looking to make it to the top). That, and he promises to help Dunne and Murphy in return too. Because let's be realistic, Pete Dunne & Buddy Murphy are too clever to pass that opportunity up.
Later on, in the show, when John Cena realises that Dunne and Murphy have joined Balor's team, he decides to join Triple H's team only in order to get his hands on both of them. Are you seeing the odd pairings here? These teammates have opposing ideologies, but they're joining just because it benefits their own personal gain.
Finally, at the end of the show, Undertaker comes out and talks about his past, his opponents and the future. Just when he gets into the cryptic message part, the lights turn red, another cryptic message appears on the screen.
People assume its Kane, but the lights fade away, and we see none other than Aleister Black standing behind The Undertaker.
Undertaker turns around, but he is too late, as Black delivers a brutal Black Mass right to his face. The Undertaker is dazed and confused and is not getting up any time soon. But Aleister Black does not keep striking him- NO.
The single black mass was enough to do the damage, & this type of booking makes the finisher look very effective too. Black just stares at 'Taker's fallen soul pathetically and goes backstage. The show ends here.
SOCIAL MEDIA (Between WEEK 4 & WEEK 5):
More Goldberg-Reigns Twitter exchange. But unlike last time, the intensity is increasing a bit- Not pushing it to the max, but just enough to keep the people talking.
Other than that, all the latest proceedings on RAW itself should be enough to stir numerous conversations as well as dozens of fan-theories. Because the traditional Survivor Series match-up scene keeps getting bizarre every week, and you have the Taker-Aleister stuff on top of that.
Week 5 RAW
HHH, Cena and Orton have a plan. To begin with, it would be just entertaining enough to see all three of these superstars making fans guess what their strategy is whilst cutting a promo together.
You see, HHH wants the Deadman to join his team. He says that despite their recent past (their match at Super Show-Down) they could settle aside their differences and aim for one common goal. Now, let's get a hold of ourselves, these four superstars together in one team sounds like a fanboy's dream fantasy. So to bring you back to reality, 'Taker does not show up.
Even Orton & Cena try their best to bring him out, urging fans to cheer 'Undertaker' (which they will, its simple bait). The Deadman had appeared last week, but just like Cena's frantic attempts to bring him out during the road to this year's Wrestlemania- The Undertaker is not here.
However, Balor's team comes out instead. Balor, Dunne & Murphy face-to-face against Cena, Orton & HHH. I don't think that I need to write a script about how they're going to diss each other, its John Cena in a wrestling promo dammit!
But what I will point out, is something that is necessary to get the elephant out of the room- Triple H & Pete Dunne. We all know Hunter's confidence all over this young lad in the past. So we're gonna take care of that now. Hunter asks Pete if this is what he wanted.
HHH promises him with glory & riches while Pete Dunne has a constant villainous stare on him throughout Hunter's monologue. The audience start chanting 'NO!' indicating that they do not want Dunne to sell-out. So with all his confidence, the Bruiserweight states that he is NOT Triple H's 'GOLDEN BOY' anymore.
The audience erupts at this revelation, as all six of them start brawling with each other. The young lads- Balor, Dunne & Murphy get the upper hand eventually. Young triumphs old.
- Meanwhile, there is a Gauntlet match on the same night whose winner will become the fourth member of Balor's team. You put all the mid-card names in there- Drew Mcintyre, Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens etc. But there is only one person I'll book to triumph in this match, and that is- Chad Gable.
Why? Well, I can't tell you that yet. Despite how odd this situation seems to get by every new addition, I assure you that there is a reason (& motivation) for everything...
SOCIAL MEDIA (Between WEEK 5 & WEEK 6):
The Goldberg/Reigns situation starts getting heated up. Even if they are just sarcastically hinting at stuff, the fans realize that this has been going on for too long now. And here is the catch- WWE's Twitter account posts about all the members of HHH's team so far, with the fourth and fifth member being displayed with a question mark figure.
Goldberg replies to this tweet, saying he doesn't know about Roman, but he sure as hell is willing to join Hunter's team if needed. WWE later confirms that Goldberg is the 4th Member of Triple H's Survivor Series Team. As expected, the internet fans lose it. But don't think of this as fantasy booking. This is not far-fetched. Goldberg didn't randomly enter himself into a tag-team match, no. He entered Hunter's team in order to lure Roman Reigns into facing against him by joining the opposite team. This gives Reigns' character some motivation too. But it won't be that easy.
WEEK 6- GO-HOME EDITION OF RAW (for SURVIVOR SERIES 2018):
- HHH calls 'Taker to join them for one last time, but 'Taker does not respond. Why? Because The Undertaker has no stakes in the game to join Hunter's team. So why would he? Of course, Taker doesn't say that but that was just me explaining the logic behind it. 'Taker only responds with silence without showing up.
- Even if HHH's team has to find themselves a partner at the last minute, let's just say that Balor is going to be getting that fifth partner for sure. Because Kurt Angle makes a matchup. R
oman Reigns vs. Aleister Black- the winner will become the fifth member for Finn Balor's team. Reigns already has a reason to join- Goldberg.
However, I pull the audience's strings here. Reigns loses CLEAN. Both of them put a great match-up, with Aleister finishing it off with a single BLACK MASS. Roman Reigns does not have a single match for Survivor Series 2018. Times have fallen hard, BIG DOG.
- Of course, Black is NOT the one who celebrates like The B-Team after a victory. He just sits there with his legs crossed and the spotlight shining on him. In my world, he is not one of those wrestlers who portray unnecessary violence for his own sake.
He could have attacked The Deadman brutally two weeks ago, but the only thing he did was finish it off a BLACK MASS- because it was all that needed to be done.
Similarly, he does not pounce on the Big Dog right after their match, because it is completely unnecessary.
He did what was needed, and now he sits right in the middle of the ring like a prophet conveying his message without speaking. This makes him a unique character with proper motivations & ideologies.
That is when the GONG! sound indicates the arrival of the Deadman. The lights go off, & Undertaker is standing right above Aleister Black. Black is still sitting with his legs folded (that'll make a great picture for dirt-sheet headlines). Taker grabs his throat, lifts him up and delivers a chokeslam.
The climax of Part 2 is about to come full circle. Black is now technically the fifth member of Balor's team.
So, Finn Balor, Pete Dunne, Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable come to their teammate's rescue. Taker drops them down one-by-one with right-handed uppercuts, but he cannot fend them off forever.
So John Cena, Randy Orton & Triple H come out to aid The Deadman. As you can see, I did not mention Goldberg (the fourth member of HHH's team). This is because even if he is a team member- Goldberg is not officially announced to be here.
Eventually, Balor's team gains the upper-hand. And to purposefully milk the audience's reaction, Goldberg's theme hits at the last exact second.
Everybody loses their nuts and Goldberg comes in and spears each and every member of Team Balor one-by-one. He only appears in one show before Survivor Series- because that is all we need.
Every team member of both teams is down (even Undertaker) and Goldberg remains as the last-man-standing...(The show ends with Goldberg chants emanating from the arena).
After the show ends, it is officially announced that The Undertaker has joined Triple H's team as the fifth & final member of the Mens' Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team match (Because he has a motivation to do so now).
Also, Goldberg has a pretty good chance of being the lone survivor after what went during the Go-Home show's final closing moments...Next, up- It's Survivor Series!
