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Another one out of the park!
That is the only way to describe what WWE did with Monday Night Raw this week and it seems like the company has honestly hit its stride on the Road To WrestleMania 35. It also seems like all the energy and storytelling that the creative team lacked last week has been somehow rejuvenated.
In fact, between Roman Reigns announcing that his cancer is in remission, to Becky Lynch being arrested live on Raw, WWE did a lot to set the stage for the next couple of months and even WrestleMania 35. As if that wasn't great enough for the company that was previously stagnant, they also did a great job of integrating NXT talent this week as well.
With that being said and another Monday Night Raw behind us, here are five things the company hinted at on the red brand this week. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what you think WWE is hinting at doing over the next couple of weeks.
#5. Triple H versus Batista at WrestleMania 35
WWE hyped up Ric Flair's 70th birthday celebration throughout the night and while the moment finally came for the big ceremony, Ric Flair was not in attendance. Instead, the Titantron cut to a backstage shot of someone in a leather jacket dragging a camera guy to Flair's dressing room. The person was later revealed to be Batista, who laid Flair in a heap right in the hallway.
Batista then smiled coyly at the camera and asked Triple H if he had his attention now. This led to Triple H running up the ramp and trying to find his fallen friend backstage, but the episode faded to black as the doctors arrived. With that being said, It seems obvious that this was the start to Batista vs. Triple H at Mania 35.
#4. Going forward with Lashley/ Lio Rush break up
While The WWE had a lot of ambiguity surrounding whether Bobby Lashley would turn his back on Lio Rush, their recent interactions seem to point to that happening. Not only was that evident by Rush once again losing to Balor in an Intercontinental title match, but also by the heated discussion the two had afterward.
Maybe WWE waits a few weeks on this, especially since they could use the breakup to make the Fastlane pay per view more impactful, but don't expect the two to be a pair much longer. In fact, with Lashley seemingly joining up with Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin, it doesn't feel like there is much of a place for Rush anymore.
Beyond that, Rush has pretty much been used up on Monday Night Raw and would probably benefit from a change of scenery. Whether that new scenery turns out to be 205 Live or Smackdown Live is up to the company, but they need to do something with him instead of just having him continue to lose and be a failed hype man.
#3. The Revival losing the tag team titles soon
Two losses in two weeks
Beyond that, The Revival's two losses come at the hands of two NXT teams, which only further destroys their momentum. Of course, that doesn't mean The Revival has to win every match, but one has to remember that the company isn't even wasting their time to protect the tag team in defeat.
Think about it! A clean loss to DIY last week and a similar one to Aleister Black and Ricochet this week. If nothing else, that's not a good sign of things to come for The Revival, and could even mean that they could lose their titles sooner rather than later. In fact, they could end up losing the belts to one of the teams that beat them already.
With that being said, it looks like WWE is trying to create doubt around The Revival holding onto the tag team titles for very like and could look to make a change at Fastlane. At least that way, WWE can give some of its rising NXT talents a crowning moment and hopefully shake things up in the process in the tag team division.
#2. Ronda Rousey storyline quitting WWE
Absolutely freaking genius!
Just when you thought WWE couldn't add another succulent layer to the Raw Women's title match at WrestleMania 35, they find a way to do it in spades. Monday Night Raw was much of the same as Becky Lynch interrupted a match between Ronda Rousey, Natalya and The Riott squad, which lead to a mini brawl
After officials and officers hauled Lynch off to jail for trespassing during her suspension, Rousey got back on the microphone and demanded that Lynch is reinstated. Her pleas were met by Stephanie McMahon, who said that it wasn't possible and for Rousey not to order her around anymore.
Interestingly enough, Rousey responded by claiming that the Raw Women's title no longer represented the best of the best and dropped it to the floor. She then told Stephanie McMahon that it was time for Vince McMahon to make the tough decision and walked off without her title.
Let's be honest here, that move was freaking awesome. Not only was that evident by how it forces the company into a situation where they have to choose between reinstating Lynch or losing Rousey but, it also adds an extra layer of pseudo-reality to the already mega-hyped match.
#1. Dean Ambrose being left out of Shield reunion?
Roman Reigns returned to Monday Night Raw to announce that his cancer was in remission and while he was heralded as a hero by the WWE Universe, something interesting happened after his announcement. Unfortunately for The WWE Universe, that something could signal a bad future.
With that being said, after the segment concluded, Roman Reigns was joined by Seth Rollins on the top of the entrance ramp and the two shared a hug. Interestingly enough, however, Dean Ambrose wasn't out there to support his friend, which was a stark contrast from when Reigns gave his announcement last year.
WWE continued this trend throughout the night and even had it culminate with Rollins and Reigns coming to Ambrose's aid to fend off an ambush. While Reigns and Rollins did fight off Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Elias, and Baron Corbin, they left him lying in the ring and didn't celebrate with him.
This leads to one of two options. Either WWE is refusing to go along with The Shield reunion, which would make sense given the fact that Ambrose is on his way out, or WWE is leaning towards putting The Shield back together. In the end, The Shield not reuniting seems like the more likelier option and fans shouldn't really get their hopes up after what they saw on Monday.
