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For the start of a build to a major pay per view, last night's WWE Raw was disappointing. Given Evolution and Crown Jewel, and the supposed confusion Roman Reigns' departure put the company in, it isn't surprising to say that last night's Raw paled in comparison to the build to Survivor Series last year.
Most of the bubbling rivalries on the show fell flat. It was a sad sight, given that last week, the red brand looked like it was poised to enter a new, more exciting phase, but then Crown Jewel happened, and sent the potential of the show into a tailspin ahead of the hottest time of the year.
Let's take a look back at last night's show and see who gathered the most steam ahead of the final major pay per view of the year, when the lights of WrestleMania start to shine over the horizon.
Loser: Braun Strowman
Supposedly, Survivor Series was originally supposed to be about control of Monday Night Raw. Thankfully, it's not. It's just a repetition of the same tired angle we've seen countless times over the years. It didn't happen last night, and Baron Corbin announced some of the members of Raw's men's team, while announcing that Alexa Bliss would captain Raw's women's team despite being unable to compete in the contest.
Kurt Angle got involved, and then Braun Strowman came and needed to be held back by security. Compared to what the Monster Among Men could have otherwise been doing, this is a major, and unexciting, step down for him.
Your preferences may vary, but I've long had enough of authority figure storylines. Nothing is ever going to recapture the magic of Austin vs. McMahon in the Attitude Era, and I wish the company would move on from this trope already.
Losers: Everyone here
This match. Again. How many times has it been in the last six months? The rematch from Evolution wasn't nearly as good as that which we saw on October 28th in New York. Furthermore, there was nothing on the line here. There were no Survivor Series implications.
It's part of the larger problem that Monday Night Raw has been plagued with. There are few stories and endless, heatless matches. This was arguably the worst of the matches, just because of the sapped potential that it represents seemingly every week.
Something really needs to be done about all of this. Raw has had one of its worst years ever, and if something isn't done soon, it will continue to sap the audience's vitality heading into WrestleMania season. If Survivor Series time acts a preview of sorts for what we can expect starting in January, this was a decidedly poor showing.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
This accomplished two things - it furthered the feud between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins by forcing the latter into a handicap match, and also shifted the Raw Tag Team Championships away from the feuding duo.
For the Authors of Pain, this win may have seemed long overdue. Indeed, they now have a great opportunity to show what they can do at Survivor Series against The Bar in an interesting, first-time matchup.
Unfortunately, this victory also felt sudden, and the Authors of Pain have been so misused since arriving on Raw that the title win was underwhelming. Nevertheless, this could be the turning of the corner on them.
The tag team division is still painfully thin, but with the Shield's destruction, and, presumably, McIntyre's coming breakup with Ziggler, there's no better team to take on the mantle of titleholders than these two right now.
Loser: Dolph Ziggler
Since I don't believe that an extended push is coming for Elias (much as it should come), this represents more of a loss for Dolph Ziggler than it does a win for his opponent. It's an odd thing to do, considering that Dolph Ziggler was named as a representative of Raw's men's Survivor Series team earlier on in the night.
Might this be another sign that the breakup with Drew McIntyre is coming soon? There's no place like Survivor Series to tease dissension within alliances. It's a trope as old as the event itself.
Coming off a loss to Shane McMahon of all people, it would certainly imply that Ziggler's job of getting Drew McIntyre over has essentially been completed. Continuing the alliance for much longer would only be of detriment to the resurgent Scotsman, who should be one of Raw's key players heading into WrestleMania season.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
This promo was far from as good as Becky Lynch's last week, and it exposed just how much Ronda Rousey pales in comparison to her SmackDown counterpart, but it did its job. This is easily the match that the fans are most excited to see on November 18th, and while Ronda's talking ability isn't what you would call "good," it still helped further this angle along, which is all that was required.
Afterwards, Nia Jax appeared, reminding the audience that something far less exciting is going to unfold after Survivor Series is over. Let's hope that Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey don't get into extended promo battles when they inevitably begin their feud again on November 19th.
Ember Moon then essentially got squashed by Nia Jax, and Tamina was out there too, for some reason. I suppose treating the talented Moon this way was another long-term misallocation of resources by a company experienced in doing such things.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Let's give WWE credit where it's due. The push that Drew McIntyre has received since returning to the main roster in April has been masterful. If there's one guy that consistently looks like a big deal on Monday nights, week in and week out, it's the former NXT Champion, who is truly a different man than the one he was during his first, disappointing stint with the company.
Each and every week, Drew McIntyre looks like the real deal. He's a natural for this role, with an imposing presence and the right kind of charisma on the microphone for his character.
As I said a few days ago, he's one you should be paying close attention to at Survivor Series on November 18th. I'll reiterate what I said then - if he's not the sole survivor in the match, and if the company doesn't have big WrestleMania plans for him, then it would be a huge change missed on WWE's part.
