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The Survivor Series fallout show was hit or miss. There were a few sparks, but nothing really there to ignite the gasoline. From a good Survivor Series coming after a red-hot build, last night's show felt very flat.
But who gained the most momentum and who lost face? After the final pitstop at Survivor Series, the turn will now be made onto the road to WrestleMania. Who accelerated on hitting the pavement and who crashed early? What, if anything, can we glean about the plans for next year's spectacle from last night?
Lost momentum: Braun Strowman
Say it ain't so! Why did it have to be this way? Things looked so great at the start of the show, too.
After what threatened to be another insufferable Authority segment (what year is this, anyway?), Braun Strowman came out to a huge pop, confronting Triple H and forcing Stephanie to retreat between the ropes out of fear. To "punish" him and Jason Jordan, a match was set up.
Unfortunately, Kane ruined it with a chair assault (again, what year is this?). Braun's selling was excellent, but there's no big momentum to be gained from this feud. After his starring performance last night, it didn't help.
This is likely only a temporary setback as Kane will soon be "put to pasture," but Braun fending him off would have only gotten him that much more over.
Gained momentum: Kurt Angle
After bowing his head with his tail between his legs for the past few weeks, we finally saw the Kurt Angle of old, the one that wore the word "intensity" as part of a motto. Standing toe-to-toe with Stephanie and Triple H, telling them to "take this job and shove it," he spoke what we were all thinking and avoided any further Mick Foley treatment, at least for that night.
This is all in service of a WrestleMania story that's very boring (another McMahon-centered drama, with some swapped out characters), but at least it was something for him. Let's hope it continues.
Lost momentum: Elias
It's been a pitiful few weeks for Elias.
After losing to Jason Jordan a couple of weeks ago, Elias didn't even show up for RAW's retaliatory strike on SmackDown last week, even though he was a victim of the blue brand's siege. Then he was relegated to a pre-show match with Matt Hardy.
Last night, he had another meaningless segment and brawl with Matt Hardy which will inevitably lead to another totally unnecessary rematch.
Elias has consistently been one of the biggest heat magnets since his debut on the main roster in April, and though he still got some last night, it wasn't anything near the type of reaction he got at TLC just a month ago.
Elias has the potential to be a huge star but he needs to get a proper push. Here's hoping that he will soon become the Intercontinental Champion. If not, look for him to be involved in the meaningless Andre the Giant Battle Royal in New Orleans come April 8th.
Gained momentum: Roman Reigns and The Shield
Speaking of the Intercontinental Championship, last night saw the crowning of a long-sought-after new champion... but in the form of Roman Reigns rather than a real mid-carder. It felt more like an accolade for the sake of giving him one and heating him up prior to WrestleMania than anything else, but we can't deny that he gained major momentum last night. We also can't deny that the match was excellent.
Roman Reigns wasn't the only one that got momentum either. After cutting a very fun promo on Miz TV, The Shield as a whole picked up steam, and it's really only a matter of time before Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose recapture the RAW tag team titles, possibly as soon as next week.
The Shield is set to go on a tear. Let's just hope they have some strong heels to feud with and don't break up too soon.
Lost momentum: The Miz
The Miz lost to Baron Corbin at Survivor Series, then he lost his Intercontinental Championship last night. His humiliation complete, it's unclear where his WrestleMania season goes from here. Regaining his title from Roman Reigns seems unlikely, at least for the moment, and no one else has a clear program with him.
The best he can really hope for at the moment is a filler feud with The Shield alongside his friends in the Bar. However, he is expected to go off filming for a new movie, which is said to be the reason why WWE was forced to put the title on Reigns.
He could very well find himself with little to do on April 8th in New Orleans, which would be a shame because The Miz is still one of the most entertaining acts on the roster even in defeat.
Gained momentum: Asuka
After dominating her match at Survivor Series and leaving as the sole survivor for team RAW, Asuka crushed Dana Brooke in academic fashion last night, to a much better crowd reception than her initial weeks on the main roster.
The stain of the Emma matches now seeming to have been washed away, Asuka seems set to slowly and steadily heat up into title contention as WrestleMania approaches. Her match with Dana was essentially a rerun of their bout at NXT TakeOver: Respect, suggesting the same formula that led to the fateful night in Dallas that began her 523-day reign.
It's unlikely anyone in the division will be ready by then.
Lost momentum: The staples of the RAW women's division
Asuka aside, the rest of RAW's women's division didn't acquit itself very well at Survivor Series. That seemed to be reflected last night. Nia Jax wasn't even on TV. Meanwhile, Alicia Fox, Mickie James, Bayley, and Sasha Banks got involved in yet another fatal 4 way to determine a #1 contender to Alexa Bliss' title.
This of course got interrupted by a certain trio -- Paige, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose -- who proceeded to lay them all out. The trio would do the same to the champion backstage immediately afterwards.
It all signified that a new power is rising in the RAW women's division. If Alexa Bliss winds up turning face as a result of last night's attack, she could well be dropping the title to Paige very soon and finding herself out of the spotlight at WrestleMania, a turn of events unthinkable two days ago.
Gained momentum: Paige, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville
Everyone expected Paige to show up after Survivor Series. She didn't disappoint, but she did surprise, because, in her own words, she hadn't returned alone. Along with her came Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville from NXT. These were call-ups that few expected, but they shot a jolt into a women's division that certainly needed one.
Where this goes from here is anyone's guess. I certainly see a mega push for Mandy in the future (she has the look that Vince loves) and am getting shades of a female version of the Shield, where Paige plays the Dean Ambrose, to Mandy's Roman Reigns, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.
Let's just hope the push is organic rather than forced.
