Another episode of Monday Night Raw is just hours away. And unlike the past few episodes, this one is will have a huge impact on the WWE programming as a whole. This will be the last edition of Monday Night Raw before the impending brand split and at the same time, we are bound to see some huge announcements at the show. On top of that, we have a major title match as the headliner, making this the most exciting Raw in recent times.
WWE will be looking to bounce back from certain things before the brand split and here are the things that we could expect from this week’s Monday Night Raw.
Aftermath of the compound
The compound segment involving Wyatt Family and the New Day was WWE’s answer to the Final Deletion. The segment received mixed responses from the WWE Universe and sparked off an all-out social media war between the Hardys and Bray Wyatt. This week, WWE will be looking to give out an aftermath segment of this feud.
Wyatt Family vs. New Day is already booked for Battleground but in order to hype this match, WWE will have to come up with another interesting segment. The Xavier Woods situation is a detail that everyone digs and hopefully, we will get some answers this week on Raw.
New GMs for Raw and SmackDown
A major takeaway from last week’s Raw was Vince McMahon’s announcement. Vince announced that Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon will serve as the commissioners of SmackDown and Raw respectively. He added that both Stephanie and Shane will have a chance to appoint general managers for their brand.
The announcement of the general managers will happen this week on Raw and this is what everyone is buzzing about. There are endless permutations on who could get the pick. Some names thrown around are Eric Bischoff, Daniel Bryan, JBL and William Regal. No matter which two Superstars get their spot, WWE will make sure that it makes into the mainstream headlines.
The metamorphosis of Darren Young
When WWE revealed that Darren Young was going to be paired with Bob Backlund, there were a lot of expectations. The initial days of their association did not get the reception that WWE wanted but the past couple of weeks have produced a different story altogether. WWE had a battle royal last week to determine the new number one contender for the Intercontinental championship and Darren Young went on to win it.
It was a solid moment for him and the way he delivered an intense promo on SmackDown that set the tone perfectly for his rise. With the brand split coming up, Young will have more chances to shine and it is to be seen how he is booked on Raw.
A partner to bank on
The rise of Sasha Banks to the top is done step by step. She has locked horns with Charlotte but instead of letting Sasha go one on one with the champion, WWE is milking the situation.
Instead of the title shot, Sasha Banks will be involved in a tag team match against Charlotte and Dana Brooke at Battleground. Sasha has a chance to pick her opponent but as she is not in good terms with most of the Divas, it is not as easy as it sounds.
Sasha is outnumbered as of now and her mystery partner is a good storyline. This could open the door for someone from NXT to come up and fill in, with Bayley being the favorite.
Will we get a new champion?
The feud between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins is extraordinary. Ever since the Shield broke up, these two have been on a full-blown war and one more chapter will be added to their saga on Monday Night when Rollins and Ambrose will go head to head for the WWE championship.
WWE booking such a match just days before the brand split might be an attempt to get the fan talking. If a title change does happen, it will make headlines and in turn boost WWE’s efforts to push the draft on SmackDown. But at the same time, this does not confirm that Ambrose is going to lose. This unpredictability is one of the reasons why this match will excel.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
