WWE returns to the Staples Center in Los Angeles this Monday Night for the latest episode of Raw. With Fastlane around the corner, the Monday Night Raw roster could be feeling the heat to deliver big time and ‘big’ is the key word for this week’s show as well.
WWE has booked a ‘big’ match involving two big men for the show and they have pushed it heavily in the build-up to this episode.
Apart from this, the fallout of some brilliant booking decisions that WWE pulled off last week will also make this week’s Raw interesting. As always, we are going to break down the potential segments in this Monday Night Raw preview piece.
#5 The Big Match
As mentioned in the introduction, WWE has booked a big match for this week. Braun Strowman will be facing off against Big Show on the show, and it has managed to capture the attention of the WWE Universe.
Big Show has surprised everyone with his transformation and his match at WrestleMania could mean that WWE gives him the upper hand over Strowman in this bout.
But Strowman has been going through a great phase lately and stopping him at this point would be a waste of momentum as far as WWE is concerned. It is a risky situation for WWE to handle and the way the promotion executes the whole thing will determine the immediate future of both Big Show and Strowman.
#4 New champion for the division
Bayley was crowned the new WWE Raw Women’s champion this past week on Raw and it was a necessary power shift in the division. While Charlotte dropping the title is not something new, to see Bayley get hold of the gold was a special moment for the fans. This is exactly what WWE should bank on.
The interference of Dana Brooke and Sasha Banks during the match proved to be a talking point and it wouldn’t be a surprise if WWE addresses the same when they roll out Raw this week. Charlotte needs to bounce back if she is to challenge for the gold again and this should also be a concern for the WWE.
#3 What next for Emma?
Emmalina made an underwhelming return to Monday Night Raw. After all the build-up that WWE gave her, fans had high expectations for her return Emma. However, her much-anticipated appearance turned out to be somewhat anti-climactic when it finally did happen.
Emma just said that she is going to transform back to her old self and this was a talking point throughout the last seven days.
There are a lot of questions that needs to be answered from the creative team and hopefully, we will get the answers this week. Emma, with all her talent, deserves a better positioning in the division and the way the segment bombed should not impact the future plans that WWE is going to have for her.
#2 Joe Joe Joe
After Seth Rollins was taken out of the scenario, Samoa Joe has shifted his focus to Sami Zayn. Zayn, who is coming off of feuds against Braun Strowman and Chris Jericho, has another strong opponent in the form of Joe.
Both the WWE and Zayn could easily play the underdog card in this feud and as a natural baby face, Zayn is bound to become a huge fan favourite throughout his struggle against Samoa Joe.
Adding Stephanie McMahon and Triple H to the storyline could help the WWE to elevate Zayn into a position that was earlier occupied by Daniel Bryan. Building up this feud to Fastlane will be the first step and WWE would probably do the same this week on Raw.
#1 Answers from Owens
Arguably the biggest talking point of last week’s Raw was the turn of Kevin Owens. Owens turned on Chris Jericho during the show and it was a great moment for the creative team as a whole. The friendship of Owens and Jericho had been the backbone of Monday Night Raw for a long time and pulling the plug on it was a bold move.
If this was not enough, Owens has a match coming up with Goldberg at Fastlane for the title. The Universal title will be on the line and the split up with Jericho will have a huge impact on the match for sure. This week, Owens will have to give some answers and pile up some heat before he heads on to face Goldberg.
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