The wrestling world had a chaotic week thanks to a random online hacker. However, WWE will look to put everything aside and focus on the Road to WrestleMania this Monday, as they roll out the latest episode of Raw from the Barclays Center.
The developments from last week will be the major plot drivers for this week’s Raw, and WWE has announced a couple of segments as well. However, a good portion of the fans will be looking forward to the show just to know how WWE and the roster members react to the leaked private videos of Paige and Xavier Woods.
With that said, here is a look at the possible developments that could happen this week on Monday Night Raw.
#6: How will the fans react?
The leaked videos and pictures of Xavier Woods and Paige broke the internet last week. The WWE fans were split regarding the issue and this week on Raw; we can expect some awkward chants. Xavier Woods is an active performer on the Raw roster, and it will be interesting to see how WWE handles him.
It won't be a big surprise if WWE gives The New Day a week off due to the scandal. In fact, Woods made light of the issue during his appearance at the SXSW awards, but the reaction of the crowd could have an impact on his career going forward.
#5 New general manager incoming?
Raw General Manager Mick Foley was humiliated last week by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The relationship between Stephanie and Mick was expected to be turbulent from the beginning. However, it lasted longer than most fans expected. The whole situation blew out of proportion last week on Raw, and Foley showed some guts and stood up against Stephanie and Hunter.
With what happened, Foley’s days as the General Manager of Raw could be numbered, and he could get his marching orders this week. The next obvious question will circle around the new general manager of Raw, and WWE does have a lot of options at their disposal ranging from Kurt Angle to William Regal among many others.
#4 Reigns and Strowman to lock horns
Roman Reigns got a lottery ticket to WrestleMania when WWE decided to put him in a program with The Undertaker. Before Reigns crossed paths with Taker, he was working with Braun Strowman, and WWE decided to refresh this chapter last week on Raw. Strowman attacked Reigns after the Shawn Michaels segment and this week, Reigns and Strowman will lock horns to settle the scores.
Since The Undertaker is not someone that appears every week on Raw, WWE needs to find a way to keep Reigns busy. Inserting him in a short feud with Strowman works for everyone because it could be a good way to build some momentum for Reigns ahead of the biggest match of his career.
#3 Jericho to expose Owens
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens have been delivering some great segments ever since they broke up. The pair could gift us with another interesting segment this week on Raw as WWE has announced Jericho’s Highlight Reel for the episode. Jericho has invited the ‘real’ Kevin Owens on the show and vows to expose the former WWE Universal Champion.
The WWE fans are well aware of the creative brilliance that Jericho brings to the table and with so many possibilities at his disposal, Jericho could steal the show on Raw. WWE should take special care to incorporate the United States championship into the storyline as it is slowly being overshadowed by the personal problems between Jericho and Owens.
#2 Subplots in the Women’s division
The Women’s Division of Monday Night Raw witnessed two major developments last week when Nia Jax destroyed Bayley to mark her dominance once again, and Dana Brooke turned on Charlotte. Nia’s performance puts her in contention for the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Nia gets included into the match due to what she did to Bayley.
Dana’s turn meanwhile, acts as an excellent secondary storyline in the division. It gives WWE the opportunity to invest Charlotte into an auxiliary story and further develop her character. As far as Dana is concerned, she has the platform to shine now and the way in which she uses it will decide her future.
#1 Fate of Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins suffered yet another setback on the road to WrestleMania when he was taken out by Triple H last week on Raw. With this segment, WWE managed to emphasise the “Cerebral Assassin” in HHH, and he managed to cement his spot as a top heel on the roster. Meanwhile, Rollins took up the underdog role and his attempt to be fit in time for WrestleMania is an intriguing storyline.
The line between kayfabe and reality is blurred here as most of the fans don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. We don’t even know what to expect this week on Raw and WWE should try to come up with similar storylines.
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