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We are just two weeks away from the annual Money in the Bank PPV scheduled for May 19, and WWE will bring to us the latest episode of the longest running TV show in history - it's flagship brand: Monday Night RAW, live from the U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio.
According to rumors, WWE is trying to figure out from the fans themselves the reason for their declining ratings, as RAW and SmackDown are experiencing very unimpressive ratings at the moment. The period after the high-intensity WrestleMania season isn't usually great for WWE, as fans tend to leave the programming a lot during this period.
This is not a situation that can be solved overnight, but there are certain steps that can slowly and steadily help WWE fix this issue and gain back their audience. One of these and the most logical one is to improve the content and quality of segments on their weekly shows - RAW and SmackDown.
With Money in the Bank two weeks away, there are a lot of things Vince McMahon could do to get fan attention back on the product and increase the ratings simultaneously. WWE has an impressive roster, and if utilized properly, it can stay way above its competition in terms of quality.
In this article, let's take a look at the 5 segments that Vince McMahon could plan for the upcoming RAW that would help boost the ratings. Feel free to share your thoughts, views, and opinions on what can be done to improve the content.
#5 Samoa Joe attacks Dominic backstage and lays him out
Last week on RAW, Rey Mysterio defeated the United States Champion, Samoa Joe, in their singles match via a roll-up. By wrestling logic, this victory makes Mysterio the #1 contender for Joe's title.
The Joe I'm used to seeing is not someone who'll forget this loss and will certainly be seeking revenge. Rey has constantly been accompanied for the past couple of months by his son, Dominic, who previously has also been involved in the storylines involving his father, for example, the one with Eddie Guerrero.
With the rumors of Dominic signing a contract with WWE as a wrestler, what better way to introduce him to the main roster than by getting him involved in the feud between Rey and Joe. After the embarrassing loss last week, Joe could show his ruthless side and attack Rey's most prized possession, his son.
A backstage segment in which Joe attacks and lays down Dominic would be an amazing way to make this rivalry very personal and intense, something it has lacked. A man of the size of Dominic can easily take a couple of hard bumps from Joe and make them look vicious.
This could set-up a future showdown between Dominic and Joe where he does actually start his career as a wrestler in WWE.
#4 Fatal-four way between the MITB participants
Monday Night RAW has recently been accused of not maintaining a proper standard of wrestling, as most matches on the show haven't been of top quality. One of the major reasons is the random tag-team matches we get continuously.
Last week, Ricochet, 'The Monster Among Men' Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and 'the Lone Wolf' Baron Corbin were announced as participants in the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match for this year. Moments after this announcement, the two faces were put in a tag-team match against the two heels, something very predictable and boring.
Rather than doing this face and heel thing, a fatal-four way between these 4 contestants on Monday Night RAW could be a much better idea. These superstars are decent workers and can pull off an amazing match if given sufficient time.
#3 Luke Harper returns alongside Bray Wyatt
According to the news, Luke Harper has asked for a release from the company, but WWE not only denied his request but has also added 6 months to his contract due to the time he missed because of his injury.
Now while we are yet to get confirmed news, it sure looks like Harper is not getting his release soon.
Bray Wyatt on the other hand, has returned to WWE with a whole new gimmick along with his Firefly Fun House. In one of his recent tweets, he hinted that he was working to get Luke Harper into his Fun-House.
While it's a possibility that Bray might be just playing with our minds, if he does manage to get Harper back, we could see the two former stable-mates back together once more.
Bray's gimmick has been nothing short of creepy and I'm very excited to see where it is all leading. Harper's inclusion with Bray would give his character a lot more strength and credibility, and will also open a lot of more booking options for him and his fun-house.
#2 AJ Styles turns heel, reunites the Club
Last week, RAW ended with a contract signing segment between the Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, and the #1 contender for his title, AJ Styles, for their match at the Money in the Bank PPV. Although both have shown respect towards each other in their promos, Styles did show some signs of a heel turn during the segment.
"When you want something bad enough, you'll do some unexpected things to get it" - said Styles to Rollins on RAW last week, referring to the low-blow Rollins hit on Lesnar during their Universal Title match at WrestleMania 35.
Styles did make it clear that he badly wants what Rollins has - the Universal Championship.
Can he do the unexpected? Turn heel and reunite the Club (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows), to stack the odds against Rollins?
If he does, I am sure the rivalry would become way more intense and engaging than what it has been so far.
#1 Goldberg returns and attacks Roman Reigns
WWE announced their return to the land of Saudi Arabia recently in a statement. One of the biggest shockers in this statement was the return of the Myth, Goldberg, to action after his last match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33. Now the question on everyone's mind is - who's next?
Goldberg mentioned in an interview that Roman Reigns and 'Taker are the two guys on his list right now if he ever returns to the ring. While a match with The Undertaker would be a once in a lifetime scenario, but considering both of them are not in the best shape, doing this match might not be a great idea.
This leaves us with Roman. We all know how desperately Vince tries to put him over, and ever since his return to WWE after defeating Leukemia, Reigns has finally gotten the cheers Vince has always wanted. Giving him a rub from a veteran and the original master of the Spear, Goldberg, would be a "passing the torch" moment for Reigns.
What if that build-up starts next week itself, with Reigns announcing his intentions to show-up on RAW in a tweet.
While Reigns' plan might certainly be to confront either Vince or Shane McMahon, Goldberg showing up out of nowhere and attacking him could be a great way to start the build-up for a match at the Saudi event next month.
What could WWE do to improve the content and increase ratings? Air your views in the comments below.
