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After the successful launch of the All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and their first event a couple of days ago, creative must have been working double time to ensure that they come up with an A-grade episode of Raw and please both the fans and Vince McMahon.
While that must have been the case, they weren't entirely successful as they delivered some stale and really long segments which could have been done away with.
Along with that, there were some extremely surprising moves such as Sami Zayn’s electric chair segment, and The Beast refusing to announce who he will cash in his contract against which made things a bit unexpected on the show.
In this article, we will look at the 5 most shocking and surprising moments from this week’s episode of Raw.
#5 #Heel returns
Raw opened to a lot of hopes as fans wanted to know against whom Brock Lesnar would cash in his Money in the Bank. Creative did not waste too much time as the first person to make his way to the ring last night was the WWE Champion Kofi Kingston.
While Kofi made his case, Seth Rollins answered the challenge instead. Both made their case until The Beast Incarnate came out. He seemed to care less about both men and made a mockery out of them.
Just when we thought the segment was over, Dolph Ziggler surprisingly attacked the WWE champion from behind and tried to lay him out again only for Xavier Woods to make the save.
After what happened on Tuesday last week, it was an unexpected move to yet again showing that Ziggler was coming for the WWE Championship while Seth Rollins’ Universal Championship was wide open.
The #Heel came back out to talk down Kofi, stating his respect for the champion but also his need to take the title away.
#4 Another loss for The IIconics
Since winning the Women’s Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35, The IIconics have been victims of terrible booking. Fans were glad that the duo won the titles, but now would be hoping that they lose it to some other team who can carry it better.
Last week, The IIconics teamed up in a losing effort against Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross. They looked to avenge the loss from last week with a challenge to Becky Lynch and Nikki Cross. Cross had a good showing once again which will definitely help her grow on the main roster after being overlooked for some months.
In another surprising booking, Lynch took the win over Peyton Royce with the Man-Handle Slam. While it makes sense for WWE to let Lynch take the pins as she is the Women’s Champion, THe IIconics are certainly losing ground now.
The IIconics have yet to defend their championships against legitimate challengers for the sole reason of keeping the titles on them, but they cannot build any credibility. These are the types of shocking bookings that result in many top talents leaving the company.
#3 Best match from the mid-card
Raw had some good segments and some decent matches. While we had matches which involved men like The Miz, Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and Becky Lynch, it was surprising that a mid-card match stole the show.
Ricochet and Cesaro squared off once again after their match from last week, and it was a clear show of who the superior superstars on the Raw roster are.
While Ricochet was bruised and battered last week after his Money in the Bank ladder match, he was more healed up and performed even better this week. He managed to take the victory this time around after a headscissors takedown.
While the 50-50 booking is questionable for both the men involved, it was fun seeing both men get some screen time and showing the WWE Universe that there’s still a lot of potential in the mid-card.
Even though WWE should be focusing on building Cesaro as the next big thing rather than Baron Corbin, it’s surprising that he is being kept low after getting a solo run.
#2 Baron Corbin’s victory
Continuing for the previous point, it’s Baron Corbin who has been bagging important matches and victories in the presence of men like Cesaro and Ricochet on the Raw roster.
Earlier in the night, a Fatal 4-way match was announced which involved AJ Styles. However, Barn Corbin attacked Styles and took his spot in the match before the big event.
This led to The Miz, Braun Strowman, The Lone Wolf and Bobby Lashley locking horns to become the Number 1 Contender for the Universal Championship at Super ShowDown.
The choice of men involved in the match was surprising, as Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman are already scheduled to fight at the Saudi Arabian event, leaving only The Miz and Corbin as real contenders.
Corbin picked up the surprise win which would only make sense if WWE plans to make it a throwaway match for him before Rollins moves on to another opponent.
With Lesnar most probably planning to make an appearance at Super ShowDown, Corbin’s entry would only make sense if WWE plans to let The Beast destroy the two superstars.
#1 The Meme comes to life
Forget everything else. The biggest and most shocking moment from the show came from The Beast yet again. While Brock Lesnar usually surprises us with his dominance and rare appearances, it was a meme that fans came up with from his appearance last week which stole the show.
Lesnar jammed out to his briefcase once again on Raw this week and finally brought some character into his stale old persona. Lesnar taunted both as he jammed out to different songs on his briefcase, which now had speakers. His dance moves made things even better and more comical which led to fans having the best time they’ve had with The Beast in the ring for a long time.
Segments like these make wrestling entertainment much more enjoyable, and it was surprising yet good to watch WWE quickly pounce onto the internet meme and making it a good segment for the fans.
