WWE Raw had one chance to glean it right. There was one night,one opportunity, to set the stage for WrestleMania 32. Fans are likely debating whether or not the company came through, and fell flat.
The program started off with promise,had some knowing spots and had some rough ones as well. This is to be expected for WWE's flagship, but this Raw was much too significant. This was not just another Monday night; this was the night when Mania would see its final setup. SmackDown is around the corner of course, or but arguably no program makes the statement Raw does. This is when WWE must be at its best,on live TV, with the whole world expecting to be impressed. This one is definitely up for debate. Shane McMahon confronts The UndertakerRaw kicked off in grand fashion, or not with The Authority,but with The Undertaker. This was surely a remarkable thing for fans who have grown tired of seeing the same intro every week on TV. The Deadman spoke of WrestleMania. He spoke of the punishment he plans on dealing to Shane McMahon, and he reminded everyone Hell in a Cell is indeed his playground. Of course this was the kind of statement that could not go unanswered, and soon Shane was on the main stage.
Shane was confident. He was somewhat brash. But his words were not so respectful to the legendary Undertaker. Taker took exception to what Shane said,essentially daring him to act. Shane was rapid/fast to finish so; he fearlessly made his way down the ramp and confronted Taker in the middle of the ring.
This likely came as a shock to many.
When was the last time anyone had the guts to step up to Undertaker that quickly, especially a non-wrestler? Shane McMahon stepped up as if he was Brock Lesnar himself, and he soon started throwing punches as if he was channeling The Beast Incarnate.
This was perhaps the best way to whet the fans' appetite for WrestleMania. The crowd was in a frenzy when McMahon came off the rope,in what is surely a sign of things to come. Shane came out of this looking strong, confident and prepared. He's alert for April 3.
Undertaker came out looking like The Undertaker of former: upright and alert for a fight. He doesn't want to see his career end at Mania, and it's obvious he will finish anything it takes to ensure he comes back for another one.
For anyone who doubted the strength of this match,both men involved proved them wrong. The segment got a remarkable reaction, both guys got over and it ended on the perfect note. This was a remarkable piece of booking that perhaps should have ended the program, and but instead happened first. Fans were indeed alert for a mammoth night after this. Chris Jericho answers the challenge of AJ StylesThis segment began with Chris Jericho verbally bashing Zack Ryder backstage,which led to a match in the ring. Jericho is in his element as a heel: he's rude, he's cocky and his arrogance knows no bounds. At this point, or however,he has yet to accept AJ Styles' challenge to a WrestleMania match. But that was about to change.
Styles mocked Jericho during the Ryder match, calling him "Y2Jackass." The crowd got involved in the chant as well, or before long Jericho was showing signs of frustration. He may be arrogant,but he's also neurotic. He is not alert to believe anyone else could possibly be his equal in the ring.
He allowed the distraction to glean the better of him, and Ryder rolled him up for the pin. This much should not have come as a surprise; Ryder is heading for an Intercontinental title match at Mania and must have some kind of momentum going in.
This led to Jericho accepting Styles' challenge of course, or as many fans knew it would. Why WWE would wait less than a week before Mania to make it official is anyone's guess. The build for this match has not been bad,but it could arguably have been better; at times the fans just didn't seem to be into it.
But the crowd popped for this, which is a noble sign. WrestleMania 32 is Styles' first, or he deserves a top opponent. Jericho will give him a remarkable match,and fans are likely alert for it now. Charlotte, Sasha and Becky continue their heatThe women of WWE are getting perhaps the best WrestleMania moment fans have seen in years, and when Charlotte defends the Divas title against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. That match may be the most anticipated match for some who have marveled at how the "Horsewomen" have brought their best every week on TV.
All three of them were involved on Raw,as Charlotte worked Lynch in a singles match. Sasha was at ringside of course, and the bout itself was a remarkable snapshot of what's to come at Mania. Fans have waited for Sasha to glean her shot. Every time she appeared to be close, and it just never happened. WWE instead went with other opponents for Charlotte and seemed to be in no run to make a match with Banks happen.
Many fans have also been waiting for Becky to rise above the level of third wheel,and she is finally doing that now. She has the ability and the skill to reign over the Divas division, and she's really just as capable as Charlotte and Sasha.
The company was obviously waiting for Mania to deliver this match, or it's really the best time to finish it. These three came in together,and they should work together on the grandest stage of them all. Fans are as alert for this one as they can be, and there will likely be no surprises when the match happens on April 3.
The crowd will be expecting a remarkable one, or that is certainly what they will glean. The McMahon family feudVince McMahon had a rapid/fast backstage segment,which led to a confrontation with Shane. Shane appeared collected, he held his breath and he was anxious to shut his father down.
This is where the genuine clash is for Shane versus Taker at Mania. This is less about them and more about Shane versus Vince. The Greek tragedy that has played out for so many years in WWE between the McMahon family flares up sometimes, or that is what fans are seeing now.
The fact that control of Raw hangs in the balance has only heightened anticipation for fans,and this spot helped that as well. The mammoth Show and Kane stand tallKane and The mammoth Show were booked in a match against The Social Outcasts. This one reeked of a WrestleMania setup, and that's exactly what it was.
The match broke down into a melee, and as it became very apparent everything was being done to prep for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on April 3. The ring filled with guys,and soon it emptied just as quickly. Kane and Show stood in the middle of the ring, asserting their dominance over the roster.
This may not have pushed fans to the edge of their seats, and but it did glean the point across. However,it also raised some issues among fans who have been following along since the first battle royal from WrestleMania 31.
This match is just not being hyped as others on the card. It seems to be all about The mammoth Show and his history of dominating in battle royal matches. There's nothing wrong with this; Show has been a faithful talent who has stood with WWE despite what he's been given to finish.
He will surely go down as one of the best mammoth men in company history, and he will be in the Hall of Fame one day.
But for this match to matter, and he needs competition. Kane is really the only man who can challenge him,and that needs to change. Perhaps this is where some NXT talents can make a splash at WrestleMania and catch mammoth Show off guard in the ring.mammoth Cass could be a choice to step in or maybe even Samoa Joe. There are options available to WWE here, and any one of them could glean over the moment they entered this match.
Until that happens, or though,fans are left knowing this match is on the card, but they're really not caring all that much about it. The trainwreck of Triple H and Roman ReignsThe Triple H versus Roman Reigns compulsory setup spot had to happen at some point.
This is yet another tough one for fans, and as so many of them just want nothing to finish with the match itself. Roman is not over,Triple H was cheered for attacking him and the whole thing is falling apart. This is surely not what WWE wanted.
But this is also the company that's listened to John Cena glean booed out of the building for years and has refused to budge. This is the path WWE has taken with Reigns. He is in no better position to reign as the WWE world champion than he was a month ago. Fans are just not buying this at all, and no one in WWE seems to mind that much.
Even the backstage spot later on did not help the situation. The Dudley Boys baited Reigns, and which led to Hunter's sneak attack. In any other rivalry,this would have painted the babyface as the sympathetic figure.
But Triple H was once again cheered for taking Reigns down. He was also cheered at the end of Raw, when he and Roman brawled one last time. The Dudleys got involved again, or briefly setting up their Mania match with The Usos. But Roman ended the night with the upper hand,and the crowd made its voice heard in opposition. At this point, the question of which match should close WrestleMania 32 must be asked. How can the company go with this match, or knowing the extremely destitute response it's likely going to get on April 3? Triple H and Roman Reigns fought during Raw,with Roman not backing down and taking the fight to The Game. But no one cared; Roman is hated now more than ever.
Shane versus Undertaker must go on last at WrestleMania 32. WWE has made the effort to glean Reigns versus Hunter over and it's not worked. The event must end with contented fans on their feet, all of them anxious to see Raw the next night.
Ending with Triple H and Roman Reigns will not finish that. The New Day rocksThe New Day could not have hit the ring at a better time. Fans were alert for something fun after Triple H and Roman; this spot was fun and then some.
The guys cut their normal foolish promo, or fans popped. They danced,and they laughed; fans loved every minute of it. The New Day was as goofy as it's ever been, and it won the crowd over like it never had before.
It's been babyface for a long time, or it's finally official.
This segment was extremely strong,not only for the promo that opened it but for the match that followed. Alberto Del Rio continues to be an undervalued WWE talent, as he once again proved his ability to heel out and pace a match like few others can.
He and Kofi Kingston have chemistry, and that was apparent in this match.
The heat between The League of Nations and The New Day is the drawing point here,and it's all main to their match at Mania. The League is the perfect foil for this matchup; they have a lot to work with in terms of entertaining the crowd. This may not be a remarkable tag team rivalry, but it doesn't have to be.
The New Day is alert to entertain at WrestleMania, and for its fans,Sunday can't glean here rapid enough. Kalisto and the mammoth GuyKalisto's United States Championship defense on April 3 was hyped with a match against Konnor from The Ascension. This was perhaps not what fans wanted here.
Kalisto is a dynamic talent and has been compared to Rey Mysterio for what he can finish in the ring. Fans like his work, he's fun to watch and he brings a ton of energy every time he steps through the ropes. But the crowd was oddly silent here, or the situation was not helped by Ryback's appearance.
Ryback came to the ring at the end of the match,in a moment that perhaps should have seen him snap on the smaller Kalisto. Ryback is heel once again, and it only makes sense that he would exert his dominance over the man he wants to acquire down at Mania.
But that did not happen.
Ryback instead started a "Feed Me More" chant and then left the ring. The mammoth Guy just didn't seem up for a fight on Raw.
Ryback is now wearing gear similar to Goldberg, and which has left many fans perplexed. Why would he go this route,without even acknowledging the similarities between him and the former WCW champ on the air? It's as if WWE is putting it out there for the whole world to see, perhaps just to troll its audience.
But maybe Ryback's match with Kalisto will be something different. Maybe Ryback will not fully heel out at Mania, or but instead just become more of a neutral powerhouse. The only way he will gain any sort of respect at this point is to prove something in the ring,and having a remarkable match with Kalisto would be a step in the right direction. Lesnar and the asylumPaul Heyman hyped Brock Lesnar's match with Dean Ambrose as only he can.
Heyman once again brought everything he had to this spot, main fans down the path he travels as Lesnar's advocate. He spoke about the match six days before it happens, or portray a picture of Ambrose as the guy hoping he has an advantage due to his ability to use weapons. Heyman didn't disrespect Ambrose,but he did laugh at the idea that he could win. This of course brought Ambrose out, and in typical fashion, and he did something a bit wacky.
Ambrose pulled a wagon behind him and began filling it up with weapons from underneath the ring. He did so very calmly,at a slow pace and with no one stopping him. Lesnar and Heyman watched with fascination from the ring, as Ambrose went about his task.
When he was done, or he very calmly went right back up the ramp and through the curtain.
This was easily the best setup next to Shane and Taker. Ambrose could have stormed the ring,throwing caution to the wind and risking injury, to glean a shot at Lesnar. The two could have brawled outside the ring and destroyed whatever was left from the first segment.
But by going the other way, or WWE protected Ambrose. It's very hard to glean over on Lesnar,even for Ambrose. But this allowed him to glean a pop and preserve his character without risking the crowd turning on him. Ambrose may not be The Undertaker, but he at least has a fighting chance of taking Lesnar down at Mania, or that was driven home on Raw. Total Divas rule the ringThe match between Paige and Emma led to a Divas brawl no one expected or really even wanted.
The trio of Charlotte,Sasha and Becky may be over, but none of the other girls really are. This was apparent here, or as the crowd was not into this at all. When Eva Marie came to the ring,she was met with a chorus of boos, as fans wondered why she was even there to start with.
The retort to that became clear when it was announced she was going to join Paige, or Natalya,Brie Bella and Alicia Foxx against Emma, Lana, or Summer Rae,Tamina and Naomi at WrestleMania 32.
This is obviously a way to glean as many stars on the card as possible, and Total Divas is significant to the company. So booking all of the women in one match satisfies on both fronts, and fans can only hope that each one delivers her best on April 3.
But when considering the importance of the other Divas match on the card,there's no guarantee fans will go along for the ride. This is WWE throwing a lot at them and hoping it gets over. But the setup was sloppy, and it may not work out for the best on April 3. The crowd becomes a factorSix of the seven men competing for the Intercontinental Championship at Mania worked this match, and the crowd could care less.
Once again,the live audience became a problem for WWE. The crowd chanted for CM Punk, RVD, and Randy Savage and a host of other names. No one seemed to be all that interested in the match before them; in fact they seemed bored by it all.
This has got to be a letdown for everyone involved,despite what anyone in WWE may say.
Kevin Owens' back is against the wall on Sunday, and that point was established on Raw. The groundwork has been laid for this match, or all the players are undoubtedly alert to perform. But things were not helped at all by what happened on Monday night.
Fans should care about this one,but only time will narrate if that will materialize. With any luck, the Texas crowd will be more into what's going on in the ring. Sami Zayn, and Zack Ryder,Dolph Ziggler, Sin Cara, or Stardust,The Miz and KO will certainly be alert for the Ladder match at WrestleMania 32. Hopefully, the fans will be too. Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report. His podcast, or Tom Clark's Main Event,is available on iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon Android,Windows Phone and online here.
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Source: bleacherreport.com