5 TAKEAWAYS FROM WWE RAW

The Raw after Summerslam emanated from Brooklyn NY and it was clear from the very beginning that we are firmly in the Seth Rollins era. Here are five takeaways from this week’s episode. 

 

1. THE VISION IS CLEAR

 

Sometimes you can be the world champion, but the show still clearly isn’t actually about you (Punk’s early title runs, Dean Ambrose, Gunther). This couldn’t be further from the current situation with Seth Rollins and The Vision. The show opened with them and ended with them, which couldn’t send a more clear message that they will be the focus of Raw for the upcoming months. 

 

Rollins had to defend his newly won title on Raw against LA Knight after the latter correctly pointed out that, “ruse” or not, Knight was the last person to pin the champ. Putting Rollins immediately in a title match is proof that he’s going to be a fighting champion and again solidifies that he is the top guy on Raw. Of course, Rollins ran into a lot more trouble when CM Punk emerged from the crowd and pounced on Rollins just before he could curb stomp LA Knight onto the cement. Knight was none too pleased with his title match getting cut short, but in reality, he was looking down for the count anyway. 

 

  2. LA KNIGHT WON'T GO AWAY 

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Knight has only been pinned 3 times in the past year, and two of those losses involved dropping the US title. While it seems like he’ll never be “the guy” in WWE, his popularity, charisma, and quality of matches keep him sniffing at the top of the card. Clash in Paris is looking like it might be Knight, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns vs the Vision, which means somehow LA Knight has gotten himself in another PLE main event spot, Yeah! 

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   3. SHEAMUS AND RUSEV FIGHT FOREVER 

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This was a short little chapter in the ongoing meat slap fest that is Rusev vs. Sheamus. This time, the two brawled their way to the outside and got the rare double count-out. I honestly believed the WWE officials did not know how to count that high. Sheamus took a nasty collision with the ring stairs (who are pretty much their own character at this point), and Rusev ate a powerslam onto the announcer’s table before the pair were separated. 

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However, that was not the last time these two would exchange blows, as they were later seen brawling in the backstage area. A “falls count anywhere” match seems to be in the making here. If it happens at Clash in Paris, fingers crossed we see a Brogue Kick right off of the Eiffel Tower! 

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  4. CHARLOTTE AND ALEXA RETAIN 

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The Queen stays Queen as Charlotte and Alexa retain the tag team titles against former champs Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. Prior to the match, Charlotte and Alexa were doing their “frenemies” thing, which is all well and good. It seems to be working with the audience, as Charlotte is getting legit cheers for what seems like the first time in her career. Of course, Alexa is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the “babyface retention” role (I hope she gets a bonus for that), but no matter the reason, this odd couple paring seems to really work.

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As far as the Judgment Day goes, having Raquel and Roxanne lose the titles drops a bit of the drama that would occur when Liv Morgan finally returns. Without the titles, it seems Raquel should easily just go back to Liv, instead of struggling with the idea of abandoning success with Roxanne.

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  5.  BECKY DECKS NIKKI

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Speaking of Liv Morgan, Liv seemed primed to take on Nikki Bella at Evolution, but her injury thwarted those plans. It seems WWE is going to pivot by having Nikki’s first singles feud since coming back be against Becky Lynch. Nikki cut off Becky bragging about her Summerslam victory to lay down a challenge for the IC Title against Lynch. The two exchanged personal insults involving the other’s past and current significant others, which got the crowd to pop. 

 

With Lyra now out of the picture and involved with Bayley, Nikki is a nice opponent for Becky Lynch. While she’s not a serious threat to the title, Lynch shouldn’t be dropping this title immediately anyway. For the meantime, a popular name who can hang with Becky on the mic is a great way to keep the Women’s IC Title top of mind.

 

Final Thoughts: 

 

With Clash in Paris just a few weeks away, the card is already starting to shape up nicely. Punk/Knight/Rollins vs The Vision will be a fun feud that should pave the way back to a Rollins/Reigns title match in the near future, and if we can also get a Punk/Rollins banger in between then, all the better.