PWP Nation’s, Zack Heydorn, discusses what we learned from the 6/12/17 edition of Monday Night Raw
5. What The Miz touches turns to gold
Just a little less than two months ago, former world champion Dean Ambrose was in a middling mid-card feud with Baron Corbin and relegated to defending his Intercontinental Championship on the pre-show at WrestleMania 33. It was a tremendously steep drop for someone that seemed to have a bright future. Fast forward to last night and Ambrose is suddenly the most over babyface on the Raw. Of course, much of that success rests at the feet of Ambrose himself, but The Miz is also directly responsible for Ambrose’s new spike in popularity. Since the brand split, whatever The Miz touches turns to gold. Whether it’s a Total Bellas spoof or berating John Cena on SmackDown Live, Miz makes it … awesome. Last night wasn’t any different. I mean let’s call a spade a spade. He got an angle with a fighting Bear over. That’s no easy task. The Miz is able to hit home runs consistently because he invests in his character and knows who he is. The audience believes in what he does even as a heel. Ambrose deserves credit for his rebirth on Raw, but eyes need to be on The Miz as well.
4. Don’t book a 2 out of 3 falls match and give it 10 minutes
You’d think this would be obvious? I guess not. Why in the world would you book and heavily promote a major Tag Team Championship match that has the 2 out of 3 falls stipulation if you were only going to give it 10 minutes? That match was setup for failure from the beginning and it did just that. Miserably. The match was clunky with the competitors trying to fit 25 pounds worth of stuff into a 5-pound bag. Plus, the match ended with a double count out. Like I said, this was a miserable failure. Props to the two teams for doing their best, but WWE needs to take note. Don’t do this again.
3. Creepy Bayley is not a viable way to reset the Bayley character
Just when you think it can’t get worse for Bayley’s main roster WWE career, she gives Corey Graves a creepy and unwanted hug during a backstage interview. Creepy Bayley is not the proper way to reset her character. It will drastically set her further back if anything. Bayley’s character is one of the genuine underdog. She had perfected the gimmick in NXT and appeared truly indestructible as a main event, main roster talent. Through terrible booking decisions and incorrect assumptions, Bayley has flopped. She does need to be reset, but not as a creepy hugger. Last night’s segment was awkward, uncomfortable, and it saw her double down on each and every bad thing she’s been a part of since her debut. The WWE audience needs to experience her story. They need to experience her push to the championship alongside her so they can buy into her and believe in her. Creepy Bayley is unnatural to see and is not a viable way to truly rebuild her as a main event star for the Raw women’s division.
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe at Great Balls Of Fire is going to be the stiffest match the WWE has seen in years
In a five minute brawl to open last night’s show, Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe stiffed each other with more potatoes than we’ve seen in the WWE in the last five years combined. Their match at Great Balls Of Fire is going to be a stiff show and I’m going on record here saying both will be busted wide open before the match is halfway done. Certainly, the WWE must have taken this into account before booking the match and we don’t see medics in the ring mid-match trying to patch these guys up. The build for this Universal Championship match has been perfectly executed and its success is rooted in its realism. Stiffness in the ring will play into that seamlessly. Both Lesnar and Joe are known for it too which increases excitement for this match as the days go on.
1. Finn Balor needs a storyline, fast
Outside of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, Finn Balor is the most over performer on the Raw roster. If there is one guy on the roster to potentially replace Roman Reigns as the face of the show, Balor is the guy. How does he not have a concrete story right now? This is an incredibly important time for him as he is being introduced to the WWE main roster. He needs a storyline to showcase who he is and what he can do. If Balor is going to face someone like Brock Lesnar in the near future, he needs to have some equity built up with the fans. Now is the time to do that and it can’t strictly be accomplished via hype video packages. Get Finn Balor a real story. Fast.