PWP Nation’s featured writer Zack Heydorn lists five things we learned from Monday Night RAW (1/25/16)
Welcome to the a new series here at PWP Nation, where several writers on staff will be reviewing and covering WWE programming on a consistent basis in a “what we learned” format. For Monday Night RAW, we’ll have featured writer and host of “The Bottom Line“ immediately following RAW on PWP Nation Radio, Zack Heydorn.
Each and every week, Zack will dish out several points and key moments to take away from each show, every week.
Let’s figure our what we learned from the January 25th edition of Monday Night RAW:
#5. AJ Styles is going to have some amazing matches in WWE
It’s no secret that AJ Styles is one of the best all around professional wrestlers in the world today. Finally, he is in the best pro wrestling/sports entertainment company in the world today. If last night’s match with Chris Jericho is any indication, we are in for a slew of good matches featuring the phenomenal one. Last night’s encounter had its moments, but was a little sloppy at times as well. It’s AJ’s first real match folks. Once the nerves die down and he gets a real storyline, we are going to see greatness.
Kevin Owens, Neville, Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn are all guys that Styles can have amazing matches with. It’s just a matter of time and tonight was just a taste.
#4. Finally, The Rock has come back to Monday Night RAW!
Everyone working for the WWE on a regular full time basis should have been watching The Rock work tonight with a notebook and a pen in their hand for note taking. The Rock is simply the best at entertaining.
No, the segment didn’t advance any storylines, but everyone had fun watching it. The way The Rock can get an audience to eat out of the palm of his hand is truly masterful. It’s an art form that virtually nobody in the WWE today can craft quite the same way. It’s always nice to have The Rock back in a WWE ring. Enjoy it and leave it at that.
#3. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks is how to write a good professional wrestling storyline
A real storyline for women wrestlers? Who would have thought right? Big time PWP Nation props to whoever is writing the current WWE Divas Championship storyline. Its perfect pro wrestling writing. The big bad heel who gets handed everything in Charlotte. The effort and try hard queen Becky Lynch. The win at all cost Boss, Sasha Banks. Stick these talents in front of a TV camera and the story is hard to mess up. That said, the build for this feud has been ongoing. The development of these women and their characters has taken time and each are hitting their strides together right now. It will initially culminate in a triple threat match for the title at Fast Lane.
Ultimately though, Wrestlemania 32 will be the platter in which we’re all served the biggest Divas Championship match to date. Charlotte vs. Sasha one on one. Keep it up women’s wrestling writing team!
#2. Bray Wyatt, welcome to Suplex City!
Bray Wyatt beat Kane tonight. No, this isn’t an article from 2013. With Bray’s actions before the Royal Rumble and during it with Brock Lesnar, it’s clear there is a program developing here. I love it. The promos will be out of this world between Paul Heyman and Wyatt. The match should deliver too.
Will Bray Wyatt be able to overcome another major defeat at WrestleMania? That remains to be seen and is what I’m most concerned about. He’ll have to rise out of the ashes of Suplex City to do so. How many times can Bray be built up to then get kicked down before the crowd stops buying it all together?
#1. We have a #1 contender for Triple H at WrestleMania 32 already, don’t we?
We learned as Raw was going off the air that the main event of WWE Fastlane will be a number one contender triple threat match featuring Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar. The winner will face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. We know this is going to be a Roman Reigns win though. Sometimes, predictable is the way to go. Other times it hurts the product. This is one of those times. For as great as this match will be from an entertainment standpoint, the business at hand from now until WrestleMania is to get Reigns over so that he can have his crowning moment at “the guy” in the middle of the ring in front of 100,000 screaming fans.
That’s the goal. Matches like this, for as good as they will be, hinder the accomplishment of that goal. The WWE has constantly done this to Reigns. Fans have pushed back because they can sense Roman Reigns being forced on them. Like it or not, that’s the reality. A match as predictable as this one, further highlights that force. People won’t go for it and instead of Reigns taking two steps forward as the build begins for WrestleMania, he’ll take two steps back.
Thanks for reading! PWP Nation’s coverage of Monday Night RAW on a weekly basis doesn’t end here. Follow us on Twitter @PWPNation for live-tweeting from an array of our staff members.