SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
SAD NEWS FROM ROMAN…
Recap: At the top of the show, Roman Reigns came to the ring in street clothes. He said that he had promised to be a workhorse and fighting champion, but that it was all lies. He said the reality was that his name was Joe, and that he’s been fighting leukemia for 11 years. He said his leukemia had returned and that he was relinquishing the title.
He recalled that during the toughest time of his life, when he was broke with a baby, WWE gave him a chance. He thanked the fans for making his dreams come true. He said this was not a retirement, as he’d be back once he had beaten the disease. He said he wanted to show the world that he’s the type of guy that when thrown a curveball, swings for the fences. He then met a tearful Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose on stage before leaving.
Evaluation: Based on house show reports over the weekend stating that Roman wasn’t present and Braun Strowman worked face, I expected Roman to be announcing an injury tonight. Obviously I did not expect this, and can only wish him the best.
Kudos to the fans for handling this in a classy way and sending him off with an ovation.
Forecast: We can all only hope for the best.
TOP FACTIONS SPLIT…
Recap: In a backstage segment which aired after a recap of the dissension between Braun Strowman and Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, Dolph thanked Drew for having his back in dealing with Braun. Drew said that he saw the writing on the wall, and realized that Braun needed them more than they needed him. He said that unlike everyone else, he wasn’t afraid of Braun. Upon leaving, Dolph asked him where he was going, to which he replied, “monster hunting.”
The announcers later informed us that Braun Strowman would face Brock Lesnar for the vacant Universal Title at Crown Jewel.
Paul Heyman came to the ring for a promo, and put over Roman Reigns hard. He said it was humbling to be in the presence of such courage backstage. He said the fans had the right to point to the champion as the best, and that was the case while Reigns held the title.
He then changed tone and began to attack Braun. He said that only Lesnar was worthy of being champion, and that Braun wasn’t in his league or even species.
Braun then came to the ring and told Heyman to warn Lesnar he would get his “ass beat.” He said that after he takes the Universal Title, he’ll be giving a title shot to Roman Reigns. Before he could do much more, Drew McIntyre came down the ramp and surprised him with a Claymore.
Backstage, as Dolph congratulated Drew, Charly Caruso asked if Drew was afraid of what Braun would do in retaliation. McIntyre said he wasn’t. He said he was the only guy on the roster who wasn’t afraid, and was willing to do what it takes. Drew doesn’t believe in monsters and closed by saying Braun received a swift kick of reality.
In the main event, Dolph and Drew faced Seth and Dean for the tag titles. During the match, Braun came down the ramp. The distraction led to a ref bump. After a brief staredown, Braun and Drew began to brawl, which led them backstage.
Dolph tried to take advantage by hitting Seth with his title, however Dean stopped him. Seth took advantage of the distraction by Dean to hit the Curb Stomp for the win.
After the match, to the total shock of the fans, Dean attacked Seth, finishing him with a Dirty Deeds on exposed concrete outside the ring.
Evaluation: Paul Heyman was in a tough spot, having to offer condolences before transitioning into a heel role. He accomplished the feat well.
Drew McIntyre was great on the mic all night. Positioning him as the guy who isn’t afraid of Braun really makes him stand out. With Braun Strowman moving over to the face side of the ledger, he has really stepped up as a top heel.
The turn of Dean was phenomenal. It was the perfect combination of telegraphing changes in behavior weeks in advance while still surprising everyone with the timing. Never had Seth and Dean seemed more on the same page: the Shield mourned Roman Reigns in real life, Dean saved Seth from being hit with Dolph’s title, and the team then won the tag titles while working together well. No one would’ve expected a turn tonight. The fans looked like they had just learned their family pets had all died.
Forecast: Braun Strowman will win the title at Crown Jewel, and should transition into a feud afterwards with Drew McIntyre. Dean and Seth will begin their feud as well.
MORE HYPE FOR DX VS BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION…
Recap: During the first hour, the spooky boiler room video package with Kane and the Undertaker from last week was replayed.
At the top of the second hour, D-generation X came to the ring. They mocked the boiler room package as being cheesy. Shawn said that he’d been hearing a lot about nostalgia, which he thought may be another way of saying “old.” Triple H disagreed, noting that Halloween (a 40 year old franchise) was number one in theaters and that DX had just packed 70,000 fans into a stadium in Australia. He quipped that nostalgia might mean “better.”
Triple H then pointed to the “X” in DX. He said it represented how strong they were, but now it also represented something different. Shawn commented that they ran that as well. The fans picked up on the reference and chanted “NXT!”
This was followed by a new graveyard video package where Kane and Undertaker gave spooky speeches while shoveling dirt onto graves with Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ tombstones. Undertaker said they would own DX’s soles for eternity and that they would rest in peace.
Evaluation: The spooky video packages over the past couple weeks have been too cheesy to be effective. It was also a bad decision to show Triple H and Shawn Michael’s birthdates on the tombstones, as it emphasizes their ages more than would otherwise be the case.
On the other hand, Triple H and Shawn Michaels have been fine. Working in the NXT reference was a cheap pop but it worked.
Forecast: Nothing tonight changes any predictions for Crown Jewel. With WWE booking, the most likely scenario would be the Brothers of Destruction getting the win back.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – RAW 10/15: Snowflake Dean, Breaking Saudi News, Ronda Gets Personal
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.