TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – RAW 11/12: Becky Invades, Stephanie Faces Braun, Brock Appears

STEPHANIE FACES BRAUN…

Recap: The show led off with a battle royal to determine the Raw’s team captain for the tag team Survivor Series match. Shortly after the match began, however, Braun Strowman came to the ring and cleared it out.

Braun brought a chair to the middle of the ring and said he was tired of chasing Baron Corbin around. He said he wasn’t leaving until he got his hands on Corbin.

Stephanie McMahon then came to the ring. She said she understood why he was upset after what happened in his title match against Brock Lesnar. She then emphasized that Shane McMahon disrespected the entire Raw locker room with his World Cup win, and asked if Braun was going to let Shane McMahon disrespect him that way.

Braun angrily responded that he didn’t care about Shane and didn’t care about Survivor Series. He said he knew Stephanie viewed him as a “meat capsule” to be manipulated. Stephanie then made him an offer: if he led Team Raw to victory at Survivor Series, he could have anything he wants.

Braun made clear that he wanted a rematch with Brock, a match with Baron Corbin before his match with Brock, his choice of stipulations for the Corbin match, and a requirement that Corbin sign a waiver for any damages done to him during the match. Stephanie agreed to all conditions, however she required that he wait until after Survivor Series to get Corbin.

Ronda Rousey then came down to her music. She grabbed the mic from Stephanie, and said she was tired of hearing Becky Lynch talk about being the “man” and threatening to rip her arm off. She then said that maybe she didn’t need to wait for Becky, and approached Stephanie.

Baron Corbin then interrupted. He put his arm on Ronda’s shoulder, telling her not to get overconfident. She dispatched him with a judo throw and left. Corbin taunted Braun, knowing that he couldn’t touch him until after Survivor Series, but Stephanie ushered him out of the ring.

Evaluation: It’s interesting that this angle portrays the idea of caring about “brand supremacy” as something that the heels do, while the face (Strowman) doesn’t care. This approach actually works since the fans don’t care about brand supremacy at all either.

It’s a shame that Chad Gable and the Revival were wasted as jobbers for Braun.

Forecast: If Raw wins at Survivor Series, it would seem we should expect Braun to face Brock at Royal Rumble (after facing Baron Corbin at TLC). If SmackDown wins, it may mean the angle is being delayed until WrestleMania.

BECKY INVADES…

Recap: After her opening segment with Stephanie McMahon, Ronda Rousey was later interviewed backstage. She began by stating that she wasn’t trying to mock Becky’s past or path to becoming champion. Paradoxically, she continued the promo by doing just that, stating, “While she was learning the alphabet, I was learning armbars. When she was learning how to juggle, I was learning armbars. When she learning sometimes the exit sign is behind you, I was learning armbars.”

Ronda then went on a rant about how Becky was an easily offended Millennial, accusing her of wearing skinny jeans and eating avocado toast. She claimed that Becky wasn’t Oliver Twist and she wasn’t some golden child, and she said she had bled for everything she had achieved.

Nia Jax and Tamina then appeared, wishing Ronda luck. Before leaving, Nia poked at the title belt.

After Alexa Bliss announced the female members of Team SmackDown during the show’s final segment, the camera cut backstage where Becky Lynch had Ronda Rousey in a Disarm-Her. Becky then left Ronda and approached the ring.

As Becky approached, the rest of the women in the SmackDown locker room jumped the Raw team from behind. An injured Ronda Rousey ran out to try to make the save, but she was beaten with a chair by Becky. The fans loved it and chanted for more. Becky’s nose was busted and bleeding in the melee. Becky and the SmackDown women then exited through the crowd to cheers.

Before the show went off the air, we got a backstage shot of Stephanie berating Baron Corbin and demanding retribution.

Evaluation: In the opening segment, while Ronda got some cheers, there were still “Becky!” chants even while Ronda stood opposite the hated Stephanie McMahon.

While it wasn’t intended as such, Ronda’s promo was a heel promo. The fans audibly groaned. She mocked Becky’s sympathetic backstory. The Millennial accusations seemed trite and fell flat with the crowd.

The show-ending angle further cemented Becky as the face in this matchup. Ronda’s run-in was to save a Raw team comprised entirely of heels. The fans cheered her beating.

It would be hard to get a more visually arresting shot than Becky standing high in the stands, drenched in blood, smiling and taunting Ronda. She came across as clearly the biggest star on the show tonight.

Forecast: Tonight must have swung Ronda’s cheer/boo ratio further into boo territory on Sunday. The final segment with Stephanie and Corbin seemed to make it clear that Raw will be invading tomorrow night, so we shall see if the tables turn.

Charlotte Flair invaded and fought alongside Becky, so I assume we’ll see her on Team SmackDown.

BROCK APPEARS…

Recap: At the top of the second hour, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out for a promo. Heyman congratulated Braun for being an “almost” unbeatable monster, and recapped the 5 F5s he took in their match. He then turned to AJ Styles, saying AJ would fly into Los Angeles, check into the Hotel California, and go all the way to the top where a suite is marked Suplex City. Heyman said that if younger fans don’t get the reference to Hotel California, “Google it, bitches, because I’m not here to educate you.” He closed by saying there is no one in WWE or UFC that Lesnar wants to beat up more than AJ, and then was interrupted by Jinder Mahal.

Jinder said that he let focus on Survivor Series last year distract him, allowing him to lose his title to AJ. He offered to teach Brock his mantra to help him stay more focused. Heyman wanted to ignore him, but Brock looked amused and invited Jinder and the Singhs into the ring. They began to chant, and Brock quickly destroyed all of them.

Evaluation: The fans seemed ready to boo Lesnar, but having him beat on three heels elicited cheers. This was as weird booking decision.

Forecast: Despite tonight, AJ is a big enough star that the fans should almost universally cheer him on Sunday.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – RAW 11/5: Raw vs SmackDown Season Begins, Seth Still Gets No Answers, Mixed Reaction for Ronda, Random Thought on Renee