RAW PRIMER 9/18: Braun looks to send The Beast a final message before their showdown at No Mercy

RAW PREVIEW
SEPTEMBER 18, 2017
SAN JOSE, CALIF.
By Joey Galizia (@RamJam89), PWTorch contributor

ANNOUNCED BY WWE…

• Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss (Non-title match)
• Not confirmed, but according to WWE.COM , another Reigns/Cena promo session.

“YOU’LL HAVE TO READ IT IN THE PAPERS SPORTY”

One of the greatest joys of watching the sport of pro wrestling is the unique approach certain wrestlers take as they enter into a fresh feud. The Beast Brock Lesnar has been top dog in the WWE for a while now and every time he steps into the squared circle it not only seems very important, but 99 percent of the time it delivers us some intense sports entertainment. Brock doesn’t even need to necessarily need to be near the title scene for his bouts to have the most buzz, but his most recent slew of Universal Title defenses are certainly another accolade to commend him on.

So when Braun Strowman walked directly into the warpath of The Beast, took one of his best shots, and GOT RIGHT BACK UP, you can understand why the WWE Universe would lose their collective minds. It’s uniquely fresh. Suplex City is the signature offense of Brock Lesnar, and its effectiveness has certainly been proven. Yet here is this MONSTER of a man who continues to not only taunt Brock Lesnar, but leave him lying on his back during multiple confrontations. Braun may very well be the greatest challenge Brock Lesnar has ever faced, and this comes after he recently conquered the road bump of Bill Goldberg. The Beast won’t be in San jose tonight, but Strowman will be. Expect one last message to the champ as we head into No Mercy weekend.

“WAR OF THE WORLDS”

The other massive marquee matchup that will take place this Sunday is the battle between the leader of the Cenation and the Big Dawg of the Roman Empire. For weeks these two franchise players have been delivering epic talking segments in order to hype this legendary matchup that will certainly mean big things for WWE’s future. With one more night to go, can they bring it one more time? I’m sure they can, but honestly that’s not what we need. With all of the talk surrounding the Universal Championship showdown, John Cena and Roman Reigns need a pre-Mercy scrap to get us excited. I doubt it will happen, but why continue to cut promos on one another if neither man plans on backing it up? Eventually, the time for talk will be over.

“NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED”

-We once again have a muddied scenario for the Raw Women’s Championship, and to make matters worse creative is cashing in on a matchup that we haven’t seen yet for a random go home episode of Raw. Tonight, with no title on the line, Champion Alexa Bliss will step into the ring with the girl whose not like most girls, Nia Jax. Nia has run dominant in the women’s division, but like Sasha Banks, she doesn’t seem capable of winning the big match. The Boss on the other hand will certainly be looking to scout this matchup out. Oh and remember Emma? She’ll be floating around too.

-Cesaro and Sheamus may be a finely tuned tag team machine, but that hasn’t helped them gain an edge on the Shield 2.0. Last week they partnered with the Good Brothers to face the tag champs and the Hardys, but would leave early as to not blow their loads before their championship rematch. Team babyface would go on to win the match and Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose head into San Jose tonight with a load of momentum. Will The Bar try and respond?

-Congratulations to the Miz and Maryse on their new baby! (Also congrats to Miz’s record breaking Intercontinental Title reign. That’s right Rod, it’s RECORD BREAKING.) The A-Lister didn’t get to celebrate for long because he was forced to interview the edgy Enzo Amore regarding his position in the company. Enzo isn’t the best guy to pick a verbal fight with though, as he eventually had the crowd chanting “Who’s your daddy.” Miz didn’t take too kindly to that, and had his Miztourage lay a beating on the realest guy that will probably still be giving him a headache today. Neville thought that was hilarious, and any mystique he was worried about for Sunday’s Cruiserweight Title match against Enzo may have faded away. But what of Miz and his IC belt? Will it be defended in Los Angeles, or for the second straight PPV will it remain on the sidelines? Answers to this coming tonight.

-Bray Wyatt doesn’t like people who wear face paint. He proved this last week when he decimated Goldust right before getting run out of the arena by Finn Balor. Where this feud goes is a mystery to me, but it’s necessary for them to add a little bit more intrigue than, “I WANT TO FACE THE MAN.” Just seems like the potential for this to blow anybody away will be lost on an already stacked PPV card.

-Elias Samson on the other hand needs a main roster feud immediately, because you know what? I’d walk with Elias.

Huge go home show before what will probably be one of the WWE’s better B PPV show’s of the year. Hoping that the brilliant editing team will have a nice tribute video for the recently passed Bobby Heenan, also known as, the GREATEST OF ALL MOTHER F##@NG TIME.

And if none of this interests you, you can always tune in to watch the Giants bounce back over the Lions.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: RAW PRIMER 9/11: Brock Lesnar and Heyman will respond to Braun’s message, No Mercy hype, more Enzo, Bray-Balor