RAW PRIMER 9/25: Miz TV with Roman Reigns kicks off show, what’s next for Strowman, Sheamus & Cesaro, Wyatt-Balor, Women’s Title picture

RAW PREVIEW
SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
ONTARIO, CALIF. AT CITIZENS BUSINESS BANK ARENA
By Joey Galizia (@RamJam89), PWTorch contributor

ANNOUNCED BY WWE… 

• Miz TV with special guest Roman Reigns to kickoff the show

“A SIGH OF DISAPPOINTMENT”

As I awoke this morning I expected to feel that glorious hangover from what I was convinced was going to be a brutal and savage matchup between Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and the Monster Among Men Braun Strowman. For weeks Braun has proven that not only is he a worthy competitor for Brock, but outmatches him in strength, intensity, size, and agility. A challenger of this capacity has never been a bigger threat to the champion. (Goldberg was a different story.) Never count out the former UFC Heavyweight Champion though as Brock, again, beat the odds and put the Monster on his back with a single F-5. Unfortunately, the match we received failed to deliver on those extraordinary expectations and, if not for a certain Cruiserweight bout, may have been the weakest fight on the card. Opinions about the match aside, the Beast will not be present on this evening’s episode of Raw, and the Universal Title picture is once again left with mystery.

As for Braun Strowman: We’ve seen the man eat losses before and come back with heavy momentum. He will be fine, and even though he looked fairly green last night, expect to see big things for his future. It’s obvious that the story they’re telling with Brock requires him to remain the dominant champion that he’s always been. While a lot of fans are “tired” of his presence, I commend WWE for telling a consistent story with the man. Brock’s appearances remain must see TV, even if some of his matches don’t live up to the hype. When the time comes for Brock to be dethroned it will have a monumental effect. Who will that lucky man be?

WELL…

“TAKE THE TORCH FROM HIS COLD DEAD FINGERS”

All signs point to one man: Roman Reigns. The Big Dawg was also victorious last night at No Mercy, but his opponent wasn’t just another guy on the roster. Last night Roman defeated the man, the icon, the leader of the Cenation franchise… Big Match John Cena. Defeated may even be an understatement. Roman had an answer for everything that Cena brought to the fight. He was stronger, faster, better prepared, and he hits a lot harder than ole Johnny Boy does these days. (He’s younger too but rarely does age matter in the world of sports entertainment.) With Cena gone from television for a while Roman has made his case for being the top guy for the promotion. The Miz recognized how important this victory was, and he asked General Manager Kurt Angle to have Roman on as a guest for Miz TV. This segment will kick-off the show for Ontario. If we recall how other Miz TV segments go, this could indicate what their plans are for Roman for the upcoming TLC PPV, but his inevitable showdown with the Beast continues to progress.

“NOBODY MAKES ME BLEED MY OWN BLOOD”

-The clear winner for MOTN at No Mercy was the showdown between the Shield 2.0 and The Bar for the Raw tag team championship. Cesaro and Sheamus have always been two dudes who hit hard and wrestle exceptionally but they are performing at an entirely different level these days. I only wish we had one tag division so we can see them face the Usos. (You can watch a little bit of this from Survivor Series 2016 in the tag elimination when it came down to the two of them.) Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose took an UNGODLY amount of punishment, but found a way to triumph of the Europeans. And if you are still convinced that Cesaro isn’t the GOAT, watch him finish this match after he smashed his two front teeth and had his Swiss cheeks covered in blood.

-The Miztourage will certainly accompany the A-Lister to the ring for his opening segment with Roman Reigns, but what of his Intercontinental Championship? Last night he successfully defended it against Jason Jordan thanks to an assist from his lackeys. Who will be next to challenge for the white strap?

-Alexa Bliss had the odds stacked against her, but she was able to escape from the Staples Center still the women’s champion after a really fun match. Nia Jax was not only dominant, but had strong support from the Los Angeles crowd. Bayley and Sasha’s friendship certainly wasn’t in good spirits last night considering how many times they cost each other the matchup. Emma even had several opportunities to put the match away. However, all of this is taboo considering that the Empress will arrive by TLC and lay waste to anything with a pulse.

-Finn Balor beat Bray Wyatt man to man (No Demon necessary) even after Bray got in a sneak attack before the bell rang. Will the Irishmen finally be able to move on towards something important? What is Bray to do now?

–No Mercy’s shocker of the evening: Enzo Amore upsetting King Neville and becoming the new cruiserweight champion. The realest guy in the room may have pissed off the entire division, but he did outsmart a conceited Neville who clearly didn’t take Enzo too serious. Joke’s on him, and the joke’s on us. Now we have to watch him gloat and tell us he told you so. Never have I wanted the rematch clause to take place faster than I do right now.

Fallout from No Mercy. You tuning in? If not… Cowboys and Cardinals on MNF.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: RAW PRIMER 9/18: Braun looks to send The Beast a final message before their showdown at No Mercy