SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Mixed Signals with Bryan and Shane…
Recap: Daniel Bryan met AJ Styles in the ring to discuss whether Kevin Owens would be permitted at ringside. Before he could say anything, Shane McMahon came out to announce that if Kevin Owens would be in Sami Zayn’s corner, then he would be at ringside as well. This led Daniel Bryan to state he’d also be at ringside.
In the main event between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn, the referee missed counting an AJ Styles pin on Sami Zayn due to a Kevin Owens distraction. Shane McMahon laid his hands on Owens as a result, and then instructed the referee to remove Owens from ringside. Daniel Bryan took the mic and announced that if Owens was banned from ringside, Shane was as well. During the commotion, Owens distracted AJ on his way out, leading to a Heluva Kick and pin by Zayn.
After the match, a frustrated AJ expressed anger at Shane and Bryan, and sarcastically asked for a handicap match against Owens and Zayn. Daniel Bryan obliged by setting that match for Royal Rumble.
Evaluation: Last week I wrote that it seemed like WWE was getting more comfortable with Shane as the heel in his feud with Bryan. This week I wasn’t so sure, as Bryan was clearly on the opposite side of AJ, the most popular face on the show. This was apparent in both the opening segment where AJ desired Kevin Owens to be banned from ringside, and in the closing segment where Bryan put him in the handicap match at Royal Rumble.
Forecast: I still think this feud won’t pan out the way WWE wants if they’re thinking of Bryan as the heel. Even when Bryan put AJ Styles in a handicap match against the heels, he still received “Yes!” chants from the crowd.
Gable and Benjamin Come So Close…
Recap: Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin cleanly defeated the Usos with a double team power bomb. However, Jimmy Uso was pinned by Chad Gable when in fact Jey Uso and Shelton Benjamin were the legal men. The referee restarted the match. The Usos won the restarted match.
Evaluation: Since when are matches restarted due to missed calls? Referees miss calls all the time, yet there is never a replay overturning the call and restarting the match. I can buy that Chad and Shelton lost track of which Uso was legal, as sometimes I can’t tell them apart during their matches. But how did Chad and Shelton not know which one of the two of themselves was legal? I suppose I’m nitpicking, because overall I did like the match.
What I really didn’t like, however, was Chad on his knees begging in front of the referee after the match. That’s not a good look for a young tag team coming up the ranks.
Forecast: My nitpicking aside, I liked having an inconclusive finish tonight. As I mentioned last week, I was hoping for an inconclusive finish so that this feud could continue for a while. I also really like Benjamin and Gable being put over with the clean pinfall, even if it didn’t technically involve either legal man.
More Multi-Woman Action…
Recap: The Welcoming Committee cut a promo together, and were in a 6-Woman Tag against the Riott Squad. Riott Squad won with Sarah Logan scoring the pin after Liv Morgan interference. After the match, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Naomi ran the Riott Squad out of the ring.
Evaluation: It now appears we have three warring factions for Raw in the Women’s Royal Rumble: the faces, the Welcoming Committee, and the Riott Squad.
Forecast: Throughout the Women’s Royal Rumble match, it’s likely that the Welcoming Committee and the faces will team up against Riott Squad for a while, only to have cooperation break down after some selfish maneuvers by Welcoming Committee members.
Random Thoughts…
-I’m not sure if this is national or not, but when I watch WWE programming on USA Network through PlayStation Vue, recently there have been nonstop ads for the WWF (World Wildlife Fund). The WWF acronym is featured prominently. If I didn’t know better, it would seem they’re taunting WWE 15 years later…
-I loved Corey Graves mentioning that Kevin Owens has a manager’s license in Florida. This was a total throwback to the old days….
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – RAW: Jordan-Seth dynamic develops, The Rules for the Women’s Rumble, Reigns’s push continues
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