SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
RAW PREVIEW
NOVEMBER 13, 2017
ATLANTA, GA. AT PHILIPS ARENA
By Joey Galizia (@RamJam89), PWTorch contributor
ANNOUNCED BY WWE.COM
- Roman Reigns returns from illness to reignite The Shield.
- Bayley vs. Dana Brooke vs. Mickie James for the final Survivor Series spot for the Raw Women’s team.
- The Beast Brock Lesnar sounds off on his new Survivor Series opponent, A.J. Styles.
“THE HOUNDS AT FULL STRENGTH”
The wait is finally over. Tonight in Atlanta, “The Big Dawg” Roman Reigns will be making his return after being out with an illness that has shelved him for almost two months. The viral outbreak infected several top stars including Bray Wyatt and was bad enough to call Kurt Angle back into the ring to substitute for Reigns in the main event for TLC. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose even recruited the likes of Samoa Joe and Triple H during a house shows to keep the Hounds of Justice looking strong, but no matter how much fun it is to see The Game sporting the black vest, it’s not the same. Not to mention that Roman has been absent for the #UnderSiege invasion that took place a few weeks ago, with the Smackdown roster invading and pummeling the Raw talent.
The men who claim to be front and center for that takeover are The New Day. Last week Xavier, Kofi, and Big E emerged again on Monday night, and their shenanigans distracted Seth & Dean enough to cost them their Raw Tag Team Championships. With Roman’s return, the Shield can reunite to full power once again. While that is exciting, does this mean a New Day vs. Shield match? Or will the Big Dawg be replacing someone on the Survivor Series team? Either way, in reality, we probably will have to wait until tomorrow night to see the full power of the Hounds in this war for brand supremacy.
“NEW MAN, SAME ENDING”
So much can change in an instant. The last time we saw the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and his hype-man Paul Heyman, they were shredding down Jinder Mahal as the two behemoths prepared to clash in the infamous champion vs. champion match slated for the 19th. That was until “The Phenomenal One” A.J. Styles triumphed over Mahal in Manchester, ending his near six-month title reign and beginning his second stint as the WWE Champion. That now means that Styles will have to go one-on-one with the Beast in a matchup that on paper already sounds 1,000 time more interesting than what was previously announced. With Brock expected to appear tonight, how will he feel about his change of opponent? The answer will probably be the same, but it doesn’t matter. IT’S P1. HE DON’T WANT NONE.
“LAST CHANCE TO IMPACT”
As exciting as the flagship show has been as of late, the Women’s Division is still in complete bizarro-land. Alicia Fox is the captain for the red team, Alexa Bliss has walked all over the competition and currently has no contender, and Asuka still isn’t necessarily feared as much as she should be. It seems odd that Bayley, the one wrestler on the roster who really could have been a MASSIVE success financially for the company if they didn’t botch her booking, would be absent from one of the WWE’s big four PPV shows. However, that is the case, as tonight she competes in a triple-threat against Dana Brooke (gross) and Mickie James (whatever). The winner gets the final spot on the Survivor Series team. Barring a complete mental breakdown, it seems pretty obvious who this spot should go to, but don’t be surprised if some true stupidity occurred. That includes the rumored return of one of the WWE’s most complicated stars in the past year: Paige.
“WALK WITH ME”
-Samoa Joe and Finn Balor are two dudes you would always want to have on your team, but their rivaled history may make things difficult on the 19th. Kurt Angle must be aware of this if he expects to walk out of Survivor Series with his arms raised.
-Braun Strowman is officially on the squad as well, and seems to have squashed (literally) his beef with the Miz. He is, however, still looking to get revenge on Kane after the incidents at TLC. You know, the incident of him ATTEMPTING MURDER.
-Speaking of the Intercontinental Champion, he’s been butting-heads with the United States Champion Baron Corbin ahead of their non-title bout this coming Sunday. Will the A-lister or the Lone Wolf meet before then? Depends on if there’s another invasion. SPEAKING OF…
-Rumors are that Smackdown talent is rummaging around the Atlanta area. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see one more scuffle before Raw fully retaliates.
-Jason Jordan is currently on the Raw team and is coming off a strong showing against Elias. In all honesty, I’d rather walk with The Drifter.
-Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore is probably stoked that he doesn’t have to worry about getting his face smashed in by the hard-hitting British roster of WWE’ U.K. scene, specifically the U.K. Champion Pete Dunne. This gives Amore all the time he needs to prepare to defend his purple strap against Kalisto in six days.
It’s the go-home show before Survivor Series! You excited?
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: RAW PRIMER 11/6: Spoiler-free preview of tonight’s episode including Miz TV with Kurt Angle, Elias vs. Jordan in a Guitar on a Pole match, Stephanie, Braun
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