WWE is preparing to head to Saudi Arabia for its annual Jewel in the Crown event, which will take place this Saturday. On this week’s episode of Monday night rawBronson Reed and Seth Rollins continued to attack each other ahead of their highly anticipated grudge match this weekend, American Made and LWO elevated their rivalry as the War Raiders earned the right to challenge for the tag team championship in the coming weeks. Sheamus defeated Ludwig Kaiser and Dominik Mysterio made headlines by defeating Damien Priestdefeating his surprise opponent to earn a World Heavyweight Championship match with Gunther in the coming weeks.
This episode was mainly centered on the Bloodline story, as Sami Zayn got involved with The Usos and Solo Sikoa on the same night. The Usos fended off a surprise attack from Bloodline after Jey agreed to meet with Roman on Friday’s SmackDown. Sami spoke in shock about the possibility of Jey ending his fight with Roman, but was later seen talking to Solo in the parking lot after Jey told him he wasn’t family.
Jimmy Uso
The forgotten man is driving the lineage story
“They don’t confuse us anymore,” said the triumphant Jey Uso, a man who is more finished after leaving a tag team than anyone since Shawn Michaels. What may be lost in this is the role Jimmy Uso is currently playing. Often the forgotten man of Bloodline history, it is Jimmy Uso who is here mending fences between Jey and Roman Reigns. It may seem small, but since I came back Jimmy Uso is a much more significant character than he has been in a while.
Avoiding a sneak attack from a surprise appearance by Solo and The Bloodline, The Usos were in vintage form and with superkicks. The Usos and Roman Reigns will now face Solo Sikoa’s bloodline at Crown Jewelwhere loyalty will certainly be tested. Is there enough water under the bridge for the original bloodline to hold together and defeat Solo’s crew? What is Sami Zayn’s role in all of this, given that we’ve seen him interacting with The Bloodline for the first time in months? Saturday will certainly provide answers ahead of Survivor Series season.
Dirty Dominik Mysterio
The biggest opportunity of your career awaits you
Well, well, well. Who’s laughing now? Dominik Mysterio’s Judgment Day brothers, fans and even his boss Adam Pearce were laughing at Dirty Dom’s desire to face Gunther and become World Heavyweight Champion on last week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. Going along with his wishes, Pearce booked everyone’s least favorite WWE Superstar in a match against a former World Champion to earn a title shot. This week, Damien Priest revealed as Mysterio’s challenger and that seemed to end Dom’s dreams. But that didn’t happen.
After much outside involvement and pulling off a trick true to its name, Dirty Dom rolled Priest for a three count in one of the surprises of the year and will now face Gunther for his World Heavyweight Championship in the near future. Damien Priest may have had the last word in destroying Mysterio after the bell, but it is Mysterio who will receive the opportunity of a lifetime in the coming weeks, against one of the most dominant forces in modern professional wrestling history. Just think about those sideburns. Phew.
War Invaders
A big look at the returning stars
What an incredible few weeks for the newly renamed War Raiders. Echoing the success of SmackDown’s Motor City Machine Guns, international tag team royalty the War Raiders, became the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships by defeating The New Day and Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio in a hard-hitting triple threat match. Now they will face The Judgment Day in a match in which they can even be considered favorites.
This is a welcome look for the War Raiders. Internationally recognized and with a flavor that makes them relatively unique on this list, WWE appears to have recognized that its tag division needs an overhaul and is doing something about it. The Bloodline and Judgment Day having tag team championships made the whole scene feel a little flat. The emotional ending to SmackDown on Friday night and this development on Raw show things are definitely moving in the right direction.
Chad Gable and Ivy Nile
American Made leader gets the group fired
After a rocky start, this was a good week for American Made thanks to Ivy Nile’s victory over Zelina Vega and Chad Gable, which cost Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio their tag team title shot. Even better for viewers, Gable vs Dragon Lee has been scheduled for next week’s pre-taped Monday Night Raw in what is sure to be a feast for fans of the sport of professional wrestling everywhere. Gable had a breakout year in terms of TV time. Now it’s time for him to start racking up wins and engaging in more serious conversations.
Sami Zayn
Sami “isn’t family” for the Usos
Sami Zayn was long expected to be involved in the Bloodline babyface reunion. What has everyone confused is that Zayn was seen talking to Solo Sikoa in the parking lot by Jimmy and Jey Uso. Sami had previously reprimanded Jey for getting involved with Roman and Jimmy, but was told he didn’t understand because he wasn’t family. All of these incidents are piling up and starting to reach critical mass.
No matter what angle you look at it from, talking to Solo doesn’t look good for the former Honorary Uce. That being said, at a time when Sami is loved by all types of pro wrestling fans, it’s unimaginable for Zayn to join Solo and his villainess Bloodline. What’s much easier to imagine is WWE ticking time bomb Kevin Owens watching apopletically as everyone forgives Roman Reigns for his past. If Randy Orton’s betrayal has made KO so mad, what will Kevin Owens do if his best friend is reunited with his main tormentor and the family that made his life hell? The KO and Sami WrestleMania fight the world has always wanted can finally happen.
A weak episode of Monday Night Raw
The show lacks WWE’s recent output
It may be a world away from the creative redundancy of the Vine McMahon era, but this was a weak episode of Raw. Maybe it’s the semi-derailment of stories that are in motion to accommodate the fully synthetic Crown Jewel Championship, maybe it’s just a natural pause in the creative flow, but this was a Monday Night Raw that didn’t reach its usual peaks. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan may have needed time apart to reinvigorate their rivalry, but she’s been put on the shelf for Morgan and Jax’s match that appears to have no stakes, and not even the appeal of Cody and Gunther falls back. It all seems a little counterproductive for this made-up title to interrupt the natural flow of the long-term narrative.
Not only that, this episode leaned too much into repetition for its own good with just two hours to play with. Ludwig Kaiser and Sheamus shared the ring on Raw for the fourth time since June. Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins did pretty much the same segments as last week. Bron Breakker’s Intercontinental title win felt monolithic last week and this week he felt like a footnote. More generously, any show would miss CM Punk and Drew McIntyre as part of its cast. With next week’s episode of Raw being pre-recorded in Saudi Arabia this weekend, it’s looking like a relatively rough few weeks for WWE’s red brand.
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Seth Rollins taking off his blue jacket to reveal another blue jacket underneath is about to be remembered for years.
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Next week’s match between Chad Gable and Dragon Lee will be the first ever. Not even a dark match took place between them.
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The Miz was slapped by R-Truth in his quest for protection against The Wyatt Sicks. He was later shown being kidnapped by them on their bus, in the background of a New Day segment.
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The New Day have had just two wins in the last six months.