The 5 Best Things That Happened In WWE This Week

Thankfully, WrestleMania is a little over seven months away, because we got enough news this week in WWE to last us for months on end.

As is always the case with WWE’s second biggest show of the year (SummerSLam), we were treated to a whirlwind week in WWE. Coming off the PPV, we were then treated to three (straight) nights of WWE television, with RAW, SmackDown, and NXT. Plus, we got a pretty noteworthy set of NXT television tapings on Thursday evening.

When looking back on the week that was, a lot of good (and bad) things happened. Today, we will focus on the good. Tomorrow, we here at Pop Culture will look back at the worst of the week.

From a reigning NXT champion finally getting the call to the main roster, to a long awaited debut, to one of the best fatal four-way matches in WWE history, there were a lot of positives to get excited about this week in WWE.

1. Rollins and Ambrose Stand Tall

Last week, we finally got that long awaited fist bump between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. This week, we saw the former Shield members hoist gold together at SummerSlam.

The Monday night tag team division has received a shot in the arm with these new tag team champions. It’s been a long time since we have seen a brand new team with this kind of momentum and interest on the WWE main roster. While this whole storyline is obviously leading to a turn (Ambrose going heel?) down the road, we should sit back and enjoy the duo  right now because we are being granted several new and juicy match-ups. 

Their first match as champions this week on RAW was a bout that a year or two ago we thought we would never see. Rollins and Ambrose took on the Hardy Boyz in a non-title match and walked out victorious. A rematch down the line for the titles? Yes, please. Another bout with Cesaro and Sheamus? Even better. This is going to be fun. 

2. An Off The Charts SummerSlam Main Event

We knew that it was going to be a great match going in, and we left SummerSlam more than fulfilled from that main event.

Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar had a Universal Championship match for the ages. WWE has been hit or miss over the years with these multi-person championship matches, and sometimes four competitors can just be a bit too much. That wasn’t the case on Sunday night. 

Though Lesnar kept the championship (as we predicted going in), the match was all about making Braun Strowman into the next big thing. See what I did there? Next big thing? Does Brock Lesnar 2002 ring a bell? Moving on…

While the crowd loves to hate on all things Roman Reigns, they absolutely love Strowman. And Braun absolutely destroyed everything in his path at SummerSlam, including take Brock out of the match completely for several minutes. 

Next month, we will get Strowman/Lesnar at No Mercy (and maybe even Reigns/Cena at the same show). If you don’t love that, it might be time to turn in your wrestling fandom. 

3. John Cena Is Back On Monday Nights

Following his destruction of Baron Corbin at SummerSlam, “free agent” John Cena made his return to WWE RAW on Monday night.

The segment was advertised as Kurt Angle presenting a big surprise to the WWE Universe. Some speculated that this could have been Bobby Roode’s debut. However, with Roode slated to begin with SmackDown on Tuesday night, we were instead treated to the RAW return of John Cena.

This immediately turned into the John Cena and Roman Reigns show, with the two teasing a match in the middle of the ring. With the fans being presented with both of their favorite men to boo in front of them, did they pick a side? Well, not really. Instead, they just boo’ed the hell out of both of them. 

Astute fans have seen the Reigns vs. Cena match building now for several months. There have been hints on Twitter, and Cena even hinted at it during a promo on SmackDown several weeks ago. It will certainly be a sort of dream match that one would think would be reserved for WrestleMania. However, with WWE’s inevitable Monday night war with the NFL on the horizon, it appears the company is set to go all out here in the next couple of months.

Instead of saving Cena/Reigns for WrestleMania in the spring, it appears they are headed for the match at No Mercy alongside Strowman/Lesnar. Both of these matches might be better suited for WrestleMania, but as a wrestling fan, I’m sure not going to complain about getting them six months earlier. 

4. A Glorious Debut

While Asuka’s main roster debut will likely happen in a couple of months, we actually saw an anticipated debut this week on WWE television.

Bobby Roode’s rumored debut became a reality Tuesday night during WWE SmackDown Live. After being the only NXT talent to attend RAW on Monday night, causing all kinds of rumors to circulate about a possible debut, the man came back to the same venue on Tuesday night for his actual television debut. 

Roode’s theme song interrupted Aiden English’s singing, causing a frenzy among the fans in attendance at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. After making his (glorious) entrance, Roode defeated English in a more competitive match than some might have expected. Either way, Roode is finally here and the prospective matches on the horizon for him on Tuesday nights are fantastic. 

5. Asuka Is WWE Main Roster Bound

One of the most anticipated WWE women’s call-ups is finally happening. Undefeated NXT Women’s Champion Asuka finally got word this week that she is making the move to the main roster, though it’s not going to happen for a few more weeks.

At Thursday night’s NXT tapings at Full Sail University, Asuka relinquished her NXT championship belt during a mid-ring ceremony with NXT GM William Regal. The reason for doing so was two-fold. They announced that Asuka has begun negotiations with both RAW and SmackDown, but the champion also suffered a broken collarbone during her TakeOver match with Ember Moon that will keep her out of the ring for a couple of months. 

Asuka’s leave from NXT will certainly leave a void in the developmental brand, but it also opens the door for another woman to become a star (hello Ember Moon). With Asuka having accomplished virtually everything she can at the NXT level, we look forward to her main roster debut, likely at October’s TLC PPV for the RAW brand.