The 5 Best Things That Happened In WWE This Week

Another week has come and gone in WWE, and we were treated with some really good and memorable moments. The question is: what stood out most among the several hours of television?

We started off the week with a pretty darn good edition of Monday Night RAW, followed that up with a slightly less interesting SmackDown, saw WWE NXT continue to regain its reputation of old, the Mae Young Classic dominated the airwaves on the WWE Network, and we got some juicy new rumors to go along with it.

So among all of the good (and bad) this week, we’ll give you the five best moments of the week. Tomorrow, check back with us as we give you the five works moments of the week.

If you missed any wrestling this week, this is what you missed out on.

1. A Dream Match On The Horizon

This week’s edition of RAW will most be remembered for the in-ring segment between Roman Reigns and John Cena. Obviously a bout that could have been reserved for WrestleMania, WWE has pushed the match to the forefront and it will be featured at No Mercy. I’m not going to complain because it should be awesome.

The segment was a worked shoot, with everything being scripted as usual. The entire segment supposedly went through Vince McMahon personally. The only thing that wasn’t planned was when Reigns forgot one of his lines and Cena ab-libbed. 

The fact that fans were debating whether what the guys were saying was real or not, though, is a testament to how awesome this segment was. 

2. The Women’s Title Main Events RAW

Following that Reigns and Cena segment was a tall order, but Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss worked the main event and turned in a memorable performance to close out the show. 

Both women very much elevated their games, with the match surpassing the contest they put together at SummerSlam just over a week ago. Bliss in particular really elevated her game in a way that she hasn’t done before, and the fact that she was in there with a talented dance partner such as Banks is no doubt one of the reasons why she succeeded in doing so.

Bliss has come so far since her days as the stereotypical babyface blowing kisses on the stage at NXT. The transformation into one of the most skilled all around performers in the company was seriously on display Monday night.

The match ended with Bliss winning back the title following a brutal DDT. After the match, she briefly celebrated until Nia Jax came out and turned on her former friend. It looks like we are looking at a Jax vs. Bliss match at No Mercy. 

3. The Mae Young Classic Dominates The Network

The first four editions of the Mae Young Classic are currently streaming on the WWE Network. Though some may think (and they’d have a point) that this was too much content to throw up all at once, it has been popular so far. Over the last week, the tournament is the most-watched show on the WWE Network. It looks like all the commercials and promotion have worked.

The success of the tournament has caused some rumors that WWE could be looking at an all female show in the near future. Not so fast said Triple H. 

“Never say never; you could end up there. We’re experimenting with a lot of different things as far as programming. But the women are a lot different. With the women, you hopefully have opportunities for a lot of these women to beef up the roster on RAW, Smackdown, NXT, and while it’s still a work in progress, we have the intention to be in the United Kingdom as well.”

“We want the women to have the same opportunity as the men to be everywhere. You don’t need a separate show, as long as opportunities are everywhere. It makes it feel like less than for them.”

4. Ric Flair Kicks Out At 2

Following a health scare and surgery that only gave the Nature Boy a 25% of survival, Ric Flair has progressed well and once again kicked out against an intimidating opponent.

This past week saw his daughter Charlotte return to the road with WWE and Ric make his first public comment since the crisis.

Flair’s fiance Wendy Barlow also posted the following update on her Facebook page.

“I wanted to update everyone on Ric’s progress as So many people have been reaching out and offering their Prayers and Support. He is doing very well for a Man who has been through so much! He will begin Physical Therapy shortly and will be stronger than ever and back out enjoying all the fans sooner than you would think. I can Honestly say I have witnessed a Miracle.”

5. The Open Challenge Returns

When John Cena reigned as WWE U.S. Champion back in 2015, he conducted an “open challenge” on television weekly that was always a major highlight of the show. Thankfully, current champion AJ Styles brought the segment back this week on SmackDown.

Styles made quick work of Tye Dillinger, though Baron Corbin was heavily involved in the segment and appears to be the challenger to Styles coming up. He interrupted Dillinger pre-match, did guest commentary during the bout, and then attacked Tye again after the match. AJ then disposed of him via a forearm shot.

When John Cena originated the open challenge concept, it was marked by several surprise appearances, most notably the debut of Kevin Owens. Will Styles’ open challenge segments result in the same kind of surprises? While Dillinger was surely not the first person one would have expected to challenge for the US title, it wasn’t the kind of surprise that some may have expected. Especially given this was the first open challenge and some may have been looking for a bit more of a “wow” factor.