5 Things We Learned From RAW Last Night

RAW continued its hot streak in versatile fashion last night. Just a week ago, Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks main evented RAW, yet last night we got Braun Strowman and Big Show in a cage. Holy juxtaposition!

WWE is putting on consistently good to great Monday night shows. They’re doing it with such ease it makes me wonder why they can’t do it throughout the year.

With WrestleMania, err I mean, No Mercy looming, WWE is forced to make stuff happen. It’s a simple concept that WWE is all too good at neglecting. Yet when they feel like being progressive they can’t help but remind us of their potent capabilities.

That said, what did WWE tell us last night? Which WWE Superstars and stories are surging? Who’s faltering? Let’s have a look, here are: 5 Things We Learned From RAW Last Night.

Roman Reigns (Heel)

Roman Reigns may have found the essence of his best WWE character last night. While he’s inherently a “tweener,” Reigns may have uncovered something. He was smug, but rightfully so. His arrogance has substance behind it as he dared John Cena to take action that we all knew he wouldn’t.

While Cena and Reign would both hesitate to pick a side between heel and face, WWE has made an exception for this feud. John Cena might as well be Ricky Steamboat at No Mercy while Reigns can play the defensive lineman version of Rick Rude. 

Anyone spewing negativity about this program is taking it for granted. I mean, for the first time in WWE history, Roman Reigns executed a well-timed penis joke. 

While No Mercy certainly isn’t WrestleMania, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. With a couple more weeks to simmer, expect John Cena and the heel, Roman Reigns to keep raising the bar. 

The Balor Ultimatum

WWE has a bad habit of booking 2 Superstars together and have them trade wins – some call it 50/50 booking. But there’s another layer of sin to this type of lackluster creativity. 

Not only have WWE pinned themselves into this 50/50 corner, but they’re doing it with guys that need wins. Bray Wyatt simply cannot afford to keep losing PPV matches. At some point, 8-year old children will stop taking him seriously. 

For Balor, a loss at No Mercy without his fabled paint essentially makes his pedestrian, leather jacket character obsolete. 

One of these men is set for a detrimental loss in a few weeks. In the name of 50/50, expect Bray to win and Balor to enter booking Purgatory. 

Enzo Amore is the Ric Flair of 205 Live

While you may not like Enzo Amore, you cannot deny that he’s summoning the first crowd reactions 205 Live has ever seen. Enzo is proof that personality, even an obnoxious one, is crucial to professional wrestling. 

Outside of a budding Neville, Enzo is literally the only competitor in 205 Live that can cut a promo of consequence. This matters. 

Tonight Enzo will compete in a Fatal 5-Way to determine No Mercy’s number 1 contender for Neville and his Cruiserweight Championship. I bet the typically nondescript show has a surge in viewership…

Nia Jax is $$$

With just a few more weeks of smart booking, Nia Jax is going to look unbeatable. With her size and power, Jax can physically destroy her opponents – something no one else in the women’s division can do. Anomalies in wrestling make lots of money.

Chances are, JAX won’t leave No Mercy as RAW Women’s Champion, but that’s fine. WWE is rumored to have Asuka debut and continue her NXT dominance on the main roster. That said, WWE will look to keep Jax away from Asuka’s path and vice versa. 

However, there is a window that favors Jax winning at No Mercy. With all of this Ronda Rousey hoopla, we can expect gals like Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks to be out of their respective title pictures as they build towards an MMA/WWE Survivor Series feud. This spells opportunity for some one like Jax. However, the question begs: if WWE makes her Champion, then how can they believably have her lose that belt?

Stop and Smell Braun Strowman’s Roses

This is your reminder to appreciate Braun Strowman. He and WWE have barely started their conquest, but just understand that this guy is going to be a legend. 

If there was a wrestling draft tomorrow that involved every promotion on the planet, Braun Strowman would be the undisputed number 1 pick. If you haven’t been, then it’s time to drink him in, mannnnn.