5 Biggest Takeaways from Monday Night Raw (October 18th, 2021)
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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Tuning in to this week’s Raw was somewhat of a task. With Crown Jewel taking place this week and the build for the show now being over, we can hope that next week returns to the form we were all loving that was at our fingertips less than a month ago. For a 3 hour show, they did very little to accomplish anything other than letting people know, “hey, we have a Saudi show this week!” It could be argued that last night was the worst show of the year, with next to nothing happening outside of two really good matches. They made it really hard to locate 5 takeaways big enough to highlight from last night’s show but I’m going to give it a shot. So without further to do, here we go…
#5: Mansoor is on Fiiiiiiiiire!
No, not literally. But for the first time since his arrival on Raw, Mansoor showed some fire to his character. We didn’t get the guy that was just happy to be there. He wasn’t dancing around with the New Day or cracking jokes and smiling as he prepared for his opponent. Mansoor came to the ring, picked up his victory and then when Ali showed up to try and talk him down, Mansoor delivered a promo with that fire that he has not shown up till now.
Was this what Ali was trying to get out of Mansoor this whole time? Or has the relationship been soured and Mansoor will no longer stand for the disrespect? I hope for the former because the team has a lot left to offer but if they are truly over and are set to go their separate ways, Mansoor showed last night that he might have what it takes to walk alone and find success in a singles run.
#4: The Hurt Business – Under Construction
When The Hurt Business split up, the majority was mad.
When The Hurt Business got back together, the majority was happy.
The Hurt Business is now just walking around with no real connection amongst them and the majority is now confused.
When MVP went down to injury, there was worry for Bobby. Will he be able to stand on his own and remain relevant without the master mouthpiece that is MVP? Well, WWE threw us a curveball and decided to throw Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin back with Bobby to reunite The Hurt Business. Problem solved! The match ups that just became possible had the fans salivating. Hurt Business vs New Day! Hurt Business vs The Bloodline! A triple threat among all three of them! Cedric and Shelton are back and the tag team division is actually good this time around! It was all good just a few weeks ago.
Now here we are and what has been made of this reunion? Nothing! Bobby is doing his thing with Goldberg, alone. Cedric and Shelton are doing their thing, alone. What was the reason? Was it just to give us a feel good moment for that one episode where they came back to Bobby’s side? Because that is exactly what it feels like. And if that is the case, it is a damn shame. They have a great opportunity to correct one of their biggest blunders from earlier this year and hopefully when MVP comes back to tv this whole mess can be corrected.
#3: Is This Your Queen?
When the announcement for a Queen of the Ring, the fans were ecstatic. Then that feeling was quickly soured when the thought of this being created just so that a member of the 4 Horsewoman could add to their list of accomplishments. Afterall, what better way for Charlotte to validate herself as a queen than to actually win a tournament that crowns a queen. Sighs of relief could be heard around the world when the brackets were released and not one of the established main eventers was in the tournament.
With the brackets now complete, we have a final that will see Zelina Vega taking on Doudrop for the first ever claim to the Queen’s Crown. On one hand, we have Zelina who has been treated poorly since her return. It’s great that she is being allowed to wrestle this time around but how she has been booked is not indicative of her talent in the ring. In my opinion, this tournament is a great way to establish her as a more serious competitor and wash away the taste of how she has looked the last several months.
https://twitter.com/TheaFansite/status/1450313092089384960?t=33Vc2-75yczDzmGRk8m4Nw&s=19
On the other hand we have Doudrop. The groans were loud when Piper was introduced as Eva Marie’s sidekick and they grew even louder with her new name. Not many were happy with how she was being booked and with hindsight, I can say that those complaints were justified to an extent. But even with that, she has been able to look strong during her matches which has prevented her from being “buried.” Now she is in the finals of a tournament that could easily be used to transcend her to the next level and make her a star. That’s what the King of the RIng tournament was designed to do back in the day so hopefully that is what we will get with the Queen’s Crown, and it won’t just be a throw away gimmick that was created to shut fans up for a bit.
#2: From a Prince to a King
Xavier Woods wanted King of the Ring.
Xavier Woods got King of the Ring.
And now Xavier woods finds himself in the finals of King of the Ring. A story that fans have gotten behind due to the love and respect we all have for Woods. He is entertaining, he is great in the ring and he is well respected amongst his colleagues. He was the favorite to win this tournament when it started and with the position he finds himself in right now, it looks like it might become a reality. All hail King Xavier! It has a pretty nice ring to it.
King of the Ring pic.twitter.com/bqvic3WRJR
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) October 9, 2021
Not so fast though. His opponent? The Prince, Finn Balor. Without context, if one was to look at the bracket for this King of the Ring before it started, Finn would have been the odds on favorite a hundred times over. But because of what we talked about before, he’s not. Let me break down why I think Finn Balor is going to be your winner.
- 1. Xavier winning is too obvious. WWE likes to pull the rug out from people whenever the opportunity is there. The fans like to be shocked and this might not be the biggest of shocks, but it would definitely surprise us a little bit.
- 2. Finn Balor is a Prince. What happens to Prince’s? They become King’s. After losing to Roman as The Demon, Finn needs to evolve into something new to remain relevant in the main event scene. This is it.
- 3. The Big E factor. Big E needs heels to face for his reign as champion, or it will be a very flat run for him. What better way to introduce his first challenger than to have a freshly turned heel, Finn Balor, challenge for the title after screwing Big E’s New Day brother Xavier, to become King of the Ring?
Would I love to see Xavier Woods win King of the Ring? Absolutely. He deserves it and I can only imagine that what he would do with the crown could rival that of Booker T’s run as King. I just don’t see it happening this year unfortunately. Maybe next year.
#1: Bianca on Top
In less than a year, Bianca Belair has gone from a casual NXT performer who had the potential to becoming the best woman wrestler in the company. She won the Royal Rumble. Main evented night 1 of Wrestlemania where she defeated Sasha Banks to become Women’s Champion. She has beaten Bayley and whereas they may be DQ victories, she has gone toe to toe with Charlotte and Becky as well. Not since the arrival of the 4HW has there been a threat to their position atop the card, until now.
Bianca looks like a star. She performs like a star. And she carries herself as a star. Every test that has been thrown at her, she passed with flying colors. During her match with Charlotte, there were times where you could argue that she was better than Flair. That is a feat that only Sasha has had claim to so far in my opinion, and Bianca already conquered that mountain. The best thing about Bianca? It really seems like she is only getting started. She has lost no momentum (not even at Summerslam) and with her time on the main roster being short, there is still a lot of time for her to grow and accomplish even more. So the “Vince buries NXT talent” can stop for the time being because one of those talents is now sitting at the top of the Women’s division in the company that has the best female talent, and I would be willing to bet nobody is knocking her off of that pedestal anytime soon.
There you have it. Not a great Raw, but even in the bad ones we can always find something worth our time. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. As always, comments and DM are wide open and I love talking about wrestling, so let’s hear what you have to say. If not, I’ll see you all again next week.
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