5 Biggest Takeaways from Monday Night Raw(December 6th, 2021)
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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Still not watching Raw? Well it’s time to jump off that high horse and get back into the thick of it because Monday Night Raw is officially the A show again. With a few hiccups here and there, the show has managed to completely turn things around since a few weeks before the draft. Bringing in new faces to help focus on the in ring product has helped tremendously and the entire main event scene has been given a makeover that is absolutely refreshing. The rematches are down, the character development is up and every title on the show is being treated with some level of prestige(we won’t count the 24/7 title).
The best thing about Raw these days is that from week to week, the focus of the show could be placed on one of several individuals and they all are able to deliver on the evening. After almost 2 years of “mid” shows to downright bad shows with a few really good ones sprinkled in from time to time, the tides have finally changed and we are getting a consistently good Raw on Monday Nights again. Let’s just hope that continues through the New Year and all the way to Wrestlemania. But with that, let us move on to the 5 Biggest Takeaways from Monday Night Riddle(that’s the new name)!
#5: Fear Doudrop
After months of being used questionably and then that short stint where they seemed to have nothing for her, Doudrop looks to have found her spot on Mondays. With her size and skill, she is a perfect candidate for playing a heel for foes to struggle against. Her turn was sudden but made sense. Pushed to the edge by watching others get pushed above her many times over, so it wasn’t forced. And her first target being one of the biggest babyfaces in the company, Bianca Belair, makes perfect sense. It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, this was the women’s division that needed the most help and now we have a feuds for all the top ladies in charge, and Doudrop has the chance to end up on top of it all by mid 2022. Her feud with Bianca has been good so far but it could definitely do more. Not a fan of her having a match on Raw before their ppv showdown that is sure to happen at Day One, but the match was excellent and shows that the 2 have great chemistry that can help take this feud to another level. The story moving forward here will be if Belair can hit the K.O.D. on Doudrop, or will the EST fall to the new monster of the women’s division?
#4: Say Cheese
Austin Theory has been hand picked by Vince McMahon, this much we know to be true. But after a night of chit chat that ended with a slap to the face, where exactly was this going for Theory? How will they utilize this as a way to take him to the next level? Well Monday Night might have given us an answer. Vince is determined to get the best out of Austin Theory, he wants Austin to prove himself. “Impress me damnit!” as Vince would say and not with shots of your abs and jumping jacks, you your brain.
.@austintheory1 picked his time and his place.@FinnBalor#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/TmyWnltFYk
— WWE (@WWE) December 7, 2021
Austin Theory had the perfect plan triggered by VInce’s request. As Finn celebrated his victory over Dijakovic(I told y’all, I’m not calling him that other name anymore), Austin Theory pounced! Finn has always been booked as a guy that was upper midcard to main event level and with Theory making him his target, that can only mean that Austin Theory is ready to make the next step. The matches between these two should be fantastic and will really allow others to see how truly gifted Theory is in the ring. A win here for Austin should also catapult him into the United States title picture and would make for a great Wrestlemania moment for him to capture his first gold in WWE. I say it every week, his stock is on the rise and you better jump on the bandwagon now before it’s too late!
#3: Liv to Fight Another Day
Liv Morgan and her fans finally got their moment. On the anniversary of the first ever women’s main event on Raw, Liv and Becky got a chance to honor that date by going out and delivering a great match with an even better story. For months now, Liv has been gaining momentum from the fans and within the last month and a half it has finally translated to her in the ring. I still would have liked to have seen her have a better outing at Survivor Series, but other than that Liv has delivered in all areas.
She gave it her all, but @YaOnlyLivvOnce knows it's FAR from over between her and @BeckyLynchWWE. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/D7fpjHpelA
— WWE (@WWE) December 7, 2021
Standing face to face with Becky is no easy task, and Liv was able to do that. She gave the best promo of her career two weeks ago, made herself look like a threat last week during the 5 on 5 match and this week was able to look like a star during her first title shot. She would come up short after Becky used the ropes to pick up the win but what we saw after the match tells the whole story. Liv isn’t done, not by a longshot. Her confidence hasn’t been hindered. She knows that she was robbed and she will stop at nothing to rectify this wrong doing and get what she feels rightfully belongs to her. Finishing this story off with Liv winning the Raw Women’s Championship would make for a great Wrestlemania moment.
#2: US Title Open Challenge
United States open challenge tonight in Memphis! #WWERaw #LiveForever pic.twitter.com/DCwUSOrtXN
— Damian Priest (@ArcherOfInfamy) December 6, 2021
Damian Priest has been the best booked talent in WWE this year not named Roman Reigns. That is very telling of how highly they think of him, especially seeing as how he was thrown right into it after his call up from NXT. After being stuck in a feud with Miz & Morrison for 2 months too long, Priest was able to avoid a slump after that and end up winning the United States championship from Sheamus and has been a fighting champion ever since.
Recently, they have moved him away from the Archer of Infamy gimmick and given him a Jekyll and Hyde type of personality. Doing this in the middle of his title run seemed to spell doom for him but so far, he’s been able to avoid that as well. Now, he is issuing the US Title open challenge which is always a hit with the fans. This will give him the chance to get more in ring time with fresh opponents and really see how far Damian Priest can go and maybe even give him that little push into the main event picture. This week he beat Robert Roode and next week will be Dolph Ziggler. As I pointed out with Austin Theory, I really think these two are on a collision course at this point but hopefully Priest gets more time to let this open challenge grow and this doesn’t just end up being a throw away match on Raw that does nothing for them both in the long run.
#1: Hurt Business is Picking Up
Bobby Lashley had a dominant run from the beginning of the year right up until the night he lost the WWE Title. Since then, he lost to Goldberg and has rag dolled the Mysterio’s. What I thought was interesting is the immediate removal of him from the title picture after losing it. It didn’t seem like the right thing to do, especially with him losing it on a MITB cash in. Well, Monday Night saw Bobby Lashley follow up on that, just a few months later, and insert himself into that title picture again. With Big E, Kevin and Seth all down after the cage match and the post match attack, Lashley attacked. He put a hurting on all three men and left them lying without saying a word. Later in the night, MVP and Bobby would let it be known that it’s wrong that he isn’t getting the opportunity they are and that he is feeling very disrespected. THAT is what happens when people disrespect me.
Don't disrespect THE ALL MIGHTY!@fightbobby@The305MVP#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/YOpIbXQoPb
— WWE (@WWE) December 7, 2021
An odd time to insert Bobby back into the main event scene but interesting as well. Are they laying the groundwork for the title’s next challenger after Day One? Are they adding him to the match at Day One? We’ll have to wait at least another week to find out but it is nice to see that Bobby hasn’t been completely cast to the side after such a dominant run. Now only if they would put Cedric and Shelton back at his side and give us the damn Hurt Business for real!
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