5 Biggest Takeaways from Monday Night Raw(November 29th, 2021)
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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Well, that was a show. The overall quality of Monday Night Raw was nothing to bat an eye at but the amount of takeaways worth noting is unlike anything we have seen from WWE in quite some time. Any one of the top 5 takeaways from this week’s show could have taken the top spot this week, which tells you that we had some high quality content last night.
But also worth noting is that when the show wasn’t good and/or great, it was bad. Bringing back the Hurt Business has been a flop and I don’t think anyone honestly knows why they did it to begin with. The tag team division that once was on the rise has become a shell of what it had been built up to be prior to the draft and Apollo Crews just keeps stealing title shots from other deserving talent. Not to mention that the big 10 Woman tag match almost got completely butchered before finding itself. But enough of the bad, let us focus on the good as we move right into the top 5 takeaways from this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw!
5. Omos Alone
The Omos project has been one of the more successful things WWE has done this year. Introducing him as a doorman with his huge, physical appearance and then transitioning him into the role of AJ’s personal bodyguard as a menacing threat was a brilliant move. Slowly building up his aura before feeding the New Day to him and AJ at Wrestlemania, where he absolutely manhandled one of the greatest tag teams in the company’s history. He was able to continue that road of destruction going as AJ watched on and benefited from the colossus running through anybody and everybody that stood in front of him. To make AJ Styles look like the weak member of a tag team is no easy task, but they have accomplished that goal and a lot of the credit for that belongs to AJ Styles himself.
Well, it seems the pairing has run its course. Omos has had a few outings on his own in which he was able to squash opponents with ease. He even found a way to win The Rock’s battle royale at Survivor Series and nobody else really stood a chance. The big man’s confidence has to have been growing with each passing week and no real threat stepping up to him and with that big head, being AJ’s sidekick was only going to last for so long. And on Raw, we saw the first signs of that after AJ was taken out by Montez as he tried to interfere in his match. Ford prevented it and AJ was left looking embarrassed on the floor and our last shot before cutting to commercial was bickering back and forth between Omos. Has AJ created a monster he can no longer control? We’ll be finding out in the very near future by the looks of things, and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
4. It’s Me, Austin
Vince McMahon and an Austin sharing multiple tv segments? Is this 1998!? I can’t remember the last time Vince thrust himself into a program with a talent but that’s exactly what we have going right now. What appeared to be a one off deal last week to end “the egg” fiasco, was not a one off at all and we got some continuation to that story this week. Vince said that Austin Theory reminded him of himself last week and this week invited Theory to have a seat and watch the show with him.
😳😳😳@VinceMcMahon
— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2021
@austintheory1#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/l8XSGoPVRB
If you pay any attention to me whatsoever, you know how high I have been on Austin Theory. Ever since his work in Evolve, it has been clear to me that this kid has what it takes to be a future superstar in wrestling. He breezed through NXT and was fast tracked to the main roster, and now Vince has clearly sunk his claws into Theory and has made him a personal project. So between a great showing in his WWE Championship title match last week and the Vince McMahon rub, the praise for what Austin Theory will be in the future can stop because he has officially arrived and you can expect 2022 to be the year of Theory.
3. Primetime Morgan
When Liv earned the right to challenge Becky for the Raw Women’s Title, there were zero notable wins under her belt outside of the contender match she won. They could have used that as a turning point for her and given her a hot run before her matchup with Becky and really got the crowd behind her and given the fans a reason to believe. Survivor Series was the platform for them to use and they completely crapped the bed. She had next to nothing as far as an impact goes and was eliminated early on, the same night Becky had a big victory over Charlotte Flair. Why would I be invested in that match after watching the Survivor Series show? The next night on Raw didn’t help things any when they had Becky verbally assault Liv and really show how over her head that Liv was.
Fast forward to last night, and things took a turn for the better in Liv’s favor. During the contract signing, Liv Morgan finally was able to get that breakthrough performance that her fans have been waiting for. She showed that she belonged in her position and was ready to take the proverbial bull by the horn and shine in this moment she has worked so hard to get. It started during the contract signing when she was able to verbally spar with Becky, which is no easy task. Most get lost when standing across the ring with Becky on the microphone. Liv has fallen victim to that a few times herself, but something clicked last night and she held her own. She broke out of her shell and snapped back with some nice shots that really showed some fire in her. Later that night, she would fight back in the 5 on 5 matchup as she took out everyone in her path and got that big follow up win that was needed.
ADVANTAGE: LIV MORGAN@YaOnlyLivvOnce#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/pmSLiR5JXL
— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2021
Now her date with Becky is set. Next week she gets that long awaited chance to reach the mountain top and cement herself in the women’s division as a real competitor. Can she continue that wave of momentum from this week and carry it through the biggest win of her career? Or did the fire get lit too late and Becky continues her reign of dominance across the women’s division after fending off the latest trend. Tune in next week to see what happens.
2. Miz Returns
Edge finally made his debut on Raw after being drafted to the show 2 months ago. He came out and went right into the list of new opponents he was anxious to step in the ring with. AJ Styles. Kevin Owens. Finn Balor. Damien Priest. And then…
“Quiet on the set…”
The return of Miz was here to put a damper on Edge’s big debut. What happened next was a great promo between the two that made fans realize they wanted to see this feud that they had no idea they wanted to see up until now. Edge is great and has been on a roll since his return to the WWE. Miz has been somewhat stale for a good minute, and yes that includes his one week WWE Championship title run. We all knew he was capable of more but there was something holding him back. It appears as if Edge is there to pull it out of him and help Miz return to form. And to make things better, Miz has Maryese by his side. If you remember the last time he had his lady at his side, it was one of the best runs Miz has had in his entire career.
Tell @mikethemiz like it IS, @EdgeRatedR… 👀#WWERaw @MaryseMizanin pic.twitter.com/yl4VGWIdKe
— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2021
I don’t see Miz coming out on top in this feud, Edge has been too hot lately. But what it can do is establish Miz back into a position to be taken seriously and be a big contributor to the main event scene, which is needed for him after this past year and a half.
1. Who? Who? Who?
Kevin Owens? Seth Rollins? BIG E! The disrespectful booking of Big E continues during his first WWE Championship run. This is the kind of stuff that dooms a competitor from reaching this status again and makes a person a one time champion. He was left off the first ppv of his run, had a predictable defense during his second ppv and then lost his 3rd. If that isn’t enough, he has become the second fiddle in a program that is revolving around the title… THAT IS AROUND HIS WAIST!
I get it, Seth and Kevin Owens are on a different level based on how great those guys truly are. But it is an absolute travesty that Big E can look like a superstar during the promotional runs he does, whether it be at boxing events, on ESPN College Gameday or putting over the entire locker room on radio appearances. He has been a great ambassador for the company during his short reign as champion and it really shows he has what it takes to be the face of the company. With heels like Seth and Kevin Owens, as well as other names like AJ Styles, Damian Priest, Randy Orton and Miz on the roster, Big E’s run should have been easily booked. E should look like a dominant champion with all this talent helping him get over and for whatever reason, that just hasn’t happened. The best outing Big E has had is during the loss he took to Roman Reigns and that is completely unfair for the big man. After last night, it’s starting to look a lot like Big E won’t be leaving Day One with his title and his run will be cut short in favor of a guy that for whatever reason, WWE has just booked better.
Hopefully, Big E is able to overcome the odds and his run as champ can really take off afterwards as he goes into Wrestlemania for a big time match. If for anything else, Big E deserves a big time match with Goldberg, his childhood favorite and a match he has openly admitted is a dream for him. It is the least they could do for E for the disservice they have done for him so far.
There you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear it in the comments.
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