-Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn were up to their old tricks this week. From the moment they appeared on screen together, there was a natural chemistry there that bounced through the TV set. Both guys struck an effective balance with how they interacted with another. Plenty of history and talk of their relationship, but also acknowledgment of the current landscape in which Zayn is a world champion just like Reigns. Zayn got points for defending the worth of his title when Reigns tried to disrespect it. The stakes can only be so high for a champion vs. champion match like Reigns vs. Zayn because nothing is really on the line. They jumped through the hoops this week to get to a new story between them, but given the angle at the end of the show, the match appears to be an avenue to introduce another plot point chapter for The Bloodline and 946 saga. More on that in a bit!
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-Just a tremendous Penta cash-in “tease” this week. Sometimes WWE presents silly Money in the Bank winners who run around and look excited and surprised, only to miss their opportunity at success. Penta was cool and collected. It was less of a true cash-in tease and more of a public reminder to Reigns and Zayn that he’s lurking in the background with a major weapon in his possession.
-Penta didn’t secure a clean win over Bron Breakker, but the match was excellent. After the fall that Breakker took over the weekend, it’s crazy that he was even able to lace up the boots. After Breakker attacked Je’Von Evans last week, an Evans run-in was inevitable. As mentioned last week, Breakker vs. Evans incoming.
-Well, Iyo Sky, you are now the number one contender to the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Sky and Green got the victory over Judgment Day in tag team action. I found the booking of this match refreshing. On the surface, this appeared to be a match primed up for the usual Judgment Day interference and heel victory. Instead, the babyfaces overcame and got the win. This flipped the standard Triple H booking pattern on it’s head a bit and the result was not only a future title match that is logical, but a moment in the show that the audience invested in and then was paid off.
A babyface turn for JD McDonagh
-JD McDonagh is the ultimate babyface in WWE as of this week’s Raw. Not only did he get a victory over Joe Hendry, but he obliterated the giant Funko Pop with a guitar. Pop of the night in the Heydorn house.
-The Lyra Valkyria heel character can’t get over if she keeps playing hide and seek with Bayley every week. When Valkyria turned, she had an edginess to her and that made the darkness of the character dangerous and not goofy. She’s lost that. It’s straight comedy and the entire thing feels like a way worse version of the Danhausen schtick. Valkyria vs. Bayley next week is set and will be a no disqualification match. It’s the perfect moment to give Bayley a strong win and launch her up to a potential title program in the winter with Liv Morgan.
-Lola Vice is getting the Sol Ruca treatment right now. A strong push right out of the gate, but then a fade into the background soon after. Like Ruca, Vice has plenty of upside, but needs impactful weekly television to continue building a connection with the crowd.
-Someone kicked away Triple H’s booking crutch this week. Earlier it was the babyfaces beating Judgment Day and later it was a true finish in the Men’s Intercontinental Championship match. I had Big Cass interference on that one and it didn’t come until after the match was over. Chad Gable vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee was the match of the night. All action and a hooked audience. The biggest impact of it was the Ethan Page attack afterward. Page and Gable are on a collision course and I’ve been calling for it for weeks. It’s the hottest mid-card title match that the company has. Give these guys time and multiple months of television and WWE will have itself a classic on their hands.
Roman Reigns is in
-Another very strong chapter in the Bloodline and 946 story to end the show this week. Roman Reigns is in the game. Reigns got a massive babyface pop for helping his guys and that should put to bed any kind of discussion around he or the group continuing on the heel path they were on. The future of this story rests with Reigns and how he wants to play things. If he can find it in him to show some vulnerability and sell for Royce Keys and 946, fans will invest in a WarGames match between the two squads and have legit worries around whether or not The Bloodline can beat them. Boom. There’s your drama. If Reigns no-sells the 946 bit he’s going to undercut the very drama they need for the match and the result will be a nice little in-ring stunt show battle rather than a meaningful fight with stakes.
Should WarGames be five on five or four on four this year? Let us know in the comments!
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I hope it stays four on four. Adding LA Knight or Drew McIntyre would be unnecessary. The opening segment didn’t take any time for Reigns to actively shit on Sami’s championship. The reason his world title exists is because he held Sami’s title hostage for four and a half years.
Either Sami scores an upset or he goes back to Smackdown and be subjected to even more ridicule. The former is a better way forward because Sami would be 10x more insufferable and the 946 need all the heat they can get to be a legitimate threat to the bloodline. They better not get nexus’d at WarGames. Roman gotta put his ego in check.
The IC title 3 way is a legit TV MOTYC.