This past Monday night was the first episode since Braun Strowman was released on June 2, 2021. Still a good show but knowing that Adam Scherr is no longer on the roster is all I could think about while in the ThunderDome.
The show opened with a tag team, over the top rope Battle Royal. A lot of jaw-jacking by the competitors, as well as, interruptions by both Miz and Morrison and AJ and Omos before the bell. Three RKOs to start but ultimately, the Viking Raiders won the match. I literally jumped out of my chair and screamed with excitement! They have now earned a future tag team championship opportunity. I am so glad they are back.
Another superstar who is back with a new look is Jaxson Ryker. New haircut and trimmed down beard has him looking damn hot. As a fan, I am happy to see the company investing in him. What hasn't changed is his excellent ass kicking skills, just ask Elias. Jaxson's former tag partner fully felt his rage. Jaxson was absolutely relentless with Elias scrambling for a meaningful offense. However, he fled the ring, up the ramp and Jaxson secured a W as a result of a count out. Jaxson is a titan worthy of fan attention.
The other titan that has my attention is Drew McIntyre. It was a night of contract signing but I knew this was going to be a little different. Drew usually leaves his sword at the top of the ramp but this time he brought it with him to the ring. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would be used. Sure enough, it was dramatically used to cut the table in half. Check out the clip below.
(13) Drew McIntyre will see Bobby Lashley inside Hell in a Cell: Raw, June 7, 2021 - YouTube
Next it was time for Drew's best mate, Sheamus to make an appearance. Poor fella, he comes out to the ring ala Cody Rhodes. Remember in 2011 when Cody would come to the ring with a clear protective face covering. Well, Sheamus suffered a legitimate broken nose at the hands of Humberto Carrillo on May 31, 2021. I watched it live as a member of the ThumberDome. It was a vicious forearm. You could see not only the bridge of his nose go flat but blood instantly flowed. However, a week later, Sheamus sat at the announce table with black eyes and protective gear on his face to watch Humberto and Ricochet have a match. These two superstars are really good and dangerous on the ropes. At one point, Humberto sends Ricochet to the floor compliments of a Spanish Fly. Both men were counted out. High risk didn't pay off this time.
Many superstars are known for their high risk moves. One such veteran is Jeff Hardy. Jeff had a match with Cedric Alexander. I love Jeff Hardy but not Cedric Alexander. Don't get me wrong, Cedric can wrestle but there is something about him that makes me uneasy. I had the same feeling with Lars Sullivan, Velveteen Dream and Alberto Del Rio. It's in his eyes. Something is hidden. As with all truths, it will be revealed in time. For now, Cedric remains his own worst enemy and Jeff picks up the win.
From veterans to newcomers, Mansoor is someone to watch. I first became aware of Mansoor during WWE's 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has gone on to win 2019's Super ShowDown and 2019's Crown Jewel. If you haven't seen them, or want to see them again. you can stream them both on Peacock. This past Monday, Mansoor had a match against Drew Gulak, Despite Gulak focusing heavily on Mansoor's left leg, he earned his win.
Before I get to the women's division, let's look at Kofi's match against Matt Riddle. Both men draw from unconventional playbooks. High flyers with equally matched aggression. Randy Orton comes to the ring half way through the match to offer support and advice, However, Matt failed to listen to his mentor and instead showed off. This was a mistake and as a result, Kofi picks up the win.
The women's division needs a little overhauling. There is no clear face of the women's division on Monday night. Rhea was moved up from NXT to Monday Night Raw and is the current champ. Despite being a force to be reckoned with, she doesn't seem to be defending the belt the way a champ should. There is no strong storyline of anyone coming after her title. When is Becky Lynch coming back? I would love to see Rhea and Becky go at it. I would also like to see a little more investment in Rhea Ripley.
This past Monday, there was a tag match between the team of Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley versus Asuka and Nikki Cross. I instantly knew that Charlotte and Rhea would implode on each other. The current storyline has them severely disliking each other. Nikki Cross and Asuka on the other hand compliment each other. Nikki takes advantage of the hatred between Charlotte and Rhea to pick up the win.
Additionally, what is going on with Alexa Bliss? I do not like this current evolution of her character. The evil and scary Miss Bliss doing a lot of talking and being creepy is not the best of use of her talent. She has definitely gotten over but I am not the type of fan who enjoys storylines that include mind games and witchcraft. However, I am happy that Shayna seems to be going solo and focusing on setting Scary Miss Bliss straight.
I remember WrestleMania 31 when I saw Shayna in the front row when Ronda Rousey was being highly pushed. It is joyfully interesting that Shayna is still here and Ronda left well before she announced her pregnancy. Shayna is someone that I enjoy watching and the ending of this past Monday Night Raw saw the beginnings of a storyline with Alexa and her doll Lilly coming after Shayna, Pyros up the ramp, equipment and structures falling from the ceiling eventually led to a mind game where Lilly would appear in a mirror but not in the room itself. Shayna can't take it anymore and she breaks the mirror before everything fades to black ending in a scream of frustration.
One other thing that I greatly appreciate with Shayna is her intergender matches with Reginald. WWE has done women vs. men in the past. The one that immediately comes to mind is Chyna v. Eddie Guerrero. Then there was the tag match with Sable and Marc Mero v. Goldust and Luna Vachon. I enjoy intergender matches but they need to remain sporadic in order for them to remain a "special feature" and not the norm.
Before I get to my closing, I am going to drop a couple of spoilers. Friday Night Main Event is taped on Monday nights. So I saw what is going to happen tonight because I saw it as a member of the ThunderDome. Without any further ado, here are the matches and results.
First match is between Mustafa Ali and Angel Garza. This is the first matchup between these two superstars. Angel is the aggressor but Ali turns things around and picks up the win with a submission move.
Next match is between Jinder Mahal and Shelton Benjamin. This was a PPV worthy match. As a lifelong WWE fan, I have watched Shelton "grow up" and improve as an athlete. However, my favorite, the Monday Night Maharaja, won the match.
I am going to end today's post the way that I started - talking about Braun. I was so upset with the asinine move to release Braun that I did something that I said I would never do. I joined Instagram and Twitter. Yes, OpinLytical is now on IG and Twitter. I am a huge fan of Adam and I am curious to see what the future holds for him. So far, he has maintained his fitness routine, severely trimmed his beard, worked on cars and has displayed a joyful and mature attitude with travel, good food and whiskey. This man will not fail. I personally do not want to see him wrestle anywhere else. Hopefully, WWE and NBC Universal will recognize their mistake and bring him back. #BringBackBraun
No comments:
Post a Comment