It is once again Monday, which means it’s RAW In A Nutshell time. This time around, it’s the red brand farewell to 2020, if only because there is no more RAW for the year.
It’s also a chance for WWE to say farewell to a former Superstar gone way too soon. Jon Huber, aka Luke Harper or Brodie Lee, passed away over the weekend.
On to less depressing news, we do have a number one contenders match. That one pits Keith Lee against Sheamus, the winner facing Drew McIntyre on the first RAW of 2021.
That first RAW is also slated to be Legends Night, with the big name being pushed: Hulk Hogan. There are others, and it remains to be seen if any are leveraged into an angle (probably).
There should be more between Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton, and it’s TBD if Bray Wyatt is set to return just yet.
In the meantime though…
It’s the red brand farewell to 2020.
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and find out!
Best Match of the night:
I will take Keith Lee and Sheamus.
The 8 man tag wasn’t terrible either, but the placement of it on the show kind of puzzled me.
Worst match of the night:
I guess I would pick on Shayna Baszler and Dana Brooke, if only because it was filler?
Star of the Night
For an active WWE performer, I give the nod to Keith Lee. Very curious if they actually put the belt on him next week (probably not, but it could happen).
Otherwise, I give this to Jon Huber. Or, Harper or Brodie Lee.
Gone far too soon…often mis-used in WWE…may he rest in peace, and may his family and friends find comfort in the outpouring of memories from fans around the world.
Spot of the Night:
Well…we ALMOST saw Alexa get lit up…
Jobber of the Night:
Dana Brooke, I guess?
Upset of the Night:
Fans, not loving the cliffhanger to end 2020.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
OK, maybe not THAT shocking, as there were rumblings this would happen…
But, The Miz once again is Mr. Money In The Bank, because it was Morrison who cashed in, not Miz.
That’s all well and good, but I still go back to the initial theft of the briefcase from Otis…he said kept the contract in his lunch box.
Guess that proves what WWE thinks of each Superstar…
Also proves that WWE is making a farce of the briefcase. Dare I say it may be time to retire or rethink the match?
Like, I’d be OK with reviving the King of the Ring, and giving the winner the equivalent of the briefcase (or, the title shot of their choice at SummerSlam).
Of course, then we closed the show with Alexa Bliss begging to have Randy Orton set her on fire…so…go figure. Of course, as Orton went to light the match, the lights went out and that was it.
Like, we all assumed that The Fiend was showing up, and/or a stunt double was replacing Alexa. But we actually ended the show-and the year-on a cliffhanger.
Botch of the night:
Lashley declared, on December 28th, that he was in “this year’s men’s Royal Rumble“, and that he would then go on to “main event this year’s WrestleMania.
Now, I know and you know which one he meant. But this year is still 2020, and this year’s Rumble and WrestleMania happened…
LOL Moment of the night:
Riddle is funny. Maybe trying too hard at times, but funny.
Truth is too.
Noteworthy Moment:
Over the weekend, it was announced that AEW’s Brodie Lee tragically passed away at the far-too-young age of 41.
Lee, of course, wrestled for quite some time in WWE, as Luke Harper.
So I waited to see what WWE would do to honor Jon Huber, if anything. It would go over badly to ignore him, considering how so many Superstars loved the man.
However, a certain big boss tends to hate giving too much attention to a competitor. Among other reasons to avoid it (lawyers and such).
So, WWE did the classy, if subdued, thing. The show opened with the graphic in memory of Huber.
Thank you, Jon. pic.twitter.com/HZSW5QIIsz
— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020
The more noteworthy point, it would seem WWE allowed it’s Superstars to pay tribute in their own ways during their segments.
Drew McIntyre, Tom Phillips, Alexa Bliss and more paid tribute, if only by dropping some of Huber’s signature lines.
This was on top of WWE releasing a Harper highlight clip on their YouTube channel. And while I know it’s as much about clicks as anything else, it’s still nice to see.
Overall lowlights:
I would have probably liked to see WWE do a little more of a formal tribute for the former Luke Harper, but I get why they did not.
In terms of real gripes, I do question having the 8 man tag as the last actual match on the show, opening with the #1 contender match.
Also, as I’ve said previously, the arbitrary declaring of one to be in a Rumble match can be frustrating.
Like, what’s stopping Adam Cole or someone else on NXT from doing the same? Or, why can’t one of Tozawa’s ninjas?
Also…will Ricochet either finally join Retribution, or finally get some help? I have a feeling help will be from some Legends next week, further neutering the would-be heel faction.
Overall highlights:
While we can all want more of a tribute, Huber was no longer working for WWE, so they did what they could and kept it simple. It was classy enough, and I was glad they did it.
I was also glad that others who worked and traveled with Huber got to pay even a tiny bit of an homage to him. I trust we will learn that such gestures were encouraged, or at least explicitly permitted.
I am curious to see where WWE takes the Keith Lee/Sheamus/Drew McIntyre fun. Obviously, we have a title match for Lee next week.
After the final bell:
Well, that’s it folks. No more RAW in 2020.
Man, it seems so bizarre to think that we haven’t had a RAW in front of a live audience in like ten months, and it will easily be over a year before it happens again (I am betting).
It sucks that the last RAW had to have a tinge of tragedy, with Huber’s passing.
It is interesting that we otherwise ended it on such a cliffhanger, especially as I would have liked to see what Bray Wyatt does to pay tribute.
Otherwise, it’s the end of 2020 RAW In A Nutshell. We join the red brand farewell to 2020, and hope for a return to normal in 2021!
