It’s a special RAW In A Nutshell, as this show represents one last big hurrah for the red brand as currently constituted.
With the WWE Draft beginning on Friday, the matches we see tonight? It might be a while before we get to see some of them again.
Tag teams could be split up. Hot feuds could quickly come to an end.
Lots to process, starting Friday and wrapping up next Monday.
So, for this show, it is one last big hurrah for the RAW roster as we know it.
Because starting on Friday…it begins to change.
On top of that hanging over our heads…Triple H has been announced as having a big announcement on this show.
Could this be more Draft related news, or something even bigger? Or perhaps both?
Only one way to find out, which means it is time for…
One Last Big Hurrah: RAW In A Nutshell
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and get into it!
Best Match of the night:
It was not great, but I did enjoy seeing the Hurt Business go against the Street Profits.
Was that their last big hurrah before the draft?
Rey and Damien Priest wins this one, I think? Or I could go Cody and Finn?
The belt reveal was the bigger thing though.
Worst match of the night:
Not a knock on the matches, but LWO has to stop losing, no? They deserve better…
Star of the Night
Can I call the belt the star of the night?
Or Triple H for finally unveiling it?
Though, it is funny to me, as much as he kind of took shots at Roman’s lack of defenses (while also saying he’d have done it too)…this is the same guy who shook Reigns’ hand on the RAW following ‘Mania.
Spot of the Night:
Just leaving this here…
Jobber of the Night:
The Latino World Order loses again…
So does Bayley…Damage CTRL seems like they are nearly broken up, no?
Take your pick.
Upset of the Night:
Mustafa Ali got a win in his hometown, over Chad Gable.
I have a feeling Gable and Otis are split during the draft, but either way, the announcers sold this as a big upset.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
This happened prior to the show, and surely will have plenty of chatter tomorrow too.
RAW was in Chicago this week. CM Punk is from Chicago.
And Punk was backstage at RAW, at least for a little bit, prior to the show going on air.
This is a bit of a developing story, but Fightful has provided some details.
Including that Punk did apparently meet with some friends, and talked with Triple H.
Ultimately, it sounds like Vince McMahon asked Punk to leave, which the former WWE Superstar did do.
I’ve already seen a few differing reports, so this one should be worth following (some talent figure he was just there for the buzz, more than anything else, and so on).
Botch of the night:
Not in the ring…I get into this more later, but I think crowning the new world heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia is a miss.
LOL Moment of the night:
I am sorry…but Bad Bunny coming out like that trying to look tough just made me LOL.
Noteworthy Moment:
There had been whispers that WWE had a new belt coming.
At times, we had heard it might actually be a whole new title (Like, say, a women’s mid-card title or two…hint hint).
Or, we’d finally ditch the rather boring current title designs.
So, tonight on RAW, Triple H made his announcement.
Roman Reigns will be drafted, and whichever show drafts Reigns, keeps him and both belts.
And, whichever show does not have Reigns, will crown it’s new champion at Night of Champions at the end of May.
Some thoughts here, not that anyone asked:
First? The belt looks like a gaudier version of a mashup of the old big gold belt and a UFC title.
I’d say that is coincidental, since the rumors of a new belt design precede the purchase by UFC parent Endeavor. Unless this is a newer design because of that.
Second? I don’t hate it, it may grow on me, but I’d rather the old winged eagle belt made famous by Hogan and that ilk.
Third? I get why the big WWE logo…same as why there’s a big UFC logo…but this is why I miss the older belts (pre-John Cena spinner).
Because you knew those were WWE champions…but the belt didn’t have an oversized corporate logo either.
It does look a bit different in this shot…
Last thoughts? Well…this fixes the top champ issue…but what next?
Will Reigns get a new title and retire the two he currently totes around?
Does this re-design mean the women’s singles belts are going to get refreshed?
And, will we see the tag titles split up, or will KO and Sami (or whomever) continue to work both shows?
See…it answers one question…but leaves a few still to be covered.
And while we expected Bad Bunny to be in a Backlash match…I expected a tag match.
I did not expect a one on one street fight with Damien Priest…but that is indeed what we have.
Overall lowlights:
Here’s one maybe you wouldn’t expect…
While a new belt is one last big hurrah for the current version of RAW…how and when that first title holder gets crowned?
Yea, that’s a no for me.
Sure, WWE went from King/Queen of the Ring in Saudi Araba, to Night of Champions.
But the Saudi event is controversial and probably always will be. Having this new champion crowned there feels wrong for so, so many reasons.
One guess I do have? PLE views for the Saudi events underwhelms compared to domestic events (maybe?).
Because, I mean…tuning in mid-day is not my usual watching habits. Maybe its just me?
But, I honestly would prefer this winner to be crowned via a KOTR type tournament, with the finals happening at SummerSlam.
Overall highlights:
The new belt will probably grow on me…and I do really hope that all the other big W belts get re-done.
But it’s worth pointing out, the look is secondary. Having a big title on RAW and another on SmackDown is more important.
As elevated as the US and IC belts have been (which was sorely needed), the rosters are deep enough that the unified titles just did more harm than good.
Think about it-we’ve gone years with part-time champions, mostly.
Now, a new belt opens up a ton of chances.
Plus, thinking beyond the new champion…now the MITB briefcase winner has decisions, and fans can tune into one show each week thinking “maybe a cash-in this week”.
And now, the Rumble winner won’t be locked in for one match. There can be some added drama.
The design will grow on me. Having more nuance and creative options?
That is one last big hurrah for RAW as we knew it, and I dig it.
After the final bell:
So…how was that for one last big hurrah?
On a normal show, revealing a new belt, or a redesign, would be big news all on its own.
We had hype for Backlash. There was, in case you missed it, hype for the draft that begins on Friday.
And, as we enjoyed one last big hurrah, yes, there was a LOT of hype for the new title belt. Even if it is going to be called second place.
Then again, not the first time we saw a champ drafted to one brand, with a new title introduced for the other (Finn Balor says hello).
