Here’s my five primary takeaways from Monday Night Raw last night in Memphis, Tennessee. If you want match-by-match results or expert full commentary you’re barking up the wrong tree. Try here instead. These are simply five takeaways of mine based on the show:
♦ Jason Jordan is going to be a huge star before 2018 is over, one of the biggest in the company. Yes—I said it. He already has the wrestling ability, look and body of a star. Now he’s really finding his groove as a character — a conniving, whiny manipulator who used his “father” and now the Shield to get ahead. When he ultimately turns full heel it’s going to be glorious, the best in my opinion since Seth Rollins flipped on his Shield brothers in 2014 or at the very least Kevin Owens turning on Chris Jericho last year. While those were shockers, we all know a Jordan turn is coming, yet somehow has me the same level of enticed. I’m telling you –add a nasty streak to his character and you’re looking at a big star.
♦ I expect the Miz, with plenty of help of course to defeat Roman Reigns and take back the Intercontinental title on the Raw 25th Anniversary episode in two weeks. That help indirectly may come via Jordan, who “accidently” costs Reigns the match and championship. It makes sense at every turn as it puts the strap back on the Miz, who’s outstanding as a shit-talking cheating champion. It also furthers the slow burn as a Jordan full-fledged heel and lastly, it clears the path to start building the imminent Wrestlemania program with Reigns and Brock Lesnar.
♦ I had high hopes they’d put the Balor Club back together but now that they have, I quickly realize it’s not going to last long. They beat the Shield (well two-thirds of it anyway) on Monday, so now what? I don’t see many, if any significant programs for the Club as things stand now. Sooner or later Vince is going to have to shit or get off the pot with Finn Balor. He’d be so much better off on Smackdown.
♦ The whole Brock/Kane/Braun angle towards the Royal Rumble is a bore to me, because we all know there’s a less than zero chance Brock loses the strap before Wrestlemania, but props to Raw for doing something with Braun we haven’t seen before. Strowman, after attacking and laying both his competitors out backstage, reached into a box, found a hook, expertly launched it over the top of the stage like he’s done it a million times or something, and literally yanked the back of the stage down on top of his fallen opponents. Holy shit that was cool! It’s only January and you just got your 2018 “OMG Moment” Slammy frontrunner.
♦ I liked Samoa Joe cutting off his post-match interview with Charlie Caruso after she mentioned John Cena’s name. It’s clear Joe will be doing some form of a program with Cena over the next month or two, which is fine by me. Perhaps that starts with the Royal Rumble, which Joe announced himself as an entrant Monday. I’m predicting that while he won’t win, Joe eliminates Cena and is one of the final four competitors in the ring.
