Raw was Roman Reigns this week, as the superstar had to survive three matches to keep his slot in the Money in the Bank ladder match.
He went on to defeat King Barrett, Mark Henry and Bray Wyatt during the course of the three-hour show. It was an impressive series of performances for Reigns, who isn’t always on the fans’ good side. However, I think he took the ball and ran with it in this case.
Dean Ambrose appeared like a ninja at the end of the event and helped Reigns fight off The Authority. If you’re keeping score, the “Lunatic Fringe” still has possession of Seth Rollins’ WWE world championship. The two will meet in a rematch from Elimination Chamber in a ladder match at Money in the Bank.
When talking about making the most of an opportunity, NXT champion Kevin Owens continues to do that. He and John Cena went in to a verbal sparring match. This set the stage for a rematch at Money in the Bank. Owens puts himself in whatever he does, which makes him so effective and successful. I enjoyed the personal touch of Owens talking about how Cena is his son’s favorite wrestler. It’s basically Cena versus Anti-Cena.
Randy Orton returned to action against Sheamus. The physical bout ended with RKO winning by disqualification. The “Celtic Warrior” followed it up with a beat down outside the ring. It is rare Orton is on the other side of one of these.
Brie Bella helped her sister Nikki retain the Diva’s championship against Paige by replacing her sister and using “Twin Magic” to get the win. The divas are getting more time to show off their skills, which is good. However, it’s time they create more defined personas, so fans can distinguish who are the heels and who are the faces.
Nobody has turned heel and face more than the Big Show. The 7-footer returned by knocking out The Miz and challenging Ryback for the Intercontinental championship. Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston turned from a one-on-one encounter to a six-man tag involving the Prime Time Players and the rest of the New Day respectively. Teddy Long would be proud. Titus O’Neil got the victory with a pin on Xavier Woods. Bo Dallas showed more of a serious side on Raw, but he still lost to Neville.
There was a good amount of wrestling on this particular episode and solid direction heading into Money in the Bank in two weeks, which is good. Owens will defend the NXT championship in an open challenge on SmackDown this week 7 p.m. CT Thursday on SyFy. It’s the first time the developmental brand’s top prize is defended on one of the main shows.
WWE Raw airs Monday nights at 8/7CT on USA Network.
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