The following editorial was written by Geoffrey Rowland and does not reflect the opinions of WrestleZone as a whole. We encourage you all to discuss Geoff’s thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post or by tweeting him @Geoff_Rowland
RAW is scattered, SD scintillating as WrestleMania season kicks off
The WWE rolls into a the most important part of the year facing upheaval as a legend takes The List to contribute the rise of a competitor, talent seeks their release and injuries and illness have destroyed the top of their flagship show.
The Royal Rumble is the time for the WWE to set the tone for WrestleMania and this is one of the more wide-open Rumble’s in recent memory.
RAW has been devastated by the illness of Roman Reigns. The Big Dog has been ion the main event of the last four Manias and was likely going to roll into this year’s event as the champion, but with his Leukemia returning and Braun Strowman battling injuries, the company threw the Universal Championship back onto Brock Lesnar and has struggled to make their flagship show seem relevant since then.
The feud between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins fizzled, mostly due to poor writing and a lack of realizing how important this feud should have been. Rollins should be the face of RAW at this point, but somehow every time he gets close, it gets ripped away.
In the last six months there have been fantastic rise and falls from so many on the red brand that it is really a head scratcher to try and keep up. The Monster Among Men has gone from being perfectly built to being caught in injury purgatory. Dolph Ziggler has gone from being World Championship worthy to the bottom of the card. The Architect has gone from greatest Intercontinental Champion in a long time to begging to be the top guy. Dean Ambrose has become Bane.
There is no cohesion. If you watch a RAW from just five months ago and then watch the one from this last week, it would make no sense.
Ronda Rousey once carried the brand and is still the biggest star when The Beast can’t be bothered to make an appearance, but she is tough to stay behind as she has gone through the roster and it is clear that Becky Lynch has ascended to the top dog in the division.
The one saving grace could come at the Rumble. Where Brock Lesnar should come out first and then Finn Balor should shock the world and come out as The Demon and win the title, maybe with the help of his buddies Gallows and Anderson (or even better, Undisputed).
It would be good for the show overall, it would reward an amazing competitor and very over superstar and would make Monday night be something to tune into.
Balor has already indicated that leather jacket, Balor Club, smiling guy is going to be who we get, and that makes it clear that he will not top The Conqueror. But is Lesnar carrying the strap all the way to WrestleMania going to sell tickets? Maybe if The Rock comes out to play, but even the spectacle of Lesnar is getting lost in the misery of Monday nights.
