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
Following a pretty solid SummerSlam event, the WWE turned toward the backend of 2018 with some fresh angles, new champions and the reuniting of one of the greatest factions in wrestling history.
Seeing The Shield come together at the end of RAW was quite jarring and pretty fantastic. It was clear that WWE brass wanted to get these guys back together for the last 18 months or so and it just has not worked out, now they get their chance and it could be an awesome run.
Sure, it is a little blatant that it is a way to get Roman Reigns off the hot seat. There was a ton of creativity in bringing Braun Strowman out before the Reigns and Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam and even more in reuniting The Hounds of Justice to protect The Big Dog. Reigns is not leaving the main event picture any time soon. While the boos are still there, the cheers are louder and with his mega-merch sales, he is the top guy whether the “smarks” like it or not.
Seth Rollins carrying the Intercontinental Championship and Dean Ambrose adding a crazy factor make The Shield very dominant leaders on RAW and a good target for Strowman to go after, but it is unclear what angle RAW will want to go with it, because both sides are clearly fan favorites here.
Expect Kevin Owens to get involved. And don’t be surprised if Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre have something to say about things.
Of course, Finn Balor put on a show at the PPV and on RAW and it is going to be difficult for the writers to keep him low on the card. He is just too talented and too over to not be in the mix. Hopefully, they are done with the Baron Corbin feud.
Ronda Rousey continues to be a star brighter than the rest of the women’s division combined, but that might actually become an issue. There is no real threat to her atop the division and nothing that can be painted as credible. The rumor of the Rowdy one vs. Nikki Bella at Evolution seems like it can only be a let down.
Don’t be shocked to see Stephanie McMahon fight back against Rousey by bringing in fellow MMA Horsewoman Shayna Baszler to be the Billion Dollar Princess’s muscle. Baszler losing the NXT title seems to open her up for a call up.
Some of the real intrigue on RAW is what is the path for Elias or Bobby Lashley to remain relevant? Just too much talent and too little time. Something that has hurt the WWE for a while in their move to buy up all the top talent worldwide the last few years.
Next Page: RAW & SmackDown Live Move In New Directions Following SummerSlam (cont.)
