Welcome back to my weekly edition of the WWE TV Snapshot. We’re fresh off the heels of Money in The Bank, and this week brought us plenty of excitement. Just like Alexa Bliss, I am not going to wait very long to pull the trigger, so let’s get right into it.
Match of the Week
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
The fighting champ issued an Open Challenge for the IC Title, which Ziggler was quick to answer. What ensued after that was a back and forth battle between two of the company’s premier in-ring workers. I will refrain from spoiling the winner until a little further down in the article (Always leave ’em wanting more).
Segment of the Week
Ronda Rousey destroys Raw
Monday night opened with Kurt Angle inviting NEW Raw Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss to the ring. Alexa hardly got to gloat before Ronda Rousey made her way to the ring looking for retribution. Alexa trolled Ronda a bit before Rousey attempted to get in her face. Kurt Angle tried to mediate, but was attacked by Rousey in true Stone Cold fashion. WWE officials stormed the ring to deescalate, but Rousey attacked them TOO! She then proceeded to lift Alexa onto her shoulders and powerbomb her through a table that was set up in the ring. This was a hot segment reminiscent of something we would have seen in the Attitude Era. The crowd was buzzing for Ronda. After the commercial break, Angle had no choice but to suspend Ronda for 30 days for her actions. What a way to kick off Raw!
Honorable Mention
The B-Team imitates Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt
Shortly before their crummy tag match, the Deleter of Worlds were interrupted by the number one contenders, the B-Team. Axel & Dallas mocked the tag champions, with Axel actually sounded pretty convincing as a “Woken” Matt Hardy clone, and Bo Dallas giving us a spot on impression of his real life brother, Bray Wyatt. This was a quick segment, but I thought it was well done and a perfect representation of the B-Team, who have been a breath of fresh air on Raw.
Biggest Surprise of the Week
Rusev becomes #1 Contender for WWE Championship
This week on Smackdown Live, the blue brand held a five person gauntlet match to determine AJ Styles’ opponent at Extreme Rules. The participants were: Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Big E, Samoa Joe and Rusev. The match was good (not nearly as good as the Raw gauntlet match earlier this year) and gave us fresh match ups, like Daniel Bryan battling both Big E and Samoa Joe. In the end, after Bryan fell short of his iron man attempt, thanks to the Bludgeon Brothers( WTF?) the Smackdown Live fans were sent home happy when Rusev himself was crowned victorious. This came as a surprise to me, as I was expecting either Samoa Joe or The Miz to be next in line for AJ. Does this mean the company is ACTUALLY listening to the fans and pushing someone they approve of?! Sounds too good to be true… Nevertheless though, Rusev will fight for the championship at Extreme Rules. All hail RUSEV DAY!!!
Honorable Mention
Big Cass is released
Just two days after his loss at Money in the Bank, Big Cass was released from his contract. This certainly came as a shock, given the fact that the company had been pushing him since his return from injury. Now depending on what you read or who you talk to, there appear to be myriad reasons as to why he was let go. It still comes as a surprise though, as the company was clearly invested in him. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Second Honorable Mention
Dolph Ziggler wins the Intercontinental Title
So if you read about the Match of the Week (you better have!) you will cleverly see that I chose to reveal the winner of that match later. It’s all about suspense people. Well, the wait is OVER. Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins to win the IC Title on Monday. This was pretty surprising because they have been positioning Dolph and Drew McIntyre as serious tag team contenders lately. They even cut a promo a few weeks ago putting other tag teams on notice. Rollins has invoked his rematch clause for next week, so perhaps he will be regaining the title. Seth has been a revelation for the mid-card on Raw, and deserves a lengthy run with the IC belt, so hopefully this was just done to throw off the fans. I’m sure we will discuss it in next week’s edition.
Head Scratching Moment of the Week
Bayley and Sasha Banks are friends… then enemies… again
And this week on The Young and the Restless… Bayley and Sasha Banks appeared to be besties again after a backstage segment prior to their match against the Riott Squad. However after losing that bout, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, they got into a scuffle. That led to a confrontation later in the night in which the girls brawled. I swear, this “friendship” has more unnecessary drama than ALL of the television shows on the E! Network. WWE should cancel Total Divas and just follow around Bayley and Sasha. I really wish that the company would just abandon this never-ending storyline and separate these two. Trade Bayley to Smackdown for Naomi. Problem solved!
What Worked
The opening segment of Raw was hot, as was the IC title change. They’re also attempting to elevate Bobby Lashley; hopefully it isn’t too little, too late. The main event saw Baron Corbin & Kevin Owens pick up a victory over Finn Balor & Braun Stroman. It will be interesting to see where this Constable Corbin (or is it Corporate Kane?) storyline goes. Two matches were announced for Extreme Rules, including Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss for the title, so we can expect more nauseating promos from Nia over the next few weeks. Yay.
Over on Smackdown Live, Rusev winning the gauntlet match was a crowd pleaser, and the debut of SANITY was exciting. Jeff Hardy seems to have tweaked his gimmick and is starting a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura that should be satisfying.
What Didn’t Work
The Bayley/Sasha saga. Also, trying to make the Riott Squad a female NWO is going over like a fart in church. The only other thing I can think of that didn’t work this week is freaking James Ellsworth. Do we REALLY need to endure this guy again?
Show of the Week
*NXT was very low key this week, per usual after a Takeover Event. NXT will be covered going forward.
That’s all folks! Enjoy your week.
