This wasn't supposed to be RAW's time to shine, right? I mean, SmackDown Live has the next PPV all to itself and that brand's about to crown itself new champions. But with Finn Balor's unfortunate injury comes the chance to reset and remodel the current storyline...
...and put the Universal title on another ex-NXT champ. Yes, the brilliantly mouthy and marvelous Kevin Owens is now CHAMPION OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!
I know a lot of us love Seth, and even more of us loathe Roman, but I think we can all agree and come together in some form or another and acknowledge that Kevin Owens is spectacular. And the fact that he and Jericho had already started to goof on the belt, proclaiming themselves future champs of the universe and such, makes this even sweeter. Because the name of the title is still goddamn terrible. So terrible that the WWE just kind of has to own it and keep on trucking. At least here, with their own guys, they're trying to take control of the mockery and own the conversation about it.
Look, things didn't look good for Owens from a match standpoint. He'd surely get past Big Cass, but Seth and Roman were the ones to watch going in. And the fact that Owens eliminated Cass suggested, going by the way these matches usually work, that he'd go down next. But that didn't happen at all.
There was also the rumbling rumor that RAW was going to attempt a double-turn with Seth and Roman. As in, the old face/heel swap switchback mcgack. It was a long shot as far as rumors go, since it would mean WWE would actually be admitting to their failure with Roman as a hyped hero, but the reality wasn't that far off. We got half a flip. Roman got taken out by Triple H, but so did Seth. We don't know if Owens is now the Authority's "boy" since there really is no Authority at the moment. Trips' little nod to Owens before dropping Seth could have just been a subtle signal that Hunter was just "done" with both of those Shield guys. We'll have to see next week if it means anything more with regards to Owens.
Great main event, and a fun RAW overall. And the storyline reset worked. I loved and appreciated the push Finn was about to get, but with his shoulder-crackin' came the fear that WWE would just go back to Roman. Or even Seth who, while immensely talented and capable of carrying a show as champ, isn't really even part of this "New Era" wave. I mean, he is, but he's like New Era Beta. This is more important, as it's proof that WWE IS capable of creating new stars. This push for Owens now lets us know that WWE is solidly "New Era" AND that Roman and Seth are now big enough names that they don't need a title to feud.
Anyhow, I love Owens and I'm glad he was given the chance to rise up above the upper mid-card. That, sometimes, is the hardest corner to turn - that final nudge to the top. He's a nice, smart guy who can still somehow be an amazing heel in all the right ways. He uses logic, in the way that heels should, and can often get over with his mic and ring skills and yet no one ever mistakes him for someone who's not trying to get mass quantities of heat. He's as close as we can get in this transparent overly-revealing day and age to a classic villain. AND he will somehow make that stupid belt title mean something better. Even if it means taking a piss on it every so often.
Also on RAW... BAYLEY!!!
I mean, she was there last week, but this week she got a great reception during her match with New Day against Anderson, Gallows, and Dana. I was nervous (like I am about all NXT call ups) that her shtick wouldn't catch on with the main roster fans. Maybe Bayley's just so damn great that she instantly creates admirers and appreciators wherever she goes. Or maybe the supposed gap between the NXT audience and RAW audience is a lot narrower these days than is perceived.
Continue on for SmackDown, Mr. Fuji and more...
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