RAW In A Nutshell: Will Brotherly Love Inspire A Reunion?

This week, RAW comes to us from my hometown, Philly! Following last week’s developments, there’s a big question-will Brotherly Love inspire a reunion? Specifically, might we finally see a Shield reunion? Time will tell how that works out. We should also see the latest on Hunter and Batista, and find out the status of the RAW Women’s Championship. Without any delay, let’s crack open this Nutshell and find out!

Best Match of the night:

The matches were OK, but nothing worthy of “best”. Segments did it best here. There was the Shield reunion, of course. The tag title match was good, but really just a glimpse into what is yet to come. And then there was, of course, the main event segment which gave us heel Ronda Rousey and a clear path to a triple threat match at WrestleMania

Worst match of the night:

I would like to change this up and give it like, most disappointing of the night. And I have a couple candidates. Actually three.

The first, the match between Sasha Banks and Tamina. On one hand, no shock, because Tamina is about as fun to watch as paint drying. On the other, disappointing because this was intended to hype up the tag title match this weekend…but it didn’t do much in that area.

Then there was the gauntlet match. OK, great, Heavy Machinery got a win and good exposure, even though they did it by having not one, not two, but three teams job out. Could have been better, I think.

Then there was the tag title match. As much hype as The Revival versus Aleister Black and Ricochet got, to end it in a DQ was a disappointment. I still feel like the tag titles have a ladder match in New Jersey in their future…but it’s probably more a dream than a reality.

Star of the Night

I’d have to go with the Shield or Ronda Rousey here.

Fans loved the Shield reunion. And Rousey was on point for the most part with her turn. I still don’t love her on the mic, but she was better tonight than the last few weeks, I think.

Spot of the Night:

Ronda’s snap. Perfect way to establish her as a heel.

Jobber of the Night:

B Team. The Ascension. Hawkins and Ryder. All three lost, and it was kind of clear they were going to

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

I do believe, for the first time since WWE announced it on the web, WWE acknowledged on television that Dean Ambrose was not signing with the company. It was a bit surprising, hearing Rollins and Reigns say “let’s do this one last time” and such, and to have Michael Cole address it on air. It was also surprising to hear Renee Young say he was going to go off to greener pastures.

Having that put out there, I take it one of a couple ways. One, it’s definitely happening, Ambrose is not coming back, and WWE attempts to change his mind felt short.  Or two, they DID change his mind, but now it’s becoming part of a big angle.

Color me curious on that one.

Then there’s Hunter addressing Batista. And apparently we get a face to face next week in Pittsburgh, which will undoubtedly set up the WM35 match.

Botch of the night:

Looked like a sloppy spot or two with Angle, but he worked it out so it all kind of fit together.

LOL Moment of the night:

I suppose the SNL guys were supposed to add some humor. It was sort of funny to see Titus want a picture with one, but not the other. Same as it was to see the guy ask Braun if it was all fake. Or they said they need to go to the bathroom together.

That said, I could have done without it, because what exactly is a “special correspondent” for WrestleMania? They add…well…nothing.

Noteworthy Moment:

So, the Road to WrestleMania, at least as far as it pertains to the RAW Women’s Championship, has taken an interesting turn. I think some of this is a bit over the top, but…well…it’s WWE. Over the top is what they do.

So now, following last week’s situation where Ronda Rousey laid down the belt at Stephanie McMahon’s feet, the boss declared a few interesting bits this week.

First, WWE is dropping all charges against Becky Lynch (as if they had any).

Second, Becky’s 60 day suspension is over. (Considering Shane and Stephanie didn’t suspend Lynch, but Mr. McMahon did…could we be seeing a familial power struggle brewing?).

And oh yeah. At Fastlane, it will be Becky Lynch against Charlotte Flair (with Lynch getting to sign a wonderful “hold harmless” agreement). The prize? Oh, just the now-vacant RAW Women’s Championship. At least, that was the plan until Rousey stormed to the ring, demanded her title back, and said she never vacated. That she wanted Becky in the match, not Ronda out of it. So now, Sunday, Becky and Charlotte battle, but not for a title. If Becky wins, she’s in and it’s a triple threat. If Becky loses, it’s just one on one.

And then Rousey snaps, goes full heel and attacks Flair and primarily Becky Lynch.

Overall lowlights:

Ricochet and Aleister Black(and others) got called up two weeks ago. Why, when they walked to the ring, did the intro graphic on my television screen say NXT? Like, he graduated…he’s main roster now. Unless WWE is angling for some NXT versus main roster angle (which would be odd), I don’t get it. We know WWE can fix up graphics fast, so it’s not like they have not, in two weeks, found time to make the change.

Overall highlights:

The long-awaited, much anticipated heel turn for Rousey finally happened. And it could have been the best Rousey promo since she arrived in WWE. Not that it is saying a lot, but it’s saying something.

After the final bell:

It was going to be hard to top last week’s emotional show, and I can’t say that they did…but they did about as good as possible. We had an emotional response from Hunter, setting up a face to face for next week. We got a drawn out Shield reunion. Ronda Rousey is a heel, and the path to WM35 for the three women to headline is coming into focus. All in all, a solid show. Some build for Fastlane, but a lot of eyes toward WrestleMania. This time next week, WM35 will be the sole focus.