WWE Monday night RAW Review & Reactions

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World, I hope you are all well and good! This week has been a big week in the WWE. A couple of returns, a new United States Champion crowned and the road to Money in the bank beginning. Last night we saw the company focus very much so on kick starting the build up to Money in the bank. Several qualifying matches took place including a fantastic main event between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens. In today's blog post I will be running you through all of last nights action from start to finish telling you what I thought of every single match, promo and segment that took place on the show. As always any recent blog posts will be linked bellow including my Extreme Rules review and reactions post. Before we get into today's review I want to quickly mention that next week I do have a couple of announcements to make so keep an eye out for those and I will also be brining back my Smackdown and NXT Review and Reactions. I would also love to know what posts you would like to see in the coming weeks. As always you can let me know what you thought of this weeks Monday night RAW and of course the Extreme Rules pay per view by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.

Less than forty eight hours ago the WWE universe was left shocked and speechless as the architect Seth Rollins made his huge return after spending seven whole months on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury. Attacking Roman Reigns and setting his sights on the championship he never lost, the Seth Rollins we all know and love was back on our screens and last night he wasted no time reminding everyone who he is and what he wants. Opening the show Rollins expressed his frustrations both at the fans and the WWE claiming that he not only did need the support of the WWE Universe but he had spent far too long carrying the company. The former champion focused his attentions on making it perfectly clear that he never lost that WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the one thing he wanted was his rightful shot at getting back what is his. Of course it was only a matter of time before a certain samon wrecking ball in Roman Reigns made his inevitable appearance. No in ring segment between the two took place during RAW last night but with the chemistry these two posses and the story already being written itself this is an opening that had me glued to my TV screen. The tension was there, the story was there, all that was left was for it to be made a official and soon it would be Shane McMahon that would shine some light and officially announce Seth Rollins VS Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship the main event of Money in the bank two thousand and sixteen. A short, snappy, straight to the point opening, what more could I ask for? It of course felt fantastic seeing Rollins back on my screen and the one on one match up against these two former Shield brothers is one that I will not be missing come next month. A nice little start to their story and I certainly am interested in seeing how the story develops over the next couple of weeks.

With the two thousand and sixteen Money in the Bank pay per view on the horizon the WWE wasted no time in creating this years line up for one of the most important matches in a WWE Superstars career. During the pre show several qualifying matches were announced to take place over the next week both on RAW and Smackdown many of witch were sure to be matches no one would want to miss. It was very nice to see actual qualifying matches taking place instead of watching a bunch of superstars randomly added to the money in the bank ladder match. Qualifying matches add the competition and fire the division needs time time of year and it for sure did the trick in making me personally much more excited for the show. A thew weeks back I did write a blog post listing five of the top potential money in the bank winners for this years show and of course I will be linking that bellow for you guys to all check out. One of the names I mentioned in that post was Sami Zayn who last night took on the two thousand and fifteen Money in the bank winner, Sheamus in the first qualifying match of the night. An interesting booking decision. Two very different superstars with very different motivation. It was this time last year that Sheamus appeared to have it all and so the story they were able to tell in this match was great. Here we had Sami Zayn the young up and coming star still very new to the main roster out to earn a shot at becoming Mr money in the bank months into his main roster debut. And the man who has had an extremely odd year. The match started out with it becoming perfectly clear just how different the in ring styles of these two talents were. Sheamus of course the powerhouse and Zayn the technical favourite the opening moments of this match showed both superstars look to gain the early upper hand by showcasing their strengths. Zayn used his speed to eventually gain control of the action taking things outside the ring and keeping momentum at a high with his brilliant high flying talents. However, as the match returned from the commercial break the tables had turnt and it was all Sheamus. Throughout this match up Sheamus really did show his frustrations and desperation. He wanted this win badly but the speed and determination of Zayn proved to be too much and a perfectly timed Helluva kick left Sami Zayn earning a very important win. Hands down the right booking decision and the match itself was a nice little simple opener with a couple of good spots. I absolutely loved that after the match the camera picked up some shots of Sheamus breaking down in the ring, it told a brilliant story. The man who this time last year had it all now had nothing and creating a program off that was clearly easy and moments later the former World Champion attacked Apollo Crews backstage. The new work for Sheamus is something I am very happy about and something that I have great interest in.

Sunday night we saw the New Day continue their dominate reign as tag team champions when they successfully defended their titles against the Vaudevillians at the Extreme Rules pay per view. This week on RAW they looked to work on building their momentum up even more when they competed in a six person tag team match against the Social Outcast. A funny little segment wishing Money night RAW a happy Birthday put a smile on my face and the touch of humour was a nice little addition to an intense first hour. The match itself was another kept short and simple. Starting during a commercial break the action we saw showcased the New Day in full control dominating their opponents and well it's safe to say Heath Slater didn't have a great night after not only loosing his match he also had a huge birthday slammed into his face because of the bants. Again, I had no issue with this match. It was a pleasing filler that allowed the New Day to have some fun and pick up a touch more momentum. The serious competition for them will kick start again next week on RAW for sure.

He may only have defending his Intercontinental Championship successfully twenty four hours back in a gruelling fatal four way but The Miz was not getting a night off. Set to face long time rival Cesaro in a Money in the Bank qualifying match two of the stand out performers of the Extreme Rules pay per view were gifted with a huge opportunity that would see them battle it out one last time. If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't jumping with joy when it came to this match up but I

was certainly interested. The Miz is a superstar that I have to admit I am loving right now. It appears he has finally found that place on the roster that he belongs in and storyline wise and creatively he is in his element and exactly where he should be. Deciding to keep the Intercontinental Championship on him was an interesting move to make by the WWE but one that I have grown to really like. It's going to be very interesting seeing what the company have in store for im over the next thew months. Now, I am a huge Cesaro fan. I never have anything but positive things to say about him but I have to admit that there was a part of me that kind of wanted to see Miz win this qualifying match just because of what it would have done to his moment and his character development. I know, trust me, I was not expecting to say that myself! What it did mean was that I was able to watch this match without honestly choosing a side and the end result was one I could not wait to see not to mention the fact that The Miz and Cesaro have a brilliant history in the ring. The start of this match saw Cesaro in full control completely dominating the IC Champ. A strong uppercut left the Miz unsteady the former US Champion, Cesaro took advantage using his speed and strength to punish Miz and make his way to getting that all important victory. Now, throughout the match the Miz delivered a good performance there is no doubt about that. He brought character, he had some great spots and proved why he is champion giving Cesaro as good as he gave but I have to say that the Swiss superman stole the match completely for me. He was on fire from start to finish and had the crowd behind him one hundred and ten percent. The one thing the Miz did have over Cesaro was the ability to work on an injured part of his opponents body. The tapped up shoulder of Cesaro was a clear target and throughout the match the Miz used this to his advantage to slow down the pace of the match and gain control momentarily. The longer the match was the more a story was being told and the better it got as this quickly became one of the best matches of the night. In the end it was Cesaro who eventually picked up the impressive victory naming himself the second man to qualify for the Money in the bank ladder match.

Earlier on in the night we saw Sheamus brutally attack Apollo Crews backstage following his loss to Sami Zayn. At the top of the show it was announced that Crews would be facing Chris Jericho in another Money in the Bank qualifying match. Despite the attack earlier on in the night Crews made his way to the ring ready for his match sporting that gorgeous smile we all know and love. Now, I am a huge fan of Apollo Crews, I have been following his career for a very long time and I will always love watching him compete and support him. However, I said it last night over on twitter and I will say it again, I honestly do wish he was still in NXT. I don't understand why they have called him up so earlier. Since debuting the WWE have proven that there was no need to call him just yet with his booking being extremely weak up until now and it does feel as though there was still so much more for him to do in NXT. What I will say is that I was very happy to see Crews finally booked in a strong match against a big name competitor. He pretty much went from zero to ten all in one go last night. Pitting him against someone like Jericho in an important match while also entering him into a program with Sheamus, maybe I'm wrong and he is finally heading in the right direction. Now the match last night between the two was pretty damn good. Jericho took early control going straight after Crews giving him no time to get a fair start to this match and any offense in. However, the overuse of momentum meant that Jericho for a second to fall of track and for Apollo to turn the tables and change the paste of the match. Throughout Crews was very impressive. He held his own perfectly against a future hall of famer and got some great spots in. This was the match that he has been needing and the match that allowed him to showcase more of his in ring capabilities. It is taking him a touch longer to get the fans behind him and on board but if the WWE can keep booking him well and get him working in a solid storyline than he will be just fine. I was one hundred percent backing Apollo in this match last night and the close calls had me yelling at my TV but I was not surprised to see Jericho walk out as the winner at all.

This month appears to be the month of returns as one of the biggest pops of the night came from the much anticipated return of Enzo Amore. Just like everyone else I have been waiting on the edge of my seat every week for Enzo's return and last night we all got what we wanted. Looking great and as hyper as ever little Enzo had the crowd on their feet and going wild. It was easily one of the biggest reactions of the night an it felt so good seeing him back on our screens. The WWE did keep him out of action this week. Instead of a tag team match up we got to see Big Cass take on Bubba one on one with Enzo playing cheerleader at ringside along with D-Von. I have no problem with a little feud between these two teams. With the experience and talent the Dudley Boyz have means that they can really teach Enzo and Cass a lot and they do have a decent amount of chemistry not to mention a couple of names that could easily join the story. Last nights match was short but sweet. Cass got some great impressive spots in that showcased him to be the dominate and powerful force the WWE have been building him up to be. It was a well done match and it was great to see Enzo and Cass back together and full of momentum.

On Sunday night at the Extreme Rules pay per view Charlotte successfully retained her WWE Women's Championship against Natalya thanks to the help of NXT graduate, Dana Brooke.  Last night the champ made her way to the ring with Dana and Ric Flair by her side. Once in the ring Charlotte took centre stage and delivered a brilliant promo. Yes, her voice still kills me every week but her words, the power and emotion behind everything she said last night in promo was brilliant and she had me honestly listening to every single word. It was great to see Charlotte given that amount of mic time and the twist that saw her massively turn on her father was done so well. I didn't see it coming just yet but it was done perfectly and I believed every single thing that she said. It was also really good seeing the amount of heat she got. I have said it before and I will say it again, she is hands down one of the best heels on the roster right now. She has worked so hard in improving her character and developing it to the next stage and last night was the perfect example of just how far she has come over the past year.

Why on earth the WWE have decided to continue working Dolph Ziggler VS Baron Corbin I have no idea. As far as I and everyone else in the world is concerned that feud should have ended Sunday at Extreme Rules but a backstage segment between the two led to another match between them booked for next weeks Monday night RAW. Now, I understand that the WWE problem are thinking that at the moment there is nothing else for him at the moment but I personally would absolutely love to see him qualify for the Money in the bank ladder match just so that he can focus on something new and take part in a match that he really could make a huge impact in. In fact if they wanted to have these two compete in another match against each other it should have been a Money in the bank qualifying match but instead last night saw Ziggler take on Dean Ambrose both looking to make it into that all important Money in the bank ladder match. You guys know I'm not the biggest Dolph Ziggler fan in the world but I did seriously enjoy this match last night. We have seen these two put on a good match against one another in the past and last night was just another to add to the list. They both had there time in control and the spots and close calls they delivered had everyone glued to the action and it was an entertaining easy watch match. Ambrose of course walked away with the victory and it's going to be interesting seeing what he delivers at Money in the bank as he walks in a clear favourite for the win.

This weeks RAW main event saw AJ Styles and Kevin Owens booked in a Money in the Bank qualifying match but before the action could start AJ Styles cut a little promo talking about what had happened twenty four hours back at the Extreme Rules pay per view were he mentioned the involvement of the Club and the Usos witch greatly effected the end result of the match up. His words grabbed the attention of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows and after Styles suggested that they keep their friendship and careers separate Gallows and Anderson were left far from pleased but as they left the ring all we could all begin to think about was this was clearly the start of Finn Balor's

arrival on the main roster. The plot thickens and the story now truly begins. The match itself was nothing short of brilliant. Owens started the match spitting verbal abuse at Styles who reacted to a shot of forearms taking early control of the action. Throughout the night we saw a different side to Styles. Back at Extreme Rules we saw a change in attitude from the phenomenal one and that attitude remained in last nights main event. He had his game face on and came across far more vicious and intense than usual. It was clear throughout this match just how frustrated Styles was and it was honestly very convincing. Now, this was easily the most back and fourth match of the night. Neither spent too much time in control before the changed things around and took over. This was one of those matches that just had everything and the character from Owens and the emotion from Styles made this the perfect main event that honestly had me on the edge of my seat. What made it even better was that I wasn't one hundred and ten percent certain on who I thought and believed would be walking out the winner. The longer the match went on the closer the calls got and the more impatient I grew for a winner to be crowned yet at the same time I didn't want the action to end at all. It was clear these two new each other in the ring very well. They had great chemistry and the spots in this match were fantastic. This is the type of match I want to see every week in the main event and the type of match that I love seeing! They lived up to the expectations and if I'm being honest I much preferred this to the Extreme Rules main event from Sunday. The end result was in my eyes perfect. Kevin Owens is my personal favourite for this years Money in the bank winner and his victory last night was the first step in him doing so.

I liked the show last night. It was an easy watch. We had some great matches booked and a couple of really strong and important segments and promos. As always you can let me know what you thought of this weeks Monday night RAW and of course Extreme Rules by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.

WWE Extreme Rules Review and Reactions