WWE Takes over the UK: This weeks RAW and Smackdown LIVE Highlights
The Cruiserweight vs the Bruiserweight
I know it wasn't one of the first things to happen on this weeks episode of Monday night RAW and I always try to keep a chronological order to these posts but honestly, this time around I just had to kick start things off with talking about my favourite thing to happen this week, the RAW debut of current WWE United Kingdom champion, Pete Dunne. Honestly, just writing that excites me all over again. When I take a look back at my content from the past eleven months I notice very quickly that Pete Dunne is one man I have written about a lot and rightfully so! Still, in his early twenties, Dunne has become one of the leading faces in professional wrestling today, smashing it on the UK scene and breaking out in America this year. His popularity has grown massively and he has become one of the most popular and over men in pro wrestling right now. This week on RAW the Bruiserweight made his first appearance for the brand when he was pitted against the current cruiserweight champion, Enzo Amore making it the Cruiserweight vs the Bruiserweight and honestly it was a mark out moment. Now, it's perfectly clear who is the better wrestler of the two but Dunne being on RAW was such a highlight that this became my favorite moment of the night. It wasn't the best match at all and was kept rather short and sweet but the crowd were hot, Dunne was massively over of course and it was a feel-good moment. I hope to see the UK division stars appear on episodes of RAW and Smackdown LIVE more often and seeing those guys get a little more going for them. Dunne did pick up the win this week which of course was the right booking decision.Survivor Series teams continue to Build over on RAW
Okay, so I know I keep saying it but I really am looking forward to the Survivor Series pay per view. We're under two weeks away from the last big PPV of the year and honestly, the card is looking pretty solid. It really does feel as though a lot is on the line and I love the all-out war feel between the two brands. This week on RAW Kurt Angle looked to continue building his team after it was announced he would be the team captain and later announced Braun Strowman would be joining him as part of the team. During RAW this week Samoa Joe and Finn Balor were both announced by Angle as the latest members of Team RAW. The announcement was made following the two's epic battle on the night which ended in a double count out. Their passion and fight during their match were enough to have them added to the team and honestly it was the right move. They're two of RAW's biggest and brightest stars and an obvious pick. A maybe not so obvious pick, however, was Jason Jordan who too was announced as a member (in fact the final member) of team RAW. Honestly, I didn't see this happening. I was totally expecting it to be Reigns and while I'm not the biggest fan of the idea I'm running with it. Jordan has a lot to prove and really does need to win the fans over. Is this way? Maybe not, but its an opportunity, a bit opportunity and hopefully he can be used correctly on the night and given what he needs.This week's RAW also showed Sasha Banks, Bayley and Asuka added to the women's RAW team joining Nia Jax and team captain Alicia Fox. A solid, diverse team all bringing something very different to the table. When it comes to the women's division it's clear which brand has the stronger team.
The New Day make a Surprise visit
And finally, for the RAW section of today's blog post, it's time to address the main event which saw Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose defend their RAW tag team championships against former champions Sheamus and Cesaro. The match itself was excellent. These two teams have a brilliant history and have competed in a couple of really strong tag team matches over the past few months; this was just another one to add to the list. The crowd was hot throughout and the action was fantastic. A highlight of the night. What did stand out more than anything, however, was those closing moments. In a massive surprise, the New Day made a shock appearance as their music hit and trio appeared from the crowd. Mocking the Shield entrance Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods made their presence known. They verbally abused the RAW roster and touched on the fact the brand hadn't hit back following the siege held at the hands of the Smackdown LIVE roster. It was a heated, entertaining and gripping moment and one of my personal favorite segments of the night. In the mix of it all we had Kurt Angle rallying his roster as they prepared for another siege however, this all took place in the middle of a tag team title main event and Sheamus was able to use the entire distraction to his advantage and he and Cesaro walked out of Manchester the new RAW tag team champions. When I had heard that the titles had changed hands at the taping I wasn't happy. I was really looking forward to seeing the Usos vs Ambrose and Rollins and was convinced this was going to be one of the standout matches of the pay per view but the New Day feuding with the Shield heading into Survivor Series... now that is money. I'm far more excited for this and is a match I'm confident could steal the show and be a highlight of the entire year. Not to mention that the Usos vs Sheamus and Cesaro is another match with great potential.Becky Lynch Goes one on one with James Ellsworth
On Monday night it was announced that Becky Lynch would be going one on one with James Ellsworth on this weeks episode of Smackdown LIVE and boy was I surprised. We've seen tensions between Lynch and Ellsworth for quite some time now and I've always joked about the two going one on one but of course with the rules being what they are I never actually believed it would happen yet here we are, talking about that very match. Now, I know how controversial intergender matches are and people really do have mixed opinions on it but personally, I really do enjoy them and as long as they're done right and it at least makes sense I really do not have an issue with intergender matches. It's been a long time since we last had one in the WWE and so I was totally excited and interested in this one. The match itself actually lasted longer than I expected it to and we saw far more go down than I was expecting too. Both superstars got some offense in, the crowd were into the whole match and I actually enjoyed it. Of course, this was no match of the year but it was fun and a great addition to the show. I liked seeing Ellsworth show that sexist pig side of his persona prior to the match; It gave us a reason to care about the match itself and honestly this was one of my highlights of the week. Becky did pick up the victory and Carmella attacking Ellsworth after the match was the perfect way to close the segment. I doubt we will get many intergender matches in the WWE in the future but who knows? Maybe, just maybe we could get more one-off specials.A new WWE Champion is crowned
Last week it was announced that Jinder Mahal would be defending his WWE Championship against AJ Styles in Manchester England and this past Tuesday the match main event this weeks episode of Smackdown LIVE. In the build-up to this match, I honestly had mixed opinions. I didn't really know what to expect and I was uncertain as to who I believed would, in fact, be walking out as champion.
And that was this week's RAW and Smackdown LIVE highlights. Both shows this week were really strong and I can honestly say I enjoyed them both greatly. It is hard choosing a show I enjoyed the most this week with Pete Dunne's debut being the highlight for RAW and AJ Styles Championship victory being the main highlight for Smackdown LIVE this week both shows delivered and both were worth watching. As always, any recent blog post will be linked below and you can have your say and let me know what you thought of this weeks show by leaving a comment below or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.
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