This Weeks RAW and Smackdown LIVE Highlights

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World, I hope you are all well and good and have had an awesome start to the new year! So, we have reached the middle point of the week which means it's time to take a look back at this week's episodes of Monday Night RAW and Smackdown LIVE. It's been a while since I've had one of these posts up due to Of the Year season last month but January is all about getting back on track and I'm going to try my best to get one of these posts up every single week so make sure to keep an out for these this exact same time every Wednesday! This week was, of course, the first shows of the year and so we have plenty to talk about but remember that throughout this and next week I'm going to be taking a look at predictions for the year ahead and I'm going to be linking the first two posts that have already gone up down bellow so go and check them out too if you haven't already done so! I am planning on maybe changing things around and including NXT but let me know if that's something you would like or if you would prefer for me to stick to my This month in NXT posts! As always, any recent blog posts will be linked bellow including everything from of the year season and finally, you can have your say and get involved telling me what you thought of this weeks episodes of RAW and Smackdown LIVE by leaving a comment below or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.

Nobody is Ready for Asuka 

The past few years have been truly phenomenal for Asuka. Twenty-seven alone saw her break several records and make history over and over again becoming the most dominant force in the women's division today. This week the empress of tomorrow looked to keep her momentum high kick-starting the new year on high when she was given a non title match against Alexa Bliss live on Monday night RAW. The booking decision made sense following their segment the week before and throughout the night this was made a key focal point of the show. We were given a reason to care, the WWE made this feel like a big important match and I know I was totally interested. Now, I wasn't expecting to see Alexa beat Asuka's and defeat the streak but I was interested in seeing the outcome and how things played out. I was surprised to see this match actually last around the ten-minute mark. Alexa showed a great deal of character proving exactly why she's the champ and one of the best in the game today, however, just like everyone that came before, the champ was not ready for Asuka and the empress of tomorrow walked away with a submission victory over Bliss. This was really strong booking. The match genuinely has me interested and Bliss was a massive standout star of the night for her sheer character work and in-ring phycology. Asuka, of course, is killing it right now and the WWE really getting things right for her. As the first name announced for the women's Royal Rumble things really are getting interesting especially considering she has a win over the champ. Maybe she'll get her hands on that title before the Royal Rumble even rolls around.

A light at the end of the Tunnel for Finn Balor

Let's be honest, the past year hasn't been great for Finn Balor. It really has felt as though the WWE has given up on him and it's a real shame. There is no denying he's one of the best of the best and should compete at the top of the roster but it just hasn't happened and things have gone downhill very quickly with Balor struggling to get back on track after his return following that devastating shoulder injury nearly two years ago. However, things may be looking to be on the up following this weeks episode of Monday Night RAW. Now, it's evident things will take some time before he reaches the level he should be at but teaming him up with Gallows and Anderson is a step in the right direction. If the WWE can honestly take some time out and focus on these guys building them up then things could get really interesting. Yes, there's a possibility they missed that right moment for a Bullet Club 2.0 story but there is still a buzz and I'm confident this is something that could work easily as long as the WWE get things right. I know I marked out a little when I saw these three together on RAW this week.

Kane and Braun Strowman Make an Impact in build up to Huge title match

In just a few weeks time Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship in a monster of a triple threat against Kane and Braun Storman. This is a battle of three monsters, three big guys and three of the most dominant superstars in WWE history and it's bound to be a standout of the year. I will be making my full predictions for this match in a couple of weeks here on my blog so keep an eye out for that! This weeks episode of RAW saw the challenges look to make an impact and gain more momentum in the build-up to this huge title match. Strowman took out Rhyno and Heath Slater in a massive impressive beat down while Kane went toe to toe with the champ himself, Brock Lesnar in a brawl that would see the locker room look to break things up. Both these moments were key moments of the night and important/needed in the build-up to this Royal Rumble championship match. Kane finally looked like he really deserved a place in this match and things were made more personal and intense. Some really good storytelling here!

The Women's Royal Rumble Shakes up & Becky Lynch Returns 

This week there was a strong focus on the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match. Over on RAW it was announced in the opening that the match will have the same rules as the mens with thirty entrants on the night! I am going to be talking about this match more in the weeks to follow with a whole week really looking at this historic match and some predictions for that! It was also announced that for RAW Absolution, Sasha Banks and Bayley will be entrants in the rumble while over on Smackdown LIVE we now know that Lana, Carmella, Natalya, Tamina and the Riot Squad will be apart of the historic Rumble match up. This weeks episode of Smackdown LIVE also saw Becky Lynch make her return after several weeks out of action filming for a movie.

A strong start for Smackdown LIVE

I'll be honest, the past month or so I've really struggled to keep up with all the Wrestling being offered and Smackdown LIVE happened to be one of the shows I fell back on and missed a few episodes. I kept up by checking out YouTube clips but this weeks show was the first I had watched the full length of for quite some time and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Okay, so it still doesn't match up to what we saw at the start of the brand extension but there are signs of things improving and getting back on track. One of the strongest matches of the night saw the Usos defend their Smackdown LIVE tag team championships against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. All four of these guys are massively talented and athletic and that was all on show during this match. It was an entertaining contest and the controversial ending added story and gave everyone a reason to really pay attention and find an interest in the action. This was easily one of the standouts segments of the show and worked in the blue brands favor massively. The night's main event also went down really well. Zayn and Styles are two of the best wrestlers on the roster today and they killed in that main event. Yes, I could have watched them go at it for much longer but this was a strong main event and my personal favourite match of both shows this week! It's also very interesting seeing Zayn pick up a victory over the champ and seeing where this story goes is going to be really exciting. There's  lot going on with the US Championship, some strong storylines and interesting work with Bryan and McMahon and all around the blue brand is looking to be on the way up.

And that was this week's RAW and Smackdown LIVE. I am planning on live tweeting from next week but for now, I would love to know what you guys thought of the shows this week by leaving a comment bellow or tweet me over at @TezangiVictoria.

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