This time around, the Draft went on for a full 5 rounds and many of the mid-card superstars were assigned with fresh starts as well. Not that the show didn’t have its faults, but to be fair, it wasn’t the worst episode of RAW this year or even this month, for that matter.
The build to Crown Jewel is happening slowly, but in all likeliness, it will speed up going forward next week. WWE has only two episodes of RAW left before the big show at Saudi Arabia and tonight at the draft, here are a few things they subtly told us!
#6 The reason why Samoa Joe was drafted so late
It’s no secret that Samoa Joe is injured. It’s a thumb injury so it seems as though he won’t be out for too long, although he’s wearing a cast. He was drafted quite late, being the first pick of Round #5.
It came as a bit of a surprise that Joe, a former World title contender was picked so late. However, this was WWE once again trying to mirror drafts of other sports. The commentators stated that an injury can usually affect a draft position and acknowledged the fact that Samoa Joe would normally have been drafted higher. It’s a nice little touch to implement in the draft and the approach they’ve taken has been good and different this year.
They could have easily gone the same route with the authority figures bickering against each other, but even Stephanie McMahon, a notoriously overexposed authority figure only stuck around for her role - to announce the draft picks.
#5 Rowan and Harper could be done
It seems as though the partnership between Erick Rowan and Luke Harper has come to a crossroads again. Erick Rowan was drafted to RAW in the fourth round, effectively ending his rivalry against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
Harper, on the other hand, wasn’t drafted and he could become a free agent and choose RAW, but since they have been a tag team, wouldn’t it make sense to draft them together? Had they wanted the two to stay together, they probably would have drafted them together.
Moreover, they surely would have realized the mistake they made when drafting Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross separately. From the look of things, Rowan will be moving to RAW after quite a long time. It’s fresh beginnings for him and it’ll be interesting to see if he gets a push on the Red brand.
The problem is that he will likely never be in a feud as high-profile as his one against Roman Reigns. Has he peaked?
#4 Huge plans for Rusev
Rusev was surprisingly in a second-round pick for Monday Night RAW, coming second in the round and 7th overall. That’s a huge spot for him and he was picked ahead of quite a few top superstars
Even though Rusev looks terrible in this entire Lashley-Lana storyline, the positive side of it is that he is being presented as a good babyface once again. Moreover, the payoff of the story will most likely involve him beating Bobby Lashley and getting his revenge at the end of it all.
Rusev wouldn’t be drafted so early without a good reason and in this case, WWE likely has big plans for The Bulgarian Brute on RAW. Expect big things from him and for Rusev to get featured a lot on TV going forward. Wouldn’t it be crazy if this storyline ended up benefiting him?
#3 The Street Profits’ welcoming feud
It’s high time that Street Profits start getting involved in an actual competitive capacity rather than just being the unofficial hosts of Monday Night RAW. AJ Styles with The O.C. gave Street Profits their welcoming party and things got tense very fast.
Gallows & Anderson attacked the two former NXT Tag Team Champions and we now know who The O.C. is feuding with next. It’s going to be a fun feud to watch and hopefully, Street Profits get the rub by beating The O.C.
That leaves the status of AJ Styles and the United States Championship up in the air, but it seems unlikely that WWE will take the title off him any time soon. It’s going to be a big test for The Street Profits but luckily for them, they’re feuding with superstars whose specialty is making others look great in victory or defeat.
Are you excited about The O.C. vs The Street Profits?
#2 Becky Lynch has long surpassed Charlotte in the pecking order
Becky Lynch used to be the clear second-fiddle to Charlotte Flair a few years ago. She was just the “sidekick” and the third choice behind Flair and Sasha Banks. It got so bad that even in a house show in Ireland, Becky Lynch came out to Charlotte Flair’s music.
She’s come a long way since then and the last year has reflected that incredible rise to the top. She’s had a rivalry with Charlotte Flair for quite a while now and the two came to blows in the opening match of RAW to determine which brand got the first pick.
Sasha Banks was supposed to be representing SmackDown and due to an injury, The Queen replaced her. In what turned out to be an excellent match, The Man defeated Charlotte Flair by the skin of her teeth to secure the first pick to RAW. What WWE has made clear is that Becky Lynch has now surpassed Charlotte Flair in the pecking order by quite a bit.
One could even argue that the gap has grown further since Becky Lynch became RAW Women’s Champion.
#1 RAW will remain Monday Night Rollins
As anticipated, the Universal Champion Seth Rollins has been drafted to RAW as the #1 pick of the night while Brock Lesnar has been drafted to SmackDown. While some wanted to see the title change hands, this makes sense because Rollins has been the face of Monday Night RAW, while FOX wants Brock Lesnar for the more sports-like feel to the product.
Seth Rollins has a lot of work ahead of him as he’ll be pulling off double-duty at WWE Crown Jewel - first defending the Universal Championship against The Fiend Bray Wyatt and then he’ll be on Team Hogan in the main event.
It’s going to be a huge test for him as it’ll be the second time in two months where he wrestles twice in the same PPV. With that being said, Rollins on RAW is the right move and it doesn’t feel right unless it’s Monday Night Rollins. He will continue being the face of the Red brand for years to come.
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