It was the RAW after Survivor Series and the roster had a lot to celebrate, but also a lot to address. Especially you, Triple H. We ended up with a pretty strange finish to the Survivor Series match that opened up two major storylines involving The Game, and it was interesting to see how he handled them. But, above all else, I had tissues ready on the side of my bed because this was the freaking day Paige was set to return.
WHoooOooOAAA
TEAR THE STARS OUT FROM THE SKY
DARKNESS FALLS, I COME ALIIIIIVE
Ok, there we go. Finally, after so long, we finally get to hear that song again. I wanted to puke glitter. Oh how I’ve missed Paige! It was a very obvious return, though, especially when it got delayed… Everyone knew about it and was then just anticipating the moment she was going to come out on the show. That’s the worst part about being a wrestling fan in this era—the freaking Internet.
But it’s here; it finally happened, you guys! And as a woman, I just want to say how proud I am of her for stepping back into the WWE limelight fearlessly, even after all the leaks, the suspension, the injury, the hatred, the judgement and the drama this past year. These Superstars are people, too, just like you and me—it’s a whole lot to handle, but the best part was that she was able to get rid of the 239 lbs of dead weight that damaged her and her promising career in so many ways. It’s a brand new start for her. Good for her. I love her.
Her body was looking really great and her abs have been popping out more than the last time we saw her. Her new look with the bright red lips was fire, and her bad-ass attitude was on point. Nothing could’ve been more perfect. Except… Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
This was completely different from the Paige return I had in mind. First of all, I literally thought for half a second that she brought Alberto Del Rio with her when she said she didn’t come alone. What a nightmare. Anyway, doing something different than what everybody expects is a good thing as WWE keeps that element of surprise, but not all surprises are necessarily right. Mandy and Sonya, now NXT graduates, took the spotlight away from this very special return. Because now, instead of feeling hyped about Paige dominating and following her on her road to the RAW Women’s Championship, she now has to do everything with the two other girls by her side. Let me also add that all three of them have absolutely nothing in common and we’re not exactly sure why these girls have decided to team up with each other yet. It’s surprising to even see Mandy and Sonya get called up before the other top girls of NXT. I hope the whole segment was just a way to introduce these girls to the main roster, and not actually push through with an official faction. Because otherwise… Lame. I personally just wanted Paige to return by herself.
The MizTV segment was honestly a hot mess. It had awkward technical difficulties, and The Shield looked like lost puppies, struggling to come up with any proper comebacks. They were most likely thrown off by the annoying crowd who kept cheering for The Miz instead of The Shield. Uh-oh.
It picked up towards the end, when Roman Reigns challenged The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship in the main event. I thought it was a good match. The second Sheamus and Cesaro came out to interfere insinuated that Miz was going to retain… until he hit his finisher on Roman that should’ve ended the whole thing, and then Roman. Kicked. Out. It was crystal clear at that point that the Big Dog was going to win the gold. As a Roman Reigns avid hater, I’m not even complaining. First word I mumbled as it happened was “Interesting…” Not sure how this will go down in the next few weeks, and I wonder how long he’ll be keeping the title for.
They opened the show with a segment involving Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan and Braun Strowman. The best part was when Kurt interrupted the power couple and went straight to HHH’s face and talked the way the real Kurt Angle we all know and love would talk. For once, he showed that he was tough and unafraid to cause havoc! If I could describe the intensity using an emoji, it would definitely be 🔥.
Not only is a future Triple H vs. Kurt Angle feud pretty clear, but a future Triple H vs. Braun Strowman story is also undeniable at this point. HHH didn’t even explain his motives clearly, which still leaves us all unsatisfied and confused about what had happened. I personally don’t like all these storylines happening at the same time because it just makes casual fans confused about what’s going on sometimes; or it simply just feels like it’s too much. Backstories can’t be more emphasized and opponents can’t be properly dealt with when you know there’s another story with someone else to worry about.
It’s like Braun Strowman and Kane. It’s unfinished business that should be finished business at a pay-per-view, but instead it’s just looks like a little parenthesis when it, again, should be the main body. Braun appeared on the episode with a storyline with Triple H first, but then appeared later on in his other storyline with Kane. But why? Both stories aren’t even remotely related with each other. It just annoys me.
Speaking of the whole Kane interruption, I feel like they’re slowly getting people to truly dislike Jason Jordan. Many were predicting his heel turn to happen at Survivor Series, but I knew I shouldn’t expect WWE to take these great opportunities when it comes to Jordan. This week, however, he played the tough guy going after Triple H, only to reveal his true, cowardly self later that night when he was set to have a match against Braun. I mean, okay—I don’t blame him, I guess. I think I’d run, too. But his instinct of using the daddy card shows that the spoiled little son-of-the-General-Manager angle is definitely there.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad post-PPV episode as we got a taste of an anticipated return, NXT call-ups, good matches and even a title change. The Survivor Series win didn’t really do much for them—everything seems to be all normal as if nothing really happened. Perhaps some sort of roster celebration would’ve been nice. The outcome of the PPV sets a small part of the table for the Royal Rumble. I grade it a B+!
Quick hitters:
- PAIGE IS BACK, BITCHES. AAAAAAA
- Stephanie McMahon managed to emasculate even her own husband. What a boss.
- On the bright side, with what we saw at the main event, this means that my man, Seth Rollins, and his partner Dean Ambrose are ready to fight to get the RAW Tag Team Championships back.
- Asuka won. And the sky is blue. And a bicycle has two wheels. And the earth is round. Asuka is so protected that it was obvious she was going to be the Sole Survivor. I think they’re keeping her in a bubble until she’s ready to have the RAW Women’s Championship, saving her for someone worthy of giving her first loss. Because, well, you can’t be champion forever!
Photos by WWE
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