We’re midway through the year, and we’ve already seen one of AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents jump to WWE and immediately become one of its top babyfaces. We’ve witnessed Roman Reigns continue his domination and unify the WWE and Universal titles at WrestleMania. Right now, things are hot up in Stamford, Connecticut, and it’s not even July.
Having said that, there are still a lot of moving parts as we head to Money in the Bank, so let’s take a look at five things that stood out from this week’s episode of WWE RAW.
#5 Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel has reached new comedic heights
While the premise of this angle may be a bit silly, WWE has done an excellent job in the presentation. While Elias/Ezekiel has been his usual, humorous self, the real star of this story is Kevin Owens.
The former Universal Champion must feel like he’s living in an alternate reality or an old episode of The Twilight Zone. In his mind, he’s the only one who can see that both superstars are Elias.
Owens is the only truth-teller in a world full of lies - at least, that’s how things stand from his perspective. It came back to bite him again this week, as his paranoia cost him a countout loss.
The KO character is great because the man behind it is so versatile. As a babyface, he can be framed as the underdog everyman, a working-class champion. But as a heel, Owens has a remarkable ability to get on your nerves and make you laugh simultaneously.
#4 Seth Rollins and AJ Styles showed why they are both future WWE Hall of Famers
Two of the most skilled veterans of the mat today, these two veterans share an encyclopedic knowledge of just exactly what to do in the ring. When you put two terrific performers like this against each other, you can almost set your watch to how well they will execute every single move.
This one was about what you would expect when you have a mix of greatness. While Styles is an explosive aerial artist, Seth is more of a utility guy in the squared circle - he brings the versatility of a Swiss Army Knife with the tools to fit any situation.
The match came about after The Phenomenal One gave Seth a solid right hand that knocked him to the floor while Rollins was in a backstage interview. Styles said it was revenge for what Seth did to Cody Rhodes last week.
Unfortunately for Styles, Rollins won after a quick counter to a roll-up. Still, it was a picture-perfect bout between the pair on Monday Night.
#3 - ‘Crazy Becky’ Lynch is another great wrinkle added to an established character
If you can say anything about Becky Lynch, she is like a chameleon; she always knows how to change her colors when the time is right. She’s experiencing another renaissance right now with her unhinged character.
Once again, she got her Irish up on this week’s show, challenging Dana Brooke to a 24/7 Title match but only using it to brutalize the champion. She had no interest in winning the belt itself.
She continued her caterwauling until Asuka came down to the ring, and the duo had a scuffle. The two former champions will likely be involved in the women’s ladder match at Money in the Bank.
#2 - Theory continues to evolve into one of the best young heels in sports entertainment today
The fact that the brash upstart even challenged Bobby Lashley to a pose-down is laughable. However, his actions during the segment were right from the villain’s textbook. Theory’s elevated self-worth makes seeing him fail all the sweeter for the viewers.
He might be Mr. McMahon’s handpicked favorite, but that didn’t help him this week. He was no match for the muscle of The All Mighty. That’s when the hijinks ensued.
After Lashley was declared the winner, he was baited in by the Georgis native, only to have baby oil squirted into his eyes. So, Theory lost the pose-down but won the battle. However, the war will rage on, with Lashley stating that he’s out for Theory’s United States Championship.
#1 - WWE Universe adores Riddle, and they badly want to see him defeat Roman Reigns
Riddle came out in the show’s opening segment to confront The Miz and Paul Heyman during Miz TV. As he fired up, so did the crowd, punctuating every sentence from Riddle’s mouth with a roar of approval.
The fan base seems to be growing tired of Roman Reigns as the champion, particularly after he cut down on his schedule in the future. He’s already skipped WWE Hell in a Cell and will likely miss at least two more premium live events for the remainder of the year.
Riddle is certainly the people’s choice in this upcoming confrontation. We will have to see what happens this Friday night when the two face off for the title on Smackdown. It should be a heck of a match between two great WWE Superstars.
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