Biggest Lessons Learned from the Dec. 16 Edition of Raw
The first Raw following on from the Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view was aired on Monday night, and we saw a few rivalries put to bed—and a few new ones born—on the show.
A new—although familiar—challenger could well have emerged to face Randy Orton following on from the main event, and CM Punk looks to have a new direction heading into the Royal Rumble.
There were plenty of tag matches, and plenty of talking points from the show for us to discuss.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the biggest lessons we learned from Monday's Raw.
Big Show and Rey Mysterio Could Well See Gold Soon
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For a team that was pushed together to be thrown onto the pay-per-view card, Big Show and Rey Mysterio are doing pretty well as a tag team.
They outlasted Ryback and Curtis Axel, as well as The Real Americans on Sunday before coming unstuck against the champions—The Rhodes Brothers.
However, on Raw they managed to actually knock the champions off in a pretty entertaining match. As a team, they have contrasting styles—that much is evident—and it seems to work.
The spot where Mysterio climbs on Show's shoulders to finish the match was a good bit of evidence to prove there is some chemistry there.
You wouldn't be surprised if they will have the belts around their waists anytime soon.
Dolph Ziggler Has a Starting Point
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It's been a funny year for Dolph Ziggler. He started the year as one of the top guys in the company, and even managed to pick up the World Heavyweight Championship at one point.
In the final pay-per-view of 2013 though, Ziggler was consigned to the pre-show—where he lost to Fandango.
Monday night represented a clean slate for Dolph though, as he knocked off Fandango in a pretty decent match to get Raw rolling.
He now has a starting point to relaunch his career—sure, it was only Fandango, but you have to start somewhere.
The Tag Division Continues to Grow
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On Monday I said the tag division had a good, solid night at TLC. The eight men who participated in the championship match put on a really good show, and things looked bright again for the tag division.
Yet again, Monday night showed just how much talent there is in the tag division. As mentioned, the champions were knocked off by the newest team on the block—Big Show and Rey Mysterio—but there were plenty of other teams who impressed.
The Real Americans always put on a show, and their match with Big E Langston and Mark Henry was yet another indicator that there are some excellent teams available for creative to play with.
The Usos also got some good airtime on Raw on Monday night. More of this please, WWE.
The Shield Are Still Fighting
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After the events at TLC last night, many people thought it was the beginning of the end for The Shield.
Roman Reigns' inadvertent spear on Dean Ambrose seemed to signify that the trio would soon be splitting and going their own way.
Monday night seemed to suggest that things were back to normal for the impressive stable, though. They were again in six-man tag action—as is so often the case on Raw—and Reigns knocked CM Punk off with yet another monstrous spear.
What happens next? It's unclear—which almost makes it more exciting. One thing is for certain though. The Shield have certainly made their mark on the WWE in their first year, and whether they stay together or go their own ways—the future is bright for Ambrose, Reigns and Seth Rollins.
Punk vs. the Authority Is on
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Last week on Raw, the show ended with an absolute melee, as a whole host of Superstars took it out on each other with a full-scale brawl.
Most of that brawl was actually centered around CM Punk, who took it to Triple H before getting one in the face from Shawn Michaels.
Punk is a fantastic anti-authority figure, and it seems as if he will now be groomed into that role going forward toward WrestleMania season.
On Raw, he called Triple H out before Michaels came down and the pair cut a pretty decent promo on each other. Whether it will be Michaels or Triple H who steps into the ring with Punk is unclear, but it will make for great viewing.
Bryan vs. Orton Delivered, Until the End
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As I say almost every week, Daniel Bryan is over. Don't worry about that—the fans are well into Bryan and he is certainly thriving from it.
Many people will have groaned when John Cena interrupted Randy Orton's promo at the beginning of Raw, and could have imagined a Cena-Orton rematch to headline Raw this week. Thankfully though, it wasn't to be, and Bryan got the spot in the match.
And what a match. Bryan pulled the very best out of Orton and the two put on a match that would be worthy of any pay-per-view.
That was, of course, until the ending. It was such a shame the low blow from Orton was the route creative took to end the match—it really deserved a conclusive finish.
What it does do though, is leave the door open for Bryan to try and cement another run at the titles. It would certainly be what the fans would want.
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