Ever wondered why WWE makes some of the decisions they do? Luckily for you, Adi George got his hands on a backstage memo from WWE Creative.
Why WWE Booked Monday Night Raw The Way They Did – 19/06/17
Why Goldust and R-Truth will meet next week
The initial plan was to have them meet at the pay-per-view, but further reflection reveals that more fuel could be added to the fire by putting them in the ring together before they actually fight. Secondly, their segment next week automatically feels important given how many weeks of vignettes have built up to it. All in all, it’s time to move on from the vignettes.
Why Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel joined The Miz’s entourage
Simple. Both of these guys are highly talented, could use a fresh push and, even more perfectly, acted with The Miz in The Marine 5. The Miz gets to further demonstrate his skills as a leader and manipulator, and both Bo and Curtis can have a new opportunity to reconnect with the WWE Universe.
Why Finn Balor and Elias Samson got involved with each other
Elias is coming off a solid angle as a bit-player in Dean Ambrose’s feud with The Miz, where he looked strong and garnered ample heat. It’s time to give him a high-profile singles feud where he can become an even greater star. As for Balor? He won’t be challenging for the Universal Title any time soon, but his look, reputation and star power mean that he can afford to get involved with a smaller star like Samson without losing too much momentum.
Why Finn Balor beat Bo Dallas
Bo needed a reason to follow The Miz, and Finn losing was never a serious option.
Why Akira Tozawa beat TJP with Titus O’Neil at ringside
Titus got a chance to be entertaining on the mic and the storyline of the Titus Brand’s growth continues. Akira gains momentum as the next in line for Neville’s crown without having to exert himself on the mic,and the entire Cruiserweight Division gets to integrate with the rest of the roster through Titus’ involvement.
Why that video package hyped up Samoa Joe vs Brock Lesnar
Simple. WWE do great video packages.
Why The Hardy Boyz beat the Good Brothers
Matt & Jeff are still in line for Sheamus & Cesaro’s crown, and so could not afford to look weak here. Matt kicked out of the Boot of Doom, despite the fact the Good Brothers have put away countless superstars with that, because the emphasis here is on the heart and determination of both Hardys. The time will come for another Gallows & Anderson push, but until that time the focus must be on The Hardy Boyz.
Why Apollo Crews & Titus O’Neil lost to Sheamus & Cesaro
Sheamus & Cesaro are the champions and a loss here would hurt their credibility too greatly. Apollo & Titus, however, do not look weak whatsoever since Apollo was blindsided by a cheap shot from Cesaro, and prior to that the pair were demonstrating excellent cohesion. The story of the Titus Brand coming together is an incredibly satisfying, slow-burn storyline which if booked correctly could have immense payoffs for all involved.
Why Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax descended into chaos
This edition of Raw was particularly full. Unfortunately, the decision made was to cut down on the amount of time the women got (though of course going forward, extra time will be allocated to make up for this). This meant that each woman had to get on TV in a very short time. The only way to make that happen was a brawl.
As booked, Bayley got to look strong, salvaging some of her connection with the WWE Universe. Nia Jax looked like a monster, Alexa Bliss looked like the master manipulator she is and the other women got to look fearless and brave. Going forward, any one of the women could feasibly be pushed and the WWE Universe could get behind the feud.
Why Roman Reigns is the Number One Contender at Summerslam
This is incredibly simple. Summerslam is a Big Four pay-per-view. Roman Reigns is a big deal. The only title matches big enough for Summerslam are Brock vs Roman, or Joe vs Roman. There is just no one like Roman.
Why Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt got involved together
These two are set to battle in the months going forward and it made sense to keep their physical interaction limited, but their segment time long, in order to build the feud without giving too much payoff just yet. Allowing Seth to have some self-indulgent promo time really cemented him as a babyface which will elevate the feud by heightening the difference between Seth as a face and Bray as a heel.
Why The Miz and Maryse didn’t make up, and Dean Ambrose got beaten up
The plan with the IC Title feud is to continue Miz and Maryse’s marital issues, but not every week can end with Dean Ambrose getting the upper hand. The debut of the entourage had to end with Dean staring up at the lights, and so there was only one way to book this angle this week. Why were they dressed as bears? Continuity. Also, the bears give the feud its own visual branding, to make it stand out from the rest of the show.
Why Braun Strowman returned to attack Roman Reigns
Because these two have incredible chemistry, and have unfinished business. It’s as easy as that. By overselling Braun’s recovery time WWE have made Braun seem like an even bigger beast, since he’s coming back from injury early (in kayfabe).
Why Big Cass was the one to attack Enzo
It’s time to pull the trigger on Big Cass’s heel turn. There is enough interest in this angle now to provide him the launchpad he needs. Furthermore, Big Show now has a reason to move to Smackdown Live and The Revival can get back in the ring with some momentum, having been on TV for a few weeks now. Corey Graves’ teamwork with Kurt Angle strengthens their relationship which will make Corey’s involvement in Kurt’s upcoming scandal that much more impactful. [note from Vince: if Enzo could manage a tear during this segment that would be great].
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