Tonight, on the With Spandex WWE Raw open discussion thread:
Braun Strowman obliterated U.S. Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at the conclusion of last week’s Raw, all because his thirst for vengeance against Sami Zayn went unquenched. Can Raw General Manager Mick Foley control the unstoppable Monster Among Men? (via WWE.com)
Our five-point preview:
1. It’s the final Raw of 2016, if you can believe it. Next week will be the official start of Royal Rumble Month, which is a treat that all little boys and girls look forward to all year round. This week’s show will likely be a bit of a placeholder, since it’s an observed holiday and all, but there’s a chance we’ll see some more pieces begin to fall in place regarding the Rumble.
2. Braun Strowman is still on the warpath about Sami Zayn, so who knows what he’s liable to do this week. Last week, he suplexed a Christmas tree, so maybe this week, he’ll reverse chokeslam a menorah. Will Mick Foley cave to his demands and give him Zayn? Or will Strowman realize that he easily beat up a couple of main eventers last week and focus on that instead? Probably the first option.
3. Perhaps you didn’t hear, but NEVILLE IS BACK and is looking to enact swole-ass vengeance on the cruiserweights. He and The Brian Kendrick were victorious over TJ Perkins and Rich Swann on last week’s 205 Live, but the real story was him Mortal Kombat fatality-ing TJP with one kick on last week’s Raw. If that could just happen every week from now on, that alone would make the three hours worth it on Monday nights.
4. Last week, Bayley pinned the Women’s Champion! Such a rare feat could only be topped by one thing: the debut of Emmalina. This week, expect Bayley to pin the Women’s Champion and for Emmalina to not debut. Merry Christmas!
5. Enzo Amore, as you may remember, was last seen getting beaten up by the unstoppable team of Rusev and Jindel Mahal after what I thought was a pretty soul-searching session of HR-mandating sensitivity counseling. We’re on pins and needles wondering whether Big Cass has realized what happened to Enzo yet. Here’s hoping Raw opens with him walking into the backstage area from last week, seeing Enzo still laying in the wreckage covered with a fine layer of dust, and bugs his eyes out before the theme hits.
As always, we’re including 10 of the best comments from tonight’s open discussion thread in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of Raw report. Reply to your favorites with a +1 to nominate them for consideration, and share the open thread around so we can get some fresh voices and jokes in here. Enjoy the show!
