5 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW: Top feud to continue until 2022, Former NXT Champion to join popular heel faction?
It's a new era for Monday Night RAW and we witnessed an excellent season premiere. The advertised RAW Tag Team Title match between RK-Bro and AJ Styles & Omos didn't happen, with The Dirty Dawgs getting a shot instead and losing their opportunity on the show.
Austin Theory continued to make a splash on RAW by beating Dominik Mysterio, who happens to be the same age as him. There was a lot that happened, but no mention of Survivor Series, which means that the build to the pay-per-view may only begin next week. Here's what WWE subtly told us on the season premiere of RAW.
#5 A new era of RAW meant new challengers for Big E
.@FinnBalor wants the one title he has never held.
The #WWEChampionship!
#WWERaw https://t.co/6RAhVoxtVw
WWE Champion Big E is the face of RAW's new era, which is why it was apt for him to open the season premiere. What ensued was interesting.
While we feared WWE rehashing feuds, they ensured that the following competitors who came out were all fresh faces on RAW.
Those four names, of course, were Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. As you can see, these were four previous SmackDown stars freshly drafted to the red brand. This guaranteed a fresh challenger for Big E, as he hadn't crossed paths with them on SmackDown.
What it led to was a Fatal Four-Way match to determine the No.1 Contender for the WWE Championship. Sonya Deville upped the stakes by making it a Ladder match - one that was always going to be of pay-per-view quality.
The bout lasted for close to half an hour (including ad breaks), and Seth Rollins was the man who emerged as Big E's first WWE Title challenger of the new era. While some might question why Rollins is getting a push right after losing to Edge, this isn't the first time.
Last year, after losing to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 36, Seth Rollins was the first in line to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title (if you discount Big Show/Paul Wight). Seth Rollins losing to Edge wasn't a knock on him. It was simply to give the right ending to their storyline.
Edge will be on RAW as well, but it's unclear as to whether he will be a part of Survivor Series. Seth Rollins was the obvious pick since he was the only heel in the match, while Balor, Mysterio, and Owens are all babyfaces.
Big E came to congratulate Seth Rollins, and they had a tense staredown where The Messiah laughed at his face and said that he wouldn't do anything. Unfortunately for Seth Rollins, he won't become a three-time WWE Champion.
.@WWERollins has a date with destiny ... a future #WWEChampionship Match against @WWEBigE!
#WWERaw https://t.co/VMR2LuORae
Big E is set for a huge win over Seth Rollins. Following Survivor Series, Day 1 is the next pay-per-view, so the match is most likely going to happen on RAW. Perhaps WWE could drag on the feud until early 2022.