5 WWE moments that generated a buzz on social media this week
With every passing week, WWE is inching closer to one of the most exciting premium live events of the year, Money in the Bank. On this week's RAW and SmackDown, four superstars earned tickets to their respective ladder matches.
Quite a few notable stories came out of WWE this week. The company subtly teased some future rivalries, hyped-up John Cena's upcoming return on RAW, and successfully pulled off an unpredictable appearance.
While some of these booking decisions have garnered positive reviews on social media, WWE's approach to building certain storylines hasn't gone down well with the wrestling community.
Without further ado, let's look at five stories from the world of WWE that generated buzz on social media this week.
#5. Sami Zayn qualifies for Money in the Bank: SmackDown
On the latest episode of SmackDown, Sami Zayn outsmarted Shinsuke Nakamura to punch his ticket to Money in the Bank. It will be the third time in his career that The Master Strategist will participate in the high-stakes ladder match.
Earlier in the night, Zayn had revealed that he wanted to win the MITB briefcase to protect Roman Reigns from the threat of a possible cash-in. Fans seem to be behind the idea of Sami Zayn potentially becoming Mr. MITB.
Here are some interesting tweets reacting to Sami Zayn's victory:
Sami Zayn is dedicating his match to Roman Reigns and wants to win the MITB briefcase to protect Roman's title reign LMFAOOO
Sami Zayn earned himself a spot in MITB & might be the most interesting competitor in the match. Even though he pledged his loyalty to the Bloodline; he's a conniving, opportunistic bastard. Probably hasn't forgotten about Roman totally murking him last time he had a title match.
If Sami Zayn won the MITB, and cashed in and laid down for Roman to get into The Bloodline, that is top tier booking from WWE, he would have earned his damn spot! #SmackDown
It will be intriguing to see what Sami Zayn does if he somehow gets hold of the Money in the Bank briefcase. Will he stay loyal to The Bloodline, or will his inner babyface re-emerge following this victory?
#4. Natalya mocks Ronda Rousey: Smackdown
Spicing up her rivalry with Ronda Rousey, Natalya appeared on the blue brand this week dressed as The Rowdy One. The Queen of Harts did a hilarious impersonation of the SmackDown Women's Champion, which prompted Rousey to come out.
The champion then cut a decent promo, criticizing Natalya for not getting the desired success despite her work ethic. The segment had its flaws, but it served its purpose by adding some much-needed heat to the rivalry.
Here are some reactions to the Ronda Rousey-Natalya segment:
Unpopular Opinion: I think Ronda Rousey did better on the mic for a change, over Natalya last night #SmackDown https://t.co/yT7A5tGwGi
OMFG It's so easy to make Ronda vs Natalya story good, but they're going with the better finisher story๐
Remember that Ronda Rousey & Natalya were best friends back in 2018/19 #SmackDown https://t.co/zmNTy7yRCj
A section of the WWE Universe is not convinced with the direction of this story.
Yooo. I'm so baked right now. When Ronda Rousey's music hit, I was like "Why Did Ronda bring her child to #SmackDown & then I squinted my eyes as I'm looking at Ronda's face, i was like "WTF happened to Ronda's face?" Then I realize that it was Natalya.
I'M COOKED!๐คฃ
Natalya will have a chance to shut down her critics when she squares up against The Baddest Woman on the Planet at Money in the Bank. Meanwhile, Ronda Rousey will look to extend her reign by triumphing over her former friend.
#3. Pat McAfee challenges Happy Corbin: SmackDown
Last week, Happy Corbin threatened to beat up beloved SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee for his harsh views on the former United States Champion. McAfee fired back at Corbin this week with a fiery promo.
The former NFL star blasted Corbin for trying to prevent him from expressing his opinions. McAfee stated that he loved his job as it made him feel alive. He ended his promo by issuing a challenge to Happy Corbin for a match at SummerSlam.
Here's how wrestling Twitter reacted to Pat McAfee's promo:
Pat McAfee won't take Happy Corbin lightly, despite the latter's current ring name. Pat McAfee knows what Happy Corbin can really do based on his history and the similarities they share with each other. They're cut from the same cloth. They know football and pro wrestling.
Baron Corbin at home listening to Pat McAfee fry him up on the mic:
#SmackDown https://t.co/GpxTmSrUEu
Even The Rock had high praise for McAfee's segment.
After his tremendous performance at WrestleMania 38, people are hyped to see Pat McAfee wrestle at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
#2. Elias makes his shocking WWE return: RAW
While WWE had already announced the return of Elias last week, fans were unsure how they could pull off having Elias and Ezekiel together at the same time.
On the latest edition of RAW, Elias proved that Ezekiel is indeed his younger brother and a completely different person. The two brothers appeared together in a backstage segment, removing all doubts that they were the same person.
Later in the night, The Drifter performed a concert for the audience, reminding everyone that WWE stood for "Walk With Elias." The segment was interrupted by Kevin Owens, who ended up getting Elias' guitar broken over his back.
Here are some amusing tweets about Elias' return to WWE:
WHAT DID I TELL YOU?
ELIAS AND EZEKIEL ARE NOT THE SAME PERSON. THIS IS HISTORY.
I LOVE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT.
#WWERaw https://t.co/bpQKJqAnb3
Elias, Ezekiel and Elrod at Raw next week likeโฆ
๐๐๐ https://t.co/amyLCY117A
@Fiend4FolIows Kevin Owens when he eliminates Elias to win the Rumble but forgot Ezekiel was never eliminated and it costs him everything https://t.co/DbnUIlYtPO
Kevin Owens still can't let it go and accept the fact that Elias exist and he's Ezekiel brother ๐
#WWERaw https://t.co/a0zURB8fVS
It will be interesting to see where this story goes now that Elias is back. For a program that only had limited potential, WWE did a commendable job in keeping it entertaining for almost three months.
#1. Vince McMahon makes an unannounced appearance: RAW
This week's RAW opened in a surprising way with Vince McMahon coming out to greet the WWE Chairman. It was quite unusual to watch Mr. McMahon making back-to-back appearances in the span of a week.
He wasn't even advertised for the show, making RAW's segment even more extraordinary. The former Chairman narrated the history of Monday Night RAW to the audience before promoting the upcoming return of John Cena.
Here's what people had to say about Vince McMahon's RAW appearance:
Vince McMahon #RAW https://t.co/4v7D0RToej
It's honestly disgusting how nonchalantly Vince McMahon is taking this whole thing & milking his TV appearances for ratings.
Am I surprised? No.
Am I nauseated? Yes.
#RAW
Vince McMahon coming out live on Raw just to hype John Cena returning next week, something we already knew because it's being advertised heavily, is a weird look/segment.
I feel like he's just out there to test the waters of how fans will react to him live.
#RAW @VinceMcMahon leaving the ring tonight https://t.co/ojBCwfvQRo
McMahon recently stepped back as the CEO and Chairman of WWE. The decision came after The Wall Street Journal's report that the company's Board of Directors has launched an investigation regarding McMahon.