6 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW before Survivor Series: Kevin Owens beats former World Champion after 6.5 years, Popular babyface gets humiliated after big mistake?
Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was the go-home edition of the Red brand before Survivor Series 2021, and the build-up to the pay-per-view was nothing more than average.
However, the episode itself featured good matches and entertaining segments, although inconsistent booking was something that plagued the show. We didn't have an invasion angle as we usually do, which is perhaps good because the brand supremacy concept makes less sense when the Draft was just over a month ago.
Official indeed... 😔
@ScrapDaddyAP removed @reymysterio from #TeamRAW this Sunday at #SurvivorSeries and welcomed @austintheory1 to the red brand's 5️⃣!
#WWERaw https://t.co/c5DwIVGpHF
Either way, a lot happened on this episode that was headlined by Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley. Following his loss, Adam Pearce, who is a full-blown heel now, removed Mysterio from the team and replaced him with Austin Theory. Here's what WWE subtly told us on the RAW before Survivor Series 2021:
#6. Kevin Owens' heel turn follows up with a massive victory on RAW
Mocking @FinnBalor, are we? 🙌
@FightOwensFight
#WWERaw https://t.co/BKXbEj1Ej2
Kevin Owens once again tried to justify his heel turn, but not in the desperate way he did the previous week. This week on RAW, he seemed to care less about what people thought of him, and the classic heel Prizefighter seems to be back with a few adjustments to his character.
Seth Rollins was originally scheduled to face Finn Balor, but after The Architect entered the six-man tag team match at the beginning of RAW, his bout against Balor was canceled.
Instead, Owens was confronted by an old rival in the backstage area - Balor, who told him that a match was booked between them for later in the night. For the uninitiated, The Prince and KO have a history together.
They first faced off for the NXT Championship in March 2015, when Kevin Owens was the incumbent champion. Finn Balor failed on that occasion, but he got his victory and won the NXT title in Japan at The Beast In The East special later that year.
Their trilogy concluded at Takeover: Brooklyn, where Balor beat Owens in an epic ladder match. The two haven't crossed paths in a proper feud since then, although they did headline the RAW after WrestleMania 33 when Finn Balor made his return to team up with Seth Rollins against Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe.
This week, Owens defeated Balor for the first time in over six-and-a-half years. The significance of this is huge, as he not only got one over his old rival, but he entered the WWE title picture once again in the process.
A ruthless @FightOwensFight picks up a victory years in the making against longtime rival @FinnBalor on #WWERaw! https://t.co/SiEFkGmsTH
He lost three weeks in a row on the Monday night show, and that streak finally ended at Balor's expense.