WWE: 5 Talking Points from 20th May RAW

Monday Night RAW left quite a few questions unanswered, and we also witnessed two good TV matches, which made up for all the nonsensical booking for this week. Coming out of RAW, we found out new matches and stipulations for the next month’s PPV, the seeds for new rivalries being planted, new alliances being formed and new angles being played out. Let us now see the top 5 talking points coming out of this week’s episode.

5. Ambulance match at WWE Payback

RAW kicked off with an ambulance being driven into the arena, and Ryback emerged out of it, as he stood on the top of the ambulance and challenged John Cena for an ambulance match at the next month’s PPV, Payback, for the WWE Championship. The WWE match ended in a no contest this past Sunday at the Extreme Rules PPV, as Cena was stretchered out and taken in an ambulance. Ryback said that would be the case next month, as he would put Cena in an ambulance to win the WWE title. A gimmick match between the two is the right way to go, and even though I’m not a fan of an ambulance match, such a match between these two would make sense. Either way, Cena will be present on next week’s RAW, and we will see what follows.

4. The Shield picks up another victory

The Shield won gold this past Sunday at Extreme Rules, as they now hold the WWE tag team championships as well as the WWE United States championship. This week on RAW, they took on the team of Team Hell No and Kofi Kingston, in what was a great TV match. It’s no wonder the WWE officials are high on the members of The Shield, as they’re not only good workers, but are naturally charismatic and talented. They picked up yet another victory, as they defeated their opponents after one of the best TV matches this year. What’s next for The Shield? Only time can tell, but these are great signs for the future of the WWE and the industry.

3. Big E defeated Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio won his match against Jack Swagger this past Sunday at Extreme Rules in an “I Quit” match to become the new number 1 contender for the World Heavyweight championship. This week on RAW, he took on Ziggler’s right hand man, Big E Langston and went on to lose the match due to a distraction by AJ Lee. Although I understand the “distract – take advantage” logic, but it’s nonsensical to make all the top guys lose on RAW. If you do not make them win their matches, how can they be a legitimate threat for the title? This is something that always happens on RAW, as the champions and the number 1 contenders lose all their TV matches, which takes away any credibility they have. Alberto Del Rio will most likely face Dolph Ziggler at the next month’s PPV, WWE Payback for the World Heavyweight championship.

2. The new ‘Paul Heyman Guy’

This past week, there were rumours floating around about a possible third member of the Paul Heyman client list, and Heyman confirmed that he would be introducing yet another ‘Paul Heyman Guy’ this week on RAW. As the time arrived for Heyman to unveil his new client, it was none other than the son of the legendary Mr. Perfect. Joe Hennig, now repackaged as Curtis Axel is the new member of Paul Heyman’s client list, and I for one am very happy about that. Hours before the start of RAW, rumours were running rampant that it would be none other than RVD, but that wouldn’t have made much sense. Axel is a phenomenal athlete and a wonderful performer, and being managed by Paul Heyman will do wonders for his career. There’s no doubt that his father would be smiling from the heavens looking down.

1. Triple H’s concussion angle

RAW’s main event saw Triple H taking on Curtis Axel, but when the night ended, Triple H was laid out as the medical team was tending to him, and it was the beginning of a major angle being set up. Triple H’s bout this Sunday against Brock Lesnar saw Lesnar driving a sledgehammer to the skull of Triple H, which can be given as the reason for the concussion. It will be interesting to see where this leads to, as another Triple H – Brock Lesnar confrontation is not in the making as we speak, but we might get to see it down the line. It makes sense for Curtis Axel to be the new adversary for Triple H, and time will tell where this angle leads to.

Those are the 5 talking points coming out of this week’s RAW. Let us know if you agree with us, or give your own talking points from the show.