RAW 5/16 Thread: A (Blood)Line In The Sand
May 16, 2016 6:27:20 GMT -5
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on May 16, 2016 6:27:20 GMT -5
That's right, it's Monday night again and that means ONLY one thing... This week, Monday Night RAW comes to you live from Greensboro, North Carolina, and with the McMahon sibling management seemingly at peace for now, the focus may actually be on the wrestling tonight as we lie only six nights away from Extreme Rules.
On Sunday, it will be a one-on-one match on paper between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and #1 Contender AJ Styles at Extreme Rules, with the title on the line in the show's namesake match, but each man now has backup looking out for their best interests (whether he wants it or not, in Styles's case)... The Usos have joined their Samoan brethren in what has recently been named The Bloodline, while Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have joined The Phenomenal One and re-unitedBullet Club The Club. Things have gotten wild, and everyone's motives and movements have been called into question, but will we get a clearer indication of where things stand tonight?
It has been a rivalry that has seen many inanimate casualties. Chris Jericho put Mitch the pot plant to rest upside Dean Ambrose's head two weeks ago, while The Lunatic Fringe got a measure of revenge last week by destroying one of Jericho's $15,000 light-up jackets. Another jacket has come into play as of SmackDown though, with Jericho laying out Ambrose and restraining him with a straitjacket before continuing the beating. Is it symbolic of what could be in the future for these two? Find out tonight.
The midcard belts are both up for grabs at Extreme Rules, and the pressure is massive on both IC Champion The Miz and US Champion Kalisto. Miz has arguably the trickier defense, with three top-tier opponents trying take the gold from him in Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Meanwhile, Kalisto is only fighting one guy, but that one guy is the former US Champion Rusev, who is almost back to his rookie year form after the breakup of The League Of Nations. It's almost certain that these six will collide tonight in one way or another, maybe even the same match, so who can get the advantage before Sunday?
WWE Women's Champion Charlotte is staring right down the barrel at the possible end of her championship reign at the hands of Natalya. Her ringside insurance policy, father Ric Flair, will not be a factor at Extreme Rules in her submission title defense against the Canadian veteran, but he definitely was a factor in her non-title loss to Paige last week. These are tricky times for the champion, but can she clear her mind of the nonsense and get back on track tonight? Or will Natalya continue her run of momentum?
But that's not the only action in the women's division... Becky Lynch and Emma have repeatedly come to blows both verbally and physically over the last few weeks, but the evil one brought in a game-changer last week, in her NXT running (flexing?) buddy Dana Brooke. The Lass Kicker is now behind in the numbers game, but there's no shortage of possible allies that she could call in to even things up against Emma and Brooke. Will she summon the reinforcements? Or will she keep trying to bring the straight fire all alone as we get closer to Sunday?
And in the tag team division, your W... W... E... World... Tag... Team... CHAMPIONS The New Day have their hands full right now dealing with the current #1 Contenders, The Vaudevillains. Aiden English and Simon Gotch cost Kofi Kingston and Big E a match against The Dudley Boyz last week on RAW, while English managed to score a truly un-gentlemanly win over Kingston on SmackDown. With Extreme Rules looming, who will take the upper hand?
All that, and the in-ring return of The Puerto Rico Tourism Bureau... er, I mean, The Shining Stars, TONIGHT on RAW!
On Sunday, it will be a one-on-one match on paper between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and #1 Contender AJ Styles at Extreme Rules, with the title on the line in the show's namesake match, but each man now has backup looking out for their best interests (whether he wants it or not, in Styles's case)... The Usos have joined their Samoan brethren in what has recently been named The Bloodline, while Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have joined The Phenomenal One and re-united
It has been a rivalry that has seen many inanimate casualties. Chris Jericho put Mitch the pot plant to rest upside Dean Ambrose's head two weeks ago, while The Lunatic Fringe got a measure of revenge last week by destroying one of Jericho's $15,000 light-up jackets. Another jacket has come into play as of SmackDown though, with Jericho laying out Ambrose and restraining him with a straitjacket before continuing the beating. Is it symbolic of what could be in the future for these two? Find out tonight.
The midcard belts are both up for grabs at Extreme Rules, and the pressure is massive on both IC Champion The Miz and US Champion Kalisto. Miz has arguably the trickier defense, with three top-tier opponents trying take the gold from him in Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Meanwhile, Kalisto is only fighting one guy, but that one guy is the former US Champion Rusev, who is almost back to his rookie year form after the breakup of The League Of Nations. It's almost certain that these six will collide tonight in one way or another, maybe even the same match, so who can get the advantage before Sunday?
WWE Women's Champion Charlotte is staring right down the barrel at the possible end of her championship reign at the hands of Natalya. Her ringside insurance policy, father Ric Flair, will not be a factor at Extreme Rules in her submission title defense against the Canadian veteran, but he definitely was a factor in her non-title loss to Paige last week. These are tricky times for the champion, but can she clear her mind of the nonsense and get back on track tonight? Or will Natalya continue her run of momentum?
But that's not the only action in the women's division... Becky Lynch and Emma have repeatedly come to blows both verbally and physically over the last few weeks, but the evil one brought in a game-changer last week, in her NXT running (flexing?) buddy Dana Brooke. The Lass Kicker is now behind in the numbers game, but there's no shortage of possible allies that she could call in to even things up against Emma and Brooke. Will she summon the reinforcements? Or will she keep trying to bring the straight fire all alone as we get closer to Sunday?
And in the tag team division, your W... W... E... World... Tag... Team... CHAMPIONS The New Day have their hands full right now dealing with the current #1 Contenders, The Vaudevillains. Aiden English and Simon Gotch cost Kofi Kingston and Big E a match against The Dudley Boyz last week on RAW, while English managed to score a truly un-gentlemanly win over Kingston on SmackDown. With Extreme Rules looming, who will take the upper hand?
All that, and the in-ring return of The Puerto Rico Tourism Bureau... er, I mean, The Shining Stars, TONIGHT on RAW!