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When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, July 25, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, July 26, at 1AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Raw Preview: The New Era of Raw begins
The WWE Brand Extension Draft has come and gone, and the landscape of Monday Night Raw has experienced a seismic shift. As WWE’s New Era begins in earnest for the longest running weekly episodic show in history, what will Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley do now that the WWE Championship is on SmackDown Live?
Beat blue
One of the guiding principles behind the WWE Brand Extension Draft was the desire to foster a spirit of friendly competition between Raw and SmackDown Live in all facets — television ratings and ticket sales among them. It appears that, in an interesting turn of events, the blue brand has hit the ground running: Last week’s WWE Draft special topped the previous night’s Raw in the ratings, as confirmed by SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan on WWE Battleground Kickoff. With the ball now in Raw’s court, what will Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley do for their first show of the New Era, especially after SmackDown Live’s Dean Ambrose retained the WWE Championship over Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at WWE Battleground?
The NXT factor
The WWE Draft saw the much-anticipated summons of Finn Bálor from WWE NXT, as well as the unexpected selection of Nia Jax, the powerhouse of the Women’s division. The WWE Universe will watch tonight’s to see if these dynamic competitors will make their first appearances as Raw Superstars. If they do, look for Bálor’s athleticism and Jax’s unparalleled power to make a big, big impression on the WWE Universe and the locker room alike.
TKO
If WWE Battleground was, indeed, the last time Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will ever fight each other, then Owens has to be feeling pretty rotten right about now. The Prizefighter was upended by Zayn in glorious fashion, leaving Sami to claim what he said would be the definitive win in their endless war and leaving Owens to ponder what might have been. The bad news for the rest of the Raw roster (Zayn included, for what it’s worth) is that Owens is never more dangerous than when he has been embarrassed. And make no mistake, he has been embarrassed. Who’s he going to take it out on?
Hounds without a bone
When the dust settled on the former Shield brothers’ Triple Threat Match at WWE Battleground, Dean Ambrose was the last man standing, and The Lunatic Fringe’s WWE Championship is now the exclusive property of SmackDown Live. That leaves Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns bereft of hardware to chase, but with no shortage of animosity left between them, especially since they were in the midst of a heated battle before Ambrose made his move. There’s no chance these two are done with each other, so the only question is where “The Man” and “The Guy” will take their rivalry next.
[HASHTAG]#CesaRAW[/HASHTAG]
Of all Superstars’ reactions to their Draft destinations, Cesaro’s was by far the most shocking. The typically soft-spoken Swiss Superman openly discussed his desire to be a member of the SmackDown Live roster, and his disappointment that he wasn’t selected to a show that prioritizes in-ring competition over the showmanship that has typically defined Raw. (His mood hadn’t improved by the time he sat in on WWE Battleground’s Kickoff panel.) That said, The King of Swing now has an opportunity to affect change from within, and the first Raw of the New Era will be crucial to his mission to deliver the best in-ring action that sports-entertainment has to offer. With Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and more, there is no shortage of opponents for Cesaro. All that remains is to see who steps up to face him. Find out who that is when the first Raw of the New Era begins, live at 8/7 C on USA Network, with Raw Pre-Show coverage beginning at 7:30 ET exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.
When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, July 25, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, July 26, at 1AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Raw Preview: The New Era of Raw begins
The WWE Brand Extension Draft has come and gone, and the landscape of Monday Night Raw has experienced a seismic shift. As WWE’s New Era begins in earnest for the longest running weekly episodic show in history, what will Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley do now that the WWE Championship is on SmackDown Live?
Beat blue
One of the guiding principles behind the WWE Brand Extension Draft was the desire to foster a spirit of friendly competition between Raw and SmackDown Live in all facets — television ratings and ticket sales among them. It appears that, in an interesting turn of events, the blue brand has hit the ground running: Last week’s WWE Draft special topped the previous night’s Raw in the ratings, as confirmed by SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan on WWE Battleground Kickoff. With the ball now in Raw’s court, what will Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley do for their first show of the New Era, especially after SmackDown Live’s Dean Ambrose retained the WWE Championship over Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at WWE Battleground?
The NXT factor
The WWE Draft saw the much-anticipated summons of Finn Bálor from WWE NXT, as well as the unexpected selection of Nia Jax, the powerhouse of the Women’s division. The WWE Universe will watch tonight’s to see if these dynamic competitors will make their first appearances as Raw Superstars. If they do, look for Bálor’s athleticism and Jax’s unparalleled power to make a big, big impression on the WWE Universe and the locker room alike.
TKO
If WWE Battleground was, indeed, the last time Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will ever fight each other, then Owens has to be feeling pretty rotten right about now. The Prizefighter was upended by Zayn in glorious fashion, leaving Sami to claim what he said would be the definitive win in their endless war and leaving Owens to ponder what might have been. The bad news for the rest of the Raw roster (Zayn included, for what it’s worth) is that Owens is never more dangerous than when he has been embarrassed. And make no mistake, he has been embarrassed. Who’s he going to take it out on?
Hounds without a bone
When the dust settled on the former Shield brothers’ Triple Threat Match at WWE Battleground, Dean Ambrose was the last man standing, and The Lunatic Fringe’s WWE Championship is now the exclusive property of SmackDown Live. That leaves Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns bereft of hardware to chase, but with no shortage of animosity left between them, especially since they were in the midst of a heated battle before Ambrose made his move. There’s no chance these two are done with each other, so the only question is where “The Man” and “The Guy” will take their rivalry next.
[HASHTAG]#CesaRAW[/HASHTAG]
Of all Superstars’ reactions to their Draft destinations, Cesaro’s was by far the most shocking. The typically soft-spoken Swiss Superman openly discussed his desire to be a member of the SmackDown Live roster, and his disappointment that he wasn’t selected to a show that prioritizes in-ring competition over the showmanship that has typically defined Raw. (His mood hadn’t improved by the time he sat in on WWE Battleground’s Kickoff panel.) That said, The King of Swing now has an opportunity to affect change from within, and the first Raw of the New Era will be crucial to his mission to deliver the best in-ring action that sports-entertainment has to offer. With Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and more, there is no shortage of opponents for Cesaro. All that remains is to see who steps up to face him. Find out who that is when the first Raw of the New Era begins, live at 8/7 C on USA Network, with Raw Pre-Show coverage beginning at 7:30 ET exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.
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