WWE Raw: 10 Things You Might Have Missed (May 23)
The push toward Money in the Bank begins!
After an Extreme Rules show that featured two of the best WWE matches in many, many months, there was a major onus on the company to follow up with a quality program. They managed to do just that, delivering a show that offered five great bouts and a hot angle, all of which were designed to build up to next month's Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View.
The big news was that Seth Rollins, who returned from injury at Extreme Rules to attack WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, was given a shot at his former friend and the title he never lost by Shane McMahon. That match will take place at Money in the Bank, as will the show's eponymous ladder match. Five out of seven participants in the bout were determined in a series of qualifying matches: Sheamus versus Sami Zayn, Cesaro versus The Miz, Apollo Crews versus Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose versus Dolph Ziggler, and Kevin Owens versus AJ Styles.
It was the landmark 1200th episode of Raw, and even by the show's recently-elevated standards, it was a great offering. As frustrating as it is to still have Roman Reigns on top, the overall creative direction has improved tremendously, and it's a great time to be a WWE fan.
For a closer look at what happened - and at what may happen - here are 10 things you may have missed on May 23's episode of Raw:
10. Third Time's A Charm?
To nobody's surprise, Seth Rollins came out to start Raw, and revealed that he's still a heel. He promised to reclaim his title, but when Roman Reigns confronted him, Rollins headed for the hills. At that point, Shane McMahon came out, invited Rollins back into the ring, and announced that the two men would battle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank.
Presumably, the main event will go off as planned, but if it doesn't, it wouldn't be the first time. This is the third time that Seth Rollins versus Roman Reigns has been announced for a WWE Pay-Per-View, and the two still have yet to clash in a major match.
The first time, the match was made for Night of Champions 2014, but Reigns needed hernia surgery. He was put on the shelf for a few months, and the Rollins-Dean Ambrose feud was revisited in the interim. Then, just last fall, Reigns qualified to challenge Rollins for the WWE Title at Survivor Series, but Rollins got hurt and vacated the title.
Let's certainly hope both men stay healthy this time. The match could be a great one.