6 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE Raw (Sep 20)
4. Soak It In
On paper, not much of anything was accomplished during the opening segment with New Day and then the Bloodline joining them in the ring.
But in reality, that opening was all about letting Big E soak in the cheers and the reality of being the new WWE Champion. He won the title in the waning moments of Raw last week, so this was his first chance to truly bask in it on the red brand and enjoy being the standard-bearer. It also gave the fans the opportunity to really cut loose and enjoy the moment, rather than having to listen to a 20-minute opening promo.
Instead, they cheered on a very grateful Big E, booed the very existence of Roman Reigns, and then geared up for a six-man tag match, all in the span of 12 minutes. For WWE, that’s downright efficient.