4 Ups & 9 Downs From WWE Raw (Nov 2)

1. Setting The Table

There is a lot of criticism that can – and should – be lobbed at WWE for the poor writing and storytelling that got us to this point, but you do have to tip your cap to the reality that Randy Orton is being pinched on three sides over his WWE Championship.

The opening segment laid this out nicely, with Alexa Bliss feigning a Fiend appearance, which segued into Drew McIntyre landing a surprise Claymore on Orton. This gave way to Miz and John Morrison racing to the ring in an attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase for the title – only for McIntyre to take them out and declare that only he would take the WWE title from Orton.

There’s a surprising amount of history here too: Bray Wyatt and Orton were tag champs and running buddies for a bit, before Randy burned down the Wyatt compound and beat him for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. Miz cashed in the MITB briefcase 10 years ago to win his only world title – against Orton. And of course, McIntyre has been feuding with the champ since the summer.

It’s just nice to see three people actively pursuing the WWE Championship, and all of them having interesting routes to go after the title, rather than only one person chasing it for months.