WWE usually cant help but spoil themselves. They no longer have WCW to give away results, and they are in love with announcing surprises on social media before Raw goes on the air, thus rendering the surprise moot. While its understandable that WWE wants as many people to tune in as possible, it also takes away the atmosphere that absolutely anything can happen on Raw. (See Lawler and Cole? This is where you use hyperbole like that.) But Monday night, WWE pulled off a surprise for the ages, and they set the table brilliantly. Yes, brilliantly. With Big Show deemed inactive for the night but forced to watch Rusev and Lana respond to his actions and subsequent apology, the stage was set for a confrontation. As Rusev taunted Big Show and urged him to come out and shut him up, fans awaited the giants likely appearance, which would have helped further their inevitable match at Hell in a Cell. Instead, the Rock made his triumphant return to WWE, blowing the roof off the Barclays Center. The sustained cheer from the crowd would have gone on all night if Rock had allowed it, and deservedly so. Rocky wasnt back to plug a movie or hype a PPV or even to shill for the WWE Network. He was there to law the smackdown on Rusev and Lana. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ff6LxpfVAo&list=PLF0CB8E7B4C77DB61 And while you might think that Rock besting Rusev damages the Bulgarian Brutes standing, it doesnt matter what you think. (Sorry, couldnt resist.) Actually, for a one-shot deal, sharing the ring with the Great One didnt hurt him. If Rusev gets Stunnered or Pedigreed next week, then weve got problems. However, for a Monday night surprise, this one topped the charts and delivered a winner for WWE. Now, please dont screw it up by booking the Bunny in a handicap match against Slater Gator next week.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
