5 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE Raw (18 May - Results & Review)

1. Brock Answers Oba’s Open Challenge

Each week, fans are left to wonder how WWE will top the previous Oba Femi open challenge. Last week, Femi had to go to the back and forcefully conscript Los Garzas into action.

Monday night, the fight came to Oba when Brock Lesnar returned from “retirement” to attack the Ruler and lay him out with four F-5s, marking the first time that the Beast actually got the upper hand on Femi. And all it took was for Lesnar to fake his retirement and sneak attack Oba during his entrance.

Afterward, Paul Heyman handed Raw GM Adam Pearce a signed contract for Clash in Italy, setting up the WrestleMania 42 rematch for later this month and becoming a marquee, must-see match for that PLE.

The one criticism you could lodge here is that WWE is speed-running Brock’s return – most people speculated he would return for SummerSlam or Night of Champions at the earliest. However, that could also mean that there are bigger plans for Oba this summer, and they needed to get the rematch out of the way now. Or WWE is going for a trilogy, as they are wont to do.

Regardless, it’s kind of a shame that the open challenge gimmick only lasted a few weeks before getting blown up. Perhaps it will resume, but for now, the focus should be on this massive rematch.