5 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Nov 10)
1. Foreshadowing With A Sledgehammer
WWE likes to tell people that it is in the business of telling stories, but the company still hasnt learned how to do anything subtly. The Ryback turn at the end of Raw was hinted at, then telegraphed, then reinforced, then beaten into the ground to the point that if it didnt happen, fans would think they were being trolled. The hint was nicely done, with Stephanie telling Ryback that he could become the true monster in WWE with the Authoritys backing and the camera cut to Kane. It was a pretty big hint, but in wrestling storytelling, thats as subtle as it gets. Instead of leaving it there and letting Kane stew for three hours, they showed backstage clips with Kane and Seth Rollins bossing Ryback around, then all of Team Authority saying they dont trust Ryback which he of course overhears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtrGBQBySRI What happened in the main event then was so obvious that fans didnt react like it was a big shock or even a big deal. Ryback choosing sides in the Survivor Series elimination match should have felt like a major decision, but instead it was just the logical conclusion to all of the scenes that preceded it.
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.
