Did This Week's WWE Raw End As Planned?
... or was it a botch?
Believe it or not, the abrupt ending to this week's episode of WWE Raw wasn't the product of the promotion running out of television time.
PWInsider reports that despite speculation that WWE had screwed its scheduling up, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton were always supposed to end the show by squaring up for a fight, with Raw cutting off before they could lay into each other. Vince McMahon even approved the show-closing scene as the script was being finalised.
Orton had been cutting a promo from the apparent safety of the Hell In A Cell structure before McIntyre came out, broke into cage, and teased a fight, only for Raw to reach its conclusion. It felt like it came out of nowhere, though it was planned.
McIntyre will once again defend his WWE Championship against Orton at Hell In A Cell 2020 this weekend. The feud will seemingly conclude inside the titular structure, and Drew has already defeated 'The Legend Killer' twice on pay-per-view this year, with his most recent triumph coming in an ambulance match at Clash of Champions in September.
Otis still holds the Money in the Bank contract, meaning a cash-in remains on the table.